I think this is why at times I have a hard time empathizing.

It's one thing to prefer having lower taxes and allowing the market to sort out itself. To want to enforce immigration more stringently. To want to have states operate more independently from the federal government. There are strong arguments for either side.

But so many of the representatives seek their own benefit at the cost of the country and own constituents, only to then blame the other side on falsities. The ACA is one prime example of something that was completely mischaracterized by a huge portion of the Republicans who misinformed their constituents on its effect. You can see this by rural Americans living in enrolled states who personally benefited from joining Medicaid but then elected to vote for Trump partially in the hopes of repealing and replacing the ACA. And this is further exemplified by Republican representatives who rallied to repeal the ACA over and over again, but are now hesitant to actually go through with it because of the realization that a good portion of their constituents are covered and benefiting from it.

There have been a lot of articles recently highlighting poor rural Trump voters who are shocked and surprised that a lot of programs they depend upon (Meals on Wheels, Medicaid) are now on the chopping block. It's really, really difficult to have empathy in these situations.

Similarly, as a gay man who saw nothing but disgust and contempt from rural areas for decades (and still does), and an active crusade to demonize me and take away my rights, NOW the argument is that we don't have enough compassion for rural areas?

As much as I want to be logical about this, the emotional part of me is just going "Seriously, fuck off. If you want things to get better, move out of your ass-backwards shithole town like I did 20 years ago and find a better place to live."

I can understand your sentiment - but unfortunately we can't just ignore rural America.

The problem is basically that, on average, rural areas tend to be less educated and far more religious. They vote against social programs that would benefit them for religious or tribalistic reasons. They vote against Planned Parenthood because abortion is an abomination to them, they vote for "repeal and replace" because they vaguely associate anything coming out of the Obama administration with a sinister Muslim/Communist/Homosexual agenda to expand governmental powers and take their guns or whatever. (These are generalizations and stereotypes, obviously - but as an explanation for average voting patterns they are valid generalizations.)

We can't ignore them, but, at the same time, we can't just look past their belligerence or, more to the point, assume that we can assuage them from their counterproductive behaviour. They aren't going to 'turn around' and see the light of common decency over localized conformity.

Nor can we expect to have any effect on it in anything less than a generational timeframe.

That's just great, we have to overcome the economic drag of Rural America on successful Urban areas while playing along that "Rural" is "better" than Urban.

Thanks, but no thanks.

What the hell are you talking about?

I pay taxes, and in general urban areas pay more in taxes than they receive in federal services. So, effectively, urban America is already subsidizing rural America, through transfers, through fees like USF.

Rural America is over-represented in Congress, both in the House and (structurally) in the Senate.

What, precisely, am I supposed to do with "empathy" for Rural America? I pay my taxes. I don't try to change their world. I live my life. Drugs are ravaging their culture? Unfortunate, but not my problem to solve. They keep voting for politicians who cut social services, who cut support program for addicts, who criminalize first time offenders. I don't have to show my drivers license and sign a log to buy Actifed because of the depravity of minorities in my local city, but because "real america" keeps making meth.

I'm tired of being told to pay more in taxes, to have empathy for these people, all the while I'm also told that I and my fellow "east coast liberal elites" are somehow less American, that our problems are less real, that our lives are worth less.

You complain about taxes supporting rural people, and then you complain that rural people vote against the social services. There is a connection between social services and taxes.

Since non-rural people are voting for the social services, it is perfectly fair that they pay. The rural people are trying to save money, and you resist.

You're venting at the wrong leaf node