Some data to interject

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By BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star

* Capital punishment is sanctioned in 38 states, although executions were put on hold in 12 of those last year because of concerns about the use of lethal injection.

Nebraska is the only state that requires death by electrocution. Since 1976, there have been three executions here. Twenty-two states have executed more in that time. A recent Pew Research poll shows 64 percent of Americans favor the death penalty for people convicted of murder.

* A constitutional amendment banning gay marriage was approved by 70 percent of Nebraska voters in 2004.

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The electric chair at the Nebraska State Penitentiary. (LJS file)

The electric chair at the Nebraska State Penitentiary. (LJS file)

The state is rarely considered gay-friendly by liberal advocacy groups. One list of rankings, put out by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, ranked Nebraska 42nd in dealing with gay and reproductive rights.

* Forbes recently ranked the top 50 states by business. Nebraska came in No. 7. The rankings were based on business cost, labor, regulatory environment, economic climate, growth prospects and quality of life. Nebraska ranked ninth in quality of life.

* The U.S. Census Bureau found that 9.6 percent of the population of Nebraska is living in poverty. That was the 11th lowest percentage in the country. The national average is 12.6 percent.

*  A May report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found Lincoln to be No. 1 in binge drinking. 

* A 2006 National Center for Health Statistics poll found Nebraska has the 16th-lowest divorce rate in the country; it also had the sixth-lowest percentage of out-of-wedlock births.

* In the newest edition of “Cities Ranked & Rated,” Lincoln ranks 139 of 373 metropolitan areas. 

Using a scale of 1 to 100, the city scored 38.8 on arts and culture and, thanks to high taxes, 29.1 on cost of living.

On a more flattering note, Lincoln scored 78.6 on economy and jobs. The unemployment rate here is listed at 3.8 percent compared with the U.S. average of 4.7. Granted, the book’s description of the city leaves a little to be desired: “As the capital and higher education center of the state, Lincoln is a livable, small city with a diverse economy. … The downtown is clean but fairly ordinary.”