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That Good Ol’ Tennessee Socialism

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Posted on Jul 27, 2009
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AP / Josh Anderson

Perry County residents fill out employment applications at a job fair in May.

Faced with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, Tennessee has taken matters into its own hands. In a work project inspired by the New Deal, the state is using money from the federal stimulus package to create hundreds of jobs ranging from working for the state Transportation Department to baking goodies at the local pie shop.

The New York Times:

Critics elsewhere may be questioning how many jobs the stimulus program has created, but here in central Tennessee, hundreds of workers are again drawing paychecks after many months out of work, thanks to a novel use of federal stimulus money by Tennessee officials to help one of the state’s hardest-hit areas.

There, on a recent morning, some workers were cutting down pine trees with chainsaws and clearing undergrowth, just past the auto parts factory that laid them off last year when it moved to Mexico. Others were taking applications for unemployment benefits at the very center where they themselves had applied not long ago. A few were making turnovers at the Armstrong Pie Company (“The South’s Finest Since 1946”).

The state decided to spend some of its money to try to reduce unemployment by up to 40 percent here in Perry County, a small, rural county 90 miles southwest of Nashville where the unemployment rate had risen to above 25 percent after its biggest plant, the auto parts factory, closed.

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By Chris Fretwell, July 28 at 10:53 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Finally, I’ve been hearing so much about million dollar bonuses lately. I still think this country is headed for worse yet. Now all we need is 7 million more jobs and we’ll be O.K

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By Purple Girl, July 28 at 12:27 pm #

Reason why calling the Big 3 “Detroit” is a misnomer.
In fact in MI we have very few plants left open- some are melting into the urban landscape as we speak.
those Red Staters starting to understand what we were trying to tell them about the Auto bailout yet?
The upper echelon never Created a Job- the demand of consumers gave them an opportunity to increase their employee numbers. And who are the consumers- Well about 95% of them are some type of Worker- office or line.
WE the People created these industries through our buying power and personal discretion. The masses Fuel the Free Market - thus the economy….Not Wall Street nor The gov’t, nor Boardrooms.
Trickle Down does not exist in economics- because the ‘liquidity’ begins and ends with the producers and the consumers, who are one in the same. The law of ‘Gravity’ is negated by the force of Greed in economics
To claim otherwise is not only a lie, but utterly UnAmerican. The Logos have become the modern day Family Crests- and the Proudly proclaim their divinity and influence over the masses by insinuating They create jobs..Bullshit.
Customers create Jobs, including CEO’s. Workers provide what conusmers want- thus also help create the CEO’s job. No Product, No Customers, No need for a CEO!

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By Hulk2008, July 28 at 11:39 am #

Maybe Tennessee can scare up some banking exec jobs by laying off those guys that get the million-dollar bonuses and replacing them with Average Joe’s. Just about anybody who has been unemployed for a while will figure out how to improve a bank’s financial policies.
  Gee, this could evolve into other areas - maybe dump high-paid talking heads on TV and radio and install lower-paid ordinary citizens.

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By Jim Yell, July 28 at 9:51 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Protecting the working poor instead of the rich. Amazing!

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By samosamo, July 28 at 1:28 am #

You go, Tennesse, finally someone or bodies with the balls to do something for the people and I hope it doesn’t just last but takes the rest of the country by storm!!!!

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By marcus medler, July 27 at 6:11 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

I remember they were pioneers in Health reform or at least their executive was. I think it ran into trouble latter from the “peoples” representatives.  He had to do the reform in quasi secret then had it ratified. I believe they are correct. Recovery comes with jobs, not fixing corrupt banks and dated industries.

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By Rodger Lemonde, July 27 at 4:37 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Revolutionary, getting money to people in need rather than people in greed.

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