Man, it was nice to see Vice President Kamala Harris on her visit to Greenville, Mississippi on April 1.
Sometime ago, when I served as County Supervisor, after reading the book, The Southern-most Place on Earth, which draws sullen sketches of the disgusting poverty, grinding inequalities and glooming hopelessness accompanying the lives of those living in the Mississippi Delta, I drove down into the flat plains of the Delta myself and saw a poverty that mirrored the draining sadness of the district I had been elected to serve. Seeing Greenville’s infamous Sugar Ditch community brought to mind the words of the poet John Keats, “No one can usurp the heights except those to whom the miseries of the world are a misery, and that misery will not let them rest.”
I’ve found another interesting misery occasioning the lurid conditions of Greenville, which I hope the Vice President had been apprised of. Did y’all know that Greenville is the amputation capital of America? That’s right, more people undergo amputation procedures there than any place in this great country. Why? Because apparently in that part of the world doctors are subsidized more for amputations than treating illnesses.
Had enough?
Jim Terry
Columbus
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 45 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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