[Hoot Gibson]

Carl Perkins' damage to the moral fabric and economy of eastern Kentucky cannot be overstated. Once prided for the work ethic of its people, our region is not looked down upon as an economic basket case because it is inhabited by so many lazy adults who have been on the government dole for generations.

Except for LBJ, nobody deserves more blame than Perkins for creating a culture of dependency that taints the reputation of all of us who hail from eastern Kentucky, whether or not we have retained the work ethic that once made our people so prized by factories and steel mills throughout the Midwest.