Some statistics from the the Katrina Index released by the GNOCDC shows how little has really been done in rebuilding New Orleans:
Only 47% of the pre-Katrina public transportation routes are open, and only 17% of the buses are operating.
This is for a city where over 25% of the population heavily relied on public transportation to get to work.
Only 45% of the schools in New Orleans Parish have been reopened. Only 52% of the hospitals have been reopened.
Another figure which at first glance might not seem very significant, but I think has serious implications is the percentage of child-care centers that have been reopened. In New Orleans Parish, only 33% have been reopened. For families with a single parent or families where both parents work (not to generalize, but let's assume these would be mostly poorer families) this gives little incentive to move back. Private child care can be expensive, so many people rely on these centers to take care of their kids when they go to work. I've read articles about the shortage of low-skilled workers that has plagued the area since the rebuilding process began, which is partly because a lot of these workers moved to the construction sector which was offering high wages due to the increased demand. But I think another reason is that the rebuilding process hasn't made it a priority to build in a way that would give the lower class incentive to move back. If they lack schools, hospitals, public transportation, and child care services, it would be very hard for a family which needs all those things to feel any sort of desire to return. Why come back when you may be guaranteed all these amenities wherever you may have moved to. No matter how strong your desire to move "home" may be, if home can't provide the basic living essentials, you may be forced to stay away.
New Orleans still has a lot of problems that it must face in the near future - many more problems than most people think. It's been almost 2 years since Katrina hit, but if you travel through the lower ninth ward, you may feel like it's only been two months.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
The Value of Work
"the basis for determining the value of human work is not primarily the kind of work being done but the fact that the one who is doing it is a person"
I've been reading up on Catholic Social Teaching. It's a part of Catholic ideology that they don't really teach you in Sunday school (maybe because it talks about the value of all human beings or the fact that it advocates solidarity among workers, etc). I'm no longer Catholic, but I still find the basic ideas fascinating, and the fact that after being Catholic for 18 years I never once heard any of the ideas of Catholic Social Teaching is even more astounding. The quote I posted is from a Papal Encyclical called Laborem Exercens by Pope John Paul II. You can find it on the Vatican website.
I've been reading up on Catholic Social Teaching. It's a part of Catholic ideology that they don't really teach you in Sunday school (maybe because it talks about the value of all human beings or the fact that it advocates solidarity among workers, etc). I'm no longer Catholic, but I still find the basic ideas fascinating, and the fact that after being Catholic for 18 years I never once heard any of the ideas of Catholic Social Teaching is even more astounding. The quote I posted is from a Papal Encyclical called Laborem Exercens by Pope John Paul II. You can find it on the Vatican website.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Jesus For President? I'd Rather Vote For Optimus Prime
Hilarious post. Some of my favorites are:
Pros and Cons of the Top 20 Democratic Presidential Candidates
Just think how much we could cut out of our defense budget with Optimus Prime as President. No terrorists would even think about attacking us...
Jesus could help with environment problems...if he could change that whole water into wine thing to water into...clean water.
No comment on Bono.
Pros and Cons of the Top 20 Democratic Presidential Candidates
7.
OPTIMUS PRIME
Pro: Size; power; ability to emit short-range optic blasts.
Con: Potential attack ad: "Sometimes Optimus Prime is a robot, other times a truck. Which is it, Mr. Prime? America deserves a leader that doesn't transform whenever it's convenient."
13.
BONO
Pro: Knowledgeable about global health issues; everyone seems to like him; Joshua Tree album.
Con: Too busy hugging everyone to actually execute the duties of office; no one likes the sound of "Vice President the Edge" or "Secretary of Health and Human Services Larry Mullen Jr."; the whole "Zoo TV" thing.
16.
JESUS CHRIST
Pro: Could draw some initial interest from the Christian right until they research his actual positions in a deeper way; likable; strong leadership qualities.
Con: Unkempt; pretty far left; messianic complex.
Just think how much we could cut out of our defense budget with Optimus Prime as President. No terrorists would even think about attacking us...
Jesus could help with environment problems...if he could change that whole water into wine thing to water into...clean water.
No comment on Bono.
We Should Have Launched A Pre-Emptive War On GDP
What is the biggest threat to our country, or maybe the entire world? Is it terrorism? No. Global warming? No (unless your a penguin). Venezuela and the reemergence of socialism (did it ever really leave?)? No.
Is it....GDP? YES! Especially if you live in the third world, and every development strategy that has been forced upon your poor country has been solely focused on the unceasing growth of this meaningless figure. When the majority of your economy is agrarian, barter-based, or completely informal, what does the value of all "final goods and services produced in a country within a certain time period" (in the words of Mankiw) matter? With no real relevance to quality of life, the fanatic pursuit of GDP growth has led to negative growth in many countries, while those who have succeeded in increasing their GDP see little of the newly created wealth distributed to those who need it the most (and who probably do most of the work). Instead of launching a preemptive war in Iraq, we should have launched a preemptive war on stupid social welfare measurements. It probably would have cost less then a trillion dollars, and it probably would have resulted in a lot more good (and a better political word image). breathe
What really got me going on this topic was reading a post about China and how their country has grown at a fantastic pace (using GDP measurements). What many China-fearers forget is that the majority of the country still lives in abject poverty and have seen no real improvements in quality of life in the last 20 years (unless toxic rivers and polluted air count as improvements).
Is it....GDP? YES! Especially if you live in the third world, and every development strategy that has been forced upon your poor country has been solely focused on the unceasing growth of this meaningless figure. When the majority of your economy is agrarian, barter-based, or completely informal, what does the value of all "final goods and services produced in a country within a certain time period" (in the words of Mankiw) matter? With no real relevance to quality of life, the fanatic pursuit of GDP growth has led to negative growth in many countries, while those who have succeeded in increasing their GDP see little of the newly created wealth distributed to those who need it the most (and who probably do most of the work). Instead of launching a preemptive war in Iraq, we should have launched a preemptive war on stupid social welfare measurements. It probably would have cost less then a trillion dollars, and it probably would have resulted in a lot more good (and a better political word image). breathe
What really got me going on this topic was reading a post about China and how their country has grown at a fantastic pace (using GDP measurements). What many China-fearers forget is that the majority of the country still lives in abject poverty and have seen no real improvements in quality of life in the last 20 years (unless toxic rivers and polluted air count as improvements).
The Double Edged Sword of Ethnic Food
Ezra Klein thinks that without immigration, America would not only be as culturally diverse, but it "would also be a much less delicious place". So true. Moving from a large, diverse city with a large pallet of different ethnic foods to choose from to a small, not-so-diverse city where the closest thing to ethnic food is Taco Bell makes you appreciate the benefits of immigration and multiculturalism.
But as I pondered this, another thought came to mind. Is this abundance of food options a direct cause of Americas problems with obesity? If people were stuck with hot dogs and hamburgers all day, every day, they would quickly get bored, possibly creating alternatives but also possibly eating less. With all the different food choices that are presented to us due to the motley population of America, we may be induced to eat more of it. More options could perhaps lead to more consumption. I wonder if the guys at Freakanomics have thoughts about this...
But as I pondered this, another thought came to mind. Is this abundance of food options a direct cause of Americas problems with obesity? If people were stuck with hot dogs and hamburgers all day, every day, they would quickly get bored, possibly creating alternatives but also possibly eating less. With all the different food choices that are presented to us due to the motley population of America, we may be induced to eat more of it. More options could perhaps lead to more consumption. I wonder if the guys at Freakanomics have thoughts about this...
Friday, May 18, 2007
Politicians Are Idiots
Probably one of the funniest posts that I've read in a while. Thanks to Tim Haab for saying things that I've wanted to say for a while in a much more articulate and entertaining way. There is really nothing else for me to say other than "go read it".
Forgive, Don't Forget
Roland Martin wrote a great article about Congressman Paul's comments about the Iraq War during this weeks GOP debate. Here are some excerpts:
"As Americans, we believe in forgiving and forgetting, and are terrible at understanding how history affects us today. We are arrogant in not recognizing that when we benefit, someone else may suffer. That will lead to resentment and anger, and if suppressed, will boil over one day"
"At some point we have to accept the reality that playing big brother to the world -- and yes, sometimes acting as a bully by wrongly asserting our military might -- means that Americans alive at the time may not feel the effects of our foreign policy, but their innocent children will"
Hmm...he might be on to something here. I never thought that our actions (murder, occupation, exploitation) could come back and actually work against us. Maybe they really don't "hate our freedom". Maybe they have a legitimate reason for being angry (though in no way justifying horrendous attacks on innocent people).
If you couldn't tell I'm being a bit sarcastic here.
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one (not really, but I feel like I'm amongst the minority) who sees through all the fear-inducing rhetoric or flat out propaganda that ceaselessly dehumanizes Middle Eastern people. If anything, many Middle Easterners probably yearn for freedom more than Americans, since we have come to take our basic freedoms for granted. Don't forget that freedom (in a political sense) is different (but not necessarily better or worse) in different places. I would like to point out that the Koran has supported the right for women to vote since the inception, and many Middle Eastern countries have had women presidents or prime ministers. Now, I know they have many issues with womens rights and equality, but look how long it took the United States to allow women to vote, and we have not yet had a women president.
"As Americans, we believe in forgiving and forgetting, and are terrible at understanding how history affects us today. We are arrogant in not recognizing that when we benefit, someone else may suffer. That will lead to resentment and anger, and if suppressed, will boil over one day"
"At some point we have to accept the reality that playing big brother to the world -- and yes, sometimes acting as a bully by wrongly asserting our military might -- means that Americans alive at the time may not feel the effects of our foreign policy, but their innocent children will"
Hmm...he might be on to something here. I never thought that our actions (murder, occupation, exploitation) could come back and actually work against us. Maybe they really don't "hate our freedom". Maybe they have a legitimate reason for being angry (though in no way justifying horrendous attacks on innocent people).
If you couldn't tell I'm being a bit sarcastic here.
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one (not really, but I feel like I'm amongst the minority) who sees through all the fear-inducing rhetoric or flat out propaganda that ceaselessly dehumanizes Middle Eastern people. If anything, many Middle Easterners probably yearn for freedom more than Americans, since we have come to take our basic freedoms for granted. Don't forget that freedom (in a political sense) is different (but not necessarily better or worse) in different places. I would like to point out that the Koran has supported the right for women to vote since the inception, and many Middle Eastern countries have had women presidents or prime ministers. Now, I know they have many issues with womens rights and equality, but look how long it took the United States to allow women to vote, and we have not yet had a women president.
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