"I'd say it's large reductions in government programs, from health to education to food and welfare programs for the poor. I don't have data, but it's hard to b

"I'd say it's large reductions in government programs, from health to education to food and welfare programs for the poor. I don't have data, but it's hard to believe that such programs have no effect." I disagree. I think the population we are discussing has not historically been heavy users of social benefits (although more than they usually know) and it is the change in status to being a potential user of such benefits that causes their desperation. As someone who grew up in an impoverished, semi-rural community, it is my observation that everyone had a life narrative that explained how they "weren't just poor people". It's a big, big blow when it becomes impossible to maintain that narrative.