Look simply how a lot purple counties rely upon the federal government they hate

One of the enduring conservative myths is that of the self-reliant, salt-of-the-earth, rural-dwelling American who pulls himself up by his bootstraps, wrestles a steer earlier than breakfast, and builds his personal home out of patriotism and chewing tobacco as a result of, by god, they positive do love America! 

If that have been ever true, it hasn’t been for some time. Today, rural America is basically depending on the federal authorities it claims to hate. The truth is, removed from self-reliant, rural America is sponsored by blue states. And it’s not even shut.

The Financial Innovation Group, a bipartisan public coverage group, has put collectively a map monitoring the share of each county’s private revenue that’s made up of presidency transfers, which embody Social Safety, Medicaid, Medicare, meals help, and veterans advantages—cash particularly despatched or spent on people. 

I circled a number of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas to spotlight how stark the urban-rural disparity may be. The metros round Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco all present minimal (lower than 15% of non-public revenue) or average (15% to lower than 25%) reliance on authorities transfers. Rural America, in the meantime, is a glowing sea of government-dependent yellow. The South particularly appears prefer it took a shower in it.

There are causes for this. Rural areas have an enormous share of older folks, given a long time of younger folks fleeing for giant cities. And whereas there’s proof of that pattern reversing since 2020, due largely to the proliferation of distant work, rural areas nonetheless are typically older than giant metros. And extra older folks in a county means an even bigger share of that nation drawing Social Safety and Medicare. And rural areas are extra depending on Medicaid.

Authorities advantages are factor, so none of that is inherently unhealthy, per se.

However it does imply these rural areas are depending on the very social security web that Republicans are gleefully hacking aside with their cuts on Medicaid, meals help, and the like. They’re additionally poorer than costly city areas, so that they rely extra on federal meals help to eat. 

However hey, that’s what these voters requested for. Rural areas lean closely Republican, and farming-dependent counties voted for Trump at an eye-popping common of 78%. Possibly they have been simply wanting to get again to some critical bootstrap-pulling, or possibly they thought the federal government cheese tasted higher if it got here with a aspect of ethical superiority and immigrant-blaming. And may anybody really eat when a handful of trans women may be taking part in highschool sports activities? They positive had their priorities! 

And don’t fear, rural Republican voters: Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, will get a tax lower. Which he undoubtedly wanted. For causes.