Fire congress and elect all new representatives. Democrats and Republicans.
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Fire congress and elect all new representatives. Democrats and Republicans.
It would be nice.
Study after study shows though that people HATE Congress collectively, but LOVE their own Congressman.
It makes no sense. Its like Boucher around here, the man will never be beat no matter what he does. Its the same all across the country. These men get in and do favors and bring home the pork and they stay for 20 years no matter what they do. I was shocked that David Davis lost the 1st District Republican primary in Tennessee.
I don't like Boucher, never have. Even when I was fighting the Veteran's Administration, I didn't like him. He didn't do anything to help me on that. It was his office personnel, not him. Not once did I talk to him. I bet he didn't even know they were doing anything for me.
The man wins 70% of the 9th district vote every year...
Can anyone explain how call centers and broadband internet has helped SWVA...???
Not one bit, and even though he has announced dozens of loans and new businesses in the area, how many are around now? Most of the businesses he announced as coming into the area are gone or never materialized.
Want to know something else funny? Think about who owned most of the property on which the power plant is being built? THE KILGORES did. I bet they made a killing.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Can anyone explain how call centers and broadband internet has helped SWVA...??? </div></div>
Can anyone explain how they haven't?
They haven't much, except provided some jobs. They aren't the most stable jobs, but I haven't seen BMW in a rush to come into the area. Nothing of any major consquence is going to come into most of the area until there is interstate access. 23 is good, and it will obviously get more than anything in Dickenson County, but where there are roads, there will bigger industry.
Nobody with much sense is going to put anything in this area where you're deliveries, be they imports or exports, can get killed due to the 5 mph coal trucks (or the 85 mpg coal trucks on some of the curves, but thats another type of killed)
You honestly believe that $6-$8 an hour jobs at these call centers has helped the people of SWVA??? Give me a break...None of them even employ full-time people...basically its just a fancy McDonald's job.
Broadband has helped UVA-Wise, but beyond any campus community it has done nothing to recruit businesss.
Rocket brings the most valid point of transportation which really is not anyone's fault. Its just geography.
Don't have anything against the call centers etc. but I do have alot against boucher having done nothing to bring them or anything else in here but when something does come in here he comes blowing his own horn like he drove every nail in the building, when he never even heard of the place till it was nearly done.
I have come to the conclusion that people are going to [censored] and complain no matter what moves into the area, it is just in their DNA. We could have 3-4 new businesses move into the area that provide good pay and people in this area would STILL find something to [censored] about regardless.
The way I see it is places like Sykes provided jobs for at least some people that otherwise would be sitting at home on welfare.
It's an employer that pays fairly decent for coming into a position without previous job skills. The signs I'm seeing all over the place are saying hiring at $9 and $10 an hour right now. At full time $10 an hour is $1700/month.
The call centers for the most part have replaced the sewing factorys IMHO there is a place of value for them but not anything that will replace mineing type jobs
Those jobs are well and fine, but when the guy that drives the garbage truck makes more than a nurse working at the cancer center, then that is just bad.
What skill does he have versus the skill of an oncology nurse?
Without the RN, nurses don't make much more than the average worker. There is money in radiology tho..
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: greencrest1272</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You honestly believe that $6-$8 an hour jobs at these call centers has helped the people of SWVA??? Give me a break...None of them even employ full-time people...basically its just a fancy McDonald's job.
Broadband has helped UVA-Wise, but beyond any campus community it has done nothing to recruit businesss.
Rocket brings the most valid point of transportation which really is not anyone's fault. Its just geography. </div></div>
At least you have some opportunity there, you can work your way up to a management position. It's better than nothing, and well thats what we had before. Look back at what was here 20 years ago, take away the prisons, the call center, and this power plant that is being built. Now, you tell me where in the world would anybody work? As for broadband, it still has a long way to go, the WiseWiFi is poor, I live in downtown Wise and it doesn't work very well at all. Half the time you can't even connect to it at the college in the gym. I don't see how it's hurt anything though, it's kind of like this sewer deal. You've got to have it to have the potential to do anything down the road. I blows my mind why anybody would be against this, there is so much land in Wise County that wont perk that could get sewer and allow for new residential and commercial areas. The only we've got that has potential 25-50 years from now is UVa-Wise, we need to get on it's back and roll with it. If not we may end up with nothing.
I'm not saying that call centers are necessarily bad, but they are not the economic savior that Boucher and other leaders have touted them to be. I don't think anyone can say that any of the call centers have dramatically improved anybody's way of life in SWVA.
Infastructure is key. Sewer systems are crucial to local growth. I know first hand because my family ran a successful sewer campaign (I know that sounds weird) to get sewer in our neighborhood. Property values increase, it facilitates growth by eliminating the hastle of septic permits and the overall headache of the up keep of septic system.
Do you know what the biggest employer is in Dickenson County? The school system. The tax payers are the number one employer. That is very sad and reflects the overall lack of leadership IMO.
I agree 100% on the sewer. I'm to the point where I every time I watch or read something on the school board or board of supervisors I ended up furious at people from Pound and Appalachia. They are the only ones fighting this consolidation and the sewer. We, (SWVA) as a whole need better roads. Could you imagine how much bigger Wise would be if 81 ran to Wise? The area imo, would be very similar to Radford, Christiansburg, etc. We need something to get people here, and as I said before at this point all we really have is UVa-Wise.
Since when is $20,000 a year a good salary begining or not?
I have worked $8-$10 an hour jobs since I graduated high school and I don't know how anyone could expect to survive on that kind of money.
All I am saying is that we need aggressive business recruitment and call centers are not the answer. I think the power plant in Wise County and the Northrup Gruman deal in Russell County are HUGE steps forward, however, there is still much to be done.
Refusal, is the biggest problem. I don't know about Dickenson County but over here if you want to improve something every Tom, [richard], and Harry will show up complaining about it.
Absolutely...I hate to say this because SWVA people are the best in the world, but it basically boils down to ignorance and naivete.
It' like the Barack Obama is a muslim deal...you just can't break the mold.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: greencrest1272</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Since when is $20,000 a year a good salary begining or not?
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When those same people earning $20K would have zero income (welfare) or $14K at McD's full time at $7 an hour (and still have to draw welfare). It's a matter of perspective for the folks that have a little less opportunity in their lives. Not everyone has the higher education opportunity or have job skills that are in high demand.
Is the call center a great place for everyone? No, but it gives opportunity to those who without it had zero opportunity.
I also know that Sykes saved more than one family whose primary bread winner lost their job and had no other existing skills.
(As a side note - maybe if wise county had consolidated schools the students would have more offerings and opportunities and we'd have a higher rate of college graduates out of the county and places like call centers wouldn't be a "beacon" for so many.)
People around here who get educated and can help the community sadly move away for jobs. I'm hoping these new schools can promote staying in the area, we need people who are from this area that can help us. Now, if only we could get those people to jump into the mess and then get the old folk around here to vote for em. It's a pain, I tell you.
I absolutely understand what you are saying.
My beef occurs when Boucher and all these political leaders tout call centers and the like as economic saviors. These places are not doing anything for SWVA.
Like I said, a fast food restaurant employs just as many people and almost pays the same.
I know first hand...
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: greencrest1272</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I absolutely understand what you are saying.
My beef occurs when Boucher and all these political leaders tout call centers and the like as economic saviors. These places are not doing anything for SWVA.
Like I said, a fast foot restaurant employs just as many people and almost pays the same.</div></div>
That's true - the place isn't a cure for underemployment or unemployment - it just helps.
I dont really care much for this area at all because there are no good jobs unless you go underground. My wife and I are having our first baby in March so we are planning on staying around here until the baby is about 2 bc we figure we might need a lil help at first and here we have her parents and mine. But once the baby gets about 2 or 3 we are moving to Lexington where her brother lives. Her oldest brother is 2nd in line with a pretty good sized company there that builds homes, decks and things have that nature. His boss which is the owner is hanging it up here in about 2 years and leaving everything to Eric putting him in full charge. He said as soon as he gets control of the company that he wants us to move there and he will set me up with a good job starting off around 50K which is way better than I will ever find around here.
But I do agree with elp6n on her take with the callcenters in this area. I've worked at most of em including Sykes,Leads.com,Travelocity,Virtus Marketing and my wife works at Logisticare right now. While I did not enjoy any of those places they are decent jobs. Sure they dont pay a whole lot but if it wasn't for these places then there would be ALOT of people around here without jobs. I dont know the exact numbers but I know Sykes employs atleast 300 people and the other centers all employ atleast 100 with the exception of Telemed(they probably have 50 or so). But like she said about some people losing the job they had and having no special skills or higher education they can always go to Sykes and get a job. $10 an hour isn't GREAT money but for around here it is pretty decent, most people can get by off that especially if their spouse has a job as well.
So you worked for Domby at Leads? He's something else.
Yeah sure did and yeah he sure is. I only worked there for about 2 months tho back during the summer of '06. I dont know Jerry all that well but I know his brother Kenneth pretty good,we worked together at Sykes then again at Travelocity and he would always ride with me when we worked at Travelocity. Now Kenny is a real character.
Jerry Domby?
The one and the same.
pos if you ask me
Yeah I didnt care much for him myself
I don't know him well. He left Crutchfield a month after I was hired. We went on a company golf trip together with a bunch of others here at work to Charlottesville. He still stops by occasionally.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: burton2019</div><div class="ubbcode-body">pos if you ask me </div></div>
Domby's not the worst person up there that was at Virtus--James Hughes--now there's a real POS. Dude fired me on some bogus stuff up at Virtus b/c I had just graduated and was in line to take his job or leapfrog him and become his boss--he didn't like it. Hell--Domby was the one that tried to keep Hughes from firing people. It was his actions along with a few others' that put that place to the point of where it finally shut down. Too much drugs, bad direction (or lack thereof), and workplace sexual relations between superiors and workers are the 3 things that can be pointed to as the downfall of that place.
Those who worked there know exactly what I'm talking about. Coddle the workers with words about the "great things" that were going to happen, then shove it as far up their arse as you can for your own personal gain.
Best thing I remember hearing about was how the first person to cry like a little [censored] when they announced Virtus was shutting down was Hughes. Said half the women had to console him...serves him right for the underhanded stuff he did--dude was a two-faced individual if I ever saw one. Should have seen his eyes when he tried to talk to me out in public somewhere and asked me what I was doing and realized I was doing better professionally than he was...I thought he was gonna cry again.
I think you all know my stand on Sykes. Companies like that come in to rural areas and pay as low as they can get away with. Why do you think they had other centers in podunk places like Ada, Oklahoma...Minot, North Dakota...Hazard, KY....the one in Hazard can't even technically be called Hazard. It's about 5 miles outside. John Sykes knew if he put his centers in cities, he'd have to pay increased wages. So put them in small towns where you can pay the yocals dirt poor wages. Soon after they were there long enough, Sykes would close down the center in favor of moving the operation overseas for a huge tax break. I was up at Sykes when they closed down about 8 centers and moved them overseas.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: CoeburnCane</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Coddle the workers with words about the "great things" that were going to happen, then shove it as far up their arse as you can for your own personal gain.
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Sounds like Results in Duffield. God, I hate that place. Sykes has nothing on Results.
A lady from RC left here to work at Results I believe it was. That didn't last too long.
Mining is the best blue collar paying jobs around here. Get off your sorry butts and get a real job. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crazy.gif[/img]
I am not a fan of the call centers really, but they are jobs and better than nothing. They aren't necessarily high-paying jobs, but the people filling the jobs aren't highly trained individuals for the most part.