> Giving money directly to people may help for a while, but is likely to spark inflation,
I take it you are referring to Universal Basic Income. It would only cause inflation if the most of the goods in their basket of unmet needs were supply constrained. But those commodities (i.e household goods), are not supply constrained at all, due in no small part to industrial efficiency and globalization, so they likely won't experience inflation.
Scarce valuable goods and services, like education and housing in areas of high demand (not rural WV), would see inflation, but even that would be mitigated somewhat by a progressive UBI benefit.
> Foolish policies that do not contemplate consequences for actions, apart from the groups that the politicos favor, help decimate regions like this.
This is pinning responsibility on the Obama administration for the failures of an industry that mismanaged itself with short term thinking, kicked the can down the road, and in doing so set up a no-win collapse situation that the government had to clean up because the alternative was likely much worse. The time bomb was ticking regardless of the political scenario. The 2008 recession just sped up the clock a bit at the end.
We have GM today because of the bailout. You might argue we should have let it all go down in flames and hopefully something would take it's place, buy that process would arguably be even more damaging to the local economy.