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warmpita t1_j5fa459 wrote

I've lived in both. Way more similar than you might think.

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somedudevt t1_j5frymt wrote

I lived in both. Way more different IMO. Poverty is the same, the racial makeup is similar, but how people approach life is totally different. They embrace religion and regressive policies that continue to exacerbate the issues, refusing to let go of the past, while VT has gone though many economic phases and isn’t stuck trying to keep one. No body here is advocating for major Potash factories to open, or for the copper mines to reopen, or the clear cut all the land for sheep, or that having the garment industry back would save the towns. We accept that change occurs and we adapt. They refuse to accept that coal is dying, and as a result they are dying.

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Legitimate_Proof t1_j5g3qv9 wrote

I mostly agree with you, but I was thinking about how we are clinging to a dying industry when I read this: https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/some-lawmakers-say-vermont-should-consider-a-milk-price-premium-to-help-struggling-dairy-farmers/Content?oid=37393636

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Soci3talCollaps3 t1_j5hm7kb wrote

It's not such a bad thing to try to keep local food production alive. Just because it is struggling doesn't mean that it should be abandoned.

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somedudevt t1_j5jc46a wrote

I don’t think the entire state is hanging onto dairy as the industry of the future. Sure we want to help the few farmers left, but we know the writing is on the wall. Also small family farms vs coal mines are very different conceptually. One is a low impact means of food production that could actually be better for the future, the other is killing the planet.

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kellogsmalone t1_j5hd8vh wrote

Group those into "local economic struggles" and they're similar. Perhaps the thought of similarity between the states offends you? Which comes off as supercilious.

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appalachianexpat t1_j5hg6ue wrote

You'd be surprised at the political language coming out of the Republican majority in West Virginia (I grew up in West Virginia, and have bounced back and forth between there and Vermont over the years). The leadership in the House, Senate, and Administration is very pro-solar, pro-renewable, pro-all of the above. It turns out when multinationals say they won't locate factories, or offices, or data centers in your state unless they have access to renewables, that that leaves an impression. As a result over the last couple legislative sessions, several pro-renewables bills have become law. That said, you can't go attacking the heritage (which would be equivalent to attacking the maple and dairy industries in Vermont). But diversification is widely desired and supported.

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