An American Narrative: The Poor Should Lift Themselves Up

There is really no on-going debate about how to stop the growing rate of suicides and drug overdoses. A common explanation for Trump's election was the unexpectedly large turnout of low income rural people in crucial states. Since his election, the plight that demographic has gotten worse, not better.

A New York Times expose about an Oregon family illustrates the problem. Most of a large family has died of suicide, alcoholism and drug over doses. The family's story is supported by national statistics. The growing number of these deaths have been labeled, "Deaths of despair." Some segments of society have seen their lives improving, people of color and women, but this one has seen no improvement or slippage.

We all know income inequality has been increasing. What measures are within political reach that might make this segment of society view their lot more optimistically than it does now?

One that has been talked to death and made some progress is healthcare. Government funded health care made progress with Obama and a Democratic Party congress. The irony is that the demographic who would most benefit from this was the one who supported Trump and has been most harmed by him and his supporters in Congress. It is somewhat common for voters to vote against their own interest but this one is remarkable.

We could learn from Canada. It has the same rural to urban migration as the U.S. But it has some kind of cultural difference that is more down to earth than ours. It has more subsidy of health care and more aggressive government efforts to retrain its labor force. According to the link, Canada has been more successful that the U.S. at dealing with the social changes of recent decades.

To be more successful, the U.S. electorate will need to select a President and Congress that will save lives in the demographic now experiencing suicides and mental illnesses.