This is an excerpt from Laboratories of Autocracy, lessons from which I share regularly. This is from a chapter that dives into the national strategy of harnessing the power of corrupted statehouses to implement a nationwide right-wing agenda. The approach has only accelerated since I wrote this:
Sad to say, I drive by and through Ohio towns like Manchester all the time.
Struggling.
Dying.
So many desperately looking for their place in the tough 21st century economy. Too few finding it.
These communities need a lift if they are going to compete and thrive. And not just a facelift. But a lift in every way. Better education. Quality health care. Paved roads. Upgraded bridges and flood walls. Hope . . . especially for future generations.
One critical lifeline they need—especially in this modern economy, where digital dominates—is high-speed broadband. Without it, these towns are just not on the 21st century map.
In 2021, countless Ohio communities still lack the broadband capacity it takes to be relevant. Vast swaths of the state remain without broadband at all, and too many other parts have substandard capacity.
It’s not only small towns. Cleveland, Youngstown, and Dayton rank among the least connected cities in the nation—with, respectively, 30.7%, 22.4%, and 20.47% of their citizens still lacking any broadband connection. Not only does this cut residents off from global commerce, education and opportunity, but it keeps new businesses from moving in. And entrepreneurial local residents starting new businesses will likely go elsewhere. The timing also couldn’t be worse. A surge in telecommuting amid the 2020 pandemic opens up a fresh opportunity for communities to draw in new residents, but it’s wasted without access.
Laudably, in his 2021 budget, Ohio’s governor proposed a $250 million investment in broadband improvements for rural Ohio. Common sense, right? And of course, since a big portion of the members of the statehouse represent these rural communities, such a wise investment would breeze through, right?
In corrupt Ohio, of course the answer couldn’t be that simple.
In fact, what happened next provides a case study of just how much statehouses around the country have been harnessed and weaponized by some of the largest special interests in America—at the expense of struggling communities just like Manchester.
Read on…
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