Wrecking the Appalachian Trail

I guess he’ll just have to travel down the Hershey Highway.

What’s next? Cutting off aid to Argentina?

@Mistress Cynica: apparently cutting off food stamps to South Carolinians.

Because southerners who live in the lowlands like to look down on people who live in the mountains.

Those Republicans really know how to sniff out and eliminate waste, if by “waste” you mean “a regional economic development agency that represents a partnership of federal, state, and local government. Established by an act of Congress in 1965, ARC is composed of the governors of the 13 Appalachian states and a federal co-chair, who is appointed by the president. Local participation is provided through multi-county local development districts. ARC funds projects that address the four goals identified in the Commission’s strategic plan:

Increase job opportunities and per capita income in Appalachia to reach parity with the nation.

Strengthen the capacity of the people of Appalachia to compete in the global economy.

Develop and improve Appalachia’s infrastructure to make the Region economically competitive.

Build the Appalachian Development Highway System to reduce Appalachia’s isolation.

Each year ARC provides funding for several hundred projects in the Appalachian Region, in areas such as business development, education and job training, telecommunications, infrastructure, community development, housing, and transportation. These projects create thousands of new jobs; improve local water and sewer systems; increase school readiness; expand access to health care; assist local communities with strategic planning; and provide technical and managerial assistance to emerging businesses.”

http://www.arc.gov/index.asp

An obvious waste of money.

Read this last week and thought that it was a very stupid move. Thinking about this since then I wonder how much progress has been made on the 4 goals in the pst 48 years. I know that roads have improved but I get the feeling those are roads to get one around and through the area. I do not see where the ability to compete with the global marketplace has improved, nor parity with the rest of the country.

just sayin

@DElurker: You raise a good point. I suppose that the counterfactual here is how much further behind would the region be without the program. Being from Louisville I have some sense of how bad things are in much of Eastern Kentucky now, but little idea how successful, if at all, ARC has been in preventing things there from getting worse.

I remember a documentary from late 60’s about the poverty in the region. It wouldbe interesting to see again today.

I will never use phone for this again.