Rugged individualism and Independence with a government safety net: essay on Ya'll Qaeda's complaint

[2naSalit]

Rugged individualism and Independence with a government safety net
By George Wuerthner On January 7, 2016

The standoff in Harney County Oregon highlights one of the great ironies of the rural West. More than any other people, western rural residents are more heavily dependent on government (read taxpayer) largess than any other part of America. Yet the average rural residents sees himself as a “rugged and independent” and by the way, “hard working” to boot. They may indeed work hard—but no harder than anyone else in this country, but more than other residents, their work and lifestyles are dependent on government and subsidies.

From the pioneer days onward, the federal government has subsidized western rural lifestyles. The earliest federal military expeditions exploring potential trade route, military roads, and railroad routes as well as the military outposts that protected the “independent” western frontier communities from the Native people to the US Army expeditions which helped to subdue the “savages” and sequester them on reservations—all done with tax money from others citizens to largely benefit the western frontier men and women.

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And though there is a strong “anti-government” rhetoric expressed by rural communities, when there is an effort to reduce or modify these subsidies and/or charge the real price for services, the outcry from rural residents about how the government is out to destroy their way of life (welfare) usually puts a quick stop to such campaigns.

Take for instance, the debate over ranching on public lands being promulgated by the militia and the Hammond family who are now serving time for arson. Ranchers with grazing privileges (they are not rights) on federal lands pay fees considerably lower than the cost for grazing on identical private lands. The current price is $1.69 an AUM (the amount of forage it takes to feed a cow and calf for a month) is considerably less than the average of $20.00 an AUM on private lands. One can’t feed a cat for $1.69 a day, much less a thousand pound cow and a 500 pound calf for $1.69.

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Much more at link, a great and informative read.

http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2016/01/07/rugged-individualism-and-independents-with-a-government-safety-net/

[tularetom]

1. You can blame Hollywood for the "rugged individualism" canard

[2naSalit]

2. To a great degree, yes.

[catnhatnh]

3. Real nice piece.

It clearly lays out the degree to which many western towns simply would not exist if not for ongoing government programs including over 1/2 the payroll in Harney county...

[2naSalit]

4. It is.

George has always been eloquent and clear about the argument. I knew he'd have something to say about it sooner or later. NPR is giving too much lip service to the emotional BS rather than educating people about the laws and the missions for the agencies.

I like to hear from the experts.

[Beartracks]

5. Good read. And true. Like with rural electrification...

If the gubmint hadn't stepped up and built transmission lines into and across rural America back in 30s and 40s, most of these places would probably still be in the dark. It was never going to be cost effective for investor owned utilities to string that much line into vast areas with hardly any customers. But when the government got it done, it opened up enormous economic markets and improved the lives of a great many Americans. While many such communities wired up by the Rural Electrification Program may not be dependent on government on a day-to-day basis, they still owe their very physical and economic existence to the government's foresight, investment, and bold policies.

But it sounds like a lot of these western communities are actually heavily dependent on ongoing government investment and infrastructure for their economies and even their identities. Which just makes the mythos of rugged we-don't-need-government individualism that much more... mythical.

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