Small and rural towns have been decimated all across America over several decades. From globalization forcing local factories to close, a lack of modern infrastructure leaving towns behind, and an opioid crisis destroying what is left of these communities.
Lets build small town America back. Encouraging small business growth that can serve their communities or the global one with a modern infrastructure, sustainable development, and a focus on small and family farm development over big Ag.
Federal and state grant money should be allocated towards building and sustaining local and small businesses in small towns. The goal is to help build towns with multiple pillars of support, rather than just the one that existed before.
In order to encourage more small businesses to open, the infrastructure needs to be revitalized. This means more money for roads, energy, and internet connectivity. If these building blocks are in place, small businesses will have what they need to serve both the local community and the world at large.
Small towns in the previous century were focused on supporting a few, or even a single factory, mine, or other industry. As we became a more interconnected world, these sole supports of small towns moved out, devastating local economies everywhere.
Big corporations like Walmart move into small towns promising employment opportunities and low prices for consumers. However, these promises tend to hide bigger economic problems that lead to small towns losing.
As a result, studies have shown that the presence of Walmart has led to more poverty in local communities, particularly for low-income and less-educated workers.