So, it’s the former Confederacy…
And Indian Reservations
And it’s an interesting picture.
He notices that most of the counties in question are in the old south, where taxes are low, unions are under seige, and the social safety net is non existent.
He wryly observes that, “geography of the decline speaks for itself.”
I actually noticed something else, in some places, like the red spot in South Dakota, it corresponds to the Pine Ridge and other Indian reservations in that part of the state.
I understand why, if the our healthcare system is beginning to fracture, it makes sense that Indian reservations would where we see the first signs, given the history of the destruction of their culture, the mismanagement of their affairs by the BIA, etc.
Basically, the reservations were structured for a very long time as something like a penal colony and a red-headed step-child, so it’s not surprising that they would be ground zero for many forms of decay.
As to the old Confederacy, I think that it’s more a matter of choice.
Post-reconstruction, there was an embrace of myths and philosophies that serve to keep most of the population down.
This is why the South is beginning to resemble the 3rd world.
Matt, you are painting Indians and reservations with way too wide a brush. There are sad, decaying cultures, but the largest and most numerous reservations in the 4 corners areas are NOT in a state of decay at all. As an Architect doing housing for the counsels of the Navajo, Laguna, Apache, Zuni and Arapaho people, these are vibrant cultures, managing their own affairs and intact.
These areas on your map are not in bad shape compared to the rest of the problem areas.