I will preface my remarks by saying that I am a native and lifelong Caucasian-American citizen of the "Gret Stet of Loosiana." Yes, we have many problems in our state, and yes, there have been many incidents since the 1960s (post Jim Crow) that have been perceived as racially motivated against African-Americans. I have some theories as to why specifically Louisiana has more explosive events than other states, but that is for another forum, not this one.
However, ladies and gentlemen, there is another side to this coin. And for today, I am going to speak bluntly.
I am going to tell you the story of a small town (population approximately 2000) in North Louisiana. When I was growing up in the 1960s and 1970s this is where we went most frequently "to town." We banked there, bought gas there, shopped for groceries, clothes, shoes and other household needs. We saw the doctor there and patronized one of the drugstores. We would occasionally get a hamburger at one of the local drive-ins. We would order things from the Sears catalog and pick them up at the outlet store (located in one of the shoe stores.) There was a feed store, a DMV, the local power company office. If someone died, we used one of the funeral homes and we ordered flowers from one of the florists. We went to the eye doctor there. We even went to the "locker plant," the local slaughterhouse that rented you freezer space for the cattle and hogs you had butchered for your meat. There was a garment factory, sawmills and other small industries providing jobs. You had your car fixed at the local garage. You played school sports against this town's teams and Little League games too. My husband grew up and went to school in this town during this era. He and his friends played in the shady yards and rode their bikes to main street for an Icee on hot summer days. They camped out in the woods behind the town's streets. All of this was done without a worry, completely carefree. Few Caucasian-Americans sent their children to private schools.
Looking back, I realize now that de facto segregation still existed to some degree. The school was integrated, but in the businesses we seldom saw an African-American person who wasn't at work in one of the businesses (not at the front counters, but behind the scenes). The African-Americans lived on the outskirts of the town on two sides and the Caucasian-Americans lived in the central part of town. My husband and I started school in the year that the schools were integrated in our parish and we didn't know about the civil rights protests or MLK or any of these things. To us, African-American students were just fellow schoolmates.
We had no idea we were about to witness a great clash of cultures as the 1970s waned. Sometime around 1980, low-income, public housing was built for the first time in this small town. At first, the apartments were neat, orderly and clean. They were such a success, that several other complexes quickly were built. The situation quickly deteriorated into squalor and crime. The majority of residents of these complexes were and are African-Americans. You can ride by and through these apartments today and drugs are sold openly, people of all races, gender and ages not working, drinking one beer at a time, in broad daylight. You cannot drive down any of the streets without being blocked by African-Americans deliberately walking slowly in the middle of the road, in apparent attempts to show that they don't have to get out of your way. The city hall was robbed several years ago and the library has been burglarized. Needless to say, all of the businesses I mentioned above are now gone and there is one filthy grocery store and one filthy dollar store and a couple of beer/convenience stores. White flight has taken place and the African-Americans are now the majority in this town. Most Caucasian-Americans I know are apprehensive and careful when they do shop or do business in this town.
To make this long story shorter, I will end by saying that the entitlement programs created and mandated by the federal government have resulted in a large underclass of African-Americans who seemingly have no will to pay their own way, no moral mandate to take care of their children, an overwhelming propensity to violence toward one another and other races, addictions run rampant, thievery is openly accepted, the school is a place of violence and inferior academic achievement, and baby mommas and baby daddies abound. And even worse, to me, these trends have spread to some Caucasian-Americans. The cry of Jobs! is the politicians' answer, but the truth is that these persons don't want jobs, they want to keep riding the entitlement train. This is sickening to me. This is not what the USA should be.
This is the story of one small town, but it is also the story of a multitude of American communities, from the tiny village to the giant metropolis.
Throwing more money at this problem is not the answer but I will honestly say that I don't know what the answer is. It makes me fear for our country, truly.
And as an aside to Nova, I would suggest you read a book called "The Great New Orleans Gun Grab: Descent into Anarchy" before you comment anymore about Katrina and its aftermath. Don't lay the blame for what happened at the feet of Caucasian-Americans and President Bush. Lay it where it belongs: With Mayor Nagin, Governor Blanco and the African-American citizens of greater New Orleans who rode the public housing/entitlement gravy train to the bitter end.
This post is not meant to offend anyone and is totally my story and my personal opinions.
, if you need to delete or move this post, I understand completely. I am just speaking the truth as I see it and as the U.S. Constitution guarantees my right to do so. Thanks.
