Diane Sawyer report on Appalachian Poverty (Lexington, Louisville: wages, to live in, stores)

[punkypenguin]

i am from bardstown, and there is no reason you would have trouble understanding us. i have family in new york and missouri, friends from several different states, and yours is the first complaint i've heard as far as our 'twang'. our foreign exchange students never had trouble understanding us either. where did you move? if i may ask.

Originally Posted by nawog

No offense, but I am from Bardstown KY and moved away 40 years ago. I have trouble understanding my brothers when I return. I needed those subtitles. KY twang is different dialect!

[Miss Blue]

Originally Posted by marmac

I am from the United States (the same country Kennedy was from when he singled out the Appalachians some 40 + years ago)

He believed it would take--FEDERAL------money to help those areas
Any help in the future will also take---FEDERAL--money.

Yes, I do pay ---FEDERAL--income taxes and have been paying ---FEDERAL--income taxes longer than the majority of posters here.

Got to figuring..My H paid FEDERAL income taxes for 52 years when he retired-- the first time-- at age 67..Went back to work last year--So far 53 years of paying--FEDERAL --income taxes..I paid FEDERAL--income taxes for 15 years ..52+15= 67 years between us contributing to this great country we are privileged to live in....Not bad for a couple of East Ky.Hillbillies I can guarantee you that we are not the only ones either He is 71 and I am 67..

[punkypenguin]

thank you Spotted1! i was thinking the same thing.

it may sound harsh, but these people make their own decisions. take drugs, sell drugs, waste money on cigarettes and pills instead of buying groceries (even though $500 or $600 in foodstamps should be plenty!).

and why is everyone feeling so sad for the boy who "had" to leave college? couldn't he, like thousands of other college students, have gotten a job, at least part time, to pay for things he needed? of course! but he chose to give up and go home. once again, his decision, his consequence.

i am from kentucky, i have lived here my whole life, and it did bother me they put the incest bit in though. that was not necessary, at all. people constantly make jokes about incest in kentucky, we don't need that aired for all to see. it happens everywhere, but we're the main ones who get tagged with it, and i'm sure that just made it worse.

[dixiegirl7]

Originally Posted by nawog

I certainly didn't consider it pleasurable to watch someone's dire poverty and suffering. Neither did these people seem like a spectacle. They seemed to be courageous, doing the best with what they had.

Poverty could have been portrayed in LA, CA, NY, SD, anywhere. Sawyer choose to spotlight an area that is unknown to most Americans outside of KY.

How is it unkown, every time I turn around the media is "spotlighting" it. They just did a big segment on American Idol last year about Appalachia Kentucky. Dianne Sawyer and ABC are only interesting in one thing, ratings. Dianne Sawyer knows a lot of people with money, let's see what she does to actually help the area besides go and point a camera at them and yes, "make a spectacle" out of them. If it were you and your family, you might feel differently.

The people of that region have access to all of the help the government gives to anyone else living in abject poverty in this country. More government spending will not change this situation. Increased economic opportunities in that region would be a good first start, so that the people have some job opportunities. That should be a focus of our governor and our new president who has promised so many new jobs. The people of the area have to take the responsiblity to change their lives on themselves and utilize the opportunities out there. Government spending and increased handouts are not the answer to this or any other area with the same problems whether it is the slums of Chicago or the hills of Kentucky.

[dixiegirl7]

Originally Posted by rbryant

I have to disagree. I felt like Diane Sawyer did a commendable job with the documentary, there was no sign of arrogance or smugness from her. If anything I picked up compassion and empathy. We should blame ABC and the producers for throwing in the shock and awe factor that was the incestous relationship.
We can get offended and accuse the media of perpetuating stereotypes. However, these are issues that do exist in the Appalachian counties. I work in health care, I see the ravages of drug addiction quite often. I see pill shoppers come in to the ER on a regular basis. Children inadequately clothed and eating junk food diets. I see young women with multiple children from different fathers.
Although we've made improvements over the past forty years, the fight to modernize Appalachia and improve the standard of living still continues.

Guess what...you would see the same things, drug addcits, children eating junk food, girls with multiple children from different fathers ( if they know the fathers) in New York, Chicago, any city in Florida, any city in California, St. Louis, and so on and so on. This is not unique to Eastern Kentucky.

[dixiegirl7]

Originally Posted by vec101

I'd rather see my Federal tax money building roads so people have better access to jobs and programs to help people help themselves -- than to see my Federal tax money go to druggies, lazy people who won't work, or women popping out one baby after another.

We really need to do better with programs showing kids a path out-of-poverty.

Great points and I agree 100%.

[Blue Grass Fever]

Originally Posted by Miss Blue

No, he does not work for a Union mine..The coal companies now days provide more than the Union can or cares to negotiate for..I am not trashing the Unions by any means..My fil was an organizer for the UMWA for many years in this County and over the State line in Va..That was years ago, when there were many small independent mines and before the MSHA safety laws came into being..When we first got married (1961) we spent about a year in this area and I spent time on picket lines for my FIL and on behalf of other family and friends...Some of the big Company's do lease some of their coal to other operators, but I don't think they have anything to do with the running of the mine beyond that... in most cases..
Some do not understand that the safety laws are enforced by MSHA with help from the Unions , the miners and others..Those safety laws are strictly enforced and upgraded almost every time there is an accident and most certainly after a fatality..A mine foreman can spend a lot of time in prison for not following standard safety laws, for filing false reports or for demanding someone venture beyond the last line of roof support...

The "safety-issue" that i'm talking about is with the high turn-over. The mines are hiring people at 14 dollars with basically no benefits. So the workers are continously getting fired for being drunk or high and the employer has no choice but to rehire those workers. (If though the pay isn't justified by the risk.) I'd personally wouldn't want to work in that environment, let alone with someone like that underneath a mountain.

As i understand it, if you work in a "union" coal mine, you just get paid more.

[vec101]

Originally Posted by punkypenguin

........
and why is everyone feeling so sad for the boy who "had" to leave college? couldn't he, like thousands of other college students, have gotten a job, at least part time, to pay for things he needed? of course! but he chose to give up and go home. once again, his decision, his consequence................

I see your point and do agree but... he was the first in his family to graduate from High School, think about the mental aspect just of that. He found college overwhelming, he couldn't find a job in Nashville. Most kids need some type of mental support system helping to guide them and convince them they can succeed.

Was it simply laziness - maybe. But what can you expect coming from a family who refuses to work. That is what he knows and has seen from his role-models his whole life.

He had the skills to make it in football and high school, probably also had support from coaches, teachers, other students, etc. - but he evidently didn't have the skills for the outside world.

I don't know what it was like at his high school (or for him), but at the high school in my town, football is king and the coaches have their total focus on winning the State Championship in their division. They pump up the star players and those boys basically get away with anything they want. They are idolized, adored, and made to feel they can do no wrong as long as they are kicking it on the football field. The sad thing is that preparing them for college or the outside world is NOT a priority. The majority of the football stars at our high school walk out of school to .... nothing. They don't go to college, they don't walk into good jobs, etc. We have even had a few who were so used to getting away with anything they wanted in school that they think the real world will treat them the same - some went from high school to jail within a year.

I'm NOT saying this is true for all football stars - but there are way too many of them at our school for which it is.

[missymomof3]

They now have the whole show on, I am going to watch it and give comments after.

[lovethetruth]

Just to let you all know, I was reading some more info about this story on other sites and I found some good news in all this. I still don't know if it is true, but apparently Shawn Grim was able to find a good paying job in the mines and is doing well. Also, from what I read, he was only homeless for a couple of days until his coach found out about it and took him in. There is much positive outcome to this story and perhaps Diane Sawyer will do another story with the updates on those cases.