Message from Martin County: What's good for E. Ky. good for U.S.A.

The notion of Appalachian exceptionalism has never been reality and is more wrong today than ever.

Far from being an outlier, the region, if anything, is a microcosm of this country and the challenges facing all of America.

Any plan for igniting Eastern Kentucky's moribund economy will have to be built on principles that would work anywhere: Local ownership; support for entrepreneurs; a healthy, educated workforce; healthy land, clean water, good food; towns and parks where people want to visit, live and invest; accountable, honest government; clean energy, and, as Lexington Mayor Jim Gray often says, an authenticity of place.