Western Kentucky sees Economy going south

The Louisville Courier-Journal ^ | Sunday, September 21, 2003 | JAMES MALONE

[Willie Green]

CLINTON, Ky.

[Willie Green]

ping

[LibertyAndJusticeForAll]

Paging Robert Zoellick in India, China, & Cancun. Come on down and see how things are back home.
Donald Evans told Lou Dobbs that the solution is more "free trade" agreements.

[ DOBBS: ...
At the same time, we can't grow our way out of the situation we have now. We cannot grow our way economically into a level playing field. That's going to require a number of structural adjustments. What do you and what does the president then plan to do about that?

EVANS: Well, in terms of structural adjustments, Lou, what I would say, we need to enter more free trade agreements with people around the world.

One of the disadvantages that American workers have today is, when we showed up in office, there were 100 free trade agreements around the world, markets open to other countries that were closed off to us or higher barriers to the American worker. When we showed up, there were 100 free trade agreements in the world and we were a party to three of them. Now, through the president's efforts, we got trade promotion authority passed.

DOBBS: Right.

EVANS: And now he has the authority to negotiate free trade agreements. And we're going to work very, very hard to open up markets for our small- and medium-sized companies, as well as large companies and OUR WORKERS ALL AROUND THE WORLD. So that's one of the structural adjustments that we will make. ]

Kentuckians need to realize that "free trade" is for "our workers all around the world". But, they like so many Americans, are just a bunch of whining complainers.

[snopercod]

That solves it! Poor roads are why all these jobs are going to Mexico. Why didn't I think of that? </sarcasm>

As I mentioned previously, the Coats American thread plant in our little town of 400 just shut down this week. Moving to Mexico.

But my, aren't the air and water clean!

[Lael]

BTTT!!

[Republican Wildcat]

Birchtree Healthcare nursing home, with about 45 employees, failed last fall

Funny they don't mention why (Patton let loose the regulators on the establishment after the owner cut off the affair he was having with her).

[Republican Wildcat]

Many of the jobs are moving out of State (not only to other countries, but also to neighboring States), and yes the roads are poor because a lot of the highway funds have been diverted to pay off contractors over in Eastern Kentucky (a pattern that has been going on under Democratic rule for decades). If you go down the Western Kentucky Parkway it is, in portions, in such states of disrepare that it has been reduced to a two-lane highway with no sign that it has just been closed off this way for construction one just one side.

[cp124]

What are they bitching about? The free traitors have said that those people could become lawyers, brain surgeons, stock brokers, or start thier own service business.

[lelio]

"Our land is cheaper, our buildings cost less and our wages are lower," said Penny Morgan, executive director of the Fulton County Economic Development Partnership. "But when you try to truck something out of here, it drives our costs up."

Will they work for $1/hr?

[Conservababe]

I think the operative word here is "move". The whine all through this article is that the layed off workers will not even consider moving to find a job. Well, if they want to stay in their homes where they grew up, then they will have to consider commuting like everyone else.

I have relatives in Breckinridge County, Ky. Most own considerable acreage that they do not farm. They love the rural area, but the town of 1500 cannot support every worker. So, they commute to Louisville or other bigger towns to work, as do the majority of workers in the area.

Cann't have your cake and eat it, too.

[Republican Wildcat]

I commute for an hour to work...I find "whine" to be a correct description of at least one person complaining about a 30 minute commute. Sounds like laziness on that person's part.

On the other hand, however, Frankfort has been stuck in a pattern for decades that must be changed or else new businesses will continue to locate in neighboring states. The Hyundai plant was one recent example, which decided to locate in Alabama instead. I'm surprised we haven't run the big Toyota plant out.

[Alberta's Child]

What is most telling about this story is that western Kentucky is now being affected by the same grim realities in the Northeast that drove these manufacturers to the South years ago.

I don't think there are any answers to this dilemma -- a region has to do the best with what it's got to make itself a strong economic engine, and sometimes "their best" just isn't good enough. This article could have been written in almost any small city in upstate New York 30 years ago.

[Republican Wildcat]

By the way, there's a lot of people on this thread basically echoing the theme of the Chandler campaign. Same lies to pray on the economically ignorant. Thanks a lot, folks. Maybe we can continue the decades of corruption with your help and have the economy of Kentucky tank even further!

[Conservababe]

No, it is more than one whine. These folks won't move from the home they love, by damn. They think that a company should just "be there" for their employment.

Why, even the Waltons on the mountain had to leave to find work outside to maintain their rural lifestyle.

LOL

[Republican Wildcat]

We'd be helped greatly by some "Right to Work" laws, as well.

[caltrop]

I agree. Right to Work was the first thing I thought of when I saw the headline.

[snopercod]

We have the same problem here in NC. Those of in the West are just milk cows for the Easterners. They outvote us, then tax us for projects in the East. They confiscate our land for parks without just compensation, too.

[BobS]

"with a lower pay scale and less union sentiment"

'Nuff said.

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

I guess we'll have move to where the jobs are - China.

[SSN558]

I guess we'll have move to where the jobs are - China.

There you go. That's one thing all the illegal Mexican's don't have. Passports.