How Do We Solve Generational Poverty and a System That Punishes Poverty? A Thread

A situation arose this morning that I will not go into detail about but it raises a very important point and one we must solve if we wish to solve one of the many problems in Appalachia and more importantly, Eastern Kentucky.

I have said many times: Fight Poverty, Not The Poor. For too long our leaders have devised systems and laws that criminalize poverty and undercut upward mobility.

If we don't work together and figure out how to change this mindset, Eastern Kentucky will continue to decline, continue to struggle with opioid addiction and trafficking, continue to decline in population.

We expect people to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. How can you pull yourself up by your own bootstraps if you don't have any boots?

We expect people to have jobs. How can people have jobs that pay for basic necessities, if they don't make a livable wage? The minimum wage in Kentucky is 7.25 an hour. For a single person that is bare-bones, imagine supporting a family on that amount.

Providing nutritious meals in what we would call a food desert. An area where a trip to the grocery store is more expensive in Barbourville than a trip to Corbin (an extra 25-minute drive). Providing health insurance for your family.

Some would say: "well they should work harder and make their way up the ladder, or get a higher paying job". Easy for you to say.

Let's say you live in the farthest reaches of Knox County. The head of Stinking Creek. Nowhere to go but out to 25E and on to Barbourville or Pineville. From Brown's Branch Road to the Knox County Courthouse is 15.8 miles. Now that 15.8 miles is not a straight shot at 55mph.

It is a winding, curvy trip that would take between 25-35 minutes depending on if you get behind someone driving slow. Now sure, some fast food restaurants are not downtown but the Court House is universal. It sets the standard of the "center of town".

Think about how much gas it takes to get 24 miles 5 days/week, 6 or even 7 days a week. Add on to that upkeep. More expensive than me driving from Heidrick to Knox Central every day. Add to that insurance and registration (that ties back to those expenses on a minimum wage job).

Let's say you get behind on your registration. You get pulled over and your car gets towed. Depending on the tow yard you are looking at 250 dollars or more to get your car out of impound. You know how I know this? This happened to my son.

Now, not only do you have to pay to get your car out of impound, you have to get everything up to date with your car license and registration/tags, because you can't get out of impound until you have those things up to date. It cost us nearly $500 to get our car out of impound.

$500 is a good chunk of change, but we were fortunate to have the money to do it.

The fact of the matter is, many do not. People working a minimum wage job in Knox County, do not.

So your car is impounded and you don't make it to work. That adds up and at some point, you get fired. Getting fired for absenteeism is makes it much harder to get that next job.

And it comes full circle. We have criminalized poverty.

We have to change it and I am willing to be part of the answer.