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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsKentucky is part of Appalachia
Appalachia including the part I live in, has ALWAYS been hardscrabble for jobs that offer a decent wage. There is no reason that moscow mitch and other politicians in Kentucky have to sell out their country to create jobs in a depressed area.
There were aluminum plants in TN, WV, and Ohio that created jobs and stimulated the local economies for decades, since the late 1950s. Then they closed. The ceos got nice retirements (I heard that (ratface) emmitt boyle got about $30,000.00/day and he managed to close 3 of the plants on his own.
Why does one politician get to decide to sell the whole country down the river? He brokers a deal that allows russia undue influence in the whole country and if other KY politicians oppose the plant out of loyalty for the U.S.A., they end up being the bad guys and opens the door for even more russian interference in our country. When it didn't happen before. And now the same russian that bought KY is offering the same kind of deal to 8 other states.
The even crappier thing is that russia's economy isn't even close to the U.S. economy, at least before trump and putin got their filthy hands on it. We have allies who would do business with us. We didn't need russian termites invited to nest in our house.
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)And build schools.
And repair infrastructure.
And install solar panels.
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)For years I have been told by my racist family members(not all of them are like this) that poor inner city blacks should study harder and do better in school and move out to where the jobs are.
Suddenly when it is white miners and such we need job programs to bring low skilled jobs to them. Hell, inner cities with few employment opportunities could build schools, repair infrastructure and make solar panels.
To add insult to injury we watched an entire generation of inner city kid being incarcerated because of drug dependency brought on by their poor economic situation. Suddenly when white folks are in that situation with Meth and Opioids we have a dependency problem any they need help!
Sorry. Im venting. I agree we should help any American in a bad spot. But the double standard sometimes pisses me off.
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)And racism, obviously, is the key factor here.
X_Digger
(18,585 posts)Here's a shot of the elementary school I attended in appalachia, 45 minutes from Kentucky
There's no land that isn't flood plain or scraped out of the side of a mountain next to a creek.
Zoom out a bit, and you can see that it's everywhere there..
The town I grew up in has tried to expand economically by opening a few low-cost colleges, but it's still struggling.
Just too many people for the available non-coal jobs.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)I mean, somebody in their family tree moved there, unless they are Shawnee; I'm not sure why people today feel like they are exempt from having to move to where the jobs are.
Turin_C3PO
(13,887 posts)If youre barely making a living wage, its hard to save money. My dad, a Republican, used to always say that blacks in Watts, where unemployment was over 30%, were too lazy to move to where jobs are. Thats why youre comment hits me the wrong way.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)Hell, people manage to walk from Guatemala to US cities and start a life. People in West Buttmunch, OH can do it too, they just feel it's beneath them. This generation is the least mobile generation in US history, according to the census, despite also being the richest.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Gas for the car, u-haul at the very least, first, last, and deposit for rent, food, then the costs of utilities, if no credit, theyll need deposits up front...and do they just stick a pin in a map and move to that place?
Methinks you have no idea of whats involved.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)If you have a family you go first and get set up so you can bring them with you. Again: people from Guatemala do this; there's absolutely no excuse for people from Kentucky not to.
What you can't do is stay in a town where the only form of currency is crates of soda.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)So this guy/gal you say should buy a bus ticket and has $100. Where does he stay when he arrives in this mythical city of milk and honey?
Does he have a place to shower, have clean clothes, ability to look for jobs (transportation)? Hes going to get hired the first day right? Where will he sleep, eat?
People from Guatemala do this.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)Majority-minority urban neighborhoods have the highest churn of all. People do move and get out.
LuvNewcastle
(16,834 posts)Sure, some of them rent, but a lot of people in rural areas have inherited their land and houses and they're reluctant to leave. If they leave, they'll either have to sell their place for a small sum or they can hold on to it while they move to the city and pay outrageous rents. It's about security. Giving up everything you have and putting yourself in a situation where you're vulnerable to the whims of an employer and a landlord does not appeal to many people.
X_Digger
(18,585 posts)My county was the poorest in the state, with a median household income of $26,000.
Most of the kids already leave- they recently consolidated two high schools into one, and it's still only ~60% used.
One of my cousins is the only person from my age peers that I know who still lives there. He got a job working for the state.
Moving as a kid going to college is a hell of a lot easier than moving a family with kids, especially when your job suitability is limited outside of mining.
I feel for them, but glib responses like, "Well move, then." aren't terribly helpful, nor does it demonstrate an understanding of the situation.
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)Say that if black inner city folks were not too lazy to move to where the jobs are, its hard not to throw it back in their faces.
And the double standard infuriates me.
But you are correct. Its wrong to do in any circumstance.
treestar
(82,383 posts)And so the same people, who voted republican, dont want to hear it when it applies to them. Typical.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)And so I left the second I could.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Progressive dog
(6,898 posts)have a tough time finding a job. The demand for underground coal miners is way down and it isn't coming back.
We rebuild from earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters and don't tell people to move.
Why should they have to move from a man made disaster?
ret5hd
(20,480 posts)whatever jobs/opportunities were there before will mostly be there after. Maybe not so much for the coal mines.
But that does get me wondering...i wonder what the "rebuilding" jobs would be in coal country? Land reclamation? Transporting that coal slurry you hear about that the coal companies keep behind dams that always seem to be near vulnerable creeks? Maybe transport it to deep in abandoned mines and then sealed?
I don't know. Even if that would work, it seems that another generation or three would be relegated to dank, miserable, and deadly working conditions only to leave them with limited options when the project was completed.
Personally, I believe only education holds the key. As long as large segments of of our population is (purposefully in my opinion) under educated they will be open for exploitation and dismissal.
A book I highly recommend that takes a deep look at the situation in the Appalachias is:
Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America's Class War
by Joe Bageant
But be warned: He did not see many solutions. Here is an interview. Take 7 1/2 minutes:
Progressive dog
(6,898 posts)but I am certain that abandoning people is not the solution.
LuvNewcastle
(16,834 posts)A lot of people in depressed areas don't have much, but many of them have a lot of time on their hands. If they have schools to go to and money to take classes and earn degrees, they are much more likely to eventually lift themselves out of poverty. Educated people are less likely to land in the pitfalls of life that plague so many in poor areas. Educated people are more likely to find solutions to the problems that they see around them. A good education is never a waste.
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)We moved from N Brunswick to Illinois.
And we left a lot of family.
We moved so my father could work in a union steel mill.
struggle4progress
(118,202 posts)Will they sell out their neighbors? Will they sell out their country? Stay tuned!"
elleng
(130,682 posts)'Can't be particular about where it comes from.'
Recursion
(56,582 posts)The problem is not "it's hard to find a job", the problem is "people in dead towns demand that a job be handed to them where they are rather than move to where the work is like their parents or grandparents did"
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)I guarantee many of the have carried on about lazy blacks in the cities not willing to move to the jobs.
Hell, I guarantee you they still say it today! Their hypocrisy is astounding. How do I know? Some are my kin!
Turin_C3PO
(13,887 posts)He always called urban blacks not willing to move due to laziness. But thinking about it now, he actually criticized, in his bigoted words Appalachian trailer trash. I guess he was an equal opportunity classist.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Seems cost effective. More importantly humane.
Unfortunately, there is no simple solution.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)Because if you stand on a street corner in North Dakota for 5 minutes, someone will hit you over the head and take you to their workplace to work because they are so desperate for workers right now.
But, yes, I'm all for all kinds of public assistance for anybody who can't find a job and needs to move.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Housing is difficult to find, and its very expensive. Doesnt a person need a place to live?
The locals there told me the boom ended up with many homeless and undesirables who thought they were going to make a bundle.
I stood on a corner waiting for my Uber; no one offered me a job.
Again, you really should get out in the real world before you judge other people.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)Codeine
(25,586 posts)kentuck
(111,043 posts)Last edited Thu Aug 15, 2019, 11:06 AM - Edit history (1)
Eastern KY, SE KY, and NE KY are all part of the mountain chain.
It's a different state when you get down into horse country around Lexington and central KY. It's different still when you get up around Louisville, the largest city in the state. Also, Bowling Green and Paducah are much different from the mountain areas.
Just for clarification.
ret5hd
(20,480 posts)snowybirdie
(5,219 posts)Hillary Clinton talked about a plan to bring Industry to that region because coal mining was declining. She wanted retraining of workers. Repubs and dumpy ridiculed her plans and said coal mining would be viable again! Ha!
librechik
(30,673 posts)oops, sorry. I love Kentuckians! I'm just a clown.
We must kill the fillibuster.
Marthe48
(16,887 posts)There are small towns and lots of empty space. People who live here hunt and fish, or farm. People who live elsewhere come to hunt, fish, hike, all the outdoor things. I grew up in Cleveland, Oh. My parents bought an abandoned farm and we'd come down on the weekends. When my parents separated, my mom, younger brother and I moved to southern Ohio. I've lived here since I was 17, graduated from a small school, married, raised a family. We lived through some tough times, and so did our family and friends. We have been lucky to avoid the opioid crisis. Maybe I was part of the last generation that was able to survive here, I don't know for sure. Our kids, and all of their cousins, have scattered across the country from Monroe and Belmont Counties and have been much more successful than if they had stayed. Depending on what someone wants from life, it is still possible to earn a decent living in the larger towns. I just don't think people like moscow mitch and others need to make deals with the devil. Even with the woes we see here now, the resilient people who live in Appalachia have not hit bottom. We don't need russian influence now and I hope we never will.