Slate--Here Comes the Hillbilly, Again: What Honey Boo Boo really says about American culture.

[limpyhobbler]

29. America handed WV over to the coal industry and said "Here have your way with her."

Why do they side with the coal industry, their oppressors? The government has abandoned them and the coal industry is what puts food on the table. Racism and homophobia does play into it. But if the Democrats had a strong economic populist message, we could cut straight through that racism.

If we could say all the money made off WV coal will go to benefit the communities of WV, instead of mine owners in New York and London. If we could say we will make full employment in WV by hiring people to build and install solar panels and wind mills. These would be popular.

Could you imagine a Democrat candidate saying these things? It's almost inconceivable. And yet those solutions are obvious even to "hillbillies".

This whole region of our country and quality of life for generations of families have been sacrificed for industry profits. And the people who live there know it. Liberal America turned it's back on Appalachia so if WV moved into the Republican column it's not surprising. At least a job in the mine puts food on the table.

We can win this state back by supporting strong economic populist policies. If we said from now on the mineral wealth of West Virginia will belong to the people of West Virginia. If we directly hired people to build the energy systems of the future. So let's do that.