People often ask me why I am so dedicated to sharing news and perspectives about why select issues and policy-making actions matter to rural America, so just this once, I’m sharing my story.
I grew up in Rural America; I farmed in rural America. My heart and my soul are in rural America, and I care about Rural America. My hometown is Atlantic, Iowa. When I was growing up in town, the Des Moines Register was a cutting-edge, nationally respected newspaper with reporters worldwide – Des Moines, IA; Washington, DC; Vietnam; the Middle East; and Europe. The Register’s reporters were on the spot wherever the action was. Now – not so much. When an important bill passes in the Legislature or Congress, the Register rarely tells us how our electeds vote. The Register, a formerly statewide “Capitol City” newspaper, doesn’t even reach Iowans who live past the Des Moines metro area.
The policies we need – for our daily lives and our nation’s security, cannot succeed if we vote for people who vote against the policies we want.
Newspapers are shrinking. They get thinner and thinner until suddenly the news is just little “cookie cutter” stories, not personal about why it should matter to us. When a crucial bill passes (or fails to pass), most newspapers don’t even tell us how our Members of Congress voted. Yeah? Or Nay?
How about the radio? Local people used to own the stations, but only a few locals own the stations now. Once the markets are done, too often, all that remains is the bloated talk shows that rarely tell any truths.
And what about the Internet? Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Bill is working to bring high-speed Internet to the “news deserts” where the big companies skipped us like they did years ago when everyone in town had single party lines while we in the country had party phone lines. When I first moved to the farm, we shared our party line with eight families. Here’s an example of how Biden and his Infrastructure Bill are bringing High-Speed Internet to rural regions of our country:
The same thing happened with electricity. It took Franklin Delano Roosevelt to get Congress to pass funds that brought Rural Electric to farms and rural communities across the country. The big provider companies had refused to serve farm families because they thought they couldn’t make any money from offering them electricity. What would farm families do with electricity? asked the companies.
President Biden is investing in Rural America’s future – Internet, roads, schools, and more. Do you know whether your Member of Congress voted for the Infrastructure Bill? I am betting you don’t.
I’ll also bet you don’t subscribe to The New York Times, but the NYTimes is one of the rare newspapers that often tells us how our elected Members vote. See this story to learn How Every House Member Voted on the Infrastructure Bill.
Like it or not, we can’t make wise decisions about whether we want to keep our elected officials in office if we don’t know what they are talking about and how they vote.
There’s an immense News Desert that worms its way all across the country and is particularly dangerous to Rural America. You can read about it at The Expanding News Desert, sponsored and carefully researched by the University of North Carolina’s Hussman Journalism and Media. The same site offers state-by-state information at Find Your State.
I founded MY RURAL AMERICA ACTION FUND – the “parent” of MY RURAL AMERICA’S website, www.myruralamerica.eluuf.com, because rural people were missing the connections between who they voted for and what they needed for their families.
If we vote for people who vote against our needs, we won’t have affordable health insurance, a robust education system, or national security.
There will be no Farm Bill.
MY RURAL AMERICA is off to a good start, but there is much more to do. We subscribe to numerous newspapers, research organizations, and political reporting groups. Creating a growing website with reliable, truthful news takes resources and more people.
Sometimes I like to say we read the news so you don’t have to! We look for verified news stories. Truthful news! We want news that matters to rural Americans, regardless of their occupations or state.
It takes resources. As we build our operation, we especially appreciate those of you who have become regular donors.
My mother used to say, “Money doesn’t grow on trees.” She was right, so we’ve learned to ask for it. Our next steps include building a resource “library” to look up your Senators and Members of Congress so you can see how they voted on specific vital bills.
Will you help us do that? Here’s the easiest way to contribute.
- MY RURAL AMERICA is a 501(c)(4) public welfare organization dedicated to providing enlightened solutions for Rural America and regrowing Rural America’s progressive roots. Please click to contribute. Please consider a monthly contribution. $10, $25, more. Every dollar helps.
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/my-rural-america-action-fund-1?refcode=directory