re: Is Arkansas better or worse than Alabama as a state?

Arkansas has the only diamond mine in the US.

Arkansas is the world producer of HIMARS which is almost single handedly fighting Russia at the moment. We also produce a ton of other rocket systems and missles, MLRS, ATACMS, Javelin's but I believe the Javelin is actually completed in Troy Alabama.

I think both Alabama and Arkansas are world's better than Mississippi and Louisiana. But both states have their fair share of problems too.