A lot of talking heads are asking whether Benedict Donald's economy is really working for people. The answer appears to be no, especially based on polls that show Trump already losing to a generic 2020 Democrat by double digits. Seems that that budget-breaking tax cut for the 1 percent didn't "trickle down" to the folks in modest suburban neighborhoods, trailer parks, and — especially — rural America.
Why "especially"? Well, first of all, rural America is Trump country. And second, for them, the United States of Trump is a pretty hostile place to live. Consider the citizens of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, who are being dragged into court by the hospital they owe money to.
"So far this year, Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center has filed more than 1,100 lawsuits for unpaid bills in a rural corner of Southeast Missouri, where emergency medical care has become a standoff between hospitals and patients who are both going broke," The Washington Post reports. "Unpaid medical bills are the leading cause of personal debt and bankruptcy in the United States according to credit reports, and what’s happening in rural areas...is a main reason why."
Many of the patients profiled by the Post have insurance — they just can't afford thousands of dollars in uncovered medical services. And it's a vicious circle: Both they and their hospital are scraping the bottom of the barrel (it's the only hospital that hasn't closed in a five-county area).
Can we all agree that there's something seriously wrong with this? Or will Republicans and Trumpsters keep insisting that any alternative is evil, awful "socialized medicine"? We're puzzled. These folks in Missouri have their freedom, their guns, and their new Christian warrior Senator. How did things get so bad? We cats HISS.
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