I can understand your sentiment - but unfortunately we can't just ignore rural America.
The problem is basically that, on average, rural areas tend to be less educated and far more religious. They vote against social programs that would benefit them for religious or tribalistic reasons. They vote against Planned Parenthood because abortion is an abomination to them, they vote for "repeal and replace" because they vaguely associate anything coming out of the Obama administration with a sinister Muslim/Communist/Homosexual agenda to expand governmental powers and take their guns or whatever. (These are generalizations and stereotypes, obviously - but as an explanation for average voting patterns they are valid generalizations.)
We can't ignore them, but, at the same time, we can't just look past their belligerence or, more to the point, assume that we can assuage them from their counterproductive behaviour. They aren't going to 'turn around' and see the light of common decency over localized conformity.
Nor can we expect to have any effect on it in anything less than a generational timeframe.
That's just great, we have to overcome the economic drag of Rural America on successful Urban areas while playing along that "Rural" is "better" than Urban.
I pay taxes, and in general urban areas pay more in taxes than they receive in federal services. So, effectively, urban America is already subsidizing rural America, through transfers, through fees like USF.
Rural America is over-represented in Congress, both in the House and (structurally) in the Senate.
What, precisely, am I supposed to do with "empathy" for Rural America? I pay my taxes. I don't try to change their world. I live my life. Drugs are ravaging their culture? Unfortunate, but not my problem to solve. They keep voting for politicians who cut social services, who cut support program for addicts, who criminalize first time offenders. I don't have to show my drivers license and sign a log to buy Actifed because of the depravity of minorities in my local city, but because "real america" keeps making meth.
I'm tired of being told to pay more in taxes, to have empathy for these people, all the while I'm also told that I and my fellow "east coast liberal elites" are somehow less American, that our problems are less real, that our lives are worth less.
You complain about taxes supporting rural people, and then you complain that rural people vote against the social services. There is a connection between social services and taxes.
Since non-rural people are voting for the social services, it is perfectly fair that they pay. The rural people are trying to save money, and you resist.
The problem is basically that, on average, rural areas tend to be less educated and far more religious. They vote against social programs that would benefit them for religious or tribalistic reasons. They vote against Planned Parenthood because abortion is an abomination to them, they vote for "repeal and replace" because they vaguely associate anything coming out of the Obama administration with a sinister Muslim/Communist/Homosexual agenda to expand governmental powers and take their guns or whatever. (These are generalizations and stereotypes, obviously - but as an explanation for average voting patterns they are valid generalizations.)