When Democrats think about rural America, they think about poor farmers and empty towns.
The towns are empty. But the farmers aren’t poor.
If you own farmland in America, you are wealthy. By definition. Agriculture is manufacturing. Making it work takes big, expensive machines. If you’re actively farming, you also own the machines. If you just own the land, someone else owns the machines, leases your land, while you sit around town enjoying the benefits.
There are poor people in rural America. Most are grifting. They’re getting welfare, which they call entitlements. We’re talking Social Security, Medicare, veterans’ payments, disability. Urban America makes and rural America takes. It’s been that way for a generation. You just didn’t notice it.
Rural Americans don’t take responsibility for anyone but themselves. They spend their time imposing their values on the rest of us. Their religion, their ignorance. Also, their patriotism. Military bases are all in rural America. They provide an enormous additional subsidy, and a place to send any excess kids. Prisons are another rural industry.
Starting to get the picture? Oligarchs, militarists, and religious extremists are using a pampered, rural minority to oppress the rest of us. They’re suppressing the creativity that creates growth. They’re taxing creative workers and putting this money into their own pockets. They’re using the military and prison system to create the brownshirts of a new order, in which they decide what you can think, and how you can live.
Once you understand this, you can get mad. You can also start to see a strategy for taking back power. Take away their money. Drive their lawyers, bankers, and insurance brokers under with online tools. Cut off their leadership.
You can also move in. Software and tech work can be done anywhere. Do it there. Bring in all the things you like. Organic producers are gardeners, not farmers, and create a lot more employment per acre. You can retire a lot cheaper in the countryside, so take advantage. Open a B&B, or a nice restaurant. Rebuild a town.
Change the demographics of rural America and you’ll change its voting patterns. This will take time, but it’s certain, and it’s non-violent.
Also, it’s happening.
