Everybody is talking politics in coal country…

I thought I could finally get away from politics for a few days by leaving Albany far behind and making New York State just a distant memory. But I was wrong. Everywhere I went folks were talking politics, but it was fascinating to hear 🙉 what people were thinking in the conservative coal country.

There was no surprises 😲 on what I heard from others.

1. People everywhere know that politics make for uncomfortable discussions around the dinner table, especially visiting relatives. They would say, “I’m an unabashed conservative, I like Trump and my guns.” But I don’t talk politics when I’m with my aunt back east.
2. 430,000 babies a year are dying from abortion. Or something like that. They see a lot of human suffering from abortion, a practice they feel should be abolished or at least further curtailed. I can see that abortion is a pretty brutal procedure but then again the women seeking the procedure are often in pretty desperate situations. That said, I’m not so quick to dismiss people who care about our society’s often aggressive promotion of casual sex. They’re not dumb hicks or fundamentalist extremists, they have legitimate concerns about the creation and destruction of life for no purpose.
3. Illegals are taking all the jobs. I heard that too and that the wall was necessary to build. I’m skeptical about that point, I haven’t seen many Hispanics in these parts. I bet you would find them in milking parlors and barnyards, or in chicken plants butchering the meat produced on local farms, but it’s not Long Island and I doubt there are many illegals working in construction, coal mining, factories, or contracting. There just isn’t the housing and migrants lack the skills and certification to be working in those fields. But the skills to be a farm hand or butcher animals is something a lot of the locals don’t have.
4. Folks seem to like the bull in the china factory. They say things have to change, they need to be shaken up, because so many people are desperate, struggling to get by with so few jobs. Trump may not be fixing things immediately but he’s an affront to the establishment, doing things that traditional players say break all the rules. Granted, I give that to Trump, although he’s more than just breaking the rules, it’s obvious he’s pretty corrupt.
5. Didn’t hear anybody talking about guns. Too controversial? But I’m sure that’s on people’s minds who hunt, have handguns for personal protection, enjoy practicing at the range. People would be pissed if they lost that right or had to go through even more hoops.
6. They are like we should enjoy it now before it’s gone tomorrow. I’m not that concerned as one man can’t change a system that much. State and federal parks aren’t going away, water and air will be protected regardless. People don’t like regulatory overreach but they’re not willing to give up the land they hunt and fish, that they farm and take in the scenic vista or camp with their children.

I was a bit surprised how ordinary the political discussions were out here and even in conservative country, folks shared many of the same concerns as in liberal Albany.