Of course Democratic strongholds are the "hardest hit". What business leader in their right mind wants to invest in an area full of union members, folks with a sense of entitlement, a jackpot mentality and a culture of dependency on government handouts?
Hey, I grew up in Appalachia and know danged well of which I speak. The union movement was given root with good reasons during the coal field wars, but the Great Society is to blame for the rest of the problems.
Tom Sowell mentioned in one of his columns a few years back that Appalachia is the poorest region of the country, but that it is also the most conservative by far. When you think about it, that shouldn't really be a surprise.