Posted on 11/08/2005 12:13:21 PM PST by ArmoredCav
Ditto. What you said.
The people here cannot read. You can say what you want, but I live here and deal with the tragedy of this area on a daily basis.
You guys can try to say this area is not poor and illiterate all you want to do so. There is not one single school in this state that I would send my children to after experiencing two different school systems here.... the best in the state to close to the worst.
If you think the schools in Sullivan County are "not bad", I suggest you educate your children in them then try to get them into college WITHOUT supplementing their education at home. Or better yet, transfer to another state and see how hard you are going to have to struggle to play catch up.
As for not wanting to live here, I intend to retire here (except over the border a few miles either in VA or NC). I was beside myself with excitement when we first came. It was a culmination of a life-long dream. Careful what you wish for, eh?
We still love the area, I simply wish we had waited until our children were grown and gone so as not to have exposed them to the lifestyle of their would-be peers.
You have given me an idea. I think I shall take my camera and create a Web site for the world to see how lovely our Tennesse Mountains are in all it's glory starting with the two huge yellow Billboards you pass in town that say, "Sunday Blue Laws are the Mark of the Beast.", going on to all the misspelled billboards, the dilapidated mobile homes with many animals tied to trees, the shocking junkyards that turn out to not be junkyards but residences where generation after generation has discarded their trash, cars, appliances... etc right outside the door, and ending with videos of interviews of our so well-educated and not poor citizens. Then the world can say "they seen" it, too.
Also note each resident there now pays the highest wheel tax in the state for the improvements. You are new to the area and well uneducated to the struggles and in general big improvements in Campbell County. Most living wage jobs are still 25 miles south of that area. Before the wheel tax the buses stopped running quite often as the county was BROKE! Big deal you might think? Some of these kids ride an hour plus on back mountain roads to get to school. When those scores were taken many didn't make it because they could not get there. That wasn't anyones fault there were no jobs. No jobs, no industry, no taxable income for the county to operate.
In general things are improving up there. Industry coming into neighboring counties means JOBS to former COAL MINERS whose jobs were CLOSED DOWN BY LIBREALS. You know nothing of this region and it's struggles of the past few years. Try this one. Type in Lafollette Tennessee +fire works plant explosion.
I guessed earlier in this thread what happened and I was right. The kids was using drugs. That happens everywhere including your high dollar prep schools. I could tell you some stories about some students in private schools that would make you blush from their so called civilized behavior.
In my lifetime {I'm 48} communities in that county were owned by mining companies. They owned the stores, all the homes, and in general the workers for less than livable wages. They lived in shacks you could not begin to imagine. They worked and their kids worked in the mines.
They started closing down roughly in the late 1960's and now even the far more safer strip mines are shut down because our government buys coal from other states or overseas. The area is just now recovering. Simply put much of the area wasn't fit for anything but either timbering or mining. Up until very recently even Jacksboro and the Lafollette area was considered too far out of the way for industry. That has changed in part due to the Cumberland Gap Tunnel opening.
If you had lived here in the 70's and earlier you would have turned around and went back then. You never traveled the good old USA much have you? I mean besides the high dollar tourist towns etc. You'll find all the conditions described in about all 50 states if you look. I'll tell you what I drove an 18 wheeler across country. I would feel safe pulling into about any east Tennessee town and parking overnight at a company in lets say Bristol or Morristown or for that matter even in Newport.
However in the 1980's when I had runs going into NYC and New Jersey, etc I would park in Allentown ,PA that night and wait on day light to drive in. LA Cali was among the worst as well. Some bad things happen here yes. Bad stuff happens in Kentucky where 6 satanic youth killed 3 family members one night in Greeneville, TN thereabouts. One child of the family survives.
I live in a double wide with a view many would pay good money for. It was a very wise investment as it's paid for. When I became disabled I didn't loose my home as it was nearly paid off and had small payments. Land? Nearly 30 acres. Water? Mine is likely safer than about any in the nation. Neighbors? If anything at any time happened I could call them and help would be there ASAP.
Again I tell you that you know nothing of this region. Many persons being dirt poor living hand to mouth in their youth have stayed here to make the area better.
But I got a better idea why don't you instead of complaining about how bad things are in Bristol do like many have done and change it. I doubt too many persons grew up more poor than Dolly Parton. She is now among the highest paying employer in her home county. So much so a temporary part time job out pays a lot of full time ones.
I don't know what state you came from but I'm guess either well north of the Mason Dixon or from Cali perhaps. Been there and did that in a truck. I'll take East Tennessee any day BY CHOICE. OH BTW say you want to retire in VA? Now in the 70's they had some real strict blue laws. Tennessee for the most part didn't. VA does have a state income tax to pay for all your wish book improvements as well as a required state vehicle inspection to make certain no poorer persons clog to road going to work. You want to put in a new mobile home in about any county in East Tennessee? Good luck with the inspectors. Lived there while in the Navy thank you. Go try Portsmouth Virginia and see how it suits ya also.
I'm from Texas. I have also lived in Virginia and North Carolina. As for traveling, I have seen the entirity of nearly every state in the Union. When I said I was moving over the border, I meant just that... a mile or two. Just far enough to get out of this God-foresaken state, but still enjoy the beauty of Appalachia.
No, other states do not look like this one. Well... Arkansas almost does in certain areas, but not quite.
By your statement, "Now in the 70's they had some real strict blue laws." I realize you didn't even comprehend the meaning of the two billboards which says to me that you haven't been to this area very much or you would know that the Seventh Day Adventists are fighting the Baptists (even posting huge billboards) who hate the Catholics who all but the Catholics hate the Jews who hate... on and on and on. At least you did mention the Satanic Cults who are here in abundance living openly beside the KKK.
Here is a link about our lovely schools. http://www.sullivan-county.com/nf0/ep/tn_grade.htm
Yes, this is a very friendly area.. as long as you are white. Heaven help you if you are not and drive down 11E letting the police see you.
As for changing it, I've already tried... offering incentives for workers to go to school, when that yielded zero results, cajolling and babysitting their kids to get them to go, I have another child staying with me at the moment whose parents are divorced and argue over whose house the child will sleep... argue as in, "It's your turn." "No, it's your turn." because neither wants to be bothered with him. My son's friend is coming to live with us next semester because his parents don't believe in college and want him to go work at the local oil-changing place for a career so I will be sending him to school instead.
And Dolly Parton? Good God Man! She founded Dollywood to put her family to work that were bumming off her all the time. So I should start a business here and put people to work? Oh nevermind...
I'm in hysterics laughing that you're even posting this nonsense then. You really don't have much room to talk then. As for the klan? LOL!!! You're from Texas and wanna talk about that with a state that produced LBJ? Oh my sides! LOL The klan as such died in this state more than a generation ago. The last stand basically took place in the 1950's. They lost! Yea there's a few that come in every now and then but not many. Mostly outsider wannabe's who never understood it's actual origins and corruption anyway. LOL OH BTW if the education system is so pathetic you can thank the beloved Lamar Alexander-R. He was the so called education governor and Pappy W's Sec of Education. LOL
Now then some real facts. One of the best school systems in the nation is in East Tennessee actually. Ever hear of Oak Ridge? Some of the most advanced scientific research in the world goes on in East Tennessee. The United States Nuclear Navy is possible because of fuel processed in East Tennessee. Many of the so call backwood bumpkins work in uranium enrichment plants among other high tech jobs. When Little Boy was being built locals were hired to do it. The major electricity producer for the south east is head quartered in East Tennessee. Eastman Chemicals, Berkline, Rockwell Industries, Denso, and many, many, others are as well. Have you been to Morristown? You should have seen it just 20 years ago. The area is a boom and growing. Oh yes we also produce a substantial portion of the nations aluminum as well. Want a car? We build them. Want car parts? We produce them. Want plane parts? Boeing is here as well and all are doing very good and many are expanding here. It's funny not a single one of the companies I listed is griping about the East Tennessee work force not being capable. These so called illiterates you put down were highly instrumental in the building of this nations first atomic bomb.
Taking the fact that many companies are moving to Tennessee from other states and even companies from Japan {which has a very high standard for education} are locating here. Yes they move here instead of Texas at times LOL. Somehow what you are saying simply does not add up to reality. Now then if your company has a test that persons can not understand then I would hold the test as being suspect. The more you talk the less I believe.
As for diversity in religion? A lot of Upper East Tennessee is actually Lutheran believe it or not. I'm a Baptist with a Roman Catholic Priest cousin who actually is a Vicar General I believe {I don't know much about the RC church but half my family is RC, some family members are Mormons, a few Methodist, a lot of Baptist, and maybe snake handlers who knows {Threw that last one in their just for your amusement} So that arguments hog wash as well. The churches get along fine with each other. But you'll find snobs in any of them. How about yours?
No she co-owns it. The place was called Silver Dollar City actually before Dollywood. She owns half and they use her name. There are persons who drive over 50-75 miles just to work there part time cleaning up the park.
She is perhaps one of the most generous persons around. She from her own money provides scholarships and has stay in school incentives. As well students in Sevier County that finish school get a sizable amount of money. That is just part of her doings for the area. BTW she's written many songs and can not read a note of music.
She has a lot of family yes and some of them do work there. I would guess about 10% of the total employed there are likely related to her. Heck for that matter my wife may be related to her as my wife's family first settled Sevier County in the 1700's. They helped establish the State of Tennessee.
His parents don't owe him college. I have post high school training. I went in the Navy and got the GI Bill to pay for it while I dug graves with a pick and shovel for extra cash at a local veterans cemetery. I also joined the National Guards as well for some extra cash. The early 1980's were lean times.
My parents had the means to send me to college. My grades ruled that out so I didn't waste their money. Maybe the parents want the lad to mature a year before the liberals ruin him perhaps? In all seriousness he can work at Jiffy Lube and still likely afford a community college as well. I would recommend LMU in Harrogate or Carson Newman in Jefferson City both are fine schools and much cheaper than UTK.
Whatever you want to think the life long locals know better though.
Oh, so that's alright.
Tell me you arent buying into the "Grand Theft Auto" defense??
I really don't find much difference between taking drugs sold at school, and taking drugs prescribed by school officials in shooting incidents like this.
Sounds like a stupid high school kid defending a classmate.
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