The Authentic Eccentric

There is a moving and eloquent post by Dr. Mark Naison over at the Progressive’s Network on the face of the evacuees in the Gulf state disaster. He writes:

Not since the great Mississippi River Flood of 1927 have the economic and racial isolation of the black poor been revealed in such stark relief by an environmental catastrophe. What the images Americans on the evening news reveal about who is dying, who is trapped, who is without food, who is drinking contaminated water and yes, who is looting, should give all of us pause. Is this what the pioneers of the Civil Rights Movement fought to achieve, a society where many black people are as trapped and isolated by their poverty as they were by segregation laws.

On the same day the New York Times (registration required) ran an editorial on the latest news from the U.S. Census reports, which found, in part:

When President Bush talks about the economy, he invariably boasts about good economic growth. But he doesn’t acknowledge what is apparent from the census figures: as the very rich get even richer, their gains can mask the stagnation and deterioration at less lofty income levels.

This week’s census report showed that income inequality was near all-time highs in 2004, with 50.1 percent of income going to the top 20 percent of households. And additional census data obtained by the Economic Policy Institute show that only the top 5 percent of households experienced real income gains in 2004. Incomes for the other 95 percent of households were flat or falling.

Economic growth was also no elixir for the 800,000 additional workers who found themselves without health insurance in 2004. Were it not for increased coverage by military insurance and Medicaid, the ranks of the uninsured - now 45.8 million - would be even larger. And 1.1 million more people fell into poverty in 2004, bringing the ranks of poor Americans to 37 million.

37 million Americans living in poverty is no longer a “fringe” issue. It cuts to the core of our ability to remain competitive as a nation and puts our future in serious jeopardy.

At the same time, this is still America, and I still believe that we can fix almost anything if we choose to - the trouble is getting through the noise into actionable, reasonable actions. It means a national adjustment of consciousness, from accepting mediocrity to demanding meritocracy, not only from our elected leadership but ourselves, as well.

Katrina | Hurricane Aid | Poverty | Leadership