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An interesting conversation I had with a man from Appalachia at the coffee shop
Posted on 8/8/14 at 1:20 pm
Posted on 8/8/14 at 1:20 pm
I didn't want to mention the poverty of the region, as I think it would have been in bad taste, but then he brought it up. Basically called out his own people, saying that rational people leave areas when the areas become economically unimportant, and criticized them for being "just content enough" with the state and federal welfare payments they receive. I tried defending the holler people by saying their hardship is largely caused by the EPA, and he said that whether or not that is the case, Appalachian people aren't being serious about improving themselves or the hollers. I would never expect someone to call out his people like that, but this Kentucky man did.
6
Posted on 8/8/14 at 1:24 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
Folks in Appalachia are poor because of the EPA, but black kids do poorly in school because their parents don't care?
Posted on 8/8/14 at 1:28 pm to inelishaitrust
Well obviously there are other important reasons why Appalachia is so troubled, I was sort of playing devil's advocate. But I think the region is an example of the moral hazard that a welfare state creates
Posted on 8/8/14 at 1:30 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
The guy hit the nail on the head. People used to move where the work was before government assistance came into being.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 1:35 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
You have to leave for the city for economic opportunity, but when all the young bright people leave a place, it ruins the economic and cultural viability of the area. This is Mississippi's biggest issue.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 1:36 pm to AngryBeavers
Yeah, people act in their own self interest. . . what a concept!
Posted on 8/8/14 at 1:47 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
Its a region that's been poor since America was founded, had a little bit of improvement when Coal was the country's primary power source but didn't develop any other real sustainable industry and thus is on its way back to being poor now. Its never going to get much better unless for some reason the best and the brightest in Appalachia quit leaving the region as soon as they graduate HS and instead either stay in the region for college or return post-grad to establish something. As it is, the top 25% or so of every HS class basically looks for a way out in order to have a better future.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 1:49 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
quote:What were you doing in the Florida panhandle???
with a man from Appalachia
Posted on 8/8/14 at 1:57 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
quote:
I tried defending the holler people by saying their hardship is largely caused by the EPA
Well, might as well try a few jokes to cheer him up, right?
Posted on 8/8/14 at 2:00 pm to Rex
Rex, I said in the other post that I was playing Devil's Advocate, as the man was pretty one-sided in his indictment of the hill people.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 2:13 pm to Rex
quote:
I tried defending the holler people by saying their hardship is largely caused by the EPA
Well, might as well try a few jokes to cheer him up, right?
Are these the people Robert "Than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels" Byrd was talking about when he said "White ****s?" Yep. That's the same bunch.
How a people who live in the USA on land that has decent rainfall can't figure out how to get rich is something I have to SMH at.
These guys have PHDs in govt programs.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 3:40 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
The Tennessee Valley used to be every bit as backward as Appalachia, until the TVA came along. Too bad Appalachia didn't have a big river they could dam.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 3:45 pm to AngryBeavers
quote:
The guy hit the nail on the head. People used to move where the work was before government assistance came into being.
Sure did.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 3:48 pm to Jim Rockford
quote:I do not support the TVA, but it's not like the government wasn't actively involved in the southern economy before that. In fact, private utility were so regulated back then in Tenn, that they were basically owned by the government.
The Tennessee Valley used to be every bit as backward as Appalachia, until the TVA came along.
Besides, are you trying to argue, in statist fashion, that Appalachia is poor because of lack of government? Because that is not true- it was the PRIMARY area targeted by the great society.
Sorry if I sound angry, I just get a bit ticked off when people glorify bureaucrats as angels who are meant to lead ordinary men and women to the economic promise land.
The TVA was a soviet-style experiment.
This post was edited on 8/8/14 at 3:53 pm
Posted on 8/8/14 at 3:55 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
(no message)
This post was edited on 11/7/15 at 6:51 am
Posted on 8/8/14 at 4:22 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
How far would you go with that? Are you against the Interstate Highway System? How about the Louisiana Purchase? It was the biggest statist project in United States history.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 4:30 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
Whether you're from the backwoods of West Virginia hillbilly country, or from a crime-ridden inner city housing project, the #1 determining factor in a child's future success is their parents. If you're born with the derelict parents, you're pretty much screwed, but if you're lucking enough to be born with two responsible, caring parents, you've got half the battle won no matter how poor you grow up.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 4:36 pm to Jim Rockford
The government contracting with private construction companies (like they do now) is fine with me. Besides, you need some coordination with roads, if they are to connect to each other.
Also, it’s well known that Eisenhower’s aims in creating the Interstates were at least partly military, that he hoped to facilitate the rapid movement of military personnel and equipment as he had observed on the Lincoln Highway in 1919 and the German autobahns during World War II.
Also, it’s well known that Eisenhower’s aims in creating the Interstates were at least partly military, that he hoped to facilitate the rapid movement of military personnel and equipment as he had observed on the Lincoln Highway in 1919 and the German autobahns during World War II.
This post was edited on 8/8/14 at 4:38 pm
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