From Rep. Ryan's "War on Poverty", 2014
ARC has established four priority goals for the region: 1) increase job opportunities and per
capita income; 2) strengthen the capacity of the people to compete in the global environment;
3) develop and improve infrastructure; and 4) build the Appalachian Development Highway
System to reduce isolation.629 In order to achieve these goals, the commission seeks to
coordinate all available federal funding to provide leverage for local government and private
investment. Grants are awarded for priority regional activities such as reforestation, green
energy, food-system development, and community-based philanthropy.
Interesting question in the OP. I live smack dab in Appalachia, foot hills of WV mtns. I know the attitudes of this area and the problems though personally I am the anti-thesis of this area having been educated (philosophy and sociology), traveled within the US broadly, excessively long hair, and am an avid cyclist (who has no children). Everyone else who lives here is haggard by 24, everyone has a kid (or 3) they cannot support without Christian grandparents. They also are heavy smokers and drug use has shot up since I was became aware in 05 despite oxy prices being almost twice that of major areas. Oddly enough this is the only narrative I share with my fellow community members: disillusionment in being able to get ahead in life (though this wasn't
necessarily true for me, it was a combination of lack of desire to make it big and having having a hard time selling my self for money under contract). Most of us, including myself, ended up addicted to drugs.
Whenever I leave this area looking for work or just traveling, it is a huge burden lifted. No doubt this area is a national travesty and a large part is due to our self-sufficient attitudes of mountain folk. We are definitely an ingenious bunch jerry-rigging and the like but when it comes to understanding politics, we don't. We are too hard up to stand for a social issue. Yes we need jobs but everyone oughtta know by now manufacturing jobs that my Dad could get are gone now. They will never come back unless we work for Malaysian labor prices.
So how do you get jobs Ryan? Magically invent them (the government can do that and the CCC of FDR's day did a great many projects in this area)? Or is this a ploy to give subsidies and tax breaks to corporations to come in a decimate what's left of our pristine mountains and hills? Natural gas has caused 11 Earth quakes recently in Ohio and more plans exist to drill
Environmentalists Call For Ban on Fracking in Ohio After Earthquakes
Mountain top removal, coal processing happens near schools in WV that are causing 1/4 of students to miss school due to strange illnesses. I can't help think that when Ryan talks of jobs, it's more jobs like this than jobs that actually benefit citizens instead of making them ill. However, there is a lot of grass roots movements been taking place for the last decade with increasing support and perhaps cancer of unknown origins is becoming too common a diagnosis that it's getting opposition. Maybe Ryan can bring in much need green jobs that re-enforce and preserve our beautiful parks, wildlife and nature. But knowing Ryan, he believes this spells the demise of jobs and so is anti-American (a totally false premise).
And indeed this is confirmed when we see Ryan mention "compete on a global market." To do so is to compete with other parts of the world. What does that mean? other parts of the world are being exploited amazingly fast. There are tons of ways to further exploit our large land resources and render them commercial or hazardous. I don't think there will be support for this but Ryan doesn't need support, he needs tacit idleness. And we red neck folk sure know how to bend over and take it and then beg for our children. We are not known for organizing or serious community action. I've been wowed by the fact Occupy was in a couple nearby towns in my area (Huntington WV and Portsmouth OH).
yeah so the highways are kinda shitty but we don't need better highways. We need mass transit. It wasn't until 5 years ago buses existed in my town and for the first 2 years maybe a total of 100 people road it. It was absurd. Now there's a terminal but given no incentive to ride a bus, people are stuck in the mindset of "must own car" and in a sense, if one wishes to really be able to live around here, you need to drive 60-120 miles a day to get to work and a friend's house! That's why I said I'm the anti-thesis since I bike 60 miles to get around these long gaps of civilization. So bettering the highway means funds are being spent on a collapsing infrastructure that should be abolished. That's right, I'm saying cars should be a thing of the past as we move into light rail and integrated communities who are not fearful of riding with their neighbor. What's terribly sad is this area in particular is madly in love with guns and conceal carry permits so I don't see this happening.
My conclusion for residents if Ryan's plan succeeds: leave the area.
If Ryan's plans doesn't succeed: still leave the area! It's a wasteland! Almost any establishment agenda on this area will lead to great exploitation and alienation. We are alienated enough!
Personally I cannot wait to leave and hopefully by next year I will, again, for the 4th time. 28,500/yr was the median annual income of residents in my county in '11. It shows. There are literally 90% empty store fronts in my "downtown" even though in the 50s this was a booming area. For us to maintain its beauty and return it to acceptable living standards we would need solutions from outside the capitalist system and drop our need for commercialization. I would love to see this region maintain its beauty will becoming a global inspiration by creating a visionary and revolutionary solution empowering workers instead of the same old exploitation.
