“When your kids go hungry—you’re going to find a way to get some money”

[Donnachaidh]

http://wsws.org/articles/2010/jul2010/int2-j24.shtml

John Northern, 28, is an unemployed lumber worker from Leslie County. He is currently homeless, and suffering from bowel cancer, but is desperately seeking work. He spoke with World Socialist Web Site reporters at the Christ’s Hands shelter in Harlan, Kentucky.

John told the WSWS that he has not been able to find work since the Begley Lumber mill closed two years ago, laying off dozens of workers. He told the WSWS that the mill folded when the housing market collapsed, depressing construction industry demand for lumber. “When the property values went down, everything went down. Then the whole mill shut down. They couldn’t sell logs. Nobody needed lumber to build houses.”

At the same time, John said that his own mortgage collapsed. “The bank took the house, and then somebody burnt it. I was already behind on the mortgage because of work. I can’t find work.

“When I got behind on my mortgage, I borrowed some money off a finance company. I have three kids, so I had to go borrow money to take care of them some kind of way.

“The only work here is in the coal mines. You can get $16 or $17 an hour there, but even small mines can’t afford to pay anybody’s salaries, so they’ve had to cut down on health insurance and everything. The small operators won’t pay health insurance. You get six or seven miles below the ground—health insurance means a whole lot!

More at the link ---

[Uncle Joe]

1. If the state, not to mention the nation was smart,

They would legalize the sale and use of Cannabis.

Way too much, time, energy, blood, treasure and resources have been wasted on the insanity known as the "War on Drugs."

If it weren't so tragic, it would be ridiculous.

Thanks for the thread, Donnachaidh.