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edhopper

(37,370 posts)
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 07:16 PM Jul 2023

Enough bullshit that we ignore rural areas and small towns

Fact is they get more Federal dollars and send in less tax revenue than Urban areas.

https://www.govtech.com/dc/articles/city-dwellers-bear-disproportionate-federal-tax.html#:~:text=The%20extra%20burden%20wouldn%27t%20be%20so%20excessive%20if,that%20cities%20send%20far%20more%20cash%20to%20Washington.


According to David Albouy, a University of Michigan economist, workers in expensive cities in the Northeast, Great Lakes and Pacific regions bear a disproportionate share of the federal tax burden, effectively paying 27 percent more in federal income taxes than workers with similar skills in a small city or rural area....

The extra burden wouldn't be so excessive if more federal tax dollars were returned to urban areas in the form of higher federal spending. But according to Albouy's research, that's not the case. His data show that more federal dollars are actually spent in rural areas, despite the fact that cities send far more cash to Washington. The net effect of all this is a transfer of $269 million from workers in high-cost areas to workers in lower cost rural areas in 2008 alone.


The constant bitching that we are forgetting rural America is so much tripe.

And let's not forget, in many States, the GOP has made sure their vote counts more than those in cities through gerrymandering.
87 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Enough bullshit that we ignore rural areas and small towns (Original Post) edhopper Jul 2023 OP
Glad the BS that Democrats ignore rural working/middle classes is being pushed back betsuni Jul 2023 #1
Also, there's the constant refrain that people "look down on" rural people. Scrivener7 Jul 2023 #2
I hear you edhopper Jul 2023 #3
We don't much... 2naSalit Jul 2023 #4
It works both ways. A lot of rural people talk shit about city people. Sky Jewels Jul 2023 #5
None of that... 2naSalit Jul 2023 #7
Who's your Senator? edhopper Jul 2023 #11
A DEMOCRAT. 2naSalit Jul 2023 #20
+1 H2O Man Jul 2023 #26
It's not possible to compare tourist towns to isolated rural areas Keepthesoulalive Jul 2023 #13
Yes it is. 2naSalit Jul 2023 #22
I have been a silent member of Democratic Underground for years Keepthesoulalive Jul 2023 #29
It's a bit different... 2naSalit Jul 2023 #31
Americans are blessed with food from all over the country. Keepthesoulalive Jul 2023 #32
Could be... 2naSalit Jul 2023 #40
I looked at the voting map edhopper Jul 2023 #43
It's where the... 2naSalit Jul 2023 #49
I think the Dems should run someone in every district edhopper Jul 2023 #52
+1 betsuni Jul 2023 #87
If "rural folks" don't like the policies that are hurting them Sky Jewels Jul 2023 #59
We'll said. SharonClark Jul 2023 #27
Again, trophy homes and tourists are not unique to rural areas. Neither is people Scrivener7 Jul 2023 #14
Interesting how you... 2naSalit Jul 2023 #19
First, I really don't understand your first paragraph. What does that mean? Scrivener7 Jul 2023 #23
It's the... 2naSalit Jul 2023 #28
So "we" are "punishing" and persecuting you, though most of what you describe is, again, Scrivener7 Jul 2023 #30
So "we" are "punishing" and persecuting you, though most of what you describe is, again, 2naSalit Jul 2023 #36
Didn't read. I'm not interested enough to Scrivener7 Jul 2023 #44
The right loves to paint the picture that BLUE areas don't count Sky Jewels Jul 2023 #61
That is pure bullshit edhopper Jul 2023 #37
Rural states DO get way more Senate representation Sky Jewels Jul 2023 #50
AND, not for nothing, but if the representation was fairly apportioned, those Democrats in Scrivener7 Jul 2023 #68
Your anecdotal data about you and your rural friends Sky Jewels Jul 2023 #51
The disparity in coverage does seem to lean toward Scrivener7 Jul 2023 #62
Very true. Sky Jewels Jul 2023 #65
. Scrivener7 Jul 2023 #70
BTW, I've been dissed by rural people for being from the city. Sky Jewels Jul 2023 #57
This is not in any way unique to rural areas. If tourist dollars are part of your world - and Scrivener7 Jul 2023 #6
I probably do have an idea about... 2naSalit Jul 2023 #24
+1 MontanaMama Jul 2023 #45
Speaking of trashing places, have you driven on many country roads? Sky Jewels Jul 2023 #79
Agree 100% MontanaMama Jul 2023 #82
T-shirt / Yard Sign Count Cosmocat Jul 2023 #64
I grew up in a rural area. They're paranoid. yardwork Jul 2023 #71
Exhibit A: "You might be a redneck if you..." SYFROYH Jul 2023 #83
So is your self image tied up in a Jeff Foxworthy bit? Scrivener7 Jul 2023 #85
My self-image has nothing to do with that thread. What a weird question. SYFROYH Jul 2023 #86
Then IF you have a Repuke state government they make it even worse. roamer65 Jul 2023 #8
I maybe looking LPBBEAR Jul 2023 #9
DemocratIC Party please. LoisB Jul 2023 #10
+10000000000000000 Celerity Jul 2023 #33
We do need Howard Dean's edhopper Jul 2023 #12
I live in a rural area, it's damn expensive RainCaster Jul 2023 #15
holy shit Kali Jul 2023 #17
NG would be nice RainCaster Jul 2023 #21
+1 2naSalit Jul 2023 #25
WOW Celerity Jul 2023 #34
To be fair Sympthsical Jul 2023 #55
And Biden and the Democrats want to bring broadband to rural areas edhopper Jul 2023 #38
The GOP uses AM radio to spread their rural hate RainCaster Jul 2023 #41
Heh edhopper Jul 2023 #42
I hear you, and Pennsylvania is finally doing something about those "last mile" customers FakeNoose Jul 2023 #46
If we don't do exactly what they want CanonRay Jul 2023 #16
Wow. 2naSalit Jul 2023 #54
let me know as soon as a rethug comes to an all back church in a place like Detroit ot Atlanta..... Takket Jul 2023 #18
Funny how we never hear about how rural people should try to "understand" urban people. Sky Jewels Jul 2023 #78
In MI, about 75% of tfg voters live in the urban or mostly urban counties Kaleva Jul 2023 #35
I'm not sure if that is edhopper Jul 2023 #39
That poster has been spreading that false statistic since the election. llmart Jul 2023 #47
It's deceptive wording... druidity33 Jul 2023 #60
As many people in the metro Detroit area voted for tfg Kaleva Jul 2023 #56
Biden won by almost 70% in Wayne county edhopper Jul 2023 #66
Total the votes tfg got in the northern half of the state Kaleva Jul 2023 #72
ALL of Biden's margin of victory was from the Detroit area edhopper Jul 2023 #73
Did tfg get a majority of his votes from rural counties ? Kaleva Jul 2023 #80
Biden won Oakland by over 15% edhopper Jul 2023 #81
What county gives TFG the most votes Kaleva Jul 2023 #84
Urban areas also have higher social burdens like Jury duty Johonny Jul 2023 #48
$269 million, or 0.01% of the federal budget that year Sympthsical Jul 2023 #53
Struck Me, Too ProfessorGAC Jul 2023 #58
I seriously questioned it Sympthsical Jul 2023 #67
Thanks! ProfessorGAC Jul 2023 #69
Let's not forget MissMillie Jul 2023 #63
How about WY has a population of less than 600,000 edhopper Jul 2023 #74
I remember MorbidButterflyTat Jul 2023 #75
I remember that edhopper Jul 2023 #76
Yep. They finally stopped running it when 9-11 happened ... to New York City. Sky Jewels Jul 2023 #77

betsuni

(29,079 posts)
1. Glad the BS that Democrats ignore rural working/middle classes is being pushed back
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 07:58 PM
Jul 2023

against and debunked more regularly.

Next election, idiocy about Democrats being out-of-touch coastal elites who despise working families and are bribed in wine caves by wealthy donors and billionaires is going to get nothing but laughter and . Finally.

Scrivener7

(59,522 posts)
2. Also, there's the constant refrain that people "look down on" rural people.
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 08:22 PM
Jul 2023

I hate to break it to the "rural people" thinking this, but as an "urban person," I don't think much at all about rural people. I just live my life. I argue sometimes with my Appalachian relatives on specific issues, but that's based on political stances. I don't think I have ever had a conversation with anyone about "rural people" vs. "urban people."

I'm a little astonished the people touting this theory are wasting all that time and energy worrying about that we "urban people" might be looking down on them. They should just live their lives.

edhopper

(37,370 posts)
3. I hear you
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 08:31 PM
Jul 2023

the only time I think about rural people is when I see a FarmerMatch.com commercial.

2naSalit

(102,808 posts)
4. We don't much...
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 08:45 PM
Jul 2023

Give a shit what you do when you are in your urban world, it's when you come to rural places for vacation or whatever and the way the locals are treated by you out of towners is where we get the idea that we are looked down on. When people come here and expect that every person they encounter is their servant and should be thankful you came to throw them a dime...

And the wages in these places do not compare with what is earned in urban settings. You have no idea about what the employment scene is in the rural world so maybe you could look into that to get an idea about why there's a difference.

 

Sky Jewels

(9,148 posts)
5. It works both ways. A lot of rural people talk shit about city people.
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 08:50 PM
Jul 2023

They like to further the narrative that cities are all overrun with crime 24/7, and urban types (i.e., not whites) are always to blame. The primary narrative in American politics is that country people are "real" Americans, while city people are "the lessers" and "the others." I'm sick of it.

Oh, if you'd like a very recent example of this "small towns are superior" bullshit propaganda, look no further than the pro-lynching video by that racist POS Jason Aldean.

By the way, do you really think rural people don't go to cities and treat waiters and bellhops and retail workers just as poorly?

2naSalit

(102,808 posts)
7. None of that...
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 09:19 PM
Jul 2023

Describes the people I know out here in ruraland. When my friends and I go to town or a city, long drive but necessary on occasion, we actually are nice to the workers and tip well because we know what it's like to work for tips and deal with the tourist crowd. I have yet to see rural folks treat city people in the city like you describe and I have lived a good number of years in both settings.

I see that kind of crap on teevee when I bother to watch it. Sure, nobody is angelic but the disdain I hear from people who think I might not be one of "them" is appalling to say the least. We have a lot of the trophy home bunch as well as tourists crawling all over the place, they decide to come and buy a bunch of property up here and price we locals out of our homes, it's been going on for a while and people in this area are getting fed up about it. Why can't we buy land near us? because we don;t make shit for wages and then the cost of living keeps growing as if we were all making $20/hr when hardly anyone is getting more then $10... State minimum wage is like $8.50/hr. And we pay taxes regardless.

Next up, you'll be telling me how I have too many Senators in Congress... 3 ...2 ...

edhopper

(37,370 posts)
11. Who's your Senator?
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 10:03 PM
Jul 2023

Did he or she vote to increase minimum wage? Mine did for EVERYONE in the country, not just my State, which raised minimum wage, even for our rural areas.

So look to the beam in your own eye.

H2O Man

(79,056 posts)
26. +1
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 11:06 PM
Jul 2023

I think that it is important to recognize that the distribution of taxes isn't 100% one way or the other. As a former rural school board member, I could list some examples. Of course, that also includes state and federal funds.

There are actually quite a few intelligent people in rural areas. When the investment of time is put in, Democrats can actually win a lot of rural voter support. Again, that has to do with the distribution of efforts in campaigning.

Keepthesoulalive

(2,305 posts)
13. It's not possible to compare tourist towns to isolated rural areas
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 10:05 PM
Jul 2023

Almost any one who works in a service industry faces uppity customers. If your wages are low try to get real Democrats elected or a Democratic governor, because the people who look down on you are your Republican legislators as they promise you nothing and give you less.

2naSalit

(102,808 posts)
22. Yes it is.
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 10:58 PM
Jul 2023

It's easy to compare them. Why?

Because most rural areas see tourists whether they are the destination or on the way there. Even if we aren't in the service industry, you'd be surprised by how many perceive us as such.

And I already have one Democratic Senator, used to have a Democratic governor too.

See, when it comes to elections, especially the ones so popular with the crowd who think I have too many Congress critters, is when national campaigns and their committees forget we exist except to complain about us and tell us that if only we would elect Democrats they would stop bitching about us. And why do we want to live in the country anyway?

But do they offer up any help in electing the desired candidates?

Hell no.

You know who was crawling all over this state for two years like a bad case of lice prior to 2016? Rumpers. All over the freaking state for two years campaigning and fundraising for that shitwad and his cult following. That's how we ended up a red state that used to be purple in 2016. They spent a lot of money ousting Democrats and it paid off for them.


So please, if you don't live in a rural place, don't try to tell me how it is out here where you don't live or vote and that I should try real hard to elect Democrats, it's really condescending and I find it offensive.



Welcome to DU

Keepthesoulalive

(2,305 posts)
29. I have been a silent member of Democratic Underground for years
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 06:24 AM
Jul 2023

I live in a rural community in the foothills of the Appalachians. Some of us are actively involved going to meetings , donating and talking to people one to one. The national party cannot save
you . People must have the vision to look beyond their hate ,their discomfort with the outside world and what their social settings tell them. Every election counts , if they can’t see the benefit of voting for someone who can make their lives better. The only thing that lit a fire under these folks was CRT. Oh and thank you for the welcome.


2naSalit

(102,808 posts)
31. It's a bit different...
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 07:22 AM
Jul 2023

Out here in the west. For one, convincing people they should vote at all is a big thing. And the dynamics of what the vote is about are a bit different as well. It's nothing like it is in the eastern states, I have lived, worked and voted there too. The rural west is a different animal that I can't quite describe.

It's not some "it's simple" solution, and yes, it does matter if candidates come here and campaign. As I said above, those rumpers were crawling all over the state like lice for two years. It's how people perceive the candidate values them in many cases. A handshake can weigh more than many can imagine. To see the candidate up close and say something to them, to have them acknowledge your existence rather than a trope about rural life that too many imagine but isn't even close to the reality. We know full well that we are not seen as individuals out here, just a bunch of insignificant beings who might vote for the candidate, I mean, it's only a few electoral votes so...

And telling us that we all do this or that or vote for whichever as one solid entity is as dishonest as me telling folks in the city that they are all alike and their needs are a thing that might be looked into if enough people show up at some town hall on a Tuesday afternoon.

Stereotyping and writing off of rural folks is a big mistake. Should have figured that out by now.

And the vast majority of the US population would do well to remember where their food comes from... and it's not you apartment's patio.

Keepthesoulalive

(2,305 posts)
32. Americans are blessed with food from all over the country.
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 07:38 AM
Jul 2023

We had great people running and they shook a lot of hands did not make any difference.they still voted for the asshole who would give them nothing. Our Democratic Party has a powerful rural outreach program and I am willing to bet these people will not change and he will win again.

edhopper

(37,370 posts)
43. I looked at the voting map
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 09:58 AM
Jul 2023

looks like Missoula ans Bozeman went big for him. What is it about those places that gave him such a big edge?
Asking as someone ignorant of Montana politics, outside of Gianforte being a thug.

2naSalit

(102,808 posts)
49. It's where the...
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 10:31 AM
Jul 2023

Non-magats live. But there are enclaves of them and not every town and village is homogeneous. There are more businesses connected to outside interests and commerce yet still rural unless it's actual city limits. An example of some of the way things are here. We have open carry restricts in the state but only in cities ...if you aren't in a city, you probably have to drive a ways to get to one to have those restrictions apply.

Montana was purple until maga showed up, with some attention and pre-election help, it could be again. We got a nasty taste of the magat legislature this year, thankfully they don't go back into session until after this next election, most of the harm is done. So the litigation takes place in the interim. (The schedule for most legislatures out here is biannual.)

We need to retain Tester but the whole country needs to help us get rid of those imbeciles Daines, Zinke, rosendale and the body-slamming evangelical billionaire governor. They have too much outside $$ and their own bank accounts to fund their efforts. Far more than the GDP of the state. How are we supposed to overcome that on our own?



edhopper

(37,370 posts)
52. I think the Dems should run someone in every district
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 10:41 AM
Jul 2023

as Howard Dean showed, just setting up a DNC office in every district can yield results, even if there is not enough money to help with all the campaigns, there will be some we can flip.

 

Sky Jewels

(9,148 posts)
59. If "rural folks" don't like the policies that are hurting them
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 11:23 AM
Jul 2023

they should stop voting for Republicans. But they don't. Because, for a lot of them, voting for Democrats is voting to help "those others," you know--the brown people and the libs and the city people and people who don't go to church--that they despise because hate radio has told them they should. They keep whining about their lot in life and yet they won't let go of their attachment to the party of fascism. They vote against their own economic interests again and again. And, yes, there are some Democrats and liberals amongst the rural people, but overwhelmingly--as a generality--rural people love them some GQP. So, until they start to let go of their attachment, there's not much outsiders can do to help them. They're fucking themselves over repeatedly, and then whining constantly and blaming others for their plight.

SharonClark

(10,497 posts)
27. We'll said.
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 11:37 PM
Jul 2023

Most rural areas are NOT tourist towns. In fact, most of them aren’t even towns!

Scrivener7

(59,522 posts)
14. Again, trophy homes and tourists are not unique to rural areas. Neither is people
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 10:12 PM
Jul 2023

being priced out of their homes.

As for inflation and wages, guess how much my relative pays for her 400 square foot third floor walk-up apartment in the East Village? $3200 a month. How's that $20 hourly wage look now?

Rural life is not intrinsically harder than urban.

Also, I worked as a waitress through high school and college, often in urban tourist areas. I saw plenty of really obnoxious people. To illustrate my original point, I never actually thought about whether they were rural or urban people. Plenty had accents, and I'm sure many were rural, but "rural" vs. "urban" just never entered my mind. For you, on the other hand, it sounds like it is a defining consideration in categorizing people.

Also, BTW, the assumption that you are unique in being nice to service people and tipping well, and that urban people don't do that, is just silly.

2naSalit

(102,808 posts)
19. Interesting how you...
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 10:44 PM
Jul 2023

Have accused me of responding to your post#2 by making it me who is labeling and concerned. I was simply expanding on your identified perception.

Whatever. I said before, I have lived and worked in both rural and urban worlds and then some few see and I know what condescension looks and sounds like. It comes out in urban as much as rural and following the talking points of separation that everyone feeds us on the teevee is seeping into thought processes which is causing this.

Many rural towns are becoming tourist towns or tourism adjacent since they have services that travelers us on their way to somewhere. The attitude is still there and we deal with it because we are already as far away, in the off season which is shrinking, as we can get from cities. We shouldn't be punished for not wanting to live in cities.

Scrivener7

(59,522 posts)
23. First, I really don't understand your first paragraph. What does that mean?
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 11:02 PM
Jul 2023

Which identified perception, which label and concern?

Second, as the OP and the subsequent conversation makes very clear, no one is punishing you. The data in the OP shows that, far from being punished, rural areas are given disproportional revenue from those regions you seem to think are punishing you.

If, when you speak of others punishing you, you are talking about your perception that you are being condescended to, I just really don't know what to tell you. As I said most of us don't think about you any more than you think about us. And for the rest, why would you care what they think of you?

2naSalit

(102,808 posts)
28. It's the...
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 01:24 AM
Jul 2023

Treatment. I don't care what you think of me unless what you think of me colors the tone with which you address me.

I live in a rural place so I am, according to many here on DU, and from the tone, the OP included, I should be treated with some kind of disdain because the political situation, which is not my fault, justifies such treatment. We don't have the same kind of economy here so let us starve or be excluded from benefits of a democratic society because we don't have as much money to contribute to the general fund.

But we have trees and minerals and forests that y'all come and extract from our area, you come here with your toys and rampage our forests and parks, throw trash all over the place. We grow your food but since we don't pay as much in taxes, we should starve and be shunned in numerous ways because we aren't whatever other people think we should be or should be doing.

I honestly don't get what you mean by your inability to see what I'm saying. You know what I mean, I mean, you know what I mean?

Scrivener7

(59,522 posts)
30. So "we" are "punishing" and persecuting you, though most of what you describe is, again,
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 06:38 AM
Jul 2023

in no way unique to rural areas.

We are "shunning you," "letting you starve" and "excluding you from the benefits of democratic society," though the OP shows rural areas get a disproportionately large share of the common wealth.

"We" are "rampaging" through YOUR forests and parks - though as many rural people use national parks as urban people, so it is not your monolithic urban "you" that is guilty.

"We" are "extracting your minerals and trees" though I am sure you understand that has nothing to do with urban vs. rural, that has to do with corporations.

And are you really growing my food? You farm? Because if not, you and I are in exactly the same boat with respect to our dependence on corporate farming. You don't grow my food. Corporations do. That's a problem we have in common.

And it is a personal insult to you that people litter? Newsflash: people litter. It sucks. But it happens everywhere.

And were you under the impression that what you think of urban people is NOT coloring the tone with which you are addressing people in this thread?

Sadly, my original point has been proved.

2naSalit

(102,808 posts)
36. So "we" are "punishing" and persecuting you, though most of what you describe is, again,
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 09:36 AM
Jul 2023
in no way unique to rural areas.

We are "shunning you," "letting you starve" and "excluding you from the benefits of democratic society," though the OP shows rural areas get a disproportionately large share of the common wealth.


The OP, which I think is absurd, for review (underlines for emphasis added):


Enough bullshit that we ignore rural areas and small towns
Fact is they get more Federal dollars and send in less tax revenue than Urban areas.

https://www.govtech.com/dc/articles/city-dwellers-bear-disproportionate-federal-tax.html#:~:text=The%20extra%20burden%20wouldn%27t%20be%20so%20excessive%20if,that%20cities%20send%20far%20more%20cash%20to%20Washington.


According to David Albouy, a University of Michigan economist, workers in expensive cities in the Northeast, Great Lakes and Pacific regions bear a disproportionate share of the federal tax burden, effectively paying 27 percent more in federal income taxes than workers with similar skills in a small city or rural area....

The extra burden wouldn't be so excessive if more federal tax dollars were returned to urban areas in the form of higher federal spending. But according to Albouy's research, that's not the case. His data show that more federal dollars are actually spent in rural areas, despite the fact that cities send far more cash to Washington. The net effect of all this is a transfer of $269 million from workers in high-cost areas to workers in lower cost rural areas in 2008 alone.



The constant bitching that we are forgetting rural America is so much tripe.

And let's not forget, in many States, the GOP has made sure their vote counts more than those in cities through gerrymandering.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100218111299#top



So it's really only about the money, am I right?


"We" are "rampaging" through YOUR forests and parks - though as many rural people use national parks as urban people, so it is not your monolithic urban "you" that is guilty.


I beg to differ. Far more people come to the rural areas to visit than live here, exponentially so, but how would you know that, you don't live in an area where that's a problem.

Next?

"We" are "extracting your minerals and trees" though I am sure you understand that has nothing to do with urban vs. rural, that has to do with corporations.


I mean "our" to mean what it implies, ours as in a collective of local residents, but oops, we aren't stacked on top of each other which means there aren't as many of us so we obviously don't count. Best to deflect and try to imply that I mean that I, personally, own and control these properties and resources. Honestly.

The majority of extraction that happens in urban settings is petroleum, those areas are already lost as biospheric brown fields. When's the last time you heard of someone taking a vacation to a brown field?

We have many more oil rigs out here but they are mostly out away from residential locations, out of sight, out of mind. You won't see most of the damage up close from the highway... yet.

And are you really growing my food? You farm? Because if not, you and I are in exactly the same boat with respect to our dependence on corporate farming. You don't grow my food. Corporations do. That's a problem we have in common.


I didn't say that I personally grow your food, but my neighbors do and when I worked I was in a support industry for a time, bringing the food from the farms and processors to a grocery chain near you... but why should I have to qualify my experience to you?

Not all food is grown by corporations, you know this, right? I mean, meat comes from animals, this is before their parts were wrapped in plastic. And vegetables come from the ground, a lot goes into putting the food into the plastic before it ends up on the shelf in the store. Most of the people who make that happen don't earn high wages. And the processing happens in rural places at least as much as it does in urban places.... oops, that might mean they can't contribute as much money in taxes.

And it is a personal insult to you that people litter? Newsflash: people litter. It sucks. But it happens everywhere.


People litter, I get that... the shit's everywhere after waves of them pass through, most of the trashiest are Americans. I'm not ignorant of the fact that people in general are trashy but when people choose to come to the wild places in our country to see its beauty, why do they trash it?

Not just the litter, they shoot at live trees, they come here to shoot guns in the woods not recognizing what they are shooting. They carve stupid shit into trees, throw trash in the lakes and rivers, like a dog pisses on a bush to claim it...? WTF is up with that? But do go on and take a rafting trip down a pristine river and because one of the rapids was a bit much for you, blow it up so that it works for you; don't like to fly fish, hell, bring your own bass/walleye and stock a different ecosystem with those in the middle of the night instead; the walmart was too far away, like you passed it on your way, so start a campaign to bring one to right outside the gate of the national park because planning ahead is for suckers; so what if you don't have bear spray while you're camping in a tent with your food where there's bears.

I mean... You'd think some instinctual sense of self preservation would kick in at some elevation. Maybe it's lack of oxygen..? Do people not care to look at where they are going and recognize that it's not like going just around the corner or a web page on their communicator screen. They rely on GPS that doesn't work in the mountains, they get lost and complain that the road wasn't paved, it's endless. But we, the locals who will have to rescue them, will have to be super nice while risking our lives for theirs and not be judgy about how stupid they were for getting into a stupid and dangerous situation. But do carry on, it's not like educating the public is a thing anymore.

And I have spent a couple decades trying to educate the public and advocating for wildlife and OUR public lands when not many were paying much attention yet reap the benefits of the gains we made in our quest to slow the destruction of the biosphere, thank you very much. What did I get in return? A lot of back-handing and death threats from the rumpist-like crowd of locals and from politicians and people both rural and urban, telling me I was wrong and alarmist... we are seeing the fruits of failure to accept the message because they wasted so much time trying to kill the messengers so here we are, watching it all burn. When key ecosystems crash, like the one I've lived in and fought for over decades, it will be noticed everywhere. But c'mon down and bring your trash and fling it all around as you whizz by on your way to whatever you came to do and see, that is, if you can bother to look up from your phone... somebody who works for minimum wage will clean it up... not.

I am currently witnessing everything that I care about and fought so hard for being destroyed by careless humans, few of which are from around here, trashing it to oblivion... most of which belong to us, we the people. Kind of pisses me off.


And were you under the impression that what you think of urban people is NOT coloring the tone with which you are addressing people in this thread?


Ummm, what? My comment was based on an opinion I have fomented after decades of experience living, working and voting in cities, suburbs, towns and villages, big and small all over this country. I've worked in multiple realms from housekeeping to heavy equipment operation to policy analyst to employee at three different federal agencies and a restaurant cook among other work. I choose to live in a rural place because cities are more than I care to deal with, I prefer nature so I fight to protect it. Seems my fellow Americans aren't so keen on that part seeing how they treat it... first hand from all angles.

Also, Americans are notorious, worldwide, as trashy tourists.

In the past decade +, I have watched tourists go from inquisitive, if not naive, but mostly nice people from all over the globe to swarms of jerks looking to see how far they can push the limits of the interface of their understanding and the harsh reality of the natural world and the disconnect between that and fucking Bambi. I don't feel sorry for humans who get beat up by wildlife or get cooked in a hot spring with keep out signs.



The OP has a very negative tone toward rural Americans and I, being a long time rural, taxpaying American, am offended. Why? Because the author is only partially informed and making sweeping accusations which include me yet do not describe me. I object to their premise and suggested remedies because they are pejorative and incorrect.


Sadly, my original point has been proved.


Perhaps, if you believe in pretzelogic.

Scrivener7

(59,522 posts)
44. Didn't read. I'm not interested enough to
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 10:00 AM
Jul 2023

spend that much time on nonsense justifications for the insistence that "rural people" are uniquely persecuted.

As I said before: rural life is not intrinsically harder than urban life. It just gets a lot more press.

"Rural people" who spend their time feeling persecuted and blaming "urban people" for problems that are not unique to rural areas, and blaming "urban people" for problems that affect everyone, are wasting all of our time.

I will anticipate your next volume by saying "poor you."

Have a nice day.

 

Sky Jewels

(9,148 posts)
61. The right loves to paint the picture that BLUE areas don't count
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 11:32 AM
Jul 2023

because they take up less space on the map. Their votes are concentrated, therefore they aren't as important. As if having acreage around you makes your vote MORE important. That's why they're always posting those maps showing the big red counties voting Republican.

Also, I have spent a lot of time driving in rural areas. Do you know how many rural people trash their OWN yards? Lots and lots. A lot of their places look like garbage dumps. "Poverty" is not really a justification for that. There's no reason to strew your shit all over the place. At least put it in a pile in the back or something.

edhopper

(37,370 posts)
37. That is pure bullshit
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 09:40 AM
Jul 2023

What the OP said, that is me, is that I am tired of the whining from rural residents that people from the cities ignore their needs and don't help them. The data clearly shows that rural areas get more Federal dollars per person than urban areas. No one is forgetting you are there.
This includes heavy investment from the BBB bill.

I said nothing about anyone being superior to another. But I do hear a lot how people in rural areas are the "Real America" that the cities want to suppress.

Farms get subsidies, mines get subsidies, energy gets subsidies. Where have we forgotten rural industry?

And as others have told you tourist misbehave in the country and in the city.

This kind of bitching is what I was talking about.

 

Sky Jewels

(9,148 posts)
50. Rural states DO get way more Senate representation
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 10:32 AM
Jul 2023

than they deserve. North Dakotans have far more power per person than Californians. How is that fair? Rural states vote for white right wing extremists (yes, an exception here and there, but that’s the overall picture) and we all pay the price. It’s enraging.

Scrivener7

(59,522 posts)
68. AND, not for nothing, but if the representation was fairly apportioned, those Democrats in
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 12:03 PM
Jul 2023

rural areas - including those in this thread who are telling us they are persecuted - would be getting a a whole lot more of what they want.

 

Sky Jewels

(9,148 posts)
51. Your anecdotal data about you and your rural friends
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 10:37 AM
Jul 2023

treating workers well is meaningless. I have the same anecdotal data about me and my city friends treating workers well.

Also, how many interviews with straight, white, Christian, gun-loving right wing men sitting in rural diners do we see every election season so the media can show the "pulse of real America?" Countless. And how many similar interviews with liberal Black or white or brown city folks do we see? *crickets*

Scrivener7

(59,522 posts)
62. The disparity in coverage does seem to lean toward
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 11:37 AM
Jul 2023

the "disaffected" white man in a diner airing his grievances, doesn't it? And they do seem to feel their difficulties are the most important ones, don't they? And theirs are all the fault of "urban people" as illustrated even in this thread.

 

Sky Jewels

(9,148 posts)
57. BTW, I've been dissed by rural people for being from the city.
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 11:11 AM
Jul 2023

Just one example amongst a few: In a rural diner one time, the cafe owner found out we were from the city. He said: "That place is overrun with black gangs. I would never go there. It's horrible."

That would be like me saying: "This place is overrun with scary armed rednecks with guns. I would never live here." But I would never say anything like that to a rural person.

So please spare us the "rural people are always the kind and friendly and polite victims of those mean and condescending city folks" b.s.

Scrivener7

(59,522 posts)
6. This is not in any way unique to rural areas. If tourist dollars are part of your world - and
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 08:59 PM
Jul 2023

they are as much in urban places as rural - there will always be assholes who think you are their servant. (Though, unlike you, I would never include YOU in a description about the asshole out of towners that do it in my town.)

And no. I don't need to look into that. Why do I need to educate myself about the employment scene and wage structure in your area? Have you educated yourself about those things in my area?

2naSalit

(102,808 posts)
24. I probably do have an idea about...
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 11:03 PM
Jul 2023

the socio-economic situation in your area, more specific about that if I knew where you are. I pay attention.

MontanaMama

(24,722 posts)
45. +1
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 10:04 AM
Jul 2023

I am weary of folks coming to the Big Sky and treating it like friggin’ Disneyland. Folks come to Yellowstone and Glacier NP and assault Bison and Grizzly bears and bitch and whine when they get gored or mauled. They go off trail and get burned in hot pots and destroy millions of years of natural wonders because they don’t care about it and value it or because the rules don’t apply to them. They pack garbage in and don’t pack it out. They litter rivers when they float them and the caretakers of our beautiful rushing rivers have to clean their beer cans, bottles and cigarettes out of them every fall when water levels are low. People in urban areas absolutely look down on those of us fortunate enough to live in this place. Those comments are all over this thread. I also hear the blah blah blah frequently on DU about how Jon Tester isn’t a good Democrat. You know what people? Jon Tester is the last line of defense against our wild places being sold to the highest bidder which may or may not give you any heartburn but it changes our lives permanently and your vacation spots will be g o n e never to return.

 

Sky Jewels

(9,148 posts)
79. Speaking of trashing places, have you driven on many country roads?
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 02:21 PM
Jul 2023

I have. There are plenty of rural slobs. I see countless yards that look like garbage dumps ... in the front. There's no excuse for that. Even if you're poor, you don't need to strew your shit all over your property. At least consolidate it in one place in the back.

MontanaMama

(24,722 posts)
82. Agree 100%
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 03:09 PM
Jul 2023

the only difference being that you’re talking about private property vs public lands. I hate it when people disrespect their own property but when the disrespect what belongs to you, me and all of us, that’s not okay.

Cosmocat

(15,424 posts)
64. T-shirt / Yard Sign Count
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 11:41 AM
Jul 2023

I made this point in another thread earlier last week.

The ruralish areas of the country have a SHIT TON of self righteous and even threatening us country people are salt of the earth and those city people are complete ogres t-shirt and yard signs.

I have yet to see a t-shirt or yard sign of urban people touting how superior the are to the low country people.

yardwork

(69,364 posts)
71. I grew up in a rural area. They're paranoid.
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 12:09 PM
Jul 2023

While everybody else is living their lives, the people in isolated rural areas are filled with fears and stereotypes about "the big city." Most of this is grounded in racism. It was bad in the 1970s. I can't imagine how much worse it must be now after decades of Fox News and hate radio.

The truth is, rural communities have been destroyed by a rapidly changing economy. There are ways to change that by adapting, but they don't want to change. As their communities get poorer and more isolated, they get angrier and more paranoid. Hence, Trump.

Scrivener7

(59,522 posts)
85. So is your self image tied up in a Jeff Foxworthy bit?
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 05:55 PM
Jul 2023

Or defined by a single DUer who was called out by almost everyone in that thread?

If so, why?

SYFROYH

(34,214 posts)
86. My self-image has nothing to do with that thread. What a weird question.
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 06:22 PM
Jul 2023


I simply provided evidence that there are people who look down on rural folks right here on DU. And quite a few people chimed in with similar views as the OP.



roamer65

(37,957 posts)
8. Then IF you have a Repuke state government they make it even worse.
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 09:23 PM
Jul 2023

They redirect state revenue and federal grants more disproportionately to their pet rural mostly white areas.

LPBBEAR

(658 posts)
9. I maybe looking
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 09:28 PM
Jul 2023

at this subject differently than the author intended but....I just received a voter ballot in the mail with all the choices on the ballot.....Republicans. Yes I live in a rural area of Washington State.

Since the local Democrat party can't seem to find candidates I'm wondering whether I should wipe my ass with it or wrap fish in it cause I'm damn sure not voting for Repukes.

(and No I am not going to run myself)

edhopper

(37,370 posts)
12. We do need Howard Dean's
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 10:05 PM
Jul 2023

50 State policy.

Would a Dem have a chance in your area. Not a loaded question, just curious?

RainCaster

(13,721 posts)
15. I live in a rural area, it's damn expensive
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 10:17 PM
Jul 2023

After 20 years of shitty DSL service from my hick town phone company, I wanted something better. I couldn't get it from from any phone company, or cable provider. The offerings from satellite providers wasn't much better. Finally, my neighbors and I banded together and paid the last mile fees to get fiber service. My share was $19,000.

Kali

(56,829 posts)
17. holy shit
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 10:32 PM
Jul 2023

I have some main fiber "cables" running less than 200 feet from my house, but nobody would entertain hooking us up when they went in (years ago). we do have a private tap off a 16 inch nat gas line though.

RainCaster

(13,721 posts)
21. NG would be nice
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 10:54 PM
Jul 2023

But I can tolerate the propane deliveries.

I wish we had better medical services here in WA. While abortion is legal, every hospital and most doctors offices in my county are owned by a catholic Corp and that puts severe limits on the care we can get.

Sympthsical

(10,969 posts)
55. To be fair
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 10:52 AM
Jul 2023

I paid around that for solar panels last year.

Would I invest in fiber the same amount I did in solar?

Honestly, probably in a heart beat. Fiber is amazing.

edhopper

(37,370 posts)
38. And Biden and the Democrats want to bring broadband to rural areas
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 09:42 AM
Jul 2023

but the GOP opposes it.

So who is really forgetting rural residents?

RainCaster

(13,721 posts)
41. The GOP uses AM radio to spread their rural hate
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 09:50 AM
Jul 2023

They don't understand broad band, but if they knew how much help Russian trolls give them, they would support broadband.

FakeNoose

(41,637 posts)
46. I hear you, and Pennsylvania is finally doing something about those "last mile" customers
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 10:14 AM
Jul 2023

It's small comfort for you and your neighbors, I realize. But the rural areas of PA (and other states) have been missing out on the digital boom for the last 30+ years.

President Joe Biden is trying to remedy that, but it's going to take a lot of work and $$. Democratic Governors are working hard on the problem too. I don't know whether the Repuke Governors are doing anything.

Takket

(23,715 posts)
18. let me know as soon as a rethug comes to an all back church in a place like Detroit ot Atlanta.....
Sat Jul 22, 2023, 10:38 PM
Jul 2023

I'll wait.........

 

Sky Jewels

(9,148 posts)
78. Funny how we never hear about how rural people should try to "understand" urban people.
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 02:18 PM
Jul 2023

It's ONLY the reverse. Very one-sided.

llmart

(17,623 posts)
47. That poster has been spreading that false statistic since the election.
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 10:15 AM
Jul 2023

I live in the tri-county area of Detroit and the majority in urban areas did not vote for Trump.

druidity33

(6,915 posts)
60. It's deceptive wording...
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 11:24 AM
Jul 2023

it probably means that the majority of Trump voters(75%) were in "urban/suburban" districts. But that's just the # of votes, not the percentage. Let's say the urban areas went for the D candidate 4 million to R 1 million. And the rural areas went for the R candidate 500,000 to 175,000. It's still a win for Dems at 4.175 mil to 1.5 mil... but the majority of the votes came from the Urban district. (I completely made up these numbers btw.)



Kaleva

(40,365 posts)
56. As many people in the metro Detroit area voted for tfg
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 11:01 AM
Jul 2023

as did those in the entire Upper Peninsula and much of the northern half of lower Michigan combined.

tfg wouldn't have a chance if the majority of his votes came from rural areas.

edhopper

(37,370 posts)
66. Biden won by almost 70% in Wayne county
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 11:56 AM
Jul 2023

and an astounding 95% in Detroit. Half the population is in the Detroit area, so it's not strange that there were many Trump voters there. But it was a blow out for Biden.

https://www.clickondetroit.com/decision-2020/2020/11/09/how-detroits-wayne-county-suburbs-voted-in-2020-presidential-election/#//

Sorry you are just wrong, Trump got 246,000 votes in Wayne County, that is less than 10% of his total in MI. Unless you can link a source, you should not post such disinformation.

Kaleva

(40,365 posts)
72. Total the votes tfg got in the northern half of the state
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 01:25 PM
Jul 2023

And compare that to what he got in Wayne county and you'll see what I'm talking about. The info is there on the internet.

Here's a link to one:

https://www.usatoday.com/elections/results/race/2020-11-03-presidential-MI-0/

And what matters is the total vote a candidate gets. The percentage a candidate gets in individual counties does not determine the winner.

The fact is, TFG got 75% of his vote in MI in the 2020 election in counties designated by the Census Bureau as urban or mostly urban. He won the urban county of Macomb.

edhopper

(37,370 posts)
73. ALL of Biden's margin of victory was from the Detroit area
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 01:37 PM
Jul 2023

ALL of it and more. Without Trump's rural votes, it would not have been close. Of course in population centers there would be more votes for each candidate. If your point is it wasn't the rural voters that supported Trump, you are wrong, they are the only ones that made it closer than it was. Biden won by almost 30% in the Detroit area.
That 75% you quote is irrelevant when you are comparing areas that have 20 times the population. It is cherry picking a useless statistic.

What I am seeing is the rural areas went 60% to 70% for Trump. That is his base in MI, and argument to the contrary is foolish.

Kaleva

(40,365 posts)
80. Did tfg get a majority of his votes from rural counties ?
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 02:50 PM
Jul 2023

No. He only got a small percentage of his vote from rural or mostly rural counties. Without the hundreds of thousands of votes he got from the urban or mostly urban counties, it would have been a massive defeat for tfg.

High percentages don't mean much when the populations are low. tfg won my home county getting 65% of the vote. However, he only beat Biden by 1000 votes .

Your comment:

"That 75% you quote is irrelevant when you are comparing areas that have 20 times the population. It is cherry picking a useless statistic."

Didn't tfg win Macomb County? A county where over half a million people voted?

tfg 's base in Michigan is Oakland County outside of Detroit. The county that has the highest population of Republicans and where tfg got about 325,000 votes in 2020.

edhopper

(37,370 posts)
81. Biden won Oakland by over 15%
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 03:05 PM
Jul 2023

How is that a Trump base?

I'm done with this silly argument of yours.

Trump's base in MI is the rural areas . Period, end of sentence.

Bye, bye.

Kaleva

(40,365 posts)
84. What county gives TFG the most votes
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 05:49 PM
Jul 2023

and where did tfg campaign in this past June? Oakland County.


"LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Donald Trump is set to appear in Michigan on Sunday as he looks to reclaim territory that helped propel him to the White House but slipped from his grasp four years later.

Campaigning for a return to the presidency while facing a federal indictment for allegedly mishandling classified documents, Trump will speak in suburban Detroit, where he lost ground between 2016 and 2020 and would need to win it back if he becomes the 2024 Republican nominee. He would have to reverse the recent trend in Michigan that has seen Democrats make some of their biggest gains nationally since Trump's reelection loss."

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-sets-sights-on-repeating-his-2016-battleground-success-in-michigan

Johonny

(26,183 posts)
48. Urban areas also have higher social burdens like Jury duty
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 10:19 AM
Jul 2023

Most federal courts are located in cities. But many states restrict area that the court pulls from.

Sympthsical

(10,969 posts)
53. $269 million, or 0.01% of the federal budget that year
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 10:48 AM
Jul 2023

The federal budget was $2.5 trillion in 2008.

Someone should call someone or something.

America's couch change is being unfairly appropriated.

ProfessorGAC

(76,706 posts)
58. Struck Me, Too
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 11:20 AM
Jul 2023

I was wondering if the "m" shouldn't be a "b".
Otherwise this is much ado about nothing. 80 cents per person per year?

Sympthsical

(10,969 posts)
67. I seriously questioned it
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 12:01 PM
Jul 2023

But your skepticism prompted me to hunt down the study in question (because god knows, the author of the article putting a link in was a lot to ask).

https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/605309

It's pay-walled, but the abstract cites a $28 billion figure. So I assume that's the number and the article author doesn't math.

So 1%. Which I also don't care about.

Was kind of interesting the study wasn't an actual study of data. He just ran simulations of various things.

ProfessorGAC

(76,706 posts)
69. Thanks!
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 12:04 PM
Jul 2023

Still seems to low to be of consequence.
But, $28 billion seems low to me based on the WalletHub review of federal dependency.
I would have expected an extra digit in there.

edhopper

(37,370 posts)
74. How about WY has a population of less than 600,000
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 01:43 PM
Jul 2023

and has a representative in Congress. Meanwhile here in NYC each Congressperson represents over 800,000

MorbidButterflyTat

(4,513 posts)
75. I remember
Sun Jul 23, 2023, 02:03 PM
Jul 2023

a commercial from years ago with several "cowboys" sitting around a campfire eating salsa and one of them says, "This stuff's made in New York City!"

Then they all cry out: "New York City?!"

Then some asshole says: "Get a rope."

Funny, funny.

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