General Discussion

And their politics are hard right. My guess is that the ones who recognize what's going on leave. But I don't think this is just an Appalachian problem. I think this a the same problem with much of rural America. They pretty much self-isolated. And up until the 70's this worked fine. The little towns were self-sufficient, little economies that worked well. But as the larger economies changed--and the older generation died--things started to change. The small towns became smaller. Kids went to college and never came back. This trend continued until the small town is nothing more than a place on a map. The people who live there either don't work or drive 20-30 minutes to their jobs. But everyone keeps voting Republican.