@ky man hails from a very different part of the US. It's a part of the US that a majority of people here will never see and most likely never understand unless you've lived it. In his neck of the woods that's the livelihood of a lot of people. There's not a whole lot to do there as far as making a living. Most people have some sort of hustle. The sad part is that it's mainly gone to pills and other crap that destroys people.
His mindset is as old as the beginning of the prohibition era itself. It has one hell of a history. And a damn bloody one to boot. The prohibition era hit his home probably the worst of all. Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia it was a dog eats dog world during alcohol prohibition.
From that you have generations of people born and raised up into and through a culture that revolves around contraband. Contraband that's spanned several different incarnations and generations. You can survive or you can thrive sort of thing. Step back and tell me you'd prefer the alternative. The coal mines. Or some menial job where you just survive and little else.
Some of the best people I've met on this planet hail from Ky. Beautiful place, lovely people and by god some of the best looking and sweetest women on the planet.
But crossing them would probably be the last thing I'd do. It's a different world.
On a side note check out a movie called Lawless on Netflix. It's a good dramatization of the prohibition era. And if that doesn't do it for you then there's some awesome car porn there.