'No one is coming to save us': residents of towns near toxic train derailment feel forgotten

[Orrex]

49. My county has been rather solidly red for a number of years

Western PA outside of Pittsburgh itself is likewise distressingly red.

Lots of low income, poorly educated people, many of whom firmly believe that unions are what collapsed the steel industry and killed the Rust Belt.

Hardcore Fox viewers, by and large. Most restaurants and bars with one or more TVs can be counted on to be airing Fox or Newsmax. And they certainly don't blame deregulation or the well-paid politicians that fought for it. The deregulation and perpetually diminishing corporate taxes are necessary because, otherwise, businesses would fail because of those pesky unions.

I'm not excusing the attitude. It frankly disgusts me, but there's literally nothing that I can do about it that will have any impact on those who hold such views. The best I can manage locally (along with other Progressives) is to be a voice loud enough to reassure our left-leaning neighbors that they aren't alone.


Someone typically jumps in at this point to tell me about all of the wonderful grassroots organizing that I should be doing. I invite them to set up shop here in town and get to it.