Moderator: coldharvest
friendlyskies wrote:Knoxville is flourishing? Compared to what, Lenoir City?
Seriously though, give some credit where credit is due. ORNL, TVA, Lockheed-Martin, SAIC, and all those government/defense things have gotten a lot more funding the past few years, largely thanks to the wars. Prices for metals are going up, and there's even a manufacturing sector (rare for the USA) that's keeping things going. TennCare makes it possible for small businesses to hire workers part-time, freelance, and under-the-table without worrying about health issues, which has made it possible for at least one of my friend's restaurants to survive. Certainly, getting rid of the Jesus freaks probably helped, but there's a lot more going on. Plus, East Tennessee just didn't have as far to fall as wealthier areas of the USA during the economic collapse.
But it's still really fucking tough. Everyone I know seems to have their houses underwater, people can't find work, pillbillies everywhere sucking up public money and/or driving other people on their insurance plan's costs up, it's not exactly the land of grits and honey. And one thing that's been really hurting people is the penchant for giant, gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs. Those were difficult-to-maintain status symbols before gas prices went through the roof, now they are like parasites feeding off the blood of children. Sure, you can buy calories with extreme couponing, but nutrition? And there's no fucking public transport, which is insane in a state as poor and rural as Tennessee. Sure, there's Greyhound, but that doesn't help workers who commute from Clinton or to Oak Ridge every fucking day. That last bit really pisses me off.... if they made one less nuclear weapon per year, they could use that money to create a comprehensive bus system covering every pipshit little town in East Tennessee. But noooooooooooooooooo..........
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