Red States Want Government to Leave Them Alone . . . That is, Until They Need a Bailout

In the Texas border community of Del Rio, (population 36,000) American Airlines pulled out of their “international” airport, forcing people in the area to drive nearly three hours to the nearest airport in San Antonio.

“Talk about a low blow,” Republican Representative Tony Gonzales, the congressperson for Del Rio, said in an interview. “I’m frustrated to no end. … If these major companies want rural America to thrive, they need to be investing in rural America, not pulling the rug out from under us.”  Local leaders believe that a lack of air service threatens a teetering rural America that already feels forgotten by the rest of the country. It’s also driving city officials to plead with state legislatures and Capitol Hill for help.

Imagine thinking that “major companies want rural America to thrive.”  Aren't Republicans the party of laissez-faire economics, where business is supposed to have unfettered and unregulated access to whatever the hell it wants?  And look at that those libertarian and conservative elected officials (with their overwhelmingly conservative/libertarian electorates) now begging the government to bail them out. And if such a thing were to happen, where would the money come from? From the same places that have been subsidizing rural America for far too long—the urban cities they loathe so much.

You’d think rural voters would be grateful for all the nice things they have because of urban subsidies. They already dominate the Senate and have an unfair advantage in the Electoral College, which gives rural voters a larger say by design. They drain blue states dry of resources, as they need far more services to survive in remote, low-density areas. Economies of scale are a thing.

For a crew that likes to pretend they don’t need no stinkin’ government and fantasize about violent revolution, they’d rather go crying to that same government for help over the hardship of driving a couple of hours to an airport.  

Have they heard of the internet? That connects people, which by the way, is already subsidized by urban America (as well as phone service). Related, House Republicans just passed a budget bill that slashes veterans services, specifically telehealth technology and services that benefit rural veterans. These services are especially important because more than 180 rural hospitals have closed since 2005.

And for physical travel, given the massive demand these small communities claim to have for air travel, maybe some enterprising soul can shuttle people back and forth in a van or bus. If an actual functioning airport is that essential for that community’s lifeblood, they can raise their own taxes to subsidize a carrier. But the last thing Washington needs to do is exacerbate the urban-rural, red state-blue state financial divide. Urban, Democratic areas already subsidize those communities. (In fact, like we just saw in Arkansas, red states love to cut taxes, then demand the federal government make up the balance.)

But ultimately, driving two or three hours to a bigger-city airport shouldn’t be as devastating as these whiners claim. Many people commute that far daily for their jobs. Many drive even further to attend a Trump rally. Doing it every once in a while while traveling shouldn’t be an issue, given how self-sufficient rural conservatives claim to be. 

There is another option—one in which all of America makes sure everyone, wherever they live, gets to share in the nation’s prosperity.  Under this option, billionaires would pay their fair share. Elon Musk wouldn’t pay $44 billion to turn Twitter into conservative Truth Social. Instead, some of that money could be paid in wealth taxes to (for example) make sure communities are connected. It might be subsidized air or bus service, or a broadly expanded rail network. This America wouldn’t feature rural conservatives sneering at their supposed moral superiority over urban dwellers.

Instead of crying about ‘wokeness’ and clinging to Republican culture war narratives, they could actually wake up and engage in a truly democratic and equitable America. Start working to find solutions to their problems, rather than literally be the reason we are where we are today. Because they keep voting for reactionary Republicans-- and as all farmers and ranchers should know, you reap what you sow. It’s not Democrats cutting taxes on the rich, Republicans did that. And it’s not Democrats demanding veterans' services in rural areas get slashed, Republicans are doing that. The very Republicans they dutifully vote for time and again.