Ranking Rhody

Rhode Island has a long heritage of firsts. We were the first colony to attack England, sink a British ship and renounce allegiance to the British Crown. We were home to the first circus (1774), polo match (1876), national lawn tennis championship (1899) and open golf championship (1895) in America. The first U.S. discount department store (Ann & Hope), Baptist Church and torpedo boat were built here. The state gave birth to the Industrial Revolution and (thanks to Roger Williams) the first practical working model of democracy, including most of the precepts found in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

But what has been true historically falls apart statistically in recent times, when more often than not, worst comes before first in Rhode Island. Over the past few years, Rhody has finished dead last compared to the Other 49 in various rankings, including worst drivers (2006), worst business taxes (2006), worst bridge conditions (2007), worst tort laws (2008) and worst population loss (2007). (Coincidentally, the state earned its worst-driver designation despite the fact that on Aug. 28, 1904, Newport Judge Darius Baker imposed the first jail sentence for speeding in an automobile in the U.S.)

The good news? Rhode Island ranked first in the nation for state investment in wireless technology, which should bear fruit next year, when we lead the U.S. in number of blog rants per capita.