Can’t say I am surprised to find out that with our ever growing, do-everything, progressive entitlement government today, that people that don’t donate to politicians or want payouts from politicians, are factored out by those politicians. When your job is to increase your clout & power and buy votes, and you do that through special favors, those that do not want to play that game are going to get marginalized:
In rural areas, “there just isn‘t as much political juice as there used to be, and I think we have to address that,” said Vilsack, a former Iowa governor who grew up in Pittsburgh. Many voters in this state with more than 7.7 million acres of farmland might agree.
“We lack political influence because we don‘t give money to campaigns, and we don‘t need handouts,” said Mat Edgcomb, 38, of Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County, who voted for President Obama but is not sure the president — or Washington lawmakers — understand the values and needs of Pennsylvania‘s 62,000 farm families.
Much of what he hears about what happens in Congress “is always centered on fixing urban problems. I don‘t think they fully understand and appreciate what rural America contributes,” Edgcomb said while pursuing vendors at the 97th annual Pennsylvania Farm Show, which drew more than 450,000 people before ending on Saturday.
I am afraid that what Vilsack really wants however is for the rural community to get into the game instead of the power politicians gain with their special interest schemes, and thus the power and size of government, being rolled back, and rolled back hard. As long as they system is set up to reward the people that give handouts in return for votes or favors that increase their power, those that do not want to be part of this destructive and silly game are not just going to lose, but left holding the bag in the end.
But tell a progressive that the problem is government, and see how far that gets you.