A Liberal
Dose
May 26,
2022
Troy D.
Smith
“Poverty in the Upper Cumberland-
Where Are We, and Where Are We Going?”
Over the past four columns I have been talking about
the connections between poverty, crime, stereotypes, and industry in Upper
Cumberland history. If you missed it, or want to refresh your memory, you can
find them online either at SpartaLive.com or at my blog, tnwordsmith.blog.com.
For a really quick summary: there is a long history
here of drug-or-alcohol related crime, and I assert that the high poverty rates
in the region are a large factor in that. I traced the history of the high
poverty, and asserted that it started with the arrival of extractive industries
like coal and timber, largely financed or owned by investors outside the region
who wanted both land and a cheap work force. A bad national economy at around
the same time caused many farmers to have to sell their land and go to work for
these new industries, who were aggressive about preventing unions. The
Appalachian hillbilly stereotype developed at around the same time, painting
the people as backward and uncivilized and not trustworthy to make their own
decisions about how to use their land or labor.
I mentioned that regional industry before the Civil
War was more diverse than afterward, when it was dominated by the
aforementioned coal and timber interests, then by tobacco agriculture, then by
shirt factories. Tobacco dried up as more people quit (or never started)
smoking, and the shirt factories moved to Mexico after NAFTA because people
would work even cheaper there. Those things happened in the 1990s, by which
time big box stores were dominating the economy in little towns throughout the
Upper Cumberland, snuffing out small businesses left and right. All these
things led to ever more dire circumstances for working-class and poor people,
and seriously undercut opportunities for well-paying jobs. Which has added to
the desperation.
Here’s another factor. When counties are poor, there
is less education. Public schools are underfunded (and therefore offer fewer
types of classes, with more students per teacher), because a poor county
doesn’t have much tax revenue. Fewer people go on to college, or even graduate
high school, in poor counties. This contributes, unfortunately, to a less
skilled workforce who command less pay.
This leads me to now. White County is in much better
shape, I think, where manufacturing jobs are concerned -we have several
factories, and they’re not all in the same industry, which makes them more
stable. Most of those factories have moved in because taxes are lower and labor
is cheaper, though, and in many cases (though not all) the highest paid
positions go to more-educated people they bring in from elsewhere.
In fact, a LOT of people are moving in, for various
reasons: more people nowadays can work from home, so they prefer to live
someplace pretty and cheap; many are retirees; quite a few are people who have
jobs in larger towns and cities in commuting distance. Scenic beauty, a slower
lifestyle, low taxes and cheaper cost-of-living. I welcome these businesses,
and these people- I know many of them, and in fact my own lovely Minnesotan
wife is one. But I also worry.
Real estate prices are through the roof -and so is
rent. Part of this is due to national inflation, but much is not. My fear is
that the people with good jobs and enough money will be people who have moved
in, while the people whose families have been here for generations will get
poorer and poorer. Something similar happened in Cumberland County, and violent
crime there is among the highest in the region.
I think this can be avoided if the county and city
government take all these factors into consideration and plan carefully. The
fact our town square has gone from abandoned shells of buildings to one of the
most vibrant in the region is a very good sign, I think.
But we must look out for the working poor who are the
backbone of this county.
--Troy D.
Smith, a White County native, is a novelist and a history professor at
Tennessee Tech. His words do not necessarily represent TTU.
A list of other historical essays that have appeared on this blog can be found HERE
Author's website: www.troyduanesmith.com
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