What Do Hillary and I Have in Common?
What do Hillary and I have in common? We were both in Compton yesterday.
I was doing a trial at the Compton Courthouse, while Hillary was giving a campaign speech at the Citizens of Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 2 1/2 miles away.
I wish I could have gone to watch her speech. I would love to have seen whether she used her accent that she uses to talk to black folks, like she did here:
And here:
I rather suspect she did, given this line from her Compton speech:
“Compton is birthing a community, but you can’t do it alone,” Clinton said. “You need to know that someone all the way across the country is rooting for you and will be thinking about you every day. What is it that I can do to make sure this birth is easy and successful and [help] you bring forth a beautiful new Compton?”
Well, I don’t know anything about birthing communities, but if we’re looking for ways to make Compton better, I think Hillary’s answers would be different from mine. Here’s Hillary’s grand vision for revitalizing Compton:
In her address, Clinton laid out her program to help struggling communities. She said she would take steps to retrain workers for jobs developing new energy sources. She also advocated a 90-day freeze on housing foreclosures, counseling for people facing foreclosure, and an expansion of unemployment insurance.” . . . Criticizing the penal system, she said she would spend $200 million over five years to help people re-enter the community after leaving prison.
In a nutshell: throw more money at the problem. In an even smaller nutshell: pander — just like the phony-baloney accent she’s putting on in those videos. (By the way, Hillary was born in Chicago, and grew up in the town where I was born: Park Ridge, Illinois. She went to the same high school my brother went to. She went to college at Wellesley. When did she learn to talk like that? And when’s the last time you heard her talk like that when she wasn’t standing in front of a room of black people?)
What’s my answer for how to make Compton better? Well, there aren’t any easy answers. But I think we need to start by focusing on the right issues.
The church where Hillary spoke is two and 1/2 short blocks from the scene of a shooting in a case I handled, in which four school-age kids were shot in broad daylight as they walked home from high school. (It never made the news. These things rarely do.) If you walk down the street from where these boys lay bleeding on the sidewalk towards Lime Ave., and turn left, within a hundred yards or so, you hit the defendant’s house. If you instead turn right, within a hundred yards or so, you hit the church where Hillary spoke today.
There’s a war zone in our inner cities. It claims lives as surely as the war in Iraq. It is largely unreported even by hometown newspapers; if a young girl is gunned down in Compton, the Los Angeles Times is likely to reject the story to make space for stories about Paris Hilton going to jail, or Britney’s latest craziness, or Zac Efron getting his appendix out. But reported or not, the war goes on. (I’m told Jack Dunphy will elaborate on the media’s blindness to the killing in our inner cities in a piece in Pajamas Media today. Stay tuned for details.)
The reasons the war is taking place are varied, but are rooted in LBJ’s Great Society and the breakdown of the family. As Jack Dunphy said on my site: “It’s the fathers, stupid.” If you don’t think the lack of fathers out there makes a difference, you’re not paying attention.
Hillary didn’t talk about that. It’s a tough way to pander to a crowd. Much easier to put on the phony accent and tell people how you’re going to give them money.
Hillary and I don’t have much in common after all. But then, when you read the post title, you pretty much knew that.
UPDATE: This post links and discusses Dunphy’s piece, which is now up.
More government instead of different government or less government is the typical Clinton response to social issues. Somehow, growing up in Park Ridge, I doubt that she was taught that the government was the solution to all her problems or at Wellesley in the 1960s, where the government was likely considered the enemy. In Chicago, she was probably familiar with epic government failures such as the Robert Taylor homes, which were completed in 1962 and finally demolished last year.
Interestingly, Judicial Watch just posted some of the first document from Hillary’s 1993 health care task force, but their web site seems to be down. I question the timing. Based on the excerpts at Captains Quarters, they appear to be fairly embarrasing for Hillary in terms of the scope of what she was attempting, the secrecy with which she attempted to cloak it, and the venom with which she attacked detractors. Nothing new for the Clintons.
daleyrocks (906622) — 1/18/2008 @ 12:43 amOT but Bill was in oakland yesterday when a reported asked him about the nevada caucus and clintonista’s lawsuit to ban meetings in casino’s. bill had another meltdown….
james conrad (7cd809) — 1/18/2008 @ 1:22 amBuying votes.
hazy (56a0a8) — 1/18/2008 @ 2:57 amPatterico,
I didn’t really see any answers to address the problem. You state the fact about fathers, which has been pointed out before.
I think the idea of spending some money to help prisoners re-enter society is a good one. Start by phasing in a release of all possession only convictions. Use the money to help transition prisoners back to the communities in conjunction with practical support from local leaders and churches. You are in effect putting fathers back in the community with some support to successfully transition. You better than most know the difficulties prisoners have in fitting back into society.
A jobs program where energy plants are built may be a good area to focus on in regards to training. But a more practical program may be one in which carpentry and plumbing are taught so those skills could be put to use in the immediate community to improve the existing housing and apartments. Pride in one’s community is important and this could be one avenue in promoting that.
But those are my suggestions. I’d be interested in how you propose to fix the problems without spending any money.
voiceofreason (2dad2e) — 1/18/2008 @ 3:09 amBut those are my suggestions. I’d be interested in how you propose to fix the problems without spending any money.
Comment by voiceofreason — 1/18/2008 @ 3:09 am
Your suggestions are all excellent, and in some form all are being implemented in our urban community here (in the Northeast). Have worked in the inner city for almost 20 years, and have seen firsthand that the negative impact of the lack of fathers here (actually anywhere, though the problem for various reasons is much more prevalent statistically in the inner city) is almost impossible to overstate. It leads to so many other problems, several of which were discussed on the very pertinent thread linked above.
I’d be interested in how you propose to fix the problems without spending any money.
The problems attending the lack of intact families are many and extremely complex; however, one factor making a huge difference, right now, is the contributions of the local faith communities.
I work for a Catholic church which is right in the heart of the inner city, and while we have very little money, you don’t need much to make a difference in the lives of people. Our VERY vibrant youth ministry (this is key, esp. for youth who are from non-intact families), and many other ministries and outreaches to the poor, prisoners, the homebound, a halfway house for drug addicts run by Catholic Charities on the church campus, I won’t go on, the list is long. And the effect is multiplied by all the other churches, synagogues and other faith communities in our area.
We’ve had a few of the teens tell us point blank that if it weren’t for our church and youth ministry, they’d be on drugs or in gangs (they get approached surprisingly often, and fatherless teen boys are excellent targets). One of them, who joined our youth group as an angry, streetwise gang-wannabe whose mother and father are both absent, is now an altar server, and says he might want to be a priest.
The point is: people coming together to minister to others are going to make a difference, independent of money. Wealthier people are generous and we get lots of donations. But we’re not rich by any stretch, and we don’t have government money. You don’t need it to make a difference. People who believe in the power of goverment as opposed to the power of charitable people committed to giving of themselves, personally, in the lives of others, have no idea the transforming power the latter can have in the lives of people who otherwise would be in very dire straits, financially, family-wise, emotionally and yes, spiritually too.
no one you know (1ebbb1) — 1/18/2008 @ 3:43 amno one you know,
Sounds like a very good program you are involved with. thanks for sharing the details.
I’m not an advocate of throwing money at a problem but I do believe there is a balance and the job training is an area that really needs money.
I see it as more of an investment. If people are taught a skill and don’t go back to prison this reduces a variety of costs taxpayers are shouldering to pay for increased police, court and prison costs. In the case of California, which needs more energy plants there could be an opportunity to have a job corps type program that helps bring some jobs to the state – an investment everyone benefits from.
And I agree completely with you about the involvement of the faith communities. More than any other agency or groups they really have the pulse of the local community and understand what resources and assistance are needed.
voiceofreason (2dad2e) — 1/18/2008 @ 3:53 amShe also advocated a 90-day freeze on housing foreclosures
Can the Federal Government do that? Aren’t they obligated to enforce mortgage contracts?
Amphipolis (fdbc48) — 1/18/2008 @ 5:50 amVor and Nobody,
More liberalism. Geez, just more poison to keep killing the community. HOW ABOUT SOME PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY??? HOW ABOUT, “YOU DO THE CRIME. YOU DO ALL THE TIME!”?
PCD (5c49b0) — 1/18/2008 @ 6:21 amI don’t know that the federal government is going to fix things – I don’t want to minimize the human suffering here, but the federal government has been trying to fix things for 50 years, and it seems to me that the level of misery has increased.
Is it that we don’t provide education?
Is it that we don’t provide job training?
Is it that we don’t provide better housing?
Is it that we don’t provide something that the middle class already has?
I don’t know. I don’t know whether it’s something that’s not provided, or something that’s outside the expertise of the government, but I suspect that there’s something the government is doing that is crushing the human spirit in these situations. Not crushing them through malice.
I don’t think people are much different between Compton and Beverly Hills. They behave pretty much the same in that they seek after what benefits them. So it’s not that the “poor” are bad and the rich are good. But somehow violence and extremely dysfunctional family and social arrangements persist and are encouraged in these ghettos, even though there are people who live on much less in other environments and who are NOT acting like they’re in the ghetto.
What are the behaviors and attitudes that are making these people fail so spectacularly, and how can we extinguish those behaviors and attitudes?
I think anyone can, given the right conditions, change his behavior, because I believe humans are extremely adaptable to their environment.
But I will predict this: as soon as Hillary! is elected (55%-42%), this issue will be promptly forgotten. What really surprises me is that we continue to act as if these professional politicians care about anything that doesn’t directly further their careers. And those who think this plastic lady cares about these people in the ghetto are living in a fantasy world largely made of their own wishes.
steve miller (cd7cac) — 1/18/2008 @ 6:23 am“More liberalism. Geez, just more poison to keep killing the community. HOW ABOUT SOME PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY??? HOW ABOUT, “YOU DO THE CRIME. YOU DO ALL THE TIME!”?”
How about letting he who is without sin cast the first stone?
stef (1bf27e) — 1/18/2008 @ 6:40 amComment by PCD — 1/18/2008 @ 6:21 am
Well, would hardly call myself a liberal in any sense of the word, so, am not sure what you mean. Would you please clarify? Thanks.
no one you know (1f5ddb) — 1/18/2008 @ 6:41 amBut, but you told me you knew all about it…
Keep a knife under the bed.
Karl (fe05e6) — 1/18/2008 @ 7:07 amstef – Glib, you are. Under your mantra, we would be a judgement free world, and everyone would be free to do whatever they wish, because nobody is perfect.
JD (75f5c3) — 1/18/2008 @ 7:08 amSacrificing the good at the altar of the perfect.
JD (75f5c3) — 1/18/2008 @ 7:10 amIt’s about education education education. Get the kids to learn, help them see that education brings you results and that earning something is better than a handout.
Of course the problem is not so easily solved, but I think that if we focused on teaching and helping people acquire skills things would look up.
Dr T (69c4b2) — 1/18/2008 @ 7:17 amI would love to know the attendance rates of the High School(s) in Compton. I always have trouble wanting to invest in jobs training programs for areas where the primary job training program, public education, is roundly ignored.
MayBee (ab5f01) — 1/18/2008 @ 7:21 amYou YouTube better than I do. I went looking for Mrs. Clinton’s Scarlet O’Hara video this morning, but could not find it. Well now that I have found it, I will put it to good use. Thank you so very much.
DavidL (8a783f) — 1/18/2008 @ 7:53 am“I don’t know that the federal government is going to fix things – I don’t want to minimize the human suffering here, but the federal government has been trying to fix things for 50 years, and it seems to me that the level of misery has increased.”
…and thats a huge part of the problem: the government should not be attempting to fix what people need to take responsibility for.
Dependence on the government to fix anything only weakens a society and appeals to the low expectation of self-entitlement.
Dana (b4a26c) — 1/18/2008 @ 8:59 amThat is funny – not sure if everyone got the referenceon that one.
I have recently become much more involved in inner-city charities, and it is amazing the amount of work the Catholic churches do. I second MayBee’s thought on reluctance to provide job training to high-school dropouts. You kind of missed job training the first time if you didn’t go to school. As to the fatherhood defacit, government money ain’t going to solve that.
Having recently taken custody of a troubled teen boy, let me assure Hillary and anyone else reading – the government ain’t gonna fix these boys. Men are the only ones who can.
carlitos (2bcbb9) — 1/18/2008 @ 9:25 amThis article on Slate about marriages in the Black community shows part of the problem with birthing a community. http://www.slate.com/id/2182089/entry/2182090/nav/tap3
Michael (f6d161) — 1/18/2008 @ 9:40 amIt isn’t as easy as St Hillary would have us believe.
“A jobs program where energy plants are built may be a good area to focus on in regards to training. But a more practical program may be one in which carpentry and plumbing are taught so those skills could be put to use in the immediate community…”
I have a nephew who has great job skills in construction, including the pretty lucrative trade of heating and A/C. He’s perpetually unemployed because of substance abuse, immaturity that leads him to make stupid choices about taking days off or mouthing off to his boss. You can toss people into training programs all day – but if people are taught irresponsibility, if they’re allowed to believe that their Uncle Sam will always be there to fall back on, then you’ll never see a lasting change. It’s not how many people get a good job after a training program – it’s how many have it a year later, and are paying their bills, and taking responsibility for their own messes.
Don (c359c7) — 1/18/2008 @ 10:10 amJob training…
Get hired at McDonalds, at or near minimum wage (which many teenagers I work with here in schools tell me they won’t work for, because it is not enough money). Be on time, be respectful, learn the tasks, complete the tasks.
Your manager will give you increases in hourly wage, and encourage you to move into the management program.
Complete the management program, and begin working as an assistant manager, at around $27K a year, with health benefits, a 401-K retirement plan, and SS benefits. Continue to do well, and by about age 32, you will be a McDonald’s manager, at around $47K, with stock options, a good retirement, paid vacations, and the ability to control your own schedule.
But, even here in the Metro New Orleans area, where the minimum wage has moved up into the $7.50 an hour range since Katrina, there are jobs galore and no one to fill them…
Because if for no other reason, people don’t want to work…”it’s beneath their dignity”…”it doesn’t pay enough”…”it’s menial labor”…”it interferes with my life”….
There are MILLIONS of jobs out there that will pay a living wage, and more, but require effort….the one thing that is missing from so many who WON’T get in the job force….
reff (bff229) — 1/18/2008 @ 10:21 am“The reasons the war is taking place are varied, but are rooted in LBJ’s Great Society and the breakdown of the family.”
Spending went way up in the 60’s and poverty declined. Spending went down in the 70’s [inflation adjusted] and poverty increased. The cutbacks and the resulting flip began under Carter. The war on Poverty worked until it was ended.
The decline of the family is one of the side effects of market-based society. That’s where social conservatives and leftists find agreement with each other, and economic conservatives -“economic liberals” in the older terminology- and neoliberals like Clinton [ending welfare as we knew it] find common cause. Pity replaces concern. Others don’t even have pity. You can’t blame the 60’s for that any more than the 50’s. Bourgeois teenagers wanting “freedom” etc. Gets boring doesn’t it?
But you don’t pay attention to details and you want easy answers.
The second video from Fox shows Clinton quoting someone, and acting out that quote. Fox’s editorializing is bullshit. The other clip is Clinton being Clinton and yes it’s a bit much, you’ll get no argument from me. I’m not much of a fan of Billary, or Obomba either for that matter, but I’ll vote for one of them.
blah (191069) — 1/18/2008 @ 10:57 amYou want to know what else happened in the 60s? There was an economic boom. And in the 70s, the economy was in a long flat-to-negative period. Poeverty rates had less to do with The War on Poverty than they had to do with basic economic conditions.
No,not hardly. For much of its history, the US has had a market-based economy. And still, the family was strong until the latter half of the 20th century. In fact, families were stronger in the Great Depression than they have been since the 1960s.
Steverino (e00589) — 1/18/2008 @ 11:08 amThe Thunder Run has linked to this post in the – Web Reconnaissance for 01/18/2008 A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day…so check back often.
David M (447675) — 1/18/2008 @ 11:19 am“the family was strong until the latter half of the 20th century. In fact, families were stronger in the Great Depression than they have been since the 1960s.”
The 30’s were the decade of the Depression and the youth of the 60’s were the children of the post-war boom. And of course the 60’s were also the years of the civil rights movement. The struggles for black social and economic freedom mixed with the struggles for women’s independence mixed with the “struggles” of white adolescent narcissism, all in the richest most powerful nation on earth.
blah (191069) — 1/18/2008 @ 11:54 amMessy stuff.
Hillary’s pandering reminds me of the venerable film Gone with the Wind: “I don’t know nothin’ about birthin’ no community, Miss Hillary!”
Patricia (aaa977) — 1/18/2008 @ 12:01 pmThe 60’s was also the generational beginnings of rejecting accepted authority, and “doing your own thing.” This also led to a breakdown of basic respect for that authority, and a rejection of the beliefs of those authorities. So, premarital sex, babies out of wedlock, rejecting parental responsibilities…
All of those “white adolescent narcissistic” behaviors….
Damn, blah, I didn’t realize that those were limited to whites….but, then again, I grew up in a Black household….and didn’t have any of those problems, or knowledge that they even existed…inspite of the fact that I attended all white schools through the 8th grade, an all white church for most of my youth…..
reff (bff229) — 1/18/2008 @ 12:18 pmWelfare is the antithesis of market based society. What you’re looking at here is a result of Great Society. Before the government became the default provider it was the family, and survival depended on maintaining strong family units. What we’ve done is to condone irresponsibility by financing that choice. If you want to increase a certain behavior, the best way to do it is to pay people for doing it. The family, and more specifically the father has been rendered irrelevant in certain circles, the black inner city being the most notable example.
Pablo (99243e) — 1/18/2008 @ 12:38 pmI get the sense that blah wasn’t around during the 1960s, reff, from the way she writes. Maybe she can tell us if there are any Khmer Rouge in Compton that we are still secretly supporting.
daleyrocks (906622) — 1/18/2008 @ 12:39 pmI admit it’s difficult to reject accepted authority without learning how to take authority unto yourself. That’s true especially for teenagers. And it’s one of the problems of rebellion in general. That’s why social conservatives want their leaders to take responsibility for everything and why they’re angry at those who say that they want to think for themselves. Freedom is risky,
blah (191069) — 1/18/2008 @ 12:39 pmBut I wasn’t raised to question authority or follow it. I was raised to take it. And as much as I’m annoyed by angry teenagers I’m more annoyed by moralizing hypocrites and know nothings. The rebellion of the black lower middle class was necessary, and it was necessary as rebellion. Otherwise they wouldn’t have gotten anywhere. That’s a problem, but it’s a complex not a simple one.
“I get the sense that blah wasn’t around during the 1960s, reff, from the way she writes.”
I was young but I have memories. And as I’ve said, I’m male. If you want to keep this up I’m going to start having some fun at your expense. Since you argue like someone else’s bitch I’l start treating you like one.
blah (191069) — 1/18/2008 @ 12:41 pmThe reasons the war is taking place are varied, but are rooted in LBJ’s Great Society and the breakdown of the family. As Jack Dunphy said on my site: “It’s the fathers, stupid.” If you don’t think the lack of fathers out there makes a difference, you’re not paying attention.
Also, our country has created a tremendously lucrative job market for criminals through the war on some drugs.
And we’re doing our part to make sure that every poor urban child has an opportunity for a job — every time we arrest a drug dealer, we’ve created a new job opportunity for some poor unemployed kid in the ghetto (while providing free room and board for the guy he’ll be replacing). Just doing our part!
Phil (6d9f2f) — 1/18/2008 @ 12:55 pmSorry about the gender blah. I must have missed it. You’ve said so many things about yourself, it’s tough to figure out what is true.
daleyrocks (906622) — 1/18/2008 @ 1:07 pm“The family, and more specifically the father has been rendered irrelevant in certain circles, the black inner city being the most notable example.”
To say that the father has been rendered irrelevant (which I don’t disagree with to a point) takes away individual responsibility. More often than not, the father willingly abdicates this role and welcomes the government or a social agency to take over for him.
Also, I suspect that most of these men do not consider ‘fatherhood’ and all the massive responsibilities that entails when procreating. Its just something to do and then walk away from. Women willingly give it up and men willingly use them.
But as there are still men (however few they may be) in these communities who take their responsibility seriously evidences that it is not an impossibility, and that the majority mindset does not have the power to render one ineffective or unnecessary unless one surrenders to the peer pressure.
Dana (b4a26c) — 1/18/2008 @ 1:20 pmRinht, because we’ve made that not only possible, but so easy that it has become the norm. Individual responsibility used to be a requirement of survival. Now it’s entirely optional.
no, it isn’t an impossibility at all. This is a problem we’ve created and it is within our power to correct it. It starts with listening to Bill Cosby and Juan Williams instead of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.
Pablo (99243e) — 1/18/2008 @ 1:31 pmIt starts with listening to Bill Cosby and Juan Williams instead of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.
Yes.
no one you know (1f5ddb) — 1/18/2008 @ 1:41 pm“Sorry about the gender blah. I must have missed it”
I played along for a little bit- the ambiguous use of the term “dear”- but cleared up the confusion a few weeks ago. I’d be annoyed if discussion of my gender ending up as another version of the use of the “democrat” party etc. That’s the only reason I was sharp in my reply.
blah (191069) — 1/18/2008 @ 1:48 pmNo problem, thanks.
That’s right, blah, blame others for confusion you create.
SPQR (26be8b) — 1/18/2008 @ 2:23 pmIt is so painfully and consistently wrong that it could be a Boer Goat for all it matters.
We could get rid of poverty tomorrow. give everyone XXX dollars, enough to take them above the poverty line. However, poverty is usually conflated withe the lowest 10-20 percent of the country, and no matter what, you cannot get rid of that.
JD (90efaf) — 1/18/2008 @ 2:43 pmWhen some of the biggest problems ostensibly facing your impoverished are an overabundance of drugs, guns and food, poverty is not the problem. In fact, calling American poverty “poverty” is a bit of an insult to really impoverished people who would be delighted to trade places with our poor folk.
Pablo (99243e) — 1/18/2008 @ 4:15 pmI always loved the quote from an Indian (legal) immigrant that he really wanted to move to a country where the poor have an obesity problem.
SDN (73e980) — 1/18/2008 @ 5:06 pmMaybe we can create an exchange program? Anyone who complains that the government isn’t doing enough for them gets sent off to some impoverished land for one month, and someone from the other land comes here in his place.
I’m thinking a month in real, abject poverty might change a few attitudes.
Steverino (af57bc) — 1/18/2008 @ 5:56 pm“What are the behaviors and attitudes that are making these people fail so spectacularly …?”
– The anti-snitch ethic.
gp (6692c5) — 1/18/2008 @ 6:00 pm– Valuing education is considered “acting white.”
– Abuse of alcohol & drugs.
– Glorification of antisocial attitudes in pop culture.
– Never having had the experience of trying to make it in _really_ bad times (e.g., 1980, 1933, 1907).
– Mentality of entitlement.
What would make Compton better? How about ejecting the Democrats who have kept that city down for fifty years? How many more decades will Compton fail before they connect the political dots? You get what you vote for!
Clark Baker (85dbc5) — 1/18/2008 @ 6:01 pmCompton already was a community long before the pols wrecked it so then they could try to save it. An uncle of mine (white) used to go there on Friday nights with friends to hear jazz, Billie Holiday, etc., and it was safe and peaceful and integrated.
Government interference and loss of moral values wrecked Compton. But it worked to the advantage of those same government operatives: as long as someone is down, you can dangle a promise to raise them up.
Patricia (f56a97) — 1/18/2008 @ 7:47 pmI live in North Long Beach, where my dad grew up. My father in law grew up in Compton.
#46 nails it.
sulla (497696) — 1/18/2008 @ 7:57 pmI’m not a fan of Obama, but I was struck by this at the last Dem debate:
At least he recognizes the problem.
Mike C. (5d63a0) — 1/18/2008 @ 10:11 pmMy mother-in-law worked in Long Beach at the St. Vincente de Paul food bank during the great depression. When she gave hungry people boxes of food they would go through the box and hand back anything that they didn’t need, “for those who are poorer than us”. That is a community, and #46 does have it right. Socialism doesn’t work.
tyree (f31725) — 1/19/2008 @ 7:47 am#21 has a great point. Here in Orange County a group of lawyers won a big case against the supermarkets when the markets took their shopping carts back from the homeless people who were using them. I forget exactly how much each of these homeless people got but it was enough to pay the rent and utilities on an apartment for a year. The papers reported that a year later, all of the homeless people, except one, were back on the street. One guy took his check and had a big party for his friends, and then went back to living on the street. Throwing money at the problem helps some people, but 1 out of 20 is a very low success rate.
tyree (f31725) — 1/19/2008 @ 7:59 amtyree,
This also happened with the homeless who lived in the OC State building parking lot. When they were removed, Legal Aid filed suit and won. All but one or two homeless blew the money.
No one wants to talk about the fact that 90% of the “homeless”–a term which originally meant those who lost a job–are substance abusers.
So much for the Marxist explanation of homelessness.
Is there any way out of our present huge government tradition, which is destroying individual initiative (and our country)?
Patricia (f56a97) — 1/19/2008 @ 8:30 amc’mon, folks. It is beyond question that liberal social programs are beneficial for the poor. We all know that rich people cause poor people. These programs would be successful, but they just have not been liberal enough.
JD (e15e05) — 1/19/2008 @ 8:54 amNotwithstanding the recent debate in Las Vegas, in which Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton tried to smooth over the perceived racial overtones of their campaign for the Democratic nomination, the contest in Nevada has again turned ugly. Subsequent to the endorsement of Obama by the Culinary Wokers Union, the state teacher’s union and a handful of Clinton supporters have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Democratic party establishment of 9 Las Vegas resorts as at-large voting precincts for the upcoming caucus. The obvious intent of the lawsuit is to limit the impact of the resort culinary union’s votes for Obama, claiming that it gives them unfair advantage over other voters. (A judge threw out the lawsuit today.)
The second story behind all this was Bill Clinton’s standard reaction to a San Francisco TV reporter asking him about the lawsuit brought by Clinton supporters. Once again, Bill lost his increasingly-famous temper. “You have asked the question in an accusatory way. If you want to take that position, get on the television and take it. Don’t be accusatory with me. I had nothing to do with this lawsuit”, Clinton fumed as he got in the reporter’s face. (If you haven’t noticed by now, Bill Clinton does not like unfriendly questions.)
Well, there you have it straight from the horse’s mouth. If Bill Clinton says he had nothing to do with it-then by golly, it must be true. Or is this another example of Clinton’s parsing of words? “It wasn’t me, but it could have been Hillary or her campaign.” Let me put it this way. If you think the Clinton campaign had nothing to do with this lawsuit, I have a nice bridge that would look great in your back yard. This is just another example of how the Clintons react to an upstart (Obama) standing in the way of what is Hillary’s rightful entitlement. They get mean; they get tough; they crush anyone who stands in their way.
As I said before, it’s fun sitting back and watching the Democrats tear each other to pieces over race and gender and now unions, showing the nation just how important those issues are to them. I would like to see Obama really take off the gloves and go after the corruption and shallowness of the Clintons.
Which leads me to my final point, which I think would be a great campaign strategy for Obama: Keep pushing Bill’s buttons.
gary fouse
fouse, gary c (d1488b) — 1/19/2008 @ 10:57 amfousesquawk
This article is right on. As a native Angeleno, I know that all my life, Compton is a community that has been dying-not birthing. A solution would be to get all the criminals and gang-bangers that prey on this community off the streets and into prison. That would make Compton a better place to live. Of course, Hillary never mentioned that.
fouse, gary c (d1488b) — 1/20/2008 @ 9:51 am