John Edwards Visits Wise, Virginia for RAM Clinic.

Candidate John Edwards visited Wise for two hours yesterday. This was part of his Poverty Tour highlighting our region.

“The national media has coined this trip a ‘poverty tour’. Some people in our community have taken issue with that,” Gardner said. “We want to focus on the positive. We take ownership of our problems, but we don’t want to perpetuate negative stereotypes that cast our region in a negative light.”(LINK)

The visit drew about 200 people and a slew of press to watch the CNN interview. A behind the scenes look is here, and the BHC had this article. The Kingsport Times offers up this report.
Fellow Blogger Brain Patton was impressed with Edwards visit, but no endorsement yet. I will give Edwards credit for visiting Wise, but I don't like the motive. We here have seen this happen too many times before. The views of the poorest in our region while ignoring the people who have worked hard to achieve a good income and lifestyle. They choose to show the people who quit school, never had a job, and never put forth any effort to improve them selfs. Lets be honest about this. The parking lot for the free RAM clinic will be full of 30 thousand dollar vehicles carrying people who cant afford to go the dentist, but they smoke or chew two cartons a week. Many of these folks are the same ones you see scratching lottery tickets in the store parking lots as the cases of beer warm up in the back seat of the car. They will be in the bars or riding four wheelers this weekend but cant afford a blood sugar test.
I am all for helping the needy, the ones who cannot help themselves. I think most of these people don't fit into that group and all of the free medical care in the world will not solve that problem.