Rural towns feeling the pinch

[Rose Siding]

...As Mansfield's only two full-time city employees, they've taken on custodial duties — wiping down the furniture, vacuuming and cleaning the bathroom — as budget cuts pare down their options.
...
Small cities and counties with fewer than 5,000 people are feeling the weight of voter-approved initiatives like Initiative 695, which cut the state motor-vehicle-excise tax to $30 regardless of the vehicle's value, and Initiative 747, which limited property-tax increases.
...
To help, Mansfield council members discontinued their $30-a-month salaries. Mayor Tom Snell knocked his pay down from $60 to $50 a month. Snowplowing will only be done during office hours.

"If 2 feet of snow falls on Friday night and over the weekend, then it'll just have to stay there until Monday when Tyler can get to it," Snell said. "There's no overtime money for snowplowing."
There's also no money to fix the city's leaking 30-year-old sewage lagoon, which state Department of Ecology officials say must be repaired.
...
Unlike big urban and suburban cities, rural communities don't have the base to collect a significant amount of sales tax.
"There are no new businesses. No new revenues. No new industries," Snell said of Mansfield. "The wheat industry is all that we have."

Bridgeport doesn't have an industry. There are no major retailers. Mom-and-pop operations — a couple of restaurants, beauty shops and an auto-parts store — make up most all of its business community....

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002152752_poortown17m.html

You'd think that was the sound of Democrats being born, but they'll lay it all at Locke's feet.

[chicagojoe]

1. And these are the people who CONTIUOUSLY put

Republican Scum into office. My advice to them: stop trusting politicians to give you the answers, especially the ones who want to "help you" by lowering your state taxes.

[Ilsa]

2. I look forward to hearing complaints about lack of services.

Maybe then they'll understand that taxes aren't "bad", and that you don't have to be poor to need govt services.

[brainshrub]

5. The rich use govt services far more than the poor.

You can't have wealth in a democratic society without government services. The banks are federally insured, Fannie Mae helps people buy homes, the police protect property.

[Ilsa]

24. Exactly! I've used this point every time I hear somone complain about

the poor on the dole. The wealthy forget how much more they use federally protected infrastructures, such as aviation, securities watchdogs, food supply, water supply, highway systems, prescription meds and other medical services which are regulated for safety by the state and federal govts.

[brainshrub]

3. These folks are the canary in the mine shaft. (nt)

[GOPFighter]

4. Who needs government anyway?

It's just a socialist concept. If the towns can't survive, obviously they are weak and inneficient and must go. Who needs water and sewer? Let them dig a well and use outhouses like our brave and couragious forefathers did. Harumph! {end sarcasm}

[durablend]

9. Exactly!

The repukes don't want to pay taxes? Fine--abolish them! When the road needs to be fixed or their house catches on fire, they can deal with it themselves. Hope they learned how to mix asphalt to fix the road or have a long enough garden hose to put that fire out.

Who needs any of that socialist crap?

[UpInArms]

6. the "I got mines" are all over the place

Small cities and counties with fewer than 5,000 people are feeling the weight of voter-approved initiatives like Initiative 695, which cut the state motor-vehicle-excise tax to $30 regardless of the vehicle's value, and Initiative 747, which limited property-tax increases.

all those people who don't understand that they are subsidizing the building of $50,000 7700 pound 12-15 mpg 100% tax deductible pieces of crap and want to pay only $30 for their tags

:argh:

[durablend]

10. The MEpublicans...

The planet revolves around them.

[hadrons]

7. rural 'red state' "thinkers" will never get it (save the belt)

WestPoint Stevens to layoff more than 1300 from Clemson plant (2500 total)

(Burlington, NC-AP) Jan. 10, 2005 - Bedding and bath textile maker WestPoint Stevens said Monday it will cut almost 2500 jobs and close plants in four states because of the January 1st end of worldwide quotas limiting cheap imports.

The West Point, Georgia-based maker of brands including Martex, Stevens and Lady Pepperell will close plants in Burlington, North Carolina; Clemson, South Carolina; Middletown, Indiana and Drakes Branch, Virginia.

About 560 will lose their jobs in Burlington, 1345 in Clemson, 450 in Drakes Branch, and 110 in Middletown. The company said the plants are expected to close by late March or early April.

Oconee County economic development director Jim Alexander says the loss of the county's biggest employer could double the county's unemployment rate. It was 7.1 percent in November.

The closings and layoffs "are directly related to the removal of textile quotas from low-wage countries," the company said in a statement. Much of the work will be shifted overseas.

...more...

http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2791967

120 cut from shipyards in Louisiana, Mississippi

UNDATED-AP) January 11 -- Northrop Grumman Ship Systems has laid off 120 workers at its two shipyards near New Orleans and Pascagoula, Mississippi, as the result of U.S. Navy budget cuts.

Seventy drafting and design workers were cut Monday from the Ingalls shipyard in Mississippi while another 50 were laid off at the Avondale shipyard near New Orleans.

Avondale employs about 7,200 workers, while Ingalls has about 12,450. The division includes two smaller fabrication yards in Tallulah and Gulfport, Mississippi. The layoffs are effective January 20th.

Northrop's senior shipbuilding executive said last week that the company will eliminate about 2,500 jobs from its regional shipyards over the next four years.

http://wpmi.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=0A32A791-0C8D-4E0D-A58A-6F8519F248E0

[radric]

14. And your point is?

This has been going on a lot longer than the time the Bush administration has been in office. This isn't something that's occurred in the past four years. Dems and Repubs are both guilty for allowing manufacturing jobs to be outsourced to the lowest-cost labor markets. Both parties are going to have to quit rolling over to corporate interests to reverse this trend. It remains to be seen whether either has the guts to do it imo..

[genieroze]

18. But * has turned it into an art form. eom

[keopeli]

21. This isn't about blaming everyone because of historical blunders

This is about Bush*. Outsourcing is a Bush* thing. If you need some help understanding, check out the chart and see what Dems and Repubs in the past have done for US jobs. Bush favors the wealthy. Iman favors the wealthy. Jesus favors the wealthy...uh...oh, wait.

[MissB]

8. Pretty soon the whole state can be just like its neighbor, Oregon

Limiting property taxes has had such a positive effect on so many of our services, such as education.

/sarcasm off

[Algorem]

11. You can't eat red.

You can't buy a house with red.

[leesa]

12. It's what America wants. Shut up and take it.

[Kolesar]

13. Kerry did "ok" with rural America

The Democratic populist message still had some traction there. Kerry got more votes than Gore in a lot of "sagebrush" western counties. Where Kerry lost was the new outlying ex-urb commuter counties.

So cut the rural folk some slack, please.

[Rose Siding]

15. Kerry got 32% in Douglas Co, WA

They went 65% for Rossi, 66% for BUSH, 61% repub in the House race. Sorry, no slack for them.

http://archive.votewashington.org/2004/9_1102_2004.tpl

[oneold1-4u]

16. Can't understand-----

That so many of these rural and small towners truly believed that bush ever intended to make their lives better.
These are, in many ways, the backbone of the nation! They once grew all our food needs which will someday, again, be important.
For now though, it is important that these people still believe and will send their sons and daughters to bush's war machine. Even if they ever do return, they won't know a bull from a steer or a carrot from a strawberry!
The good thing out of this will be the lessons the rest of us will learn about how to get by with the least by helping ourselves and one another.

[Missy Vixen]

17. It's all the Democrats' fault, isn't it?

Never mind that Tim Eyman was exposed in the Seattle Times as being funded by the Republicans to get "a foothold" in Washington state. Never mind that he is a less than honest and upright person. These people will vote for ANYTHING they think will save them money, and they don't give a rat's ass of the aftereffects. They have $30 car tabs, and that's all that's important.

I am no longer on our rural town's city council, so I am having a great time sitting back and watching them struggle with a six-figure deficit. Since our town votes overwhelmingly Republican, they're also discussing seceding from King County. Nobody has seemed to figure out yet that if they cut that tie, they also cut off millions of dollars' worth of road maintenance, school district funding, etcetera.

Julie

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. Ah when they call 911

the fire department will not be able to respond...

Maybe tehn they will figure it out.

[Missy Vixen]

30. It'll still be the Democrats' fault

>Maybe tehn they will figure it out.<

I'm currently reading George Lakoff's book and I have to say that he's hit the nail on the head re: rural Republican voters. They think that they are the "stern parent," letting those foolish Democrats know that they won't stand for unnecessary frivolity like discounted meds for seniors that can't afford them.

The pain will have to be overwhelming before most Republicans will wake up; unfortunately, it will also deeply affect good people who just didn't get the educational and networking opportunities of wealthy "R"'s. Why do those of very depressed employment opportunities and financial options continue to vote Republican, when Republicans don't do anything for them? For example: There's a woman who teaches craft classes at another business in the building mine is in. She works with developmentally disabled adults in a group setting, which is obviously subsidized by the state, but is a virulent and unpleasant "R". She can't wait to tell me how "uninformed" I am about Democratic "handouts," but she lives in a mobile home park. I have thought about asking her why she works in a setting that is just "enabling" the parents of these young people by allowing them to belly up to the public funding trough, but it's just not worth it.

Julie

[emc]

20. in tenn. health care suspended---

I just read the other day that the gov of tenn, cancelled all benefits to the elderly in tenn---medicade---328,000 from what I read ---reason, tax base wont support it, and he stated that the federal goverment wont help----
My question---which applies to the people here in New Mexico also----is why cant the people put 2 and 2 together and come up with the answer that the these are cuts by the Bush administration---it doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure it out----schools are being robbed of supplies and books to educate, but the football teams go on...

Here in NM , there are police forces in small towns being closed up for lack of funds---and guess who makes a big deal out of it----the press, but being the press, they never put the blame on the administration---They dont give a shit, they all make mega bucks and all they do is run their mouths because they have to find something that makes a story----but you will never see them coming up with a reason---------Im sick of the whole damn thing----

[ikojo]

22. Feelin' the pinch but still voting

against their class interests.

Beyond my understanding why rural folks tend to side with the boss instead of the worker. Of course if the so called party that claims to support the worker was more vocal about that on a daily basis, then maybe rural working people would stop voting pug. When the so called party of the worker supports legislation like NAFTA and GATT it sure makes it difficult to differentiate between the parties.

[mbee]

23. They got their tax cut from smirk, but they probably didn't know

that was supposed to be in place of a pay check from now on.

[bmbmd]

25. I just got a ticket this morning

from a likable cop in small town Texas. (On my birthday, no less)
My crime? Registration expired 12/30/04. Should have noticed it, but I swear I never got a renewal notice in the mail. When I told the officer that no notice had come, he laughed and told me that the state was so short-handed that they weren't able to mail out notices. He said that when I renewed my registration, I could mail proof to the court house in Fannin county and the ticket would be expunged-the so called "Fix-a-ticket" program. My Texas DPS license, which expires 1/30/05, did not arrive until I called the office in Austin. Without a DPS license (for prescribing scheduled drugs) I can't work. Again, the DPS is so short-handed they can't keep up with their own business. It's not just little towns feeling the pinch-it's whole states.

[Rose Siding]

28. Oh, no! Happy birthday, bmbmd

My reg renewal didn't come one year and it was months before I noticed (for which I easily forgave myself lol- lots going on that year) I dug out an old one to find they weren't obligated to send me anything. Cost a bundle in penalties.

[VirginiaDem]

26. They're mixing apples and oranges

Rural voters went Republican first and foremost because of cultural issues and the war on terror. These are the apple issues. The tax/economic issues are the oranges--they either agree with them because Rush tells them to or they are "not so sure" about them but couldn't care less at the moment they punch the chad or pull the lever or click the button because of the apple issues. The two don't necessarily have any logical connection, in fact they would best be separated, thematically. Apples are pro-government and oranges are anti-government.

[tinymontgomery]

27. But at least they won't have gays getting married

in their little town!!!!!!

[havocmom]

29. Which is a shame. They could probably use the marriage license fees.

Damned idiots.

My ol granny used to say "You pay for what you need, whether you buy it or not!" She was a lot smarter than most folks, I guess.