In general, rural folk are hard workers who are not paid well for their labor, since most red states are also anti-union "right to work" states. We all understand that when we spend a dollar in the supermarket, only a few cents go to the farmers who actually grow our food.

Few people living today remember how miserable rural America was before it was dragged into the 20th century by Franklin D. Roosevelt. When our country cousins stand up for themselves, as they did in the long-ago days of the New Deal, we should support them.

Today, they're no longer fighting the wealthy people who are ripping them off. They're helping them by voting Republican. Then the Republicans in Congress reward them with more and more borrowed money every year. It's got to stop.

Since Palin feels compelled to offer her opinions on so many subjects, maybe she could suggest ways to cut Alaska's share of the pie from $1.64 down to an even buck.

Since the newly elected Republicans say they want to have an adult conversation about the deficit, here's a sure-fire conversation starter: "You owe us 32 cents back from that $1.32 you've been getting."

Farm subsidies. Rural free delivery. Highways. The unnecessary military bases that stretch across the states of the old Confederacy.