Kick Butt Tip of the Day for June 27: You Are Awesome
From tennis star Venus Williams: “Just believe in yourself. Even if you don’t pretend that you do and, and some point, you will.” – Don Chase’s Kick Butt Tip of…
Venus Williams celebrates winning in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images for LTA)
(Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images for LTA)From tennis star Venus Williams: “Just believe in yourself. Even if you don’t pretend that you do and, and some point, you will.”
- Don Chase's Kick Butt Tip of the Day is a daily motivational feature designed to give you the inspiration you need to power through your day. Check out all the Kick Butt Tips here.
Does North Carolina Fall Short as a Patriotic State in 2023?
Independence Day is coming soon, and for those of us in North Carolina, being patriotic seems to be second nature.
But it turns out, maybe Tarheels aren't as patriotic as we though.
Our friends at WalletHub say that North Carolina actually comes in at No. 22 when it comes to the most patriotic states. That's a drop from being 17th in patriotism last year.
North Carolina still ranks highly in military engagement, coming in at sixth overall. But civic engagement dropped from 32 to 38 in the last year.
WalletHub measured 13 key patriotic indicators for the study, including military enlistees, veteran population, voting percentages, and even AmeriCorps volunteer numbers.
"Patriotism can be expressed in many ways and there should be no imposed standard. We are a nation of individuals," Donald Critchlow, a professor at Arizona State University, said in the study. "Critical to any expression of patriotism needs to begin with the understanding that our experiment in democracy is unique in human history and fragile. Patriotic Americans understand the sacrifice of life and limb that has been given by our soldiers to protect our freedoms; our first responders, including police on the street, protect us and make it safe."
Here's the way that WalletHub measured everything to determine this list. Take a look below for the top 5 and bottom 5 states in the patriotic rankings for 2023.
Military Engagement – Total Points: 25
Civic Engagement – Total Points: 75
Top 5 States
1. Virginia
The Virginia Cavaliers marching band performs as an American flag is displayed to commemorate 9/11. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
Total Score: 61.01
Military Engagement: 3
Civic Engagement: 8
2. Montana
Total Score: 59.63
Military Engagement: 22
Civic Engagement: 3
3. Alaska
Total Score: 57.98
Military Engagement: 1
Civic Engagement: 24
4. North Dakota
Total Score: 56.33
Military Engagement: 20
Civic Engagement: 7
5. Maine
Total Score: 56.08
Military Engagement: 20
Civic Engagement: 7
Bottom 5 States
46. Florida
Total Score: 32.91
Military Engagement: 19
Civic Engagement: 49
47. New York
Total Score: 32.84
Military Engagement: 49
Civic Engagement: 27
48. Rhode Island
Total Score: 32.68
Military Engagement: 40
Civic Engagement: 36
49. Massachusetts
Total Score: 30.49
Military Engagement: 50
Civic Engagement: 34
50. Arkansas
Total Score: 26.87
Military Engagement: 29
Civic Engagement: 50
