Slate--Here Comes the Hillbilly, Again: What Honey Boo Boo really says about American culture.

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39. Well, not everyone has access to a truck.

And even if your truck "runs," it may not be well equipped to haul heavy appliances. You can use junk cars and appliances for spare parts if something you have breaks down, and a lot of the people that I know may not have pretty yards, but they sure do a lot of work repairing and improving their houses, etc.

On the other hand, keeping your land looking a little "trashy" does repel wealthier folks who would build fancier houses and raise property values for people who wouldn't be able to afford a higher property tax rate. Granted, higher taxes would mean better infrastructure, but when you're living paycheck to paycheck you just don't think that far ahead.