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A comment on Suicides in Rural America Increased More Than 40% in 16 Years. Parent comment

Re:Suicides in Rural America Increased More Than 40% in 16 Y... by TuringNYC on Sunday March 19, 2017 @02:18AM (#13905597)
I dont know many people in cities who would say they dont care about rural populations. Most city-folks (i hate the false dichotomy here, but lets continue with it) I know care very much, but realize there are no quick fixes. The longer-term fixes are to improve education and increase mobility by de-linking health-care from employers.

I hung out with plenty of 1%er conservatives (rural Connecticut hedge fund) and plenty of progressives (in my neighborhood in Brooklyn.) I rarely saw any empathy amongst wealthy, elite sub-urbanite hedge fund crowds.

As for quick-fixes, the only quick fix I've seen so far is one that will come at a huge cost -- deregulating environmental controls. I agree this will seriously increase rural job opportunities, but it will come at a long-term cost as those factories dump chemicals into local areas. Now that the EPA is being gutted, I can see that happening.

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Re:Suicides in Rural America Increased More Than 40% in 16 Y... by jsymolon on Sunday March 19, 2017 @11:20AM (#13907591)
> deregulating environmental controls. ... as those factories dump chemicals into local areas ...

Nope, Nope, Nope.

See: 1970's, burning rivers, toxic smog, many "Superfund sites" that STILL haven't been cleaned up.

http://americandecadesboyle.wikispaces.com/Environmentalism+...

Not sure if fracking is an environmental issue, but a study says it is.

http://www.newsweek.com/fracking-wells-tainting-drinking-wat...

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Re:Suicides in Rural America Increased More Than 40% in 16 Y... by dukeluke on Sunday March 19, 2017 @10:35AM (#13907305)
>The longer-term fixes are to improve education...

Being highly educated does not matter if you can't get a job. Also, a balanced economy shouldn't require everyone to be highly educated.

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Re:Suicides in Rural America Increased More Than 40% in 16 Y... by TuringNYC on Sunday March 19, 2017 @11:13AM (#13907535)
You are absolutely correct. I should clarify that education also includes vocational education. However, I was actually speaking about K-12 -- the foundation for whatever one might wish to do later in life (university, vocational school.) I'm incredibly lucky that our big city (NYC) offers excellent public magnet schools, albeit obtained by exam+ambition+drive+luck. My friends in rural areas (mostly doctors) tell me that is rarely the case for their children in rural areas.
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