Rural freedom in a fractured country
For too long, much of our national media treated rural America as an afterthought, focusing its attention on the coasts and the concerns of the so-called coastal elites. At times, that dismissiveness was even sharper, such as then Senator Barack Obama’s remark about voters who “cling to guns or religion” or when President Biden told coal miners to learn to code.
This issue of American Habits begins from a simple premise: rural communities are not peripheral to the American experiment. Indeed, many argue that rural life cultivates a deeper tradition of independence and self-government. Yet if that tradition is real, it also contains cracks.
Our lead conversation is with West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner, who helps us think through the importance of administering well-run elections, defending state sovereignty, and preserving West Virginia’s tradition of freedom. That tradition is captured by the state motto: Montani Semper Liberi or “Mountaineers are always free.”
We also speak with Utah state Rep. Carl Albrecht, whose experience offers another view of rural life and state leadership in the American West.
Rural Utah faces its own set of challenges around land, energy, infrastructure, and building growth. Albrecht’s district powers much of the state and beyond. Still, so much of Utah is covered in federal land and at the forefront is the question on who gets to shape the future and whether decisions are made with enough respect for the people who actually settled and live there.
North Carolina state Rep. Kelly Hastings adds another important perspective from a state where rural communities sit alongside fast-growing metro areas. North Carolina’s story shows that rural federalism is not only about remote places. It is also about whether rural counties and populations can retain a meaningful voice as states grow and change.
The essays in this issue take up these themes from several angles. Neal McCluskey looks at school choice in rural communities, where the promise of educational freedom often meets the realities of deep attachments to the public school.
John Hendrickson defends the Electoral College as part of a constitutional structure that protects the voices of states and communities that might otherwise be overwhelmed by population powerhouses.
Rev. Ben Johnson examines the problem of rural government dependency, a serious challenge for communities that say they want independence but often find themselves heavily tied to federal programs and dollars.
Another essay looks at rural teachers declaring independence from unions, a reminder that professional freedom and local accountability are not limited to cities or suburbs.
We close with a literary reflection on rural America and freedom, drawing from the words and images that have long shaped how Americans think about the wide expansive lands.
Taken together, these pieces in no way romanticize rural life. Rural communities face real problems: population loss, limited services, hospital closures, school consolidation, uncertain economic conditions, and alarming governmental dependency. But neither are they merely problems to be managed from afar.
Rural communities are places where strong values so often still matter. Like the rest of America, they are also places where federalism either becomes real or erodes. If self-government is to mean anything, the test for rural America is in retaining the authority and confidence to shape their own future.
