Donald Trump's Second Chance In Pennsyl-Tucky

I live in rural Pennsylvania, on the eastern side of those same mountains, the Appalachians that JD Vance writes about in his book, "Hillbilly Elegy."

Donald Trump's recent rally occurred not far away in a small town called Butler.

But you already know that, Butler is now world-famous. It's the town where former President Trump was nearly assassinated, a moniker that Butler will have for the rest of time. For the first time in its 200-year history, Butler is now special.

However, until Thomas Matthew Crooks decided to take a shot at now Presidential-candidate Trump, Butler was no different than any other small town and borough that dots this part of the country. Largely forgotten, this portion of America, as JD Vance portrays it in his book, is the section of the country that time has forgotten.

Once the heartland of a thriving industrial nation, rural Pennsylvania's economy has been hollowed out. Its commerce and political influence has steadily declined over the last century. Most politicians avoided places like Butler, preferring to spend their time in the voter-rich big cities like Pittsburgh or Philadelphia. Even though he has roots in nearby Scranton, one can't imagine President Joe Biden campaigning in little Butler.

It's the section of the state referred to as "Pennsl-tucky," a snide reference to its less-than-sophisticated inhabitants and their slower way of life. Pennsl-Tucky encompasses the entire state of Pennsylvania west of Philadelphia and outside the remaining cities of Pittsburgh, Allentown, and Harrisburg. But it doesn't stop there; it also includes eastern Ohio, all of West Virginia, and sections of Illinois and Indiana. In a word, it's the "Rust Belt."

This was the place to be for a hundred years, from the mid-19th through the mid-20th centuries. A humming metropolis, home to coal mines and steel mills. The very center of America's industrial power. Young men from Europe and the rest of the globe came to this part of America hoping to find a better life. Long hours and dangerous work brought them a middle-class standard of living, which was the envy of the world. Here, a man could raise a family, have a 40-year career, and retire to Florida. It was the American dream writ large.

All that is gone now; it's a mere memory. The generations that built the mines and worked the steel mills have passed into history. In their place, their grandsons and granddaughters continue in places like Butler. Many now work in the "trades," as they've found employment as independent plumbers, carpenters, and electricians. But just as many struggle from job to job, hoping to sustain a living.

Most major corporations have abandoned Pennsl-tucky, as coal and steel plants have been shut down or moved offshore. In the 100 years between 1919 and 2019, employment in the coal industry declined by 95%—more than 800,000 jobs were lost. It's a similar story for the steel industry, where steel employment also peaked in the early 20th century, with nearly a million workers directly involved in the mills or in supporting industries. Only about one-tenth of that number is involved in "big" steel today.

Regrettably, that low level is destined to decline even further, as recently, US Steel, the country's last fully integrated (that is self-sufficient) steel company, sold out to Nippon Steel of Japan. I wrote about it in this article:

https://davidreavill.substack.com/p/the-decline-and-fall-of-us-steel-31e

The people of Pennsl-Tucky were looking for a second chance when Donald Trump flew into town that fateful Saturday. They knew Trump well; the former president had made rural Pennsylvania one of the go-to places in his two prior presidential campaigns. It's as if this native of New York instinctively realized that to truly "Make America Great Again" requires restoring Pennsl-tucky.

If a new Trump Presidency continues on the themes of his first tenure, there could be a revival in this forgotten corner of the country.

Certainly, Trump's economic policies in Term 1 helped Pennsl-tucky. The coal mines are beginning to hum again as sales have rebounded dramatically. Unfortunately, most of America's premier coal (Anthracite coal—the cleanest burning of all coals) is being shipped to China to power its heating and steel production.

Although this is a step in the right direction, but there is much more to go. A rebuilding of American Industry perhaps.

The steel industry, in particular, will need special attention. Today, China has captured the top spot in worldwide steel production. Unfortunately, it has done so by virtually eliminating most of its environmental standards. Today, China allows a level of pollution that we would find unacceptable.

A careful survey of Pennsyl-Tucky shows that all of the elements that Made America Great Before are still here. We still have the world's finest, cleanest-burning, and largest coal deposits under our feet. There is a culture of hard-working people who live here. All that is needed is a government willing to provide the leadership and initiative to help bring industrial standards up to the 21st-century's advanced production and environmental standards.

The people of Pennsl-Tucky ask for only one thing: give us a second chance, the opportunity to go back to work, to mine coal and steel. With the technology now available, make our products pollution-free so that America can once again become the industrial leader of the world, and do it all within strict environmental standards.

On July 13th people came from all-around to see Candidate Trump and ask for that second chance. Thirty thousand showed up at the Butler Fair Grounds, more than double the population of this small town.

Then, just as the crowd settled into listen, shots rang-out. From over a hundred yards away, a young man tried to kill President Trump. In the flash of an eye, a political speech had become a moment in history. The people of Butler had come to hear Candidate Trump's stump speech. Instead, they witnessed a miracle when God gave Trump a second chance - and spared his life from that assassin's bullet.

Perhaps, if Trump is elected, he will take the opportunity to give Pennsl-Tucky its second chance.