Sunday, October 30, 2005
Katrina Aftermath (Explained?)
I watched a segement of WJ, this morning, when Ron Waters of the University of Maryland was the featured guest. Dr. Waters has started the African American Leadership Institute on campus.
The last statement he made on the show indicated to me why any "leaders" his program graduates will not be armed with the truth as they go out into the community to lead.
He said (paraphrased): "The state of our inner-cities is due to a situation that is two-fold. First, the whites began moving out. Second the "prominent" blacks moved out. This has left the inner-cities to those who were "left behind" resulting in situatuions like the one after Katrina." (This is a liberal paraphrase but the meaning is absolutely clear)
If his instruction to potential "African American leaders" is based on an understanding like this, he is destined to either fail or at worst create more racial divide. The people in the inner-cities were not left behind-they STAYED behind!
When an individual wakes up to the fact that they are in a place with little opportuniy and decides to do something about it, are we supposed to believe that person is responsible for bringing the rest of the community along with them? Come on, America-people are poor who don't have the motivation to be anything else but poor.
In this "humble" hillbilly's opinion, our governmnet gives the poor incentive to remain poor by providing them with a free meal-ticket and housing. Okay, so many of the poor can't help being poor because of age, health etc. Many more remain poor because they have made TERRIBLE decisions in their past or just want to "mooch" off the rest of us. I think that it would be interesting if the world could know the percentage of those who turly need government assistance as compared to those who are taking advantage og=f the system.
As for Ron Waters and his new Institute, they need to check their map-the road they're following is taking them in the wrong direction.
The last statement he made on the show indicated to me why any "leaders" his program graduates will not be armed with the truth as they go out into the community to lead.
He said (paraphrased): "The state of our inner-cities is due to a situation that is two-fold. First, the whites began moving out. Second the "prominent" blacks moved out. This has left the inner-cities to those who were "left behind" resulting in situatuions like the one after Katrina." (This is a liberal paraphrase but the meaning is absolutely clear)
If his instruction to potential "African American leaders" is based on an understanding like this, he is destined to either fail or at worst create more racial divide. The people in the inner-cities were not left behind-they STAYED behind!
When an individual wakes up to the fact that they are in a place with little opportuniy and decides to do something about it, are we supposed to believe that person is responsible for bringing the rest of the community along with them? Come on, America-people are poor who don't have the motivation to be anything else but poor.
In this "humble" hillbilly's opinion, our governmnet gives the poor incentive to remain poor by providing them with a free meal-ticket and housing. Okay, so many of the poor can't help being poor because of age, health etc. Many more remain poor because they have made TERRIBLE decisions in their past or just want to "mooch" off the rest of us. I think that it would be interesting if the world could know the percentage of those who turly need government assistance as compared to those who are taking advantage og=f the system.
As for Ron Waters and his new Institute, they need to check their map-the road they're following is taking them in the wrong direction.
