Mr. Farber,
Truce. :)
My rust belt comment was just meant to point out that once upon a time some Northern cities relied too much upon manufacturing and heavy industry for their economic base. They were hurt when those industries closed down.
Is that an accurate statement? If not, please enlighten me as to what is correct.
All I meant to say is that economic development here in East Tennessee seems to be following similiar lines. We are making the same mistakes that once hurt cities in the North.
And while I don't know of any plantations, tobacco production is a mainstay of many small farmers in East Tennessee although the practice appears to be fading.
That's all for now. It's hard to type one-handed. I'm holding my new son.
Best,
Joel Davis
Mr. Nielsen Hayden,
I assume the rust belt still exists, but I did not mean to imply that manufacturing is the sole economic foundation for most northeastern cities in the 21st Century.
The Tennessee business community, however, does not seem to be ready to learn from the past.
At least here in the eastern part of the state, the relatively cheap labor pool is being exploited to recruit industries that are bailing out of other parts of the country.
That’s fine and dandy until the companies find a better offer somewhere else. Then they’ll drop Tennessee without a second thought.
Tennessee is already reaping the costs of an inadequate education system and a culture that elevates football over intellect.
Even unskilled labor isn’t really unskilled any longer and most Tennessee counties don’t have enough of an educated populace to wean themselves from the low-end manufacturing habit.
I'll have to agree with you that there is nothing inherently virtuous about living in Knoxville, which is where I currently reside.
Life here is as authentic as anywhere else in the country. That means we're dealing with explosive population growth, the ninth worst air quality in the nation, a transition into a service economy and the inability of our elected officials to comprehend anything remotely resembling reality.
The powers-that-be here in East Tennessee are doing their best to emulate the worst characteristics of northern cities such as endless asphalt and an over-reliance on manufacturing without any of the pesky quality of life improvements that makes big cities exciting.
Maybe I'm just grumpy from feeling my lungs rot each time I take a breath during rush hour.
| Year | Number of comments posted |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 4 |
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