Fans of long-form narrative journalism should set aside some time for “The White Ghetto,” by Kevin Williamson, in which he takes a spin through the heart of white poverty in Appalachia.  In some regards, it reads like a warning tale for Rhode Island:

A few locals drive two hours… to report for work in the Toyota factory at Georgetown, Ky. … As with the coal miners traveling past Hazard or even farther, eventually many of those Toyota workers decide that the suburbs of Lexington are about as far as they want to go. The employed and upwardly mobile leave, taking their children, their capital, and their habits with them…

… For the smart and enterprising people left behind, life can be very comfortable, with family close, a low cost of living, beautiful scenery, and a very short climb to the top of the social pecking order.

Of course, geography might keep Rhode Island from the worst of Kentucky’s poverty; there’s not so much wilderness through which to drive for work in other states.

On the other hand, culture might make up some of that geographic difference.  One tweak that I’d make to Williamson’s account is his concession that socially conservative habits haven’t saved the area from its fate.  The abortion rate in that area, he writes, is one-quarter that of Rhode Island, and marriage is more common, with many of the teen births being within wedlock.

The relevant point, it seems to me, is that socially conservative policies aren’t intended to be a cure-all for poverty; they’re meant to help people get the most out of whatever circumstance they’re in.  That may be the case in Appalachia, although it’s hard to tell because the incentives of the welfare state undo much of what strong families can accomplish.