Sierra Times
by Andrew Walden

09/26/05

What is it that bends and twists the soul of man in New Orleans such that he shoots at his rescuers, steals televisions while others drown, and then blames all and sundry for not helping enough? Biloxi and the rural areas of costal Louisiana and Mississippi have similar ethnic makeup and are equally hard-hit; yet they were not witness to the self-imposed parts of New Orleans’ devastation. The answer lies in the peculiar political economy of dependency in New Orleans, home to some of America’s last remaining old-style housing 'projects,' home to legions of life-long welfare recipients and home to the bureaucratic and corrupt political structure which sustains itself by maintaining its 'clients' -- in poverty. While the American economy has boomed for two decades, New Orleans remains a city where over 100,000 people cannot afford their own car. .. New Orleans is one of a few cities where welfare has been taken to its full logic...

http://www.sierratimes.com/05/09/26/70_95_22_150_19808.htm


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp