Yes, I agree that things do not look that bright for many, in this country. But before you give up all hope and move to a third world country, that has a "booming economy" and a life expectancy of 50-60 consider this one fact. Poor people in this country are fat, in the rest of the world they are skinny. I been there and seen it with my own eyes. Our worse is still better than most nations best.
The loss of the small town is the result of the loss of the small farm years ago. It is not possible for many to earn a living on a small or even medium size farm. It takes thousands of dollars for one tractor and hundreds of acres to pay for it. One farm became too small to keep up with the overhead. So farmers had to leave the farm to make ends meet. They have to go to town to earn a living. Now the small towns are becoming as economically unprofitable as the small farm did years ago. So the migration to larger towns, cities and the better jobs that they hold.
I have read that in one of the Dakotas they expect 25+% of towns to cease to exist in the next 25 years. Young people move away and only the old remain. They never move back and the old will pass on in the next few decades.
