Trump’s war on Appalachia
For the last eight years, owners, operators and managers of failing businesses blamed then-President Barack Obama because they lacked the integrity to take ownership of their failures. So yard signs with slogans like “Stop Obama’s War on Coal” and “Obama’s no-job zone” popped up like rabbits.
The fake war on coal has been replaced by a real war on Appalachia. President Donald Trump’s policies are directly leading to unemployment and loss of health care in the region.
The Association of American Medical Colleges claims that Trump’s travel ban would affect Appalachia more than anywhere else because it would take away nearly all of our dentists, pediatricians and family practitioners. Furthermore, Trump's attack on the Affordable Care Act was an attack against black-lung benefits.
Trump’s latest battle is his “skinny budget.” Defunding the Appalachian Regional Commission is ridiculous. The ARC employs more people in my county than coal does.
Why did Trump campaign the way he did if he hates Appalachia? But more important, how will we react? Will we hide behind Trump as a scapegoat? Will we believe a yard sign is enough?
A good start might be for everyone to join me in asking Rep. Hal Rogers, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Gov. Matt Bevin to stop “Trump’s War on Appalachia.”
Eagle Brosi
Paintsville
This story was originally published March 31, 2017 at 6:39 PM with the headline "Trump’s war on Appalachia."