Long time ago a smart guy told me that if you give people something for nothing it has little value to them. We have been sending resources and people into inner cities and overseas for decades and with very few exceptions the places we try to improved have not progressed one iota. Change has to be worked for and wanted by the people, until that happens we are just making the ever present criminal element rich.
The other reality is our idea of how they should live is not necessarily their idea.
@ET: I've seen this in action. Right next to the first chemical plant I worked at in south Louisiana, the government built a set of apartments for the poor to live in. There were maybe 50 units in all. From seeing it built, I knew they were nice apartments. The poor that moved into those apartments were primarily black. I don't know if the tenants were charged anything for rent or utilities. After working at that chemical plant for 4 years, I was transferred to the companies refinery just a mile or so down the road. However, I still drove by that housing complex on my way to/from work. I saw it deteriorate more each year. Over time, it became a slum with criminals and drug users hanging out in empty apartments. I don't think it lasted 10 years before the government bulldozed all of the apartments down. Those people felt no ownership or pride in these nice apartments, so they tore them up.Even though I'm not a religious man, I have read the Bible and feel that there is plenty of great wisdom in it. The part that says "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." I feel that in order to receive welfare, if you are able, you must attend and actively participate in some sort of trade/skills training as a mandatory requirement. Welfare benefits should also only last so long (maybe 2-3 years/person), then the people must stand on their own feet. Before their welfare runs out, If jobs are not available locally to the people that now have received some trade/skills, then maybe the government should help them move to another area that has a demand for those trades/skills.That points out one of the problems in the book mentioned in the OP. The people of Appalachia moved into Ohio and other areas because there were good industrial/manufacturing jobs available there at that time. JD Vance's grandfather (Papaw) got a good job at a steel mill. However, so many people moved into the area, that there weren't enough jobs for everyone. Also, the economy changed over time and some businesses closed down. The steel mill almost closed down but overseas money kept it afloat, but just barely. Sometimes people need to move to find jobs.
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