Whenever you live in Lawrence County, you can have a say in Lawrence County economics. Until then...
My parents met at International Paper, where they both worked at the time. I grew up in a middle class family because of International Paper. The paper mill has given my family so much. The mill put me through college, helping my dad to pay for my B.S. degree. It also bought me a couple of vehicles when I was younger, not to mention put a roof over my head and provided me with so much more.
Does a plant producing 1500 jobs make an enormous difference? Ask the people that work at the Chevron in Courtland. Ask the truck drivers at the facility across from the mill. How about the 500+ contractors who work at the mill everyday and aren't included in the total job count of the mill. What about the grocery stores open nearby that many of these individuals buy their groceries from?
I guess you could say that I owe everything to International Paper. Does one industry make a difference? You bet it does. TVA's shoreline development policy is screwing a lot of people over. TVA has become a tyrannical dictatorship.