On the haves vs. have-nots tip, I’d invite you to drive through Lakeview, one of the most affluent areas of the city, and observe the continuing blight. You’ll find the same blight in the Lower Ninth Ward, which was populated with working-poor homeowners.

Admittedly, the haves’ opportunity to rebuild is much more casual than the have-nots, because of the wealth disparity. The have-nots could seek compensation through lawsuits or through government programs, but we need to unblock that reservoir of funds and get them flowing first. The desire to rebuild, and not block anyone else from rebuilding, is pretty common across the board. It’s just the means that are disparate at this point.

On the observations regarding race, I’d call this insightful, but it’s just common knowledge.

New Orleans, D.C., Atlanta, Houston, Detroit, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Cincinnati … it’s all the same thing. And it’s all glorified by the most popular figures in popular culture.

By Brian on Sep 8, 2006