OK. That explains WV problems & people [sarc]

One down, 49 more states to go. Now on the California...

I agree! There bumper crop

their bumper crop...at least this West Virginian knows how to spell!

Well Julie, when the Stoners get Pot on the ballot out here on the Left Bank, CA will be the most medicated State in the Union.

I live in Charleston WV. You should see our rate of non prescription drug use.

West Virginia is the place where all of them "Wrong Turn" movies were made! Could be they're dumping all of those meds in the water system and food farms is what does it.

"Wrong Turn" Movie Finds "Human-like Oddities" Living In WVA's BackWoods, Where They Anyone Who Wonders Into Their Territory

This might explain everything. Just Sayin'.....

Wrong turn was never filmed in West Virginia, it was filmed in Georgia -_-

eh.Creates jobs.

Seems like the medical establishment is taking advantage of all those Medicaid recipients in the Appalachias. I suppose the patients may need something to counteract all that Mountain Dew...

@ Tardis16 said:

Wrong turn was never filmed in West Virginia, it was filmed in Georgia

It doesn't matter WHERE this movie was filmed. It was about an incestuous deformed family living in WVA, eating any and all people who were unlucky to take the wrong turn into the mountains of WVA.

"Wrong Turn"

I have been through WV quite a few times. The State might be poor but some of the nicest people live there.

I have been to WV quite a few times and I totally agree with you, bklynj. Some of the nicest people I have ever met are in WV.

Driven through there myself and I have family there as well and yes they are the kindest and poorest group of people I have ever met....they would give you the shirt off their backs...poverty and lack of education go hand-in-hand and that is why all the sickness and disease.

It has beautiful scenery, for sure. Hidden gem.

68% are obese, wow. The number of illnesses associated with obesity are in the hundreds, from diabetes to heart disease to chronic pain. Its time to spend some money on educating people on eating healthy, it will save money in the long run. I'm not being critical, I'm concerned about all the children and their futures, but most people only react when there are $$$ involved.

Hillary Clinton carried that state against Obama.

LOL educated thinker...

Here's the result of another poll

The most profound difference in the Gallup survey between blue states and red states was in the provision of health care: An average of 17.4 percent of people in red states reported that they were without health insurance versus 11.5 percent in blue states. Blue-state residents were also considerably more likely to have visited a doctor and a dentist.

Read more: http://www.esquire.com/features/data/red-states-blue-states-0709#ixzz0wo1YrbXN

No wonder they're medicated. They're depressed. lol

And, their breath stinks from their rotten teeth.

Yes. Poor, depressed people self-medicate with alcohol, drugs, cheap garbage food, and self-destructive behavior. For far too many people their only health care or mental health providers are the school nurse and guidance counselor, and after they graduate or drop out of high school they are on their own. The conservative agenda of "gritty self-reliance" actually means "I got mine - forget about you".

This state has had 2 D.A. Dim senators since before prohibition....it is UNION to the core...I think it is a lot bluer than red....

But that would figure, wouldn't it.....hmmmmmmmmmmm.......

Once again on an MSN website the lefties show themselves... How about the fact that 4 of 5 of the states have some of the lowest per capita income in the country (WV is #49) and have the lowest state Gross Domestic Product (WV is #48). It is a well documented fact that poor people make bad health choices. However, WV is a pretty heavily unionized area yet people are still poor. Isn't that strange? I thought the unions were the panacea of the downtrodden masses. You would think that WV would be booming, but no...

Poverty is the number one culprit in so many bad statistics but giving people money (redistributing the wealth, in the vernacular of the day) clearly isn't the answer. Let's get the government off our backs and maybe this country can rise again and we can start helping one another instead of running them down.

shove it!!

"Educated Thinker" shows his ignorance as liberals usually do. West Virginia has all DemocRATic senators and all DemocRATic congressman except for one lonely Republican congressman. Matter of fact, the Governor is DemocRATic.

The only reason they voted for McCain over Obama is cause they hate blacks.

Goes to show you everyone has at least one redeeming quality.

Red States are as followes:

1. Utah (R + 30.768)

2. Idaho (R + 27.018)

3. Wyoming (R + 26.132)

4. Nebraska (R + 22.606)

5. Alaska (R + 20.946)

6. Oklahoma (R + 20.152)

7. Kansas (R + 16.892)

8. North Dakota (R + 16.484)

9. Alabama (R + 15.162)

10. Texas (R + 12.872)

11. Mississippi (R + 12.766)

12. South Dakota (R + 11.920)

13. South Carolina (R + 11.230)

14. Montana (R + 9.668)

15. Kentucky (R + 9.408)

16. Indiana (R + 9.398)

17. Georgia (R + 6.814)

18. North Carolina (R + 6.086)

19. Tennessee (R + 5.228)

3 out of how many? Psh. Please.

And the Dems always seem to W. Virgina.

DG - So you consider WV a liberal state? Like Tenessee? Kentucky? Arkansas? Alabama? Mississippi? WV may have elected some representatives that call themselves Democrats, but their DINOs, just like the other so-called blue dogs.

Your final comment is the most telling. I suggest you move to WV; you'd fit right in. And if you can't find any good drugs, just call Rush - I hear he gets lots of drugs without bothering with a prescription, just like his muddled masses.

Kendra: 5 of the top 7 actually, not 3 out of 10. Tenessee is #2 on the list of most-medicated, Alabama is #3, Kentucky is #4, South Carolina is #6 and Mississippi is #7. and I woudn't call West Virginia (#1), Arkansas (#5), Iowa (#8) or Missouri (#9) liberal "blue" states, would you? How many of the top 10 most medicated states would you call a "blue" state? I can't seem to find CA, NY or MA on the list anywhere. Hmmmm...

West Virginia has historically been a blue state....very blue.

West Virginia went Bush in 2000, Bush in 2004 and McCain in 2008, even when there was a decidedly Democratic takeover going on in the country. How blue did you say West Virginia is?

It wasn't that long ago those "Red" states were "Blue" states........ So what's your point?

Weird that Arizona is not on that list of Reds. You must have gone to wikipedia. LOL

Those are also the results for the last 4 or 5 elections combined. So I don't think it's all that accurate though it describes an average it doesn't account for choices and how people had to decide based on that. I know plenty of registered Reps that voted for Obama simply because McCain picked Palin and some because they didn't like McCain's flip flopping.

I also know of Dems that voted McCain because they believed Obama was going to turn the White House into a pyramid. LOL

Also as far as WV goes they tend to pick more conservative Democrats but went red when voting for President.

In no particular order these were the red states as of the Presidential elections.

MT

ID

WY

UT

SD

NE

NB

KS

OK

TX

AR* #5

LA

MS* #7

AL * #3

TN* #2

KY* #4

IN

WV* #1

SC* #6

A study in 2009 also showed red states have a higher rate of divorce, teen pregnancy and subscription to porn. Just another interesting fact.

(*# On the top 10 most medicated list by number)

Red State? Get your facts together or perhaps you need medication for the chronic BDS you seem to be suffering from.

Question: What ex-Clan recruiter and U.S. Senator just died and what party was he a member of?

So much misinformation from the Left and so little time.

Answer: The late Senator Robert C. Bird, racist and blue dog democrat no doubt. But liberal? Heck no. He was just a master of bringing home the bacon to get re-elected, like the late Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska. Let's see how WV votes this November. Anybody want to predict Democratic strength in WV? I don't think so.

Agreed Byrd was not a liberal. As I said, even the blue people WV votes for are conservatives.

They're pro-birth, anti-affirmative action, homophobes just like their red counterparts.

Of course I can't say I am 100% pro-affirmative action either. It sometimes has negative consequences on both sides.

His name is Robert C. Byrd, not Bird. Don't judge West Virginia by all the stereotypes and bad press. We have just as many good traits as every other state in our nation! Come and visit our beautiful state and meet her people. There are two major universities, WVU and Marshall univ. Plus their are many other smaller but excellent colleges located throughout the state.

I think you'll find we are just like everyone else!

As far as the last election, it isn't exactly a good one to use for historical, comparative purposes. Everyone should clearly see the media won the election for Obama and that isn't going to happen again anytime soon, we can only hope.

Paul - I respectfully disagree. Just because not all the media is as biased as Faux Noise doesn't mean that was the difference. If anyone won the election for President Obama besides President Obama, it was former president George W. Bush, the worst president in American history.

Come on America! If this isn't a wake up call to all you late hippies and every one else sitting on your duffs to do something about who you are, what you are representing your county as and the roll model you are presenting to your children and the rest of the children you encounter not to mention the entire adult population that you are also out the with, interacting with and AFFECTING on a daily basis (yes, you to affect those around you...they don't always affect you) to do something about who you are then what?

All I know is that from early on in human life I was taught that you should ultimately take care of yourself (your spirit/soul that is) 1st because if you don't have control of you then who does? And if you don't have control of yourself you certainly will not be able to control situations as they come to you and affect you. That is you will not be able to protect yourself in the end. I think that knowing who you and being honest with yourself and those around you are a couple of the most important things you can and will do for yourself and those around you.

Now this isn't to say that people shouldn't ask for help and advice from professionals, friends, family, colleagues, etc (basically anyone you respect) because I am a great believer in help! I think that is the primary reason we are all here is to help each other. But trust your gut instinct on things that affect or afflict you, think through the problem and never give up learning more about your condition(s) you never know what you might find!?! :) In short, be real with yourself!

I guess I should say I am no expert at life these are just a few things that I've had success with in my (I think most would say) relativly short life.

Educated Thinker...Obama has already eclipsed Bush as the worse president of the 21st century and is well on his way to leading Democrats to historic losses and insuring his place in the crap heap of progressive presidents. Our only hope is that another Reagan will emerge as he did from the ruinous Carter administration and that "we won't get fooled again".

"If anyone won the election for President Obama besides President Obama, it was former president George W. Bush, the worst president in American history."

Thank you Educated Thinker. You can't say it any better than that.

And Huntingtonian -

You are wrong. WV people do not have as many good traits as people in the other states. They have far more. I lived in Huntington, WV when I was 12-14 and have been back to visit a few times as an adult. I have lived in 6 states and visited 49 of the 50 and I can say without a moments hesitation - West Virginians are absolutely the friendliest, most honest, and helpful people I have ever had the pleasure to have met in my life. For all of their low rankings in many other areas, they are number ONE in kindness and hospitality!

I absolutely love the state and it's people! And just for reference, I was born and raised in NY and went to college and live in CA. I've also lived for years in Oregon, Arizona and Hawaii.

I live in Pa, across the state line from WVa and I am originally born and raised in the Mountains of West Virginia, I am very upset that the only thing people want to say about West Virginia is downgrading comments. Working in the health field , I can tell you that most people who are on medications need them for some sort of pain, take some of the jobs our wonderful people do for a living. Coal Mines, Oil well, gas wells, and several physical labor jobs.I get so sick of hearing about the Wrong Turn Movie, yes it is based on imbreeded humans from Greenbrair Country, go visit I dare you! It's a fictional movie, come on. I am sure a story could be made of this nature about any State in the United States , and let include other countries as well. To the comment from thepeople who know how the people of west virginia are , thank you.... we would help anyone anytime anywhere..... We can't be that bad we have some of the most wonderful people in politics that you could ever ask for ...Longstreth, Caputo, and Machin as our HOuse of Delegates, Gov. Manchin, and the late senator Bryd, and the late great A.J.Manchin, who never missed a North Marion Football game until his death....Do you research better and look for the good in people first ..

Okay well I just read it again and actually it's four. This article put W.V. as number one not me. Anyway if you google most depressed states you'll see that the blue states take the lead there and if you google which states have the best economy you'll find that red states take that lead. I have read article after article about what state is the best to live in, what state has more fun.. blah blah blah. My point is that it's silly to base your opinions off these articles. It seems someone spends too much time writing these silly articles and others spend too much time reading them. I have been guilty of reading too much but I don't take much of it to my personal opinions. Every article seems to have a different opinion also. I am from Cali (Nor Cal) and have lived in KS, AZ and now TX. I love Cali because it's beautiful and it's my home, my family is mostly there.. However, I find people there to be very rude and snooty more so So Cal. Kansas and TX are very warm and inviting. I know so many internationals living in CA, OK and here in TX. The ones in Cali complain that there are too many rude Americans.. What do they say about TX and OK.. "The people here are so polite; not at all what I thought Americans would be like." I'm not a republican to be honest- but if you want to talk about red vs. blue states.. I'll just tell you what I personally have experienced. I can't really say anything about AZ. I only spent a year there and didn't really get to know anyone- but I loved the weather!

gitnerdumb: Obama the worst president? Wow, you should get out more and expose yourself to something other than Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity and O'Reilly. Economic armageddon avoided and economy turning around (compare where we are now to 1/20/09). Financial regulatin passes so it does not happen again. Health care reform for all Americans passed as promised. America's auto industry saved and now prospering. Dept. of Justice restored to a professional staff rather than incompetent religious ideologues. War effort refocused where it should be - on the place from which the 9/11 attacks originated rather than W's misadventures based on lies and treason, not to mention not paid for. Tighter border security and more funding for same than ever existed under W. Nuclear arms deal with Russians, who now largely suppport our efforts in Iran. Torture ended and Gitmo trials underway. America's respect in the world largely restored. Historians will likely look back and judge Obama to be one of the greatest presidents ever, considering the mess he inherited from the moron who preceded him. Now back to your meds so you won't have to face reality.

Hey Educated, There was financial regulation in place before the Democratically controlled Congress demanded that low income housing was made available to the mostly democratic voters. The GOP was only to happy to go along! Both are stupid! Vote them all out of office to start anew or we are only doomed to more Washington Politics as usual!

Moonshine is still the recreational drug of choice for most West Virginians.

Oxycodone and Methamphetamines are tied for second.

That's the TRUTH! They'll have some disease in a while....you'll see! Remember all the warnings on the drug label! Do they read it.....

they probably can't read either.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one to see the math problems in this article. With a death rate like that there won't be anyone left in West Va. before long.

Math problems? Those statistics are way messed up. If you are stating cases per 100,000 deaths, then 100,000 is the maximum 100% number. Maybe West Virginia got the government shaft?

"I guess West Virginians are also known for their easy good humor and for not taking themselves too seriously."

Educated Thinker - I complimented you in an earlier post on this thread. I hope that your above quoted comment was sincere. If so than we both agree that an easy going attitude and unpretentiousness are surely wonderful qualities in a human being and far different from what I have come to expect from the formally "educated people" (not a knock on your moniker) that think they know everything and in my opinion are further from the actual truth of life than most. After all, it's the "educated people" that are swindling these poor folks into gulping down billions of dollars worth of worthless, no not worthless but dangerous and sickening pills, to pad their pockets and the pockets of the companies that they work for. And these poor ingnorant and TRUSTING SOULS actually BELIEVE that these educated professionals are trying to help them! That is what is sick!

West Virginians, listen up - these doctors and hospitals and welfare workers are NOT trying to help you! They are trying to and are successfully making a fortune off of you!

Hoops: Education is not the problem. In general, education helps. Arrogance and lack of an open mind can exist in any person, educated or not. But in my experience, education tends to open the mind to other ideas and possibilities more than lack of education.

Too funny! And sadly, too true!

What a mean statement! I see you are morally bankrupt and without compasion for mankind. You need to practice some serious introspection. Good luck!!!!

um sir im from West virginia. i hate it when other ppl from other states look down upon WV. you have no idea what we act like, who we actually are, how friendly we are, etc. so i suggest u shut your mouth. ppl like u disgust me to the highest limit. People think we are uneducated retards sitting in shacks shooting squirrels for the hay of it. no. i go to a highly educated school (private), and i have amazing comprehension in grammar and logic. im in arts and music. i stand up for ppl who tease them for who they are. ur just another person who dont know what theyre talking about. its like walking into a room and saying everyone who hates...idk twinkies are uneducated rednecks with no chance of real living. grow up. im 13 and i dont eat everything. i dont eat junk food AT ALL. im healthy. my thinking is above avarage. yes i like goofing of just to chill, but i can get serious when i need to be. end of story. grow up.

Taylor - Good for you for sticking up for yourself and your state, which I say wholeheartedly even though I am not the biggest fan of many of the West Virginians I have met. But one question: How much time have you spent in other states so that you can realistically compare them to WV?

Don't understand how someone can be so ignorant... the ENTIRE country is extremely overweight! Maybe you should take a look at the other states percentages, you'll find most are high. You all need to educate yourselves a little more...

Oh and that seafood diet joke sounds like something a child would come up with.

I'm guessing Educated Thinker is from the northeast or that other state where they know EVERYTHING...CA?? I would also guess he has never spent any significant time in a southern state in his life. Despite what you may have been taught by the people around you, not everyone in the top 10 states is uneducated and on welfare. I see you actually paid attention to the rantings of your liberal professors at your local community college, though....good for you. I am SOO glad you have us southerners figured out. Maybe, if you keep believing that, you'll stay where you are instead of coming down here after you collect your little pension. Really, we don't need another one like you complaining about the heat, or trying to tell us how to live. EVERY state has their poor uneducated trash....your state (wherever that my be) is no exception, and the very fact you believe everything you read, or in this case, have been told, just tells me you're really not as educated as you think.

People in WV are not fat because they simply like to eat. It is a known fact that lower income areas have higher obesity rate because they cant afford fresh fruits and veggies. Also there are very rural areas where it is not available.

I guess West Virginians are also known for their easy good humor and for not taking themselves too seriously.

NO LA: Nice try, but you guessed wrong. I have lived in Virginia, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida and Texas, among other states including California, Rhode Island and Maryland. My family is from the deep south, my mother is a former Miss Hospitality and a distant relative of the last president, and I frequently visit the south for extended trips for both business and to visit relatives. As for my education, try Annapolis (you know, the United States Naval Academy), with graduate degrees from two professional schools ranked in the top 5 in the country. Have you ever lived in Los Angeles, or San Francisco, or New York, or Boston? So who is jumping to conclusions without any factual basis here, huh?

Educated Thinker... Who a person is DESPITE their advantages is a greater measure of a person than their pedigree. People in advantageous positions are usually never told if they are being a buffoon. Having been to those fancy schools and lived in LA, NY and SF, you have noticed that. Didn't the smart people's favorite punching bag, George Bush, drink his way through Princeton and Harvard? How hard can it be?

Where are you from idiot? Ohio....??? ALL people from WV are not fat lazy people. Get over it.

gitner: In general, I agree with your comment about using what you have to best advantage. But my post (5.10) was responding to post 5.7, which made incorrect assumptions about my familiarity with the south. Of course, contrary to NO LA's assumptions, I made no assumptions about her, southerners or anyone else, but instead remarked that a joke was funny and seemingly true. Typical of so-called "conservatives" - falsely accusing others of things for which they are clearly guilty.

As for W, not too hard when your name is Bush and your daddy has the resume of George H.W. Bush.

Typo?????????

Maybe this person is dyslexic. It is an obvious transposition of numbers.

It's the all you can eat buffet that those heifers flock to.

At the Chinese all you can eat buffet, after the second plate, a waiter comes up, takes your plate and says, "that's all you can eat fat ass".

Really Marine Vet? Is that a joke? That's never happened to me at a Chinese Buffet. And I'm good for 5 or 6 plates. But maybe that's because they use a little disgression and one look at me and they know not to trifle with me. Not 'cause I'm fat, just because a deal is a deal and I'm not one to be screwed on a deal.

Perhaps it's just you with your twinky twerp ass that they ask YOU to leave after two plates. Not because of your appetite but because of punk @!$%# that comes out of your MOUTH!

What is the best thing to come out of W. Va.???????

An empty Greyhound bus!!!!!!!!!

You must have mistaken WV with Mexico.

How do you know the toothbrush was invented in WV?

If it had been invented anywhere else, it would have been called the teethbrush

No Pitty, We know it's Bush's fault!!! He made us all depressed and now Obama is doing everything he can to help us!

too bad he is completely incompetent and only cares about taking vacations from his vacations

How do we sign up to be included in his next vacation?

w. took a @!$%# load of vacations!!!

Patric - Nice of you to finally admiit Ol'bummer is a powerless puppet!

disgusted US citizen-2200839 said:

Too bad he is completely incompetent and only cares about taking vacations from his vacations

Try checking facts for yourself sometimes and turn off that Faux News Entertainment teevee station, instead of parroting what you hear someone else say. It does WONDERS for you brain:

Interesting little response to Republican attacks, particularly since the Montana,Colorado and AZ trip were filled with town hall forums and the Hawaii trip seemed pretty action filled.

http://www.factcheck.org/2010/01/president-obamas-vacat... /

Q: Has President Obama taken more vacation time than his predecessors?

A: According to one count, Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush spent more time on "vacation" during their first year than President Obama did. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton spent less time on "vacation."

* * *

• A four-day holiday weekend in Chicago in February where the president played some basketball and treated First Lady Michelle Obama to a Valentine’s Day dinner date.

• An eight-day stay with his family at a rented house on Martha’s Vineyard in August.

• A trip out west to the U.S. states of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Arizona that combined both business and pleasure. The president held town hall meetings on health care during the trip. And he went fly fishing and took trips to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon with his wife and two daughters.

• An 11-day stay in Hawaii where the president and his family celebrated Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

Maybe if GW Bush had not been "vacationing" and participating in a "book reading" contest with Karl Rove, (competing to see how many books they could read) he might have had a handle on the UNPRECEDENTED mess he handed off to Pres. Obama.

I cant believe we are talking about Obama's vacations my god.

No kidding. But when they have nothing of substance to talk about, they invent lies about the President's vacationing. Facts can't get in the way when they have made up their minds, or I should say when Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity and O'Reilly have made up their minds.

No Patrick, that would be the D.C. area with the most common religion - Liberalism.

Education! The children need to learn in school what is not being taught in the home. Making healthy choices and living an active lifestyle is the right choice. If the children in West Virginia start to make healthy choices then maybe they can motivate their respective families to join in. My children motivate me to do and try new things all the time. West Virginia is a beautiful place with beautiful people and has all the potential in the world!

Patrick, I don't understand your thinking on how ones religious practive dictates what kind of medication they are on.

That is so nice-nice, familyoffive.

you might want to use your spell check - that would be "FIELD" to you

It would also be WV

sounds like a good batch:)

I don't know... I kind of liked VW. It stands for Virginia West. Kind of gives the state more of a classy sounding name, don't you think?

I hope you mean, get rid of politically correct?

Is that the village that was missing its idiot for 8 years?

You tell us E.T. Where did you come from?

The actual statistic is 533/100,000 heart disease death rates. The national death rate is 428/100,000. I found this on the CDC website. At least that is what it looks like to me.

rubes - DON'T try to bring facts into this discussion! What would all the extremeists (on both sides) have to WHINE about then?

Yup thats what i thought too... i work at a pharmacy and we denied like 90% of oxycodone prescriptions everyday... not that we dont have it ... its just we have too many crackhead from all those states who drive down to FL for some pain medication... smh

I am also shocked at some of these comments. I'm 31 years old and have lived in WV all my life. I'm college educated, make $60,000/year, have all my teeth, wear shoes, have never had sex with any member of my family, and I don't take any medications, prescription or otherwise. Based on some of the comments made, I'd gladly surround myself with my fellow medicated mountaineers all day, every day then spend a minute in the company of some of these idiots!!

I am from Alabama and do alot of public speaking all over the country. Southern States have been misunderstood forever. I too have an education and grew up with a father that work himself half to death in a Goodyear Factory. Southern people are friendly, neighborly and kind. I also bet that if any of you bigots needed someone to stop and help you on the side of the road they wouldn't be from north of mason dixon line but south of it. Come visit before you start to judge.

Lighten up folks. I grew up 9 miles north of Ken. and 30 miles s.w. of the W.V. border. As a child of the Appalachians, I could tell you 1,001 hillbilly jokes and laugh heartily at every one of them. There are many very intelligent people there that were unable to complete high school because thay had to go to work to feed their families. Poverty does that to a lot of smart kids. I can think of a many of them that I would gladly pit against Harvard graduates G.W. Bush OR Barack Obama in a debate. Lack of education does not make one stupid. Access to the best education does not make one smart. Lord knows, we've seen enough evidence in recent years to substantiate that statement. For example, most hillbillies know that you don't put food on your families and we don't yet have 57 states.

Of course, ill health is rampant in these areas. Fried foods with animal fat are a treat to poor people. They're not going to waste even a bit of that rare side of beef or hog they butcher. Healthcare in rural areas usually mean Grandma applying a mustard poultice for the flu or Grandpa pulling an abscessed tooth with pliers after a swig of home-made brew to numb the pain. Alcoholism (or more recently drug addiction) has long been a plague on poor communities for those that can't seem to function with such extreme hardship. Believe me, it is tolerated much more harshly among these hard working people than most places.

Those inbred freaks of nature are very rare. In my 17 years of impoverished childhood and youth during the 50's and 60's, I may have met 4 or 5 of them. Much more heart-breaking than scary. I was told their families live deep in the hills and very fearful of venturing into civilization.

Janet, Lauron, and Floosie and you Commonsense 101 make me proud to be an American who was fortunate to spend a couple of formative years in Appalachia. Absolutely the friendliest, kindest, most wonderful people in America. And as I posted earlier, I'm from NY, and CA and have visited 49 of the 50 states and I will state with no equivocation - West Virginians in particular (and Appalachians as a group) are the friendliest, nicest, most hospitable, and honest people I have EVER met in my life! God Bless Them All!

Janet: You "left" to go to "graduate school" & write a sentence like you did............"Most of THEM people are ethical, hard-working, kind & neighborly?"

Commonsense101: I grew up along the Ohio River & yes, most people are terrific IF a lot are uneducated. BTW, my grandfather lost a leg in a mining accident & my father-in-law had black lung, so I know the turf very well. I also live in Appalachia now ( government's designation ) in a county that perennially is in the top 5 highest counties for unemployment in the State. So, it is cheaper to come back here to retire where we can spend our disposable income as opposed to another, more affluent area & also get the benefit of mostly lovely people.

We LEFT the area of the NASTIEST, MEANEST, ARROGANT, SELF-SATISFIED, STUPID ( None of the kids in the local "gifted" classes were "townies.) & just plain MEAN! I'm speaking of S. Central Pa. & the "wonderful" Pa. Dutch & THEIR inbred ( for 300 yrs.) ilk. I even found out the Germans have a word-schadefreude- that literally means, "taking glee in the misfortunes of others."

(Sorry, on a rant there.)

Coal IS making a come-back as I see many more trucks on the roads & the older miners are retiring. A new company even opened up here a couple of yrs ago. But with over-time, it's possible to make $60,000/yr.; just a darned hard way to do it. So, maybe we will see the resurgence of mining even though there are no steel mills to use it for coke anymore. There's just a State-Ohio-that gets 85% of its' electricity from coal & a country that gets 55%. You can't even go into a mine now without having taken a mine safety course before you even get hired. Miners have a dirty, dangerous job, but it isn't minimum-wage.

I, like you, grew up in the 50's & 60's, too. My mother-in-law, 91 managed to graduate from Clarksburg, WV High School in the middle of the Depression. My father-in-law had to leave school at the end of 8th grade to help support his family. The CCC not only supplied that, but it allowed him to go on to become a Master Electrician on one of the largest earth-moving shovels in the world at that time. My mother, who grew up in Southern Ohio ( b. 1905 ), managed to go to Ohio State to become a teacher. She lived 12 miles from town, so to go to H.S., she had to "board" with a family taking care of the children. And for those without the native intelligence or just the will, there was always the military esp. since we had a draft until the late 60's.

Your 2nd. paragraph is about as accurate as alcoholics can drink in moderation. Yes, I've heard stories like that, but it was MANY yrs. ago my father-in-law, who now would be 96, got loaded to have an amateur remove a painful tooth. And yes, I've had White Lightning & it is great even though I don't like whiskey. But lack of dental care is not limited to Appalachia; ask any dentist. If it were, they wouldn't still be selling pollident or my 69 yr. old brother-in-law wouldn't have had to have all his teeth removed last winter. AND HE WORKED FOR AM. AIRLINES! No poverty there!

Don't give me this "mustard poultice or abscessed tooth crap. They, even in WV & Kentucky, have drug stores in most places with inexpensive pain drugs, which, if indeed they are so poor, Medicaid will pay for. And don't tell me about alcoholism; not only am I married to a recovered one ( I hold a Black Belt in Alanon-lol), but drinking is so prevalent that they used to call their watering-holes, "Beer-gardens," since for many yrs., only beer could be sold in WV. Anything harder was found in State Liquor Stores or the Private Clubs which essentially got around it by giving "memberships" to anyone who came in. "Hillbilly Heroin" is the result of doctors indescriminately writing scripts for Oxycodone; if it isn't tolerated, call the State Patrol, the State Licensing Board, or the DEA. SOMEBODY WILL COME OUT!

A lot of their health problems can aslo be traced to heavy smoking, underground mining, strip mining, and the fact that EVERYONE burned high-sulfur coal in their homes & it was a pollution-from-hell environment. I know; I've got the scars on my lungs to prove it. ( I never smoked). State EPAs have been around now for 40 yrs.

And as to diet? The best veggies I ever ate came out of my grandmother's/mother's garden(s). I'm canning right now-tomatoes, wax beans, green beans, sweet corn, turnips, parsnips, pumpkins, sweet relish, dill relish, etc. I learned all that from those hillbillies that eat such a poor diet? I WISH I could make biscuits like my mother-in-law's, or make pies like my grandma's. Everyone has a garden, some pigs & of course, the ubitiquious chickens. Nothing in this world tastes like fresh-killed chicken & I don't even LIKE chicken. And while we are at it concerning diet & exercise, no obesity there, nor when most of us played outside unless we were too sick or it was raining.

And as far as "inbred": pl-ease give me a break. It's the well-hidden pedophilia that is running rampant in our country, not just in one area. In fact, as a retired nurse, a good friend of mine who also now is retired, was a Medical-Social Worker head of our local hospital. You know? The "wonderful" Pa. Dutch? She had been in that position for over 25 yrs. & she told me that on a nation-wide basis, child abuse including pedophilia was MUCH HIGHER thre than in other parts of the country. I rest my case as far as "in-breds" are concerned.

I'm grateful every day I can live with friendly, kind, helpful people & to be honest, it has been hard to "decompress" back here after 30+ yrs. of this dreck. But it is much easier than learning NOT to trust people, NOT to look them in the eye, or smile or even be civil. But, please; S. Ohio/SW West Virginia/& N.E. Kentucky is not in the boonies far away from civilization. They are in the 21st. Century.

Vicky, seems you may have learned some of those MEAN, NASTY, ARROGANT ways yourself while you were away. I do seem to remember a few folks that had it much better than most of us. They probably did have money to go to the doctor or drugstore. Medicaid was not established until 1965. We doctored ourselves. I'll bet you even had running water and and an indoor toilet. Even if you lived in a poverty stricken area with better means than most, you do not speak for the rest of us. Were you one of the few that turned your nose high and your head away in disgust at those kids with holes in their shoes and flimsy jackets on cold winter days? I think I remember you.

I am doubting that this is a marine vet...sounds more like an immature fourteen year old!

Marine vet is a disgrace. I am a vet also and was taught to act with respect and dignity. If WV has a problem, what good is it to make fun of the residents. Lets find out the reason and help. This country is so full of bigots. If you have never been to West Virginia, you don't even know what you are talking about. No, I don't live in West Virginia.

I like marine vet. keep up the posts.

Another 14 year old.

Hey Frustrated - everything you say is absolutely true. So why does the welfare system, medical establishment, and big pharma not tell everyone the truth as you have? BECAUSE THERE IS NO MONEY IN IT FOR THEM! Now what do we do??????????

Hopefully you are aware of all the side effects of the drugs you are using...Have you ever looked into Kevin Trudeau's book of alternative cures? God bless and take Care!

Kevin Trudeau is one of the biggest quacks in this country! Get with it lady, misscrackerz's diseases are very serious and warrant the real meds not Trudeaus hoj-pog bull$$$$. And for the record, I worked in a center that took calls for Kevin Trudeau so I know for a fact what his garbage is. RIP OFF!

WOW! I thought I had a lot of medical issues to deal with. My heart goes out to you in reference to all the pills you must have to take and the pain you must have to deal with. I will keep you in my prayers. I have been chastised because I use a fentanyl patch and take oxycodone. I have 8 herniated discs, spondylosis, stenosis, nerve damage and a plethora of other back conditions/diseases. I also take meds for high blood pressure, high triglycerides, 3 heart problems, depression, panic attacks, ad infinitum. It really sucks, in plain English. I am legally disabled and walk with a cane. I have received dirty looks for parking (I don't drive, my husband has to take where I need to go) in handicapped parking. I wish this was a more compassionate, understanding country. I am only 51, and things will continue to deteriorate in my back. I don't care that people look down on me because at 51, I collect Socialy Security DIsability and am on Medicaid. Let thim walk a mile in my shoes and see if their attitude changes! I hope the Lord blesses you and changes in medicine can and will help you. All my best to you.

God bless you misscrackerz, you west viginians are good hardworking and honest people of the land. i know because i have been there many times and i love WV. too bad these others don't have much in the way of understanding of the economic trials and corporate damage caused you; not to mention half the brains God gave my dog.

misscrackezr & Paula: There ARE others like yourselves, so don't feel the least bit bad about disabled parking or taking the meds. YOU NEED! I'm only sorry you both are so youg. As a nurse, I've taken care of many of the conditions you mentioned & it aint' easy for 'ya.

Keep taking it a day at a time. Or sometimes, a minute at a time; I've had to & it helps! Bless You Both

OMG! What is wrong with some of you people? I am from WV and grew up hearing the jokes, but honestly some of you people have no clue what WV is about. We are not a bunch of dumb hicks. We actually have a very rich history if you cared to learn about it. Oh and as far as education, my family alone has 2 doctors and 6 nurses (including myself). Granted there is a lot of poverty and illness but if you do your research you would see that a lot of it is do to the coal dust. Oh and by the wasy Marinevet all of my family have all of their teeth and they are not rotten. Grow up, sounds like you are the uneducated one.