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Bloggers demand facts from Media

Social Apartheid in Tri-Cities Bristol Virginia-Tennessee 2012

by Lewis Loflin

Welcome from the great community of Bristol, Virginia-Tennessee. This is now my 15th year on the web and it's time to start a new year. No doubt our community will suffer another year of political corruption, crony capitalism, and third-world poverty. Just in December 2011 alone we lost another 500 manufacturing jobs within our community of about 50,000. Oh, we did celebrate the opening of another restaurant. For more on that see Social Apartheid in Bristol Virginia-Tennessee 2011. Bristol Virginia-Tennessee is at the junction of the two most corrupt regions in the two most corrupt states in the union. (Kingsport Times-News May 22nd, 2010)

New Years day started off with a literal "bang" in neighboring Kingsport when a violent black felon emptied a handgun into a complete stranger at the local Waffle House. Two days later a local deputy was run over and nearly killed by a violent black gang fleeing an armed robbery. Two more feral black males, part of a gang of ten people that executed two men at a Kingsport store, go on trial for murder. The jails are bursting with white people arrested on drug charges.

According to press reports the Sullivan County jail, which was recently expanded to accommodate 600, has more than 800 prisoners. It's so bad inmates are sleeping in cots or on the floor. Sullivan County Sheriff Wayne Anderson is so fed up over funding he is looking at alternative forms of sentencing such as ankle bracelets.

The reason for so many people in jail according to Sheriff Anderson is drugs and alcohol:

"I would say without a doubt that if there ever is a study done in that jail, I would go so far as to say the reason that 90 to 95 percent of everybody who is in our jail has to do with drugs or alcohol – the abuse of drugs or alcohol. People end up doing stupid things on drugs."

Added April 19, 2012:

Added January 2012

Added March 13, 2012:

Added April 1st

Added April 4, 2012:

Alpha Building Deal Back in the News 2012

What does the local press say about how business is done in Washington County, Virginia?

The decisions, however, were made largely behind closed doors, with the single public meeting on the purchase held in a conference room and without advertisement. The perception that the decision was made without any public input seems to have stirred more anger than the purchase itself.

The Washington County Patriots (www.patriotswashcova.org) takes on corrupt county government and brought up these facts before the Washington County BOS:

Do you realize there has been zero job growth in our county in the last 5 years?

Are you aware that our county median household income growth has decreased 50% relative to the State of Virginia in the last 10 years?

Number of babies born addicted to drugs on the rise in East Tennessee

WJHL TV March 22, 2012: Doctors are fighting another drug problem...newborn addiction. Mountain States Health Alliance's Tennessee facilities reported a 31.3 percent increase in babies born addicted to drugs. Many of those cases involved prescription drugs and medications used to treat other drug addictions...

"A lot of times these patients have oxycontin abuse histories and they are doing the sebutex in order to try and do the right thing for themselves and to get themselves healthier...

Mountain States Health Alliance is also sending out a letter, endorsed by more than 80 doctors and healthcare professionals, to providers of prescription pain and addictive medications, asking for their cooperation and help, in cutting down on the number of drug addicted newborns.

Read the full story at Bristol Herald Courier.

Question, what are the actual base numbers? Prescription drug abuse is a massive problem in this region.

Tri-Cities Remote Area Medical

RAM Clinic extended to three days; volunteers, donations needed

The Tri-Cities Remote Area Medical clinic scheduled for April at Bristol Motor Speedway has been extended from two to three days because the need is so great and this time around so many physicians, nurses and other medical personnel are willing to volunteer their services, organizers said Thursday. It will be the second Tri-Cities RAM held at BMS in less than two years. Ref. BHC March 16, 2012.

Website: www.ramusa.org.

Date: April 13-15, 2012

Services:
Dental - Cleanings, fillings, extractions
Vision - Free Eye Exam & Free Eyeglasses (as time & supplies permit)
Medical - General Medical, Women's Health

The October 2010 clinic held at BMS served over 2000 and turned thousands away. The massive poverty of the region equates often to little to no coverage for those under-employed or working the typical low-wage service jobs. This impacts younger adults in particular those not eligible for Medicaid. The primary problem is the hostile labor climate, continuing displacement of an already desperate workforce by illegal aliens, and numerous job loses in manufacturing. Bristol lost over 1000 jobs in 2011.

It's simply impossible to live on a restaurant or tourism job the community so promotes. This is further compounded by a business climate determined (often with cooperation from local government) to drive wage scales through the floor. "Business friendly" often equates to labor hostile.

Economic development is targeted to make money for business, not supply living wage jobs for residents, something at odds with the local business climate. Poverty wage scales are a big selling point for business to locate in the region. So the slack has to be made up elsewhere.

Also note the Spring 2012 race at Bristol Motor Speedway was the worst on record. While the race can seat 140,000, reports say there were almost 40,000 empty seats. In addition those coming to the races leave right after the race and often come the day before. In the past many came and spent the week, but not for the last few years. One campground owner complained on TV that reservations went from around 40 in 2007 to only 7 this year.

So the promise that the millions of tax dollars promoting tourism as replacing real jobs has fallen flat. Speaking of that replacement labor force...

Social

Is it single parent homes or poverty pay scales and lack of real jobs and economic opportunity?

See Tri-Cities kids are behind economically in 2012

Added February 2012

The Tri-Cities as we are often called is becoming an inner city war zone. We had none of this 15-20 years ago, so what has gone wrong?

Local Crime

Added February 2012

In the same 20 years Southwest Virginia alone has spent around $1 billion on economic development. An audit of the Virginia Tobacco Commission (TICR) in June 13, 2011 revealed the efforts to 'revitalize' (economically) the region "remain elusive." It also noted in regards to the $756 million in 1,356 grants since 2000:

TICR Has Made Grants With Limited Potential for Revitalization;
Well-Defined Revitalization Strategy Needed;
More Effective Governance Model Should Be Considered;
Most Awards Not Paired With Relevant Metrics;
Four (of 24) localities allotted two-thirds of funding under formula;
Awards not consistent with indicators of economic need;
Generic and Ambiguous Outcome Metrics for 89 percent of Awards.

The last in particular is shocking in that they have nothing to show for 89 percent of those awards that anyone can measure. Again to quote, "Meaningful outcomes data not collected by TICR for 89 percent of awards."

The grants really acted as a political slush fund and ended up as corporate welfare or funding private non-profits in violation of Virginia Law. To quote, "TICR Lacks Effective Process to Evaluate Project Proposals...Some Awards Based on Factors Other Than Merit..." To further quote,

Recent Opinion of Attorney General Could Affect TICR Awards

January 2011 opinion indicated that appropriations to charitable institutions not owned or controlled by the Commonwealth conflicts with Constitution of Virginia.

TICR has provided funding to numerous nonprofit organizations.

And they still continue to do so. TICR along with local government is giving away $50 million of our tax dollars to a non-profit private Christian college to build their medical school. The $12 million they gave to Jerry Falwell's Liberty University for their medical school was simply peanuts.

The whole process is simply a joke with political considerations over ruling economic common sense. To read the entire report click here. The TICR is dominated and has been for years by Republicans that while screaming to cut social programs, seek expansion of corporate welfare at every turn. They have also fought any efforts at accountability.

Also see Housing Prices Come Crashing Down in Bristol VA/TN





A Look at the Last Ten Years

Dysfunctional Culture

The problems with the TICR is the tip of the iceberg of just how messed up and disconnected society has become. The affluent here regardless of their positions on petty culture war and ideological issues (gays, abortion, flags, size of government, etc.) are socially, culturally, and economically segregated from the lower-class mostly white population.

The local economy like that nationally favors the affluent and those controlling the government money flow. Virginia is among the top ten states that receives more Federal loot than taxes paid and government is a substantial part of the Southwest Virginia economy.

The millions spent on government efforts to 'end poverty' and 'revitalize' the economy simply enrich the elite and bypass the poor. This happens because Republican are obsessed with the myth that showering the 'private sector' with government funds will 'lift all boats.' There's no proof of that anywhere.

While we can argue political corruption (I believe it's more ignorance on the part of community leaders rather than malice), the poor here also bear their share of responsibility. Family breakdown, unwed mothers, drug/alcohol abuse, dropping out of school, and lack of a work ethic are chronic problems.

The results of those children growing up in that culture over the last 20-30 years are now being felt. The elite here will peddle their pet ideological arguments to explain the problem away. Most of the time refuse to admit the problems even exist.

Off Site Links

Posted December 10, 2011





Tennessee's drug related death rate nearly triples since 1999

January 31, 2012 Johnson City: Tennessee's death rate from drug overdoses has nearly tripled since 1999 prompting governor Haslam to propose expanded regulations. The proposal would require doctors and pharmacists to check a controlled substance database before writing or dispensing prescriptions.

TennCare reported a 48 percent jump in narcotics prescriptions over the last four years despite efforts to end abuse...Governor Haslam's proposal would force anyone dispensing controlled substances to update the database every 24 hours. This is a change that could keep people out of emergency rooms...

Read the full story at the Bristol Herald Courier.





under construction

Coming up:

Bristol Herald Courier attacks unemployed and poor workers;
The Sykes Call Center Fiasco and how stupid the TICR really is.





Exide Dumps Bristol Workers after Receiving $34 million in Stimulus Funds

In 2009 Exide announced the firing 567 workers at Bristol battery plant or 70 percent of its workforce. Opened in 1994, Exide's Bristol plant is a manufacturing and distribution center of lead-acid batteries used in the automotive, marine and specialty industries. They had 817 employees at the time. They did some rehires that were proclaimed "new jobs." Read more...

Sprint Dumps Bristol Virginia for Bristol Tennessee

Here is another example of one low-wage community trying to outbid the neighboring low-wage community at taxpayer expense for low-paying jobs. Sprint has turned down a lucrative corporate welfare package from Bristol, Virginia and will jump the State line to Sullivan County. Read more...

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