I’ve been arguing this for the last two years, that what’s cited here is part of a 200 year old trend, and there is simply no way in hell we’re going to reverse it. Every time I say this, I’m inundated with “why do you hate America, you heartless elitist.”

This is very simple. Rural America needs the same safety net that the rest of us do: universal healthcare, the kind of protections formerly created by unions, and eventually a UBI. That provides the baseline that allows those who wish to stay rural to survive, and maybe figure out ways to thrive.

What we *can’t* do is carve out rural America as some kind of special case that deserves more time, attention, and support than the rest of us. For one, they don’t. For another, it’s simply lower ROI than investing in cities. But by all means, let’s start treating everyone with some goddamn dignity. The Hard Truths of Trying to ‘Save’ the Rural Economy