To the editor:

Concerning “the death of rural America,” if the folks in small-town America pool their money, ideas and talents, develop a product and take it to market, i.e. jeans, trailers, popcorn, beer, hot rod parts, anything there’s a need for, they could bring new money to town. Stop waiting on someone else for a solution. Make it employee-owned so everyone involved would have a future.

A lot of towns already have empty buildings. Find some used equipment, hire a few people and you’re ready. Bankers can help with the marketing and contracts. In some cases you could use other manufacturers for some aspects of your product. Remember, lots of great companies, such as Ford, Microsoft, Harley-Davidson and General Foods, all began with an idea and a two- or three-person operation. This alone could generate millions of jobs and secure our futures for hundreds of years to come. It’ll help the rich and poor alike. We need to set ourselves free from the status quo.

Doug Evans,

Overbrook