"The state is a joke, but it’s also really shitty to write it off as a hopeless rubeville because the state has many problems that are solvable but the local governments refuse to act."
That's a characteristic of a hopeless rubeville.
You missed the part about the wealthier White municipalities controlling the state government making it harder and harder on the poor majority black rural counties. The GOP wraps itself in the shroud of tourin to get the Christian vote, then turns around and does nothing to help and support the poor.