How do we accomplish something like this down Malcolm X Boulevard to Grand Avenue and beyond?
Hard? Yes!
But I refuse to use the word "impossible."
There's got to be a way without a hurricane. . .but we'll need an investment partner like New Orleans found.
Showing posts with label Katrina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Katrina. Show all posts
Friday, October 26, 2012
Sunday, January 24, 2010
"Who Dat Nation" prevails!
We lived in New Orleans for five years while I attended seminary (New Orleans Baptist) and graduate school (Tulane University). We learned what a great city New Orleans truly has been, was and is.
Saints fans take loyality to the outer edges of reality!
Now they have their champions.
While living in New Orleans, I spoke in the Saints' chapel service. Archie Manning was in attendance, as was head coach, Hank Stram. It was the thrill of a lifetime for a young minister (25 years old).
I have a regulation Saints helmet hanging on my wall. It will always be with me.
You see, there's a code among Saints fans. Once a member of "Who Dat Nation," always a member.
Way to go black and gold! Who dat?!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Public trust and human suffering
Many who drop in here accuse me of believing that the government is key to solving all of our social problems and overcoming all of the challenges associated with poverty.
Why on earth would I believe that, especially in view of government performance over the past three decades?
What readers here confuse with a belief in government's ability to solve big problems, is my tendency to criticize what our government actually does or does not do in the face of many formidable issues.
I'll cite a few examples from recent news reports and national developments.
Case one: Last week I read a bewildering story about how the state of Mississippi plans to divert $600 million of hurricane housing relief funds to a port expansion project ("Katrina aid to be shifted to port," The Dallas Morning News, 14A, Saturday, January 26, 2008). The harbor at Gulfport sustained approximately $50 million in damages when Katrina swept through. Currently, 30,000 residents still live in FEMA trailers. The state believes that since there is "not enough funds to restore or rebuild all of the 169,000 homes in the state" that are in need of attention, the funds could be best used to undertake the massive port expansion.
Hmmm. Homeowners and residents versus big businesses at the ports. Any surprises here as to who wins?
Case two: The President and Congress are working on an economic stimulus plan to inject $150 billion into the American marketplace. The initial suggestion involved no economic benefit to the working poor who paid payroll taxes, but no income tax. The revised version that passed the U. S. House of Representatives on Tuesday contains benefits for the working poor. If the Senate concurs, it appears that around June 2008 millions of households will receive rebate checks ranging from $600 to $1,600.
The assumption is that these funds will be spent quickly and will provide our slumping economy a boost.
Hmmm. Apart from the basic problems associated with an economic system that depends on unbridled spending for sustainability, I am wondering who we might expect to spend this money more quickly? Will it be the family with annual earnings over $200,000? Or, will it be the family whose gross annual income is around $35,000? Where should the injection be targeted to be most effective?
Case three: A few years ago, I conducted a research project of sorts to determine 1) how many Dallas County residents who were eligible for Food Stamps were not enrolled in the food and nutrition program and 2) what the failure to enroll these qualified families was costing the retail grocery industry in the county. What I discovered was fairly amazing, at least to me.
Bottom line--Dallas County loses over $250 million annually in retail grocery sales because we don't sign up everyone who is eligible for Food Stamps. Talk about an ongoing economic stimulus package with public health, educational performance and family stability benefit added in for good measure. But, then, what do I know?
It is true. I do believe our governments could do more, much more.
But it is also true that much of what they do is not serving those who need it most. But, now we're talking philosophy.
.
Why on earth would I believe that, especially in view of government performance over the past three decades?
What readers here confuse with a belief in government's ability to solve big problems, is my tendency to criticize what our government actually does or does not do in the face of many formidable issues.
I'll cite a few examples from recent news reports and national developments.
Case one: Last week I read a bewildering story about how the state of Mississippi plans to divert $600 million of hurricane housing relief funds to a port expansion project ("Katrina aid to be shifted to port," The Dallas Morning News, 14A, Saturday, January 26, 2008). The harbor at Gulfport sustained approximately $50 million in damages when Katrina swept through. Currently, 30,000 residents still live in FEMA trailers. The state believes that since there is "not enough funds to restore or rebuild all of the 169,000 homes in the state" that are in need of attention, the funds could be best used to undertake the massive port expansion.
Hmmm. Homeowners and residents versus big businesses at the ports. Any surprises here as to who wins?
Case two: The President and Congress are working on an economic stimulus plan to inject $150 billion into the American marketplace. The initial suggestion involved no economic benefit to the working poor who paid payroll taxes, but no income tax. The revised version that passed the U. S. House of Representatives on Tuesday contains benefits for the working poor. If the Senate concurs, it appears that around June 2008 millions of households will receive rebate checks ranging from $600 to $1,600.
The assumption is that these funds will be spent quickly and will provide our slumping economy a boost.
Hmmm. Apart from the basic problems associated with an economic system that depends on unbridled spending for sustainability, I am wondering who we might expect to spend this money more quickly? Will it be the family with annual earnings over $200,000? Or, will it be the family whose gross annual income is around $35,000? Where should the injection be targeted to be most effective?
Case three: A few years ago, I conducted a research project of sorts to determine 1) how many Dallas County residents who were eligible for Food Stamps were not enrolled in the food and nutrition program and 2) what the failure to enroll these qualified families was costing the retail grocery industry in the county. What I discovered was fairly amazing, at least to me.
Bottom line--Dallas County loses over $250 million annually in retail grocery sales because we don't sign up everyone who is eligible for Food Stamps. Talk about an ongoing economic stimulus package with public health, educational performance and family stability benefit added in for good measure. But, then, what do I know?
It is true. I do believe our governments could do more, much more.
But it is also true that much of what they do is not serving those who need it most. But, now we're talking philosophy.
.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
"New Orleans" just beneath the surface. . .many places
My trip to New Orleans on November 30, 2005, will be an experience I will always remember. The devastation of Katrina defies adequate description.
From what I hear, the city remains largely in disarray today. This is tragic.
As everyone admits, the storm pulled back the curtain on the poverty of the city. The storm set us up for a national embarassment.
The fact is many urban areas in our nation today contain a "New Orleans" just beneath the surface. Poverty in our cities is persistant, pervasive and perilous.
The J. McDonald Williams Institute, the research arm of the Foundation for Community Empowerment, has published a comparison of New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward with the Frazier community here in Dallas. Katrina wiped the Lower Ninth Ward off the map, a section populated by the city's poorest residents. The Frazier community here in Dallas rates as one of our poorest areas.
How do the two neighborhoods compare?
From what I hear, the city remains largely in disarray today. This is tragic.
As everyone admits, the storm pulled back the curtain on the poverty of the city. The storm set us up for a national embarassment.
The fact is many urban areas in our nation today contain a "New Orleans" just beneath the surface. Poverty in our cities is persistant, pervasive and perilous.
The J. McDonald Williams Institute, the research arm of the Foundation for Community Empowerment, has published a comparison of New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward with the Frazier community here in Dallas. Katrina wiped the Lower Ninth Ward off the map, a section populated by the city's poorest residents. The Frazier community here in Dallas rates as one of our poorest areas.
How do the two neighborhoods compare?
Take a look:
Racial/Ethnic Diversity
The Lower Ninth Ward (LNW) 98.4% African American
City of New Orleans (NO) 66.6% African American
Frazier Community (FC) 71.8% African American
City of Dallas (DAL) 23.8% African American
Homeownership Rates
13% less for FC than for city of Dallas
10% higher for LNW than for NO
Racial/Ethnic Diversity
The Lower Ninth Ward (LNW) 98.4% African American
City of New Orleans (NO) 66.6% African American
Frazier Community (FC) 71.8% African American
City of Dallas (DAL) 23.8% African American
Homeownership Rates
13% less for FC than for city of Dallas
10% higher for LNW than for NO
Poverty Levels
Families below poverty line LNW 32.77%
Families below poverty line NO 24.23%
Families below poverty line FC 33.25%
Families below poverty line DAL 12.53%
Joblessness
58.6% for LNW
62.6% for Frazier
Education
40% of LNW adults lack high school diploma
25% of NO adults lack high school diploma
60% of Frazier adults lack high school diploma
26% of DAL adults lack high school diploma
Viewing the situation in Dallas through this data, it is clear that our problems are every bit as challenging, and then some, as those facing New Orleans before the hurricane struck. Further, the gap between residents of the Frazier community and the general populace in Dallas is greater than the gap between residents of the Lower Ninth Ward and the general poplulace in New Orleans prior to the terrible storm.
Poverty in America is a real problem across our urban landscape.
"New Orleans" is everywhere.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)