Posted on 01/16/2014 10:49:09 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
WV voted in a dem right?. The one with the shotgun right?
manchin right?
You see this is a lot of East European countries.
What you say reminds me of that movie Fargo. I am from near Fargo myself, and the movie made it look like all North Dakotans were a bunch of clueless, idiot, red neck hillbillies, just like Jed and Granny. It is a bunch of crap, of course.
“The premise that all of America is heading into this deep poverty based on current observations of life in Appalachia is false.”
I wouldn’t be so sure; the same forces are at work (high, chronic unemployment, government dependency).
Vet,
I was born in Huntington, West Virginia. Family left when I was 4.
I still go back to the area whenever I can.
It has been ignorant and dirt poor forever and little has helped .
Just south and east of Huntington is dirt poor coal country and the stupids there have voted democrat forever.
They supported obammy as well as Manchin, Rockafeller and every other lib garbage that has come along.
They Have coal, nothing else and they voted for buttheads that are taking away ANY possibility ffffor gainful employment.
Guess they all can go back to growing marijuana or making moonshine.
Well I can tell ya that in my town pop. 6000 more or less 14 businesses closed their doors in 2013 and no new ones opened.
So far in 2014 we have news one will close by March 1st.
The side of the street our business is located on has nothing but empty buildings for two blocks on either side of us. Those buildings used to be full just two years ago. Its the same all over the tri-county area.
Obamanomics is killing Southern Ohio.
Almost every area in Massachusetts is declining, especially the cities, with Boston being the sole exception. Maintenance is being deferred everywhere. You can’t afford to do that here, unless you can’t afford it.
“Obamanomics is killing Southern Ohio.”
Same here in NJ; Gov. Christie stabilized the property tax disaster that was forcing our businesses and taxpayers to flee, but without real national job growth (except in limited areas) it isn’t doing much. Lots of “For Sale” signs, empty businesses, crumbling infrastructure - and no end in sight. If Republicans could convince voters they’d stimulate job growth they’d win national elections.
“Overall, about 15 percent of the entire nation is under the poverty line”
Overall, about 87 percent of the entire world is under the poverty line.
Start by drawing a sensible poverty line.
WTF are you talking about, equating capitalism with socialism?
Regions develop, flourish, fade and stagnate. Can’t restore prosperity by willing it so in an area which lacks the relevant resources. Best thing to do is give people luggage and a bus ticket.
I remember documentaries on poverty in Appalachia in the 70s. Nothing new here. Sad, but not new.
Rural Vermont is riddled with drugs. The governor just used his State of the state to address this problem in the total fascist way, more money thrown at clinics and therapy not jobs . When people have nothing to do they turn to drugs. Once drugs have taken over their minds it is hard to get them back to work.
Drive around Vermont sometime and do the back road thing and you’ll see the hidden poverty that is Vermont.
To a great extent they brought this on themselves, because they sue the coal companies at the drop of a hat, for any reason whatsoever.
Coal used to be the biggest industry in Eastern Kentucky, with litigation a close second. Now, the positions have changed, and litigation is the biggest “employer” in Eastern Kentucky.
Torrential rainfall? Sue the coal companies. Develop a bad cold? Sue a coal company. Slip on an icy street? Sue a coal company. A jury of your peers will ALWAYS find in your favor and award you money.
They literally are suing their economic lifeblood out of existence.
Stupid is as stupid does.
What resources does Appalachia not have?
What resources does Communist China have that Appalachia doesn’t?
Free Trade Stupidity, along with other Liberal stupidity, kills Appalachia. If you can ship a factory to Communist China...you can ship it to Appalachia
You think the EU, UN, Al Gore, and Barack Obama are Capitalists?
They all support Free Trade
Free Trade is a liberal idea...and most liberals support it.
With legalization taking a domino effect, I see where the future hemp farms will be. Mountain grown.
Applause 8D
I see it first-hand. The author’s descriptions are right on target.
It’s a mixed bag though - for as many deadbeats who’d rather suckle on the taxpayer teat, there’s just as many who are tough as nails and hard working. I see a lot of these guys who’ve been laid off from the coal mines...desperate for work, any kind of work. But that desperation has a short shelf-life, and once they get into the net of drugs and dependency, it’s damn near impossible for them to get out. And if there are finally some new jobs, or if they’re called back to work, they can’t pass a drug test by that point, so they don’t get hired on.
The sad part is, their kids see it, and don’t get a chance to develop a work ethic, so they wind up just like their parents...waking up at noon and coming up with a plan for the daily scam.
True story: a friend of mine teaches 5th grade. He was asking his students what they wanted to be when they got older. One boy said, “I’m gonna stay home and draw, like my dad!” My friend said, “Oh, that’s good, is your dad an artist or cartoonist?”. The kid replied, “No...draw a check.”
And thus the cycle repeats.
Poverty exists in places in all states, but I just can't allow you all to think that all of Appalachia is the stereotypical Hill Billy. For the most part the people in the cities I names above and in countless others I failed to name, are salt-of-the-earth. Transplants to these areas tend to love the local culture and thrive on it.
You know what I think? I have a suspicion that because this is the heart of the Bible Belt, many in the government would love to see these towns fail and the people either be hushed (deemed inbred stupid hill billies) or dispersed in order to break up the strong Christian culture that is there now.
Take a vacation to Asheville (for example) and I guarantee that you will fall in love with the mountains and the people. www.exploreasheville.com
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