meth and opiate addiction, poverty, failing local infrastructure, rampant religious and political extremism combined with a heavily armed populace.

Just (hopefully lightly) jerking your chain of course, and like you, I don't know the answers to some of the huge problems we face as a nation either, urban or rural. But I do think our political parties (one in particular) and some influential media (one in particular) untethered by the long-gone fairness doctrine (thanks for nothing Ronnie) use fear to motivate voters and so further divide us - and in so doing, greatly hinder rather than help finding solutions and common ground.