The weather-beaten ‘Trump 2016’ signs that litter my home state of West Virginia are in your face daily. People in WV showed up in force to vote for now President Donald Trump. WV is one of the poorest states in the U.S. The state debt has been in the local news almost nightly. The state is taxing sugary drinks and cigarettes in order to dig itself out of debt. The people of WV are grasping at anything they can to find relief from the poverty, drugs, and crime that are plaguing their state.
Along came Trump with the blatant lies that sounded like salvation to desperate West Virginians. They believed that Trump could actually bring back their jobs in obsolete fields like coal mining. They believed him when he said that he would lower their healthcare costs. They believed him when he told them that he had their best interests at heart. They are now realizing that their vote was one that would hurt them more than help.
The Washington Post reported on the West Virginia media’s take on the budget:
”The Charleston Gazette-Mail is the largest newspaper in West Virginia. So when the front page of the biggest newspaper in the state goes with ‘Trump’s budget slams West Virginia’ as its lead headline, it should raise some eyebrows in the White House.”
I was born and raised in West Virginia. I have spoken with many Trump supporters in my state. Most of them think he’s doing a fantastic job. Their only critiques are that they want him to lock up former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and they want ALL Muslims banned from the U.S., not just those from the six countries. Most of his followers do not yet understand the impact that their vote is poised to have on their everyday life. They do not realize how much they actually benefit from federal funds that are set to be cut from the Trump budget.
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) will lose $24 million in federal funding under the new budget. This program funds programs that support education, jobs, and infrastructure in West Virginia. Losing this funding will hurt water and sewage treatment, broadband development, transportation, community leadership, the Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce Revitalization (POWER) Initiative, health and social improvement projects, and job creation initiatives.
Let’s set aside the huge amount of West Virginia working class residents that would lose healthcare coverage with Trumpcare. The budget will rub salt into that gaping wound. The National Endowment of Arts will also lose funding. West Virginia will lose Public Broadcasting. They will lose access to affordable legal services. They will lose after school programs. They will lose Meals on Wheels. They will lose vital programs like LIEAP and Community Action. The Trump administration says that coal miners should not have to help pay for these programs any longer.
There is reason for this statement. West Virginia residents will not hear everything they are set to lose. The administration wants them to think that they are doing West Virginians a favor by taking away these costs. In reality, these costs will be replaced by money to pay for Trump’s ridiculous wall and Melania’s penthouse suite. Congratulations, West Virginia. You have voted to pay for millionaires and billionaires to get richer. I have a feeling that most of Trump’s loyal worshippers won’t care. They will be sick, losing their jobs, losing their homes due to unemployment, and poverty-stricken, with no safety nets like HUD, SNAP, or MEDICAID. But at least Mexicans can’t get over the wall and pick fruit.
Watch Bernie Sanders educate West Virginians below:
Featured Image Via PoliticalWire.com.
