Appalachia

Many thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights. I wish we could sustain more discussions about rural poverty on DU but I think you will find a number of threads here in Appalachian Group regarding rural poverty, lack of medical services, substandard education, etc. Your voice on these issues is most welcome!

Untangling the weave of misery in rural Appalachia is no simple task, to be sure. What to address first? The isolation and crumbling infrastructure, the substandard education, the contaminated environment, lack of medical services et al? Unless these issues are addressed simultaneously I don't foresee any long-term solutions. Neither the public nor the federal government has displayed the political will necessary to truly lift the Appalachian poor from the pit of generational misery. Out of sight, out of mind, it seems.

Thanks again!