Inner City Politics Continue Plight of Poverty

If the past months have not revealed anything else, it is that poverty stricken urban areas are desperate for change even if they may not fully understand what kind of change. This has applied to all demographics including black and white communities and to a lesser degree; the Hispanic population.

Americans can not possibly move forward or consider alternatives to inner city issues without first examining history. By and large, these communities have voted Democratic for decades and have had almost exclusively democrat representation ever since. Those elected have consistently implemented liberal ideals in the form of multiple welfare programs (General Relief, ADC, WIC), housing assistance, business loans and a plethora of similar stimulus packages. All may have been born of good intentions but most all of these programs have failed miserably in their stated goal of providing opportunities to rise above their circumstances.

As a student, I worked in an inner city clinic of Columbus for four and half years and got to see on a daily basis the state of affairs that liberalism has wrought on our country. As a real estate professional today, my frequent assignments in these areas has revealed no upward movement a generation later. Crime rates continue to soar and drug use, broken families and failed businesses make up the landscape. The only sense of community is often between gang members.

Home ownership has been made possible in recent years by the lowering of lending standards yet inner city housing markets are predominantly investor controlled. Foreclosures have been rampant and vacant boarded-up properties drive values down leaving little equity growth for existing owner occupants.

Economic conditions continue to stagnate and worsen as the cycle continues of electing the same old politicians. These manipulative leaders use the struggles of the poor against them by feeding them a steady diet of class warfare, racism and a sense of entitlement. Their only goal remains to strengthen their power and financial position. Rep. Charles Rangel even defended his $774/month lease of a luxury automobile by claiming “my constituents appreciate it”. Is that because they can only dream of owning such a car?

When will the people in these neighborhoods and communities realize that Republicans can not be blamed for their circumstances when after forty plus years of liberal policies have been enacted on their behalf, they remain in the same position? Maybe it is time for a new direction that has seemed to work very well for suburban areas…conservative principles.