RTD: The Extremes Of Virginia

The Vernon side of my family originally came from a place called Marion, Virginia (home of the soft drink Mountain Dew and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise).  When Southwest and Southside ceased to be the economic powerhouse of the Commonwealth and Northern Virginia began to supplant it, my great-grandfather moved up to Falls Church.

That’s where the jobs are, and were.  From the first installment in a four-part series over at the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

It was here in poor, rural Appalachia more than 50 years ago that President Lyndon Johnson famously declared war on poverty. Poverty won. After spending more than $22 trillion (not counting social Security or Medicare) on anti-poverty programs, the national poverty rate is essentially unchanged.

Coal, once king, is barely clinging to life, thanks to decreased demand, stricter governmental regulations, ecological awareness, and environmental advocacy. “There’s not much charm in starving to death in a pristine ecology, but nobody appears to give a damn,” is how George “Pedro” Hunnicutt Jr., the Pepsi bottler in Norton, puts it.

Since 1989, Virginia has attempted to stimulate the coal industry by use of a tax credit set to expire at the end of 2016. The General Assembly voted to extend the tax credit but Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed the legislation, saying it was ineffective.

Republican state senators, especially those from Southwest, fought to override the veto. Sen. Ben Chafin appealed to his colleagues, saying the people in Southwest Virginia “are in dire straits. Things are going downhill quick.”

The author’s premise?  2/3 of the Commonwealth has no idea how the other 1/3 live — those in the Golden Crescent ignore the history, values, and challenges of those in Southside, Southwest, and the oft-forgotten Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Read it all.

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