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Most of my loved ones live in rural areas of TN and KY. There are just no jobs there - or very few. Some of these areas I'm talking about have bad access - nowhere near an interstate for example - so not attractive to industry who needs good roads for trucking their product. There are some coal mines (I've had several generations of family that worked in the mines). The is no high speed internet - heck sometimes you can barely get a cell signal because of the hills.
I live in a big city and I am luck to have a very good job - but I am a long way from home. But at this point (I'm 58) I can't afford to quit my job and go back because there are no jobs and I have to earn a living. I feel for my friends and relatives out there. Had a second cousin die in a mining accident early this year. They don't want to leave home - yet if they stay they often face poverty. It's sad all the way around.
Husband's family is from southern West Virginia. Same deal. His mother was born in a town that died - literally no longer exists. The Appalachia region is on an even different level than just rural and frankly, I don't have any idea what could be done for those areas in terms of economic prosperity. There's not enough flat ground to build any kind of manufacturing centers, not enough population or growth to support some of the ancillary skilled trades or even service jobs, and too far from major roadways to bring in tourists dollars to help prop up the communities. The ATV trail systems they have built has helped bring in some outside dollars but very little in the scheme of things.
Husband's family is from southern West Virginia. Same deal. His mother was born in a town that died - literally no longer exists. The Appalachia region is on an even different level than just rural and frankly, I don't have any idea what could be done for those areas in terms of economic prosperity. There's not enough flat ground to build any kind of manufacturing centers, not enough population or growth to support some of the ancillary skilled trades or even service jobs, and too far from major roadways to bring in tourists dollars to help prop up the communities. The ATV trail systems they have built has helped bring in some outside dollars but very little in the scheme of things.
My cousin and her husband (and his family) live in eastern KY - in the foothills of the Appalachians. There was one small manufacturing plant about an hours drive away where she worked for years but it finally closed. My other relatives in central/western KY are the ones who lost a son to a mining accident. There are some jobs in towns an hour or so away. Not great jobs, but something. They live close to I-69. The ones in TN are well over an hour from Nashville - but ones drives in to work everyday while also working a small family farm. Others are closer to Jackson but not that close. But she is retired and he is disabled. Still, they both need good healthcare - him especially - and they have to drive a long way to get it. Another thing rural communities don't have - good access to decent healthcare.
Ah spoken like an urban liberal elite. Skilled trades are still needed in the country. There is still manufacturing in this country. Stop acting like everyone can and should go out there and be a programmer. Your attitude is the exact reason you saw rural and Rust Belt voters reject the Clinton/Obama policies.
I don't really care what names you 'tolerant' rust-belters call me.
These 'angry' voters claim they have no jobs. What skills do they have for any industry in the 21st century for jobs that will pay high wages? You think the president who built his 'fortune' by having all his goods made in China and buying Chinese steel is now going to force people to buy it here at higher prices?
They may need to learn new skills.
The world has changed. Bringing back black lung disease and coal mining is absurd. Progress is not something invented by the 'urban elite'. It just happens because other parts of the world and the US are moving forward. Protectionism is not the answer. It will fail bigly. Forcing Americans to buy expensive lower quality goods made here is not the answer.
Companies in this country have to pay workers all kinds of benefits and insurance and Trump is promising high wages. This will be reflected in prices, especially if people get paid what they think they will. Trump cannot force companies to pay more to workers.
Go ahead and cut taxes of the wealthy just like Bush did in order to create jobs. That worked out well.
Ah spoken like an urban liberal elite. Skilled trades are still needed in the country. There is still manufacturing in this country. Stop acting like everyone can and should go out there and be a programmer. Your attitude is the exact reason you saw rural and Rust Belt voters reject the Clinton/Obama policies.
So what have all you angry rural people been whinging about for the last year?
If there are skilled trades and skilled people to fill them in rural areas, what exactly do you want the government to do for you?
I don't really care what names you 'tolerant' rust-belters call me.
These 'angry' voters claim they have no jobs. What skills do they have for any industry in the 21st century for jobs that will pay high wages? You think the president who built his 'fortune' by having all his goods made in China and buying Chinese steel is now going to force people to buy it here at higher prices?
They may need to learn new skills.
The world has changed. Bringing back black lung disease and coal mining is absurd. Progress is not something invented by the 'urban elite'. It just happens because other parts of the world and the US are moving forward. Protectionism is not the answer. It will fail bigly. Forcing Americans to buy expensive lower quality goods made here is not the answer.
Companies in this country have to pay workers all kinds of benefits and insurance and Trump is promising high wages. This will be reflected in prices, especially if people get paid what they think they will. Trump cannot force companies to pay more to workers.
Go ahead and cut taxes of the wealthy just like Bush did in order to create jobs. That worked out well.
That's right ... and what makes you think everyone is "entitled" to have expensive things ? I'd gladly pay more for my IPhone 6 if it made in America by American citizens. Why do we have to subsidize the economy of other countries while millions of Americans suffer ?
As for learning new skills, what's wrong with that ? It called ambition and working hard, instead of relying on someone else to work hard.
A Republican neocon administration brought that recession about. So what do they do? Elect another one. Take a look at Trump's candidates for the cabinet. Bolton? Neocon. Throwbacks to the 80s.
Things are back to normal in urban areas because of technology. Try to go back in time and you end up like Bush/Cheney.
As for the rest of their issues, sorry they feel the way they do, but they need to get over it. They certainly aren't going to get those things back by whining and/or demanding it or denigrating muslims, Hispanics and blacks. Not happening.
Genie is not going back in the bottle. The ship has sailed. It's 2016, not 1959.
Everytime a leftist brings up the 1950s, a dodo gets outed.
I don't really care what names you 'tolerant' rust-belters call me.
These 'angry' voters claim they have no jobs. What skills do they have for any industry in the 21st century for jobs that will pay high wages? You think the president who built his 'fortune' by having all his goods made in China and buying Chinese steel is now going to force people to buy it here at higher prices?
They may need to learn new skills.
The world has changed. Bringing back black lung disease and coal mining is absurd. Progress is not something invented by the 'urban elite'. It just happens because other parts of the world and the US are moving forward. Protectionism is not the answer. It will fail bigly. Forcing Americans to buy expensive lower quality goods made here is not the answer.
Companies in this country have to pay workers all kinds of benefits and insurance and Trump is promising high wages. This will be reflected in prices, especially if people get paid what they think they will. Trump cannot force companies to pay more to workers.
Go ahead and cut taxes of the wealthy just like Bush did in order to create jobs. That worked out well.
I agree. People need to learn skills that make them marketable. We hear Politicians talk about free college. No talk about trade schools. Heavy equipment mechanics are far and few. Electricians, plumbers, auto mechanics, Industrial mechanics, etc. The only trade school for these jobs that the fed pays for is the military.
I am fortunate. I grew up on a farm and learned a great deal about mechanics and welding and things that gave me a base. From there I was able to leverage my skills, work ethic and drive to a good paying job. Not everyone is cut out for college and not every college degree is worth the paper it is written on. I work with more than a few college grads that wasted their time and money on worthless degrees.
What has our welfare system done for the inner city?
The government's own study demonstrated that Head Start doesn't work. Something like 68 billion spent on that failed program.
Now your worried about high wages. The left is demanding doubling the minimum wage for burger flippers. The left says that if we get rid of illegals our costs for food will double. (A debunked myth). How about we punish industries for moving to Mexico and sending the products back here. How about we start passing trade deals that favor the American people more than they do our trade partners?
Here is another idea. Instead of spending millions on refugees spend that money on our own homeless.
A balanced budget would be nice. 650 billion on a military that is used as the worlds police force. Fine use them for that, but make those benefitting from it help pay the tab.
Rural Americans are tired of seeing our tax dollars spent on everyone but rural Americans.
I don't really care what names you 'tolerant' rust-belters call me.
These 'angry' voters claim they have no jobs. What skills do they have for any industry in the 21st century for jobs that will pay high wages? You think the president who built his 'fortune' by having all his goods made in China and buying Chinese steel is now going to force people to buy it here at higher prices?
They may need to learn new skills.
The world has changed. Bringing back black lung disease and coal mining is absurd. Progress is not something invented by the 'urban elite'. It just happens because other parts of the world and the US are moving forward. Protectionism is not the answer. It will fail bigly. Forcing Americans to buy expensive lower quality goods made here is not the answer.
Companies in this country have to pay workers all kinds of benefits and insurance and Trump is promising high wages. This will be reflected in prices, especially if people get paid what they think they will. Trump cannot force companies to pay more to workers.
Go ahead and cut taxes of the wealthy just like Bush did in order to create jobs. That worked out well.
Trump doesn't deny having products built in China. His problem is that we've made it to where its unprofitable to make them here. He wants to change that.
China has a few unfair tools at its disposal like currency manipulation that artificially makes things cheaper. Ever wonder why it's cheaper to make an iPhone in China even after the huge shipping cost across the Pacific vs Mexico right next door?
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