The New Racism in New New Orleans

[Hellfish]

The Struggle for Competing Values in New Orleans
By Ruben Navarrette Jr.

SAN DIEGO -- If you thought the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina was ugly, then you should take a look at what's happening now. It's not pretty.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin are up in arms because what has historically been a mostly black city may be on its way to becoming a largely brown city. Latino immigrants are coming to New Orleans from as far away as California to repair homes, clear debris, rebuild roads and do other jobs. According to a story in the Los Angeles Times, they're making about $15 per hour, and they've been so warmly received by contractors that many of them say they plan to stay, save money, buy homes, and put down roots in the Big Easy.

Before Katrina, New Orleans was only about 3 percent Latino. Now, demographers say the city's Latino population could swell to four or five times that amount.

http://realclearpolitics.com/Commentary/com-10_19_05_RNJ.html

This part especially rang true for me:

City officials say that one thing that keeps former residents from wanting to give New Orleans another chance is the lack of subsidized housing.

Guess what? Latino immigrants have to contend with the same shortage. The difference is that the immigrants are not sitting around and waiting for government to come to the rescue. They're probably living two or three families to a house, and saving money to buy a home of their own.

That's how it used to be in this country before the advent of the welfare state. And, if immigrants win this tug of war, that's the way it'll be again.

This kind of goes hand in hand with the talk of Entitlement in America we had a few weeks ago. Some of these people feel they're entitled to return to New Orleans at the expense of the government and taxpayers while they decry the fact that people actually going to New Orleans to rebuild it are somehow taking advantage of the situation.

I don't see any people in the Astrodome flocking back to New Orleans to rebuild - I see them waiting till someone does it for them.

That ain't right.

[Belrick]

Welfare encourages so many negative factors within humanity its not funny. An act of kindness leads to so many bad behaviours. Good in the short term, aweful in the long run.

Welfare WILL become an unbearable burden upon society as it grows a all encompasing monster untill someone takes a hard line stand and says enough is enough, go help yourselves.

At which point they will. Welfare is merely the easiest way to live for anybody but far from the only.

[b.scheller]

Well, for one, people who do good onto others, will always have their motives questioned. In a case such as this, if people are doing good, and their motives are questioned, it should not stop them from continuing their work, they should not be discouraged. Besides, ideally, in the United States, anyone can get out of the slum, or the ghetto and become, sucessful at the one thing that they enjoy doing.

-b.scheller

[joe mama]

Well, for one, people who do good onto others, will always have their motives questioned. In a case such as this, if people are doing good, and their motives are questioned, it should not stop them from continuing their work, they should not be discouraged. Besides, ideally, in the United States, anyone can get out of the slum, or the ghetto and become, sucessful at the one thing that they enjoy doing.

-b.scheller

Actually, it's not that ANYONE can get out of the slum or ghetto and become successful here in the US. Only people who are willing to work hard (whether it be in school, at home, and at their jobs) are the ones who can get out. Since not everyone is willing to do this, then not everyone can get out. For every reasonably able bodied chump (not the sick or elderly) that I saw during Katrina whining about how the government wasn't rescuing them from the highway or the superdome or the convention center, I saw 10 people swimming or walking themselves out, if not helping others do it.

[b.scheller]

Well of course, hard work, is a necessary means for any end, especially when it comes to success. I meant, that in America, anyone can make it, as long as they are willing to work hard. Unlike in some states, for example in Socialist Poland, one had to be a member of the communist party, to be succesful in life, thus, many young people joined the party, for simple reasons to benefit themselves, they did not believe the ideology or the policies of the party. Membership in the party, could help a member, lower the waiting time for an apartament, in the average case of non-party aligned people would have to start waiting for and paying for, the apartament for years at a time.

Thus the prevalance, of married couples living together with family, due to the shortage of residence. Hard work, in socialist Poland, secured nothing, especially for those, who did not own their small businesses (upto a hundred people, could be employed in a private venture).

-b.scheller