They are building a new bridge between Memphis and West Memphis? Sure … not in my life time!
Over the past few months more than 780 former high ranking military officers and national security officials have spoken of Trump being a danger to our democracy. Today, 100 noted historians gave out the same message. Maybe they are on to something to which we all should be paying attention. [Editor’s Note: As much as I am not a fan of Trump, I don’t think him getting re-elected (I’m writing this Tuesday morning, so I have no idea how the election turned out) will be the end of the world. Sure, there will be some things that I don’t agree with (and if Harris wins, there will be some things my Republican friends don’t agree with), but we’ll just keep on keeping on and we can fire the whole machine up again for 2028] Like a lot of others, I’m happy to see Buc-Ee’s coming to West Memphis, but I have one important question … who is going to work there? We have a big problem already getting good workers at the businesses we already have so expecting to get quality employees at Buc-Ee’s is going to be an issue. I’m not hating on West Memphis or anything I’m just speaking facts. Ask any employer around here and you’ll get the same answer … “nobody wants to work anymore” [Editor’s Note: I take offense to the whole “Nobody wants to work anymore” argument. First off, unemployment is like 3.3 percent in Arkansas.
Second, look … nobody “wants” to work at all. I mean, even if you love your job, chances are very, very good that if you were suddenly independently wealthy, you might (might) give your twoweeks’ notice and then it would be “Hasta la vista, baby!” Sure, you might work in some other way, but you would not be working at Bucee’s or any other service-oriented job. We work to make money, and the people around here work, I assure you. Yes, there are a lot of unskilled laborers in this area, as there are in a lot of high-poverty areas, and yes, when you’re that far down the totem pole, jobs can be seen as disposable, because someone is always hiring, so you do get a lot of turnover. That’s just the way it is … and it’s the way it has always been]
[Editor’s Note: Well, depending on your age, you might be right. It will definitely be at least 20 years before the new I-55 bridge will be completed. That’s a massive undertaking. I’m 51, and I’m hoping it will at least get finished in MY lifetime. Side note: Since the new bridge is replacing the “Old Bridge,” will we start calling the “New Bridge” the “Old Bridge” or will we call it the “New Old Bridge” when it’s done? These are the things I think about while stuck behind a train on Highway 77]
