A Glass Half Full and Half Empty
Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum
 
        One of the reasons that Virginia has earned the title of best managed state in America is because it has one of the most sophisticated and transparent systems of any public or private organization for measuring how well state government and its many agencies are meeting their mission and goals.  Go to vaperforms.virginia.gov maintained by the Council on Virginia's Future to see a report card on how well the Commonwealth is doing.
 
        Recently the Council issued its "Virginia Report 2008" assessing Virginia's progress on long term goals for Virginia and its government.  As might be expected for such a comprehensive report, there was some good news and some bad news.
 
        Virginia has an excellent business climate as reflected in the data from state government and from external sources as well.  In 2006, Virginia had the seventh lowest poverty rate in the nation at 9.6 percent, a drop from 11.3 percent a decade ago.  Our unemployment is one of the lowest in the nation, and our people are the 8th wealthiest among the states.
 
        On educational measures, Virginia presents a mixed picture.  In 2005 Virginia ranked fourth in the nation for the most master's degrees (9.5 percent), sixth for doctorate (1.4 percent) and seventh for the most professional degrees (2.5 percent) as a percent of the adult population 25 years and older.  At the same time Virginia ranked only 28th among the states in the percentage of adults with at least a high school education.  In 2007 Education Week reported that a child's chances for success throughout life are greatest in Virginia compared to other states and in 2008 reported that Virginia ranks among the top five states in the overall quality of its public education system.
 
        There is some bleak news, however.  Virginia's infant mortality increased to 7.7 deaths per 1000 live births while the national average is 6.6 percent.  That percentage represents 800 infant deaths.  The death rate for black infants was twice the state's overall rating.  The state's immunization rate fell below the national average in 2007 to 30th in the nation.
 
        Virginia's obesity rate continues to rise from 25.1 percent of the population to 25.3 percent in 2007.  The national average is 26.3 percent.
 
        As we well know in Northern Virginia, Virginia has some of the most clogged roads in the country.  According to the most recent numbers, the average commute time in Virginia in 2006 was 26.9 minutes, sixth highest in the country.
 
        For details on the report, go to www.future.virginia.gov.  You will find a lot to cheer about and will discover a lot that needs to be done.  I believe you may well be impressed with the amount of information available on state government and how it is performing. of any public or private organization  The glass is half empty or half full, depending on how you look at it.