We’re pleased to offer you this compilation of articles that appeared in the national media this week on the subject of rural.
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Herald Leader (Lexington, KY), Nov. 06, 2005
We give, they take
by John Stamper and Bill Estep
Kentucky’s Cabinet for Economic Development has spent more than $1.8 billion over the past 25 years wooing new jobs from afar, but its efforts have failed to lift the state from a perennial position near the bottom in national rankings of poverty, pay and economic vitality. The biggest beneficiary of Kentucky’s economic development spending has been manufacturing firms, which reap more than $200 million a year in tax breaks, grants, loans and worker training money, while only about $25 million is spent each year boosting the high-tech sector. “The state has made the same bet over and over again with our economic development resources,” said Justin Maxson, president of the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED). “They are gambling with the public’s money, and we don’t even know if we’re winning.” MACED’s analysis is the first public report on all types of economic development spending by the state. Read the story.
photo by Charles Bertram
Washington Post (Washington, DC), Nov. 4, 2005
Youths in rural U.S. are drawn to military
by Ann Scott Tyson
As sustained combat in Iraq makes it harder than ever to fill the ranks of the all-volunteer force, newly released Pentagon demographic data show that the military is leaning heavily for recruits on economically depressed, rural areas where youths’ need for jobs may outweigh the risks of going to war. More than 44 percent of U.S. military recruits come from rural areas, Pentagon figures show. In contrast, 14 percent come from major cities. Youths living in the most sparsely populated Zip codes are 22 percent more likely to join the Army, with an opposite trend in cities. Regionally, most enlistees come from the South and West. Read the story.
photo by Ann Scott Tyson
Post Intelligencer (Seattle, WA), Nov. 7, 2005
Voters’ choice Tuesday: Rural or urban?
by Chris McGann
This week marks a pivotal moment for Seattle, central Puget Sound and the state as voters decide the fate several important issues, including a 9.5 cent-per-gallon gas tax. In this off-year election, the battle lines are best defined between urban and rural interests instead of the partisan contrasts underscored in most years. “It’s not just about liberals and conservatives,” said Bryan Jones, a University of Washington political scientist. “Moderate Republicans in the suburbs are concerned about transportation, for example.” There are plenty of poor people who drive in Western Washington, Jones said. “But these counties over here are a much richer than in Eastern Washington,” he said. “The 9- cent-a-gallon gas (tax increase) is more bearable to more middle-class people.” Read the story.
Des Moines Register (Des Moines, IA), Nov. 9, 2005
County moves to ban offenders from rural areas
by Kevin Dobbs
In an unanimous vote this week, supervisors from Iowa’s Polk County gave initial approval Tuesday to an ordinance that prevents many sex offenders from moving to most rural areas of the county. The restrictions, which would make more than 90 percent of unincorporated residential areas off limits to many child molesters if passed, expands state rules that prevent people who committed sex crimes against children from living within 2,000 feet of schools and registered child care providers. Sex offenders have complained since the state law was passed three years ago that such bans make it all but impossible to find a place to live. The proposal, which must survive at least one more public vote next week, would make Polk County the first Iowa county to pass tougher residency restrictions. Read the story.
Time Magazine, Nov. 08, 2005
How the Dems won Virgina
by Mike Allen
Democrat Timothy M. Kaine’s quick and convincing victory in the Virginia Governor’s race Tuesday night may have given his party a lesson for the next Presidential race of ’08: Democrats can talk about religion too. The first ad that Democrat Timothy M. Kaine bought in his quest for the statehouse in Richmond was on a Christian radio station in rural Virginia. His first television spot of the fall told about his experience working with Catholic missionaries as the principal of a vocational school teaching carpentry and welding to teenagers in Honduras. Read the story.
