Government waste in Bristol
Veteran's Park Bristol, VA
Social Apartheid in Tri-Cities Bristol Virginia-Tennessee Revisited
by Lewis Loflin

Welcome to Tri-Cities and Bristol VA/TN. We are part of Southern Appalachia, a very diverse region with unique problems and many positives. Bristol, Virginia and Bristol, Tennessee is a divided city (by the VA/TN state line) symbolic of the division in our region as our many bickering local governments waste more tax dollars with the least results of anywhere in America. They maintain a system I describe as social apartheid; University of New Hampshire's Cynthia M. Duncan calls it Worlds Apart in her book on "Why Poverty Persists in Rural America."

To quote the late Bill Deel, a retired English teacher from Clintwood, Virginia, "We're becoming more and more Third World here...The best and the brightest leave." We will explore the real side of poverty and how government programs have mostly failed and benefited the rich and connected. They failed because local government was given the money under the guise of "local control" and "community block grants" which ended up as golf courses, the arts, recreation, and public funding for shopping malls, corporate welfare for local business, and pork-barrel roads leading to nowhere. They want to promote their values others can't afford. There's simply no money in rural America, which is why so many leave it. Bristol Virginia/Tennessee and the Tri-Cities region are good for retirement, bad for earning a living even for most college graduates.

Dateline Bristol Virginia Friday December 18, 2009. The picture linked below (Dec. 19, 2009) is ironic as the Governor of Virginia has declared an emergency as the Bristol region is buried in snow. 25,000 residents are without power in a year where the summer temperatures never broke 90 degrees and the summer was so cool and wet most gardens such as mine suffered heavy losses from fungus and blight. As of January 10, 2010 we have set a record for consecutive days below freezing, often into the single digits. This wasn't supposed happen according to the eco-cultists.

Click here for another picture.

Appalachian Electric Power call the power outages "Unprecedented and Overwhelming." Red Onion State prison in Dickenson along with my sister's home in Dickenson County are among the 50,000 without power as of December 20. We lost power for a few hours at my Bristol home, but Bristol Virginia Utilities was "on the ball" and got most of our residents back on in a short time.

Why does big business like utilities love global warming and carbon taxes? To quote Senator Jim Webb: As we figure out government's role in moving the nation's privately owned energy infrastructure in a more sustainable direction, guarantees make more sense than direct subsidies, especially given the economics of electricity generation. Because of our regulatory structures, utility companies are generally deep-pocketed and profitable - their payback for providing an essential service. Virginia, for example, guarantees Dominion a profit margin many businesses would sigh for... Ref here. They operate on a cost plus basis and the higher mandated government costs, the more profits they make.

Yet as this website has for years rejected claims of man-made global warming because the science doesn't support it. The propaganda war rages on as President Obama demands devastating new taxes to bolster environmental religion. Yes it's a religion and I will address that more below. The science is simply not there and climate change is a normal part of nature.

To quote the Bristol Herald Courier January 31, 2010 on the double train wreck heading for this region utterly dependant on welfare and pork-barrel spending:
(State Senator William) Wampler said that without raising taxes, legislators must cover the deficit by almost doubling the $2 billion in spending cuts Kaine proposed in December. The bulk of the cuts Kaine proposed were in education and Medicaid services...($4.2 billion total)...

American Electric Power has been the sole power provider to almost all of Southwest Virginia's residents since the state re-regulated its energy utilities in 2007. This hasn't been an easy relationship for many of the region's lawmakers. "I've been at battle with AEP since 2006," Delegate Bill Carrico, R-Galax. (He estimates a 84 percent over the past five years, others 60% in two years.)

...a lot of the controversy surrounding utility rates is being fueled by an abnormally cold winter plaguing the region with multiple snow storms and record-breaking cold snaps. The problems are made worse when a home isn't properly insulated or its heating and cooling equipment is inefficient or improperly maintained...steps taken to keep up with increased costs of fuel or environmental regulation are behind more than half of this year's (2009) 23 percent rate increase. Building AEP's John Amos coal-fired power plant outside of Charleston, W.Va., cost about $800 million, Burns said. And the company had to spend $1.5 billion from 2006-08 outfitting that plant with chemical scrubbers so it could comply with new federal regulations...
No doubt all that "abnormally cold winter" is caused by global warming. But cuts in services won't slow down corporate welfare or government waste in an area already riddled with political corruption:

Increasing the Major Business Facility Tax Credit from $1,000 to $2,000. (They don't allow public monitoring for compliance.)

Reducing the number of jobs a new facility must create to qualify for that credit from 100 to 50 and from 50 to 25 if the business is in an economically distressed area. (Most of them never meet the goals now, but they refuse to get the funds back so this will fix that little legal issue.)

Requiring the state to issue 15 percent of its contracts to small, women and minority-owned businesses in poor non-metropolitan areas with high unemployment rates. (In other words more backroom deals and more Progressive racism. We need to get away from this kind of economy based on government contracts and the political corruption it causes.)

Allowing the governor's development opportunity fund to give projects in a central city or urban core grants of up to $2 million. (More corporate welfare, why not hire some police and clean up the crime?)

Requiring the state government to create a directory of heritage tourism sites. (After spending millions on tourism development they have nothing to show for it. They can't document a single new private sector job.)

In other words the Republicans are back in power and we are back to the same old nonsense. It's vital this region develop a real economy and stop acting like a third-world basket case groveling for more welfare and transfer payments.

Where are the Republicans going to get the money for all this corporate welfare if the state is nearly bankrupt?
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U.S.P.S. faces hostile Residents on plan to relocate post office work

Everyone cries about cost overruns and waste with the Postal Service, but they also scream and hiss when they try fix the problem. Joseph Meimann district manager for the Postal Service's Appalachian District found this out when he appeared at a local high school to explain the decision to relocate some postal jobs. "It's all about the best use of our facilities." The Bristol and Johnson City mail plants are only 26 miles apart and many of the functions at Bristol are duplicated in Johnson City. Its Sixth Street facility employs about 50 people and 14 jobs will be lost. This is supposed to save $750,000. Let's see $750,000 divided by 14 equals $53,751 per job.

Yet "hissing" residents want no part of it: "You say this will save $750,000, but how much is this dog-and-pony show costing?" Bristol, Tenn. resident Hugh Cobb asked Meimann, to applause and roars from an estimated 160 people attending the public hearing. This went on for two hours according to the local press. To quote "And crowd members often loudly groaned and hissed in frustration when Meimann would frequently reply that the Postal Service was still studying the proposal and hadn’t made a final decision - while declining to say when one might be reached." BHC January 14, 2010

Wages tumble toward 18-year low USA Today (October 16th, 2009) is reporting that the bad economy and low inflation are starting to drag down wages for millions of everyday workers and freeze benefits for millions of retirees. Average weekly wages have fallen 1.4% this year for private-sector workers through September, after adjusting for inflation, to $616.11, a USA TODAY analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data found. If that trend holds, it will mark the biggest annual decline in real wages since 1991. The bureau's data cover 82% of private-sector workers but exclude managers and some higher-paid professionals. "Wages are usually the last thing to deteriorate in a recession," says economist Heidi Shierholz of the liberal Economic Policy Institute. "But it's happening now, and wages are probably going to be held down for a long time." In Bristol this has been a fact of life for decades.
General and Southwest Virginia
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Food Stamps and Unemployment

See Rising unemployment masked by phony statistics. The real unemployment rate in Bristol and Tri-Cities has been between 15% and 20% for years when we factor in gross under-employment and under-paid. In December 2009 more bad news for the Obamanites: another 85,000 jobs lost and over 600,000 left the workforce. They claim the unemployment rate is steady at 10%, but nobody on the street is buying it. Food stamp usage has exploded across the Bristol Virginia/Tennessee region on average by one-third. The following is from the New York times Food Stamp Usage Across the Country (November 28, 2009) to quote, "The number of food stamp recipients has climbed by about 10 million over the past two years, resulting in a program that now feeds 1 in 8 Americans and nearly 1 in 4 children."
In Bristol Virginia area:

Bristol VA:
All people 25%
Children 48%
White 24%
Black 49%
Change since 2007: +29%

Washington County, VA:
All people 12%
Children 24%
White 12%
Black 18%
Up: 27%

Scott County, VA:
All people 14%
Children 28%
White 14%
Black 11%
Change since 2007: +27%

Sullivan County, TN (Includes Kingsport and Bristol, TN):
All people 15%
Children 30%
White 15%
Black 25%
Change since 2007: +28%

Johnson County TN:
All people 15%
Children 30%
White 15%
Black 25%
Change since 2007: +29%

Washington County TN (Includes most of Johnson City):
All people 14%
Children 26%
White 13%
Black 30%
Change since 2007: +32%

Carter County, TN:
All people 18%
Children 35%
White 18%
Black 13%
Change since 2007: +22%

For comparison Roanoke:
All people 20%
Children 39%
White 12%
Black 38%
Change since 2007: +30%

Norton, VA:
All people 26%
Children 48%
White 25%
Black 37%
Change since 2007: +4%

Knoxville, TN (Knox County):
All people 13%
Children 24%
White 11%
Black 36%
Change since 2007: +33%

For more on this see http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/28/us/20091128-foodstamps.html

Factors to consider when reading these numbers: In Virginia the reason for such high poverty and food stamp rates is the inability of most Virginia cities such as Bristol, Roanoke, and Norton to annex and scatter poverty over a larger area, and the presence of public housing units. All three also have above average for this rural region black populations. The stats in this respect are no better in Kingsport or Johnson City in my opinion. In Tennessee the cities were merged into the counties and cities can annex almost at will snatching up most of the county tax base. The stats look lower because the problem statically is spread over a larger area.

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According to Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce data released Thursday afternoon the seasonally unadjusted jobless rates increased in 91 counties decreased on one and remained the same in three counties. Unemployment rates for December in the Tri-Cities area are:

-Kingsport - 10.3 percent, up 0.7 percent.
-Johnson City - 8.6 percent, up 0.1 percent.
-Bristol - 8.4 percent, up 0.2 percent.
-Sullivan County - 9.3 percent, up 0.6 percent.
-Hawkins County - 10.4 percent, up 0.2 percent.
-Washington County - 8.9 percent, up 0.3 percent.

Temporary-help firms are often the first to see evidence of a rebound in jobs after a recession, but Janice Wininger at A1 Workforce in Kingsport doesn't see much stirring. January 30, 2010. Thanks to Don Fenley for the update.

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This region can be summed up as follows:

To quote Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Governmental Studies: "The most corrupt region is Southwest Virginia - more indictments for political and public office corruption have happened in this region than all other parts of the state combined."

To quote Rex Todd of Winston-Salem, N.C.-based The Landmark Group, "Rather than have the working-class people sequestered on one side of town and the rich on the other side of town, the idea is to integrate people..." More here...

To quote Washington County supervisor Paul Price, "The rich get richer, and the poor never catch up." More here...

For the winter of 2009 - 2010 this page will explore the issues of electric bills, energy, compare the Bristol community to the surrounding states and region. For those thinking of relocation, these are factors one must consider. As usual except for educational attainment, poverty, and lack of jobs, the region is overall positive, except Washington County, Virginia with an exploding property tax problem. (Mine went up another 40% in 2009.)

One question we must ask: why should poor Americans suffer for the religious beliefs of the environmental community?

Thomas Taylor
Thomas Taylor

Washington County Commits to Buy Alpha Building in Backroom Deals

The Washington County Board of Supervisors voted 6-1 to pay $7.55 million for the 65,000-square-foot building that houses Alpha Natural Resources' corporate headquarters in Abingdon. They are moving to new building in Bristol, Va. that will cost taxpayers almost $9 million in corporate welfare.

Supervisor Thomas Taylor complained a new building has been in the county comprehensive plan (which they never follow) since the 1970s. To quote, "It may be nice to look at the national headlines and say, 'Woe is me' but things are going on in this county that are positive and that are putting people to work. I think it's time we put our positive head on and start looking toward the future." And what positives is that Mr. Taylor? Just because we have a lot of wealth in Abingdon doesn't change the poverty problem.

According to the Kids Count report (BHC 6-22-2003):

...two groups of children were left out of the boom times of the 1990s. The robust economy did little to help children in the inner cities and in rural communities like those of far Southwest Virginia, according to the report. A local political science professor believes he knows the reason for the discrepancy. "It all comes back to jobs," said Steve Fisher, director of the Appalachian Center for Community Services at Emory & Henry College. "With the decline of the coal industry, a lot of the good-paying jobs have disappeared."

A string of factory closings has affected the economy in counties along the Interstate 81 corridor, particularly Smyth County, Fisher said. And, many of the jobs that have replaced the ones in the coal mines and factories generally have been lower-paying and less likely to include benefits, he said. "Even two minimum-wage jobs together won't take a family above the poverty line...the numbers for Washington County (VA) are misleading. "There are pockets of wealth in Abingdon and Emory, but in general, it's a pretty poor county..."
Alpha will pay $60,000 a month to rent the building from the county until it moves into its new office building, which is under construction in Bristol and be finished in 2011. Yet some members of the industrial development authority thought the building was over-priced while County Executive Mark Reeter claimed it was too good to pass up and made endless excuses when this issue was brought up. My supervisor told me earlier in the day they weren't supposed to approve it Tuesday night, but they did anyway with no public input or discussion. The building and 10-acre parcel is in the Stone Mill Business and Technology Park at Exit 14. The structure was built in 2005 and was bringing the County $50,000 in property taxes.

The only no vote was from Nicole Price who just took her seat this month. This mother of two young children was worried such a massive expenditure in a recession could impact schools and didn't want residents straddle with tax increases. To quote Nicole,
"From the average taxpayer's standpoint, do they want their taxes to go up, do they want their services to decline, but do they want to be able to go pay those taxes in a much nicer building with better access. I do think there's a perception that this was a deal brokered behind closed doors."
Mrs. Price is the only person there to show any concern for residents while the others were concerned about the blowback against themselves. Sadly I believe Nicole will end up ignored and locked out of the process unless she learns to go along with the group. That is the way it has always been here.

Chairwoman Dulcie Mumpower claimed this "decision was a tough one, made not for the county employees or for the board, but to meet the needs of the citizens." I guess we are that "progressive" community she talks about so much. Posted January 20, 2010

Update January 30,2010

Besides the $7.5 million office building, the county's other questionable projects include $10.2 million for school system building and renovations, a $5.9 million industrial park road and a $2.5 million building acquisition and roof renovation for the sheriff's office. A new $900,000 library for Mendota and a $600,000 renovation to another county building across from the courthouse. The total projected tax impact of those projects is 4.6 cents by 2015. Officials are hoping that the economy will turn around by 2013 so they won't face voter wrath over another property tax increase.

Supervisor Nicole Price continued to voice concern over these massive deals: "This recession is being called the worst in 70 years. It's being called a bleak, dismal forecast for state revenues, for local revenues, for our budgeting process. So my concern is not knowing what our reductions are from the state. If you don't know how much money you're going to have, how can you make this kind of commitment?"

County Supervisors got blasted for their back room dealing and fiscal stupidity during the comment session later in the week. One lady said, "When you look at the county, we're in a recession and headed toward depression, and I don't think we need to be spending any money for anything that isn't absolutely necessary. (Residents) are having trouble putting food on the table, and these clowns are buying property that they can't afford." Others at the original meeting and the public comment section said the building should be used for industry and that the price was too high.

Board Chairwoman Dulcie Mumpower again admitted "the timing of the purchase is unfortunate," but believed was a great deal anyway. Other supervisors pointed out they need a fancy building to impress business leaders and give the residents a nice place to pay their taxes. As Mumpower stated, "Our board members that supported it were looking to the future, and I think they were trying to make a good business decision that wouldn't immediately directly affect the taxpayers, that they would not have to face a tax increase for two or three years down the road. Hopefully at that time the economy will have changed, and may be it won't even have to be a tax increase." In other words they are using budget gimmicks to put off raising taxes right now.

At the joint meeting where they voted on this nonsense, they didn't even know what budget shortfall they faced due to state budget cuts. Now we find out.

The County school system could face a $5.8M budget shortfall (January 25, 2010) proclaims the Bristol Herald Courier. To quote, "In addition to $4 million in direct state budget cuts, Washington County schools are anticipating a series of increased costs, including: $1 million more in health insurance premiums; an extra $600,000 in state retirement system contributions; and $380,800 of increased utility costs...The bottom line for the school system, which has an annual budget of more than $80 million and makes up more than 65 percent of the county's total budget, is a $5.8 million shortfall. (even then) The bottom line for the county is still unclear, said Supervisor Tom Taylor, one of two county board members who sit on the joint budget committee."

Nicole Price warned them again: "This is exactly what I was talking about on Tuesday night. I think what is most scary about it is that this is the best-case scenario."

Yet Supervisor Taylor who led the charge for new new office building and the millions in pork spending noted, "If the general assembly of Virginia doesn't step up to the plate and do what it should do, then the likelihood is that services will be cut." And they still don't know what is going on. To quote the press, "Specifics won't be known until firmer numbers are available, but right now the school system - and possibly the county - is looking at a gaping budgetary black hole that nobody knows how to fill."

As our leaders constantly proclaim we are a "progressive community" and they will damn well do what they want "for the people."

Worthless Virginia GOP won't run in VA. 9th

No Republican candidate has emerged yet to take on 28-year incumbent Rick Boucher, despite growing discontent with Democratic policies in Washington. State Del. Terry G. Kilgore told us Thursday that the timing is not right for him. His son will be a senior on the football team at the height of campaign season next fall ("You can't get those memories back"), and Kilgore's got too much seniority in the General Assembly to trade in for a freshman berth in Washington. "I'm doing more for southwest Virginia in Richmond than I ever could in Congress."

Kilgore said the same is probably true for state Sen. William C. Wampler Jr., who becomes Senate Finance Committee chairman if Republicans take back control of the state Senate -- one of the most powerful jobs in all Virginia. "He couldn't walk away from that, " Kilgore said. Wampler wasn't immediately available for comment. But here's the upshot: No Kilgore and no Wampler equals bad news for Republican fortunes in the Fightin' Ninth. Boucher has been a popular incumbent known for strong constituent services. Even in the present environment, Republicans and Democrats agree that the GOP would need a marquis name to mount a serious challenge. You gotta be in it to win it, folks. (Kilgore, by the way, didn't rule out a congressional run in 2012 or 2014). Ref. here.

There is some news that Boucher's detractors might try to get former Attorney General of Virginia Jerry Kilgore to run. In the 2005 race for Governor of Virginia Jerry Kilgore was defeated by then Lieutenant Governor Tim Kaine, a Democrat. Currently, he is a partner and chair of law firm Williams Mullen's Multistate Corporate Compliance and Public Policy Group (a law firm based in Richmond, Virginia). (Wiki)

Another remote shot is independent Jeremiah Heaton who hasn't been heard from in the press since he announced several months ago. I met him at a press conference at a Bristol IHOP where only seven people showed up and no press. As the Bristol Herald Courier announced back on September 11, 2009, "A Washington County (VA) man will declare his candidacy against U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher and do it from a foreign country. Jeremiah Heaton, a 33-year-old Abingdon-area entrepreneur, said the announcement will come during a speech in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, at 9 a.m. Monday, Virginia time – as he addresses U.S. troops overseas, residents of Middle Eastern countries and Americans back home." His website is at www.heatonforcongress.com. I have no real idea what he stands for.

He is best known for remodeling the Damascus General Store in Damascus, VA. See http://damascusgeneralstore.com/. To quote,
"Formerly an old sock hosiery mill, Damascus General Store has been completely renovated inside and out. Take one step through the front door and you'll discover the halcyon days of our past. It's a journey you'll want to take often. Come see us soon!"
It also has live shows. Click here to see schedule. Damascus a nice place to visit in the summer. It touts itself as "Trail Town, USA" See www.damascus.org.

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Fred Greene

Salute to Local Hero Murdered at Fort Hood

Spc. Frederick Greene, 29, of Mountain City, Tennessee was assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, Fort Hood, Texas. He was one of 13 murdered in a Muslim terrorist attack. Spc. Greene was stationed in Ft. Hood, TX, preparing to deploy with his unit when he lost his life tragically on Thursday, November 5, 2009 from injuries sustained at the U. S. Army base in Fort Hood, Texas. His Military Occupational Specialty was a Combat Engineer. He is survived by wife Cristie Wilson Greene and two daughters, Haley and Allison Greene. Full military honors will be conducted at the public graveside service, Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. at the Bakers Gap Baptist Church Cemetery. Chase leads JC police to fake Social Security, Permanent Resident cards, and a criminal Muslim
By Staff Report Kingsport Times-News November 26th, 2009

Johnson City - A North Carolina man in possession of counterfeit Social Security and Permanent Resident cards was arrested following a police chase Thursday. According to a news release, at about 1:10 p.m. Johnson City officers performing speed checks on I-26 at N. St. of Franklin Rd. clocked a 1999 Honda Civic at 83 mph in a 55 mph speed zone. When the police unit's emergency equipment was activated, the driver of the Honda accelerated to over 100 mph. The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Farhan Khadeeruddin Mohammed of 3700 Horton St. Apt. #204, Raleigh, N.C., was arrested and charged with felony reckless endangerment and felony evading arrest.

Mohammed gave officers consent to search his vehicle, where they discovered numerous counterfeit Social Security and Permanent Resident cards. He was then also charged with manufacturing counterfeit documents. Mohammed is being held in the Washington County Detention Center under a $30,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 30th at 1:30 p.m. in General Sessions Court.

For a look at Islam in Virginia see:
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Bristol Virginia has been ranked as one of the top seven "intelligent" communities in 2009.

To quote www.intelligentcommunity.org:
Bristol is located in a rural, low-income region whose traditional products - tobacco and coal - are in major decline. Starting in 1998, Bristol fought incumbent telcos in court and the state legislature to win the right to deploy a fiber network called OptiNet. It was conceived as a backbone serving government and schools but grew into a fiber-to-the-premises network for business and residents in Bristol and four neighboring counties. With a 62% market share, OptiNet has saved its customers an estimated $10 million. It has also attracted more than $50 million in private investment, including the region's first technology employers, and improved rural education and healthcare by connecting local providers to leading institutions.
I can testify myself as an Opti-Net customer the service is superb and this is real plus for the community.
Link: www.bvu-optinet.com

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(11-21-2009) City Overview according to www.bestplaces.net:
As of 2009, Bristol's population is 17,593 people. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of 0.74 percent. The median home cost in Bristol is $126,290. Home appreciation the last year has been 2.30 percent. Compared to the rest of the country, Bristol's cost of living is 22.98% Lower than the U.S. average. Bristol public schools spend $5,686 per student. The average school expenditure in the U.S. is $6,058. There are about 139 students per teacher in Bristol. The unemployment rate in Bristol is 10.00 percent (U.S. avg. is 8.50%). Recent job growth is Negative. Bristol jobs have Decreased by 2.20 percent.


(2000) City Overview according to www.wise.virginia.edu:
The population of Bristol is less prosperous than the population of Virginia. The poverty rate in Bristol is 68% higher than the Virginia rate. The per capita income for Bristolians is only 72% of the per capita income for Virginians. The proportion of Bristol residents over the age of 25 without a high school diploma is 50% higher than in Virginia. Given the relative poverty and poor health status of the population, it seems clear that people in Bristol would benefit from increased access to primary care.
Things to consider with state statistics is Northern and Eastern Virginia are far more wealthy (due to massive Federal Government spending) than Southwest or Southside Virginia. The latter mirror in the economic sense states such as West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee which I use for comparison. This does create a factor missing from these other three states is much better funding of Medicaid and other social and economic development programs in Virginia. Not so for other states.

TennCare may have to cut enrollee benefits, prisoners released

Tennessee is suffering $1.5 billion budget shortfall. Typical is the problem with TennCare as officials plan to make a 9 percent reduction in spending due to their endless budget problems. To quote, "While most agencies have been asked to present plans to cut 6 percent from their spending plans for the budget year that begins July 1, the Bredesen administration has asked them to prepare an additional 3 percent cut in case economic conditions persist."

And to further quote the AP, "Officials for TennCare, the state's expanded Medicaid program, said the extra cuts would require changes to benefits, such as a $10,000 annual cap on inpatient care for non-pregnant adults. TennCare director Darin Gordon said that would affect about 5,100 enrollees and save roughly $51 million. TennCare has about 1.2 million enrollees." Associated Press November 19, 2009. Note that Tennessee has no income tax, but a 10% sales tax which has fallen recently.

The Tennessee Department of Corrections told Gov. Bredesen in order to cut $53 million from his budget they would have to set 3,300 inmates free earlier than expected. This sent "shockwaves" through the state. The prison population was expected to increase by 5000.

For local sheriffs that make housing prisoners a profitable business, they could be in trouble. Carter County Sheriff Chris Mathes says, "I realize cost and things are important, but it's a great concern to us because of public safety. If those folks, even a small portion of them, go back into the crime field so to speak and habitually start committing crimes, your property damage, your insurance costs, your thefts, your losses are going to skyrocket."

And Washington County Tennessee Sheriff Ed Graybeal says, "If you were a victim, the last thing you want to see is someone who gets sentenced to three or four years to get out because of a financial situation. If the person gets out of jail and doesn't serve that time and doesn't realize what they did was wrong, they're probably going to be a repeat offender. That's what worries me more than anything. After we go to all the trouble to convict these people and to incarcerate these people, I think there needs to be a better plan."

Note that a lot of Tennessee crime often spills over into the bordering counties in Virginia. There's a combined 157 state prisoners in the Carter, Washington, and Unicoi County jails on various charges that could qualify for release. Ref. BHC 11-17-09

In fairness the crime rate in the Bristol region while growing in recent years (due mainly to drugs), is still far below the national average even with high poverty levels.

Cuts could close several Tenn. youth group homes. Tennessee Children's Services Commissioner Viola Miller says proposed additional cuts by Gov. Phil Bredesen would be "very painful." The governor heard from the agency's officials during budget hearings on Friday. In case economic conditions persist, Bredesen has asked state agencies to prepare an additional 3 percent cut from their spending plans in addition to the 6 percent he's already requested. Miller says the cuts would mean closing several group homes and downsizing youth development centers. She says about $76 million would be cut from the agency's budget. Associated Press November 23, 2009

Smokies' ranked number one in tourism is why East Tennessee is poor

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) - A National Park Service study ranks the Great Smoky Mountains as tops in visitor spending. The study estimates the Smokies' 9 million visitors in 2008 spent more than $800 million in the gateway communities around the park, notably Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Cherokee, N.C. October 28, 2009

It also means that each visitor to the Smokies is worth about $88. The study says that supported more than 14,000 local jobs or $571 each or about $11 a week, even if it all went for wages. The Smokies is ranked number one for tourism dollars. Tourism in general is a poverty industry (often part time and seasonal) for its workers while inflating the cost of living. Many economic planners in Virginia have sunk millions into existing tourist attractions hoping to duplicate Gatlinburg in Southwest Virginia.

Percent below poverty level (most recent) by state SOURCE: American Community Survey 2004 http://factfinder.census.gov/ 
  
# 1    	Mississippi:      21.6%   	
# 2   	Louisiana:        19.4% 
# 5    	West Virginia:    17.9%   	
# 7   	Kentucky:         17.4%  	
# 12   	North Carolina:   15.2%  	
# 14   	Tennessee:        14.5%
# 43    Virginia:         9.5%   	
# 50    New Hampshire:    7.6%  
Weighted average:         12.8%
Gross State Product: Current Dollars (per capita) (most recent) by state. SOURCE: US Census Bureau, 2004. The per-capita income in Bristol Virginia is even less than West Virginia. 

# 1    	District of Columbia:   $136,714.13 per capita   	
# 2   	Delaware:               $64,609.90 per capita  	
# 10    Virginia:               $43,162.41 per capita 
# 20    North Carolina:         $38,625.90 per capita 
# 31    Tennessee:              $36,381.10 per capita   
# 42    Kentucky:               $32,446.41 per capita   
# 50    West Virginia:          $27,395.68 per capita
Per capita tax burden in US dollars, does not include local and federal tax. The data in this statistic is a survey of state government tax collection. SOURCE: US Census Bureau, 2004. in an interesting note that Tennessee (which makes up most of Tri-Cities) has the lowest tax burden state-wise than even poorer states such as West Virginia and Kentucky. 

# 1    	Hawaii:         $3,050.03   	
# 2   	Wyoming:        $2,973.87 
# 19    West Virginia:  $2,067.85   	
# 21    Kentucky:       $2,043.31   	
# 26    North Carolina: $1,971.48
# 31    Virginia:       $1,902.56   	
# 44    Tennessee:      $1,617.03   	
# 50    Texas:          $1,368.45
Health Index (most recent) by state DEFINITION: Health Index by state. "The Healthiest State designation is awarded based on 21 factors chosen from the year 2005 edition of the annual reference book, Health Care State Rankings. (http://www.morganquitno.com/) These factors reflect access to health care providers, affordability of health care and a generally healthy population. Again we see that Virginia state-wide far surpasses West Virginia, Kentucky, etc. while Southwest Virginia still mirrors those poorer states. 

# 1    	Vermont:         22.67   	
# 2   	New Hampshire:   21.4  	
# 17    Virginia:        6.74
# 28    West Virginia:   1.23 
# 32    Kentucky:        -0.86   	
# 33   	North Carolina:  -1.03  
# 38    Tennessee:       -5  
# 49    Mississippi:     -18.43   	
# 50   	Louisiana:       -20.95
Weighted average:   2.1
Best States to Live (most recent) by state DEFINITION: Livability Index by state. "To determine a state's 'Livability Rating,' each state's rankings for 44 factors were averaged. The scale is 1 to 50, the higher the number, the better. Data used are for the most recent year in which comparable numbers are available from most states. All factors were given equal weight. States with no data available for a given category were ranked based only on the remaining factors. In our book, data are listed from highest to lowest. However, for purposes of this award, we inverted rankings for those factors we determined to be 'positive.' Thus the state with the highest median income in the book (ranking 1st) would be given a number 50 ranking for this award." - Morgan Quitno Press SOURCE: Morgan Quitno Press, 2005 

# 1    	New Hampshire:  35.45   	
# 2   	Minnesota:      33.86 
# 5    	Virginia:       31.57   	
# 40    North Carolina: 20.61   	
# 41    Kentucky:       20.48   	
# 46    West Virginia:  19.64   	
# 47    Tennessee:      19.5   	
# 48   	Arkansas:       19.25  	
# 49   	Louisiana:      17.25  	
# 50   	Mississippi:    16.11

Weighted average: 	25.5
Percent of Students Above Basic to Grade 8 Reading (most recent) by state. DEFINITION: The percentage of students that achieved a scale score in the subject of Reading at or above the level of Basic. Basic implies partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work at each grade. SOURCE: National Center for Educational Statistics. 

# 1    	North Dakota:  	83%   	
# 1   	Massachusetts: 	83%
= 14    Kansas:  	78%   	
= 14   	Ohio: 	        78%  	
= 14   	Virginia:       78%  
= 21   	New York:   	75%  	
= 21   	Kentucky:   	75% 
= 32    Rhode Island:  	71%   	
= 32   	Tennessee:  	71%  
= 35    North Carolina: 69%   	
= 39   	West Virginia: 	67%

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Is Strip Mining Finished?

In Wise Co. Virginia surface mining or strip mining accounts for perhaps one-third of Southwest Virginia's coal production and a lot of jobs. The Southern Appalachian Mountain Steward (SAMS) is leading the attack against the industry and cares nothing about the deplorable job situation in the region. See http://www.samsva.org/.

The war between eco-socialist environmentalists and the hated coal companies is escalating as the radicalized (worse than ever that is) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Obama Regime has taken a more hostile view of the mining permit process. The EPA has suspended 79 mining permits for further "review." Coal companies using strip-mining need valley fill permits in order to be able to mine and dump their waste. The Army Corp of Engineers is deciding whether to eliminate the permits. Without valley fill permits or imposing costly delays for coal companies, the ultimate goal is to destroy the industry.

But those in favor of strip mining say the county depends on that coal, and the jobs it brings. "If we have a 30% drop in production of coal, which is anticipated if the stripping does stop," says Robby Robbins, the chairman of Wise County's Board of Supervisors, "that's going to affect 30% of the people involved in mining Wise County." Coal mining provides the only private sector jobs that pay a middle class wage in the region. Flipping burgers or phony "Green" jobs simply doesn't compare.

Bill Bledsoe, president of the Virginia Mining Association, Inc., believes Appalachia mining in particular is being targeted. "Many think that is only because the Appalachian mountains, and mountain top removal in particular, is the, I think it's been called, the low hanging fruit," says Bledsoe. "It's the easiest to stop." This may be a win for environmentalists, but coal companies and local government officials are nervous that this may be the beginning of the end for the industry, and Southwest Virginia's economy. Edited extract BHC November 20, 2009

SW Va business park built on old strip mine gets $5.6 Million state grant

A business park in Southwest Virginia is getting a $5.6 million grant from the state for improvements, including improving access roads and installing additional utilities. The Southern Gap Regional Business Park is located on a former mountaintop removal mine site near Grundy. The Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority awarded the grant Thursday to the Buchanan County Industrial Development Authority. Susan Copeland with the authority says the business park has 1,100 acres available for development. Associated Press November 20, 2009

Hiding Criminals in Tennessee

Dec. 20, 2009 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Officials say increased unemployment is causing more Tennesseans to have their criminal records expunged so they can be more competitive in the job market.

Through November, The Tennessean reports state records show nearly 26,700 people had criminal records wiped away by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. In March alone, the state processed 3,156 expunctions - the legal process by which records are taken out of the public realm.

This year’s number is already well above annual expunction rates from 2003 to 2007, when state workers typically processed between 20,000 and 23,900 requests each year. In 2008, nearly 35,000 people had arrests taken off their criminal records.

TBI officials would not speculate on why requests are up, but officials say the increase coincides with unemployment accompanying the economic downturn.

The High Cost of the Non-Profits Industry

The number of organizations that can offer their donors a tax break in the name of charity has grown more than 60 percent in the United States, to 1.1 million, in just a decade. The $300 billion donated to charities last year cost the federal government more than $50 billion in lost tax revenue. The I.R.S. approves 99 percent of the applications for public charity in 2008 according to a new study at Stanford University.

Representative Xavier Becerra a California Democrat says, "It's not free and so we need to do something to make sure taxpayers are getting a big enough benefit in return." Most of the article goes into the shear number of charities and how easy the process is. According to NYT the tax code defines public charities as organizations that are "religious, educational, charitable, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, to foster national or international amateur sports competition or prevention of cruelty to animals."

That could mean almost anything and "less than 5 percent of the applications for public charity status were turned down" even if they bother to check them out" according to the NYT Even the IRS sates, "most new charities are more akin to the soccer group than the hospital." What that means in the Bristol Virginia and Southwest Virginia community is a massive public, but shadowy industry that evades millions in property and other taxes and delivers nothing to the average citizen. Many operate as an often closed mini economy often economically and socially severed from the general community. Ref. New York Times December 6, 2009

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