Coal is a perfect metaphor

[farmerbob44]

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2019/02/inevitable-death-natural-gas-bridge-fuel.html

for Trump and the Back to the Horse and Buggy Movement.

I'll take things to back like they were folks. Promise.

Coal is dead and even gas is losing its competitive edge.

But back to coal. The Good Folks in those blighted and opioid sodden places will never admit they got rolled. But the policies that would have helped them some with economic transition funds, help with the burgeoning black lung epidemic aren't happening.

But the states with a lot of coal remain among the few where Trump's popularity is still on the plus side.

[Katzenjammer12]

Many say that big coal companies buying mineral rights started the rape of Kentucky and other coal fields.

Many now also say that LBJ's War On Poverty essentially taught the rape victim to claim he/she liked it.

One takes the land, the other has has the people walking the streets for their welfare.  

Some call that being whipsawed.

[farmerbob44]

Yes.

Here in Farmville there are families that have been on farm welfare for so many generations that they don't even remember when the gubmint didn't have their back.

Curiously, all they do is complain about the gubmint giving anybody else anything and not giving them enough.