The real situation is much, much more complex than that article suggests, but there is a lot of truth in it. We have a very big social problem on our hands, and we have to face it.
UNCjigga
Lifer
- Dec 12, 2000
- 25,579
- 10,265
- 136
I agree with his attack on government housing and welfare in general, but it seems like he's putting all the blame for the disaster on New Orleans local government and citizens...which I don't agree with.
This is how I see it as a simpleton economist:
1) People have various wants and needs. We live in a consumer society. People consume goods and services to satisfy their wants and needs. In order to participate in this consumption, we need a suitable medium of exchange: money.
2) People would love to have free money, but this creates hyperinflation. People would love to steal other people's money, but our legal/social structure (government) has outlawed this to protect people's property rights. So people must work for money, providing their own labor, their own goods, or their own services to add value to the economy and earn their money. In other words, people need to work to consume.
3) If someone cannot find work, they cannot earn money. They must find work in order to earn. During the Depression, when people could not find work, what did they do? Did they scream for government handouts (The New Deal came much later.) No. Even though they had no money, no cars, nothing--they found a way out West. We saw a mass migration the likes of which the country has not seen since. Caravans of people went west to find work.
4) What happens when you give an unemployed citizen free housing? They don't move. They don't get off their asses to find work. In fact, oftentimes they are DISCOURAGED from finding work because they might then lose their home! Free food and free clothing just exacerbate the issue. This is what we have in New Orleans (and every other major city across the US.) Given time, people used to the handouts no longer follow the fundamental rules of economics--they do not look for work, they do not wish to earn. They still want to consume, but their most basic wants and needs are satisfied for free.
5) Sudden removal of the welfare structure around said persons causes massive panic, shock. They do not know what to do. They do not want to leave their [free] homes. They will use any means necessary to satisfy basic wants/needs, and not lawful means.
This is how I see it as a simpleton economist:
1) People have various wants and needs. We live in a consumer society. People consume goods and services to satisfy their wants and needs. In order to participate in this consumption, we need a suitable medium of exchange: money.
2) People would love to have free money, but this creates hyperinflation. People would love to steal other people's money, but our legal/social structure (government) has outlawed this to protect people's property rights. So people must work for money, providing their own labor, their own goods, or their own services to add value to the economy and earn their money. In other words, people need to work to consume.
3) If someone cannot find work, they cannot earn money. They must find work in order to earn. During the Depression, when people could not find work, what did they do? Did they scream for government handouts (The New Deal came much later.) No. Even though they had no money, no cars, nothing--they found a way out West. We saw a mass migration the likes of which the country has not seen since. Caravans of people went west to find work.
4) What happens when you give an unemployed citizen free housing? They don't move. They don't get off their asses to find work. In fact, oftentimes they are DISCOURAGED from finding work because they might then lose their home! Free food and free clothing just exacerbate the issue. This is what we have in New Orleans (and every other major city across the US.) Given time, people used to the handouts no longer follow the fundamental rules of economics--they do not look for work, they do not wish to earn. They still want to consume, but their most basic wants and needs are satisfied for free.
5) Sudden removal of the welfare structure around said persons causes massive panic, shock. They do not know what to do. They do not want to leave their [free] homes. They will use any means necessary to satisfy basic wants/needs, and not lawful means.
There is a lot of truth in this article. Good post. Hope no one flames, but the article although partisan a little, isn't partisan to the point of argument. Clear and insightful
Dulanic
Diamond Member
- Oct 27, 2000
- 9,968
- 592
- 136
Both are to blame, yes the response was slower then it should be, and it has been slowed even more by the people their trying to help. Both sides are to blame, however I will say if there were not normal innocent people there stuck, I would say leave them, the reaction they have given with looting non needed stuff (TVs etc..), shooting at the people rescuing them, shooting each other, raping people. Thoose people deserve death IMO, to take advantage of a situation like that....
But unfortunetely there are innocent people there who have done none of the above, and we likely will never beable to tell who did these things and who didnt.
But unfortunetely there are innocent people there who have done none of the above, and we likely will never beable to tell who did these things and who didnt.
Good read. I live about an 30 miles from there. My in-laws live in Baton Rouge and they are considering moving to TN due to the rapid increase in criminal ativity. BR may become the next murder capital of the world. Who would have figured?
fema wasn't in new york for 72 hours after 9/11, yet you didn't hear about raping and looting in Manhattan.
New Orleans is famous for being a historical human cesspool similar to vegas. Baton Rouge wasn't far behind. Eliminate those two areas and the story is more about natural disaster and less about human depravity.
I talked to a guy yesterday who was down in Mississippi doing relief work. The devestation is worse than anything they're showing on TV. Hundreds of miles of flattened homes. Those people are the victims I want to help. Unfortunately the race-baiters and ratings-focused media don't want to tell those stories.
New Orleans is famous for being a historical human cesspool similar to vegas. Baton Rouge wasn't far behind. Eliminate those two areas and the story is more about natural disaster and less about human depravity.
I talked to a guy yesterday who was down in Mississippi doing relief work. The devestation is worse than anything they're showing on TV. Hundreds of miles of flattened homes. Those people are the victims I want to help. Unfortunately the race-baiters and ratings-focused media don't want to tell those stories.
You can thank the Mayor for that. Gave orders to quit sending in food and water to try and starve out the people that were not evacuating as ordered.
So
Lifer
- Jul 2, 2001
- 25,923
- 17
- 81
EXCUSE ME? HUMAN CESSPOOL? Las Vegas is NO human cesspool.
Vegas is much, much better off than NO.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas
LV is better than the national poverty rate, has no notorious 'ghetto' area (Downtown North LV is crappy, but I'd not compare the two).
:roll:
Yea looting when the city is crumbling around you and you have no food and water is caused by welfare.
Maybe its the fact that most of these people have been living in poverty for centuries, maybe its because they feel abandoned because people come to their city every year to party but never see how horrible the situation really is. Maybe its the fact that people dying everywhere around them and no federal aid for 4 days has some effect on your psyche.
No, no this ATOT. You people are sad. You're all relatively well-off, coming from well-off families and you have the audacity to assume that you know anything about these people. Reminds me of the Marie Antoinette quote: "If they have no bread, let them eat cake!".
Yea looting when the city is crumbling around you and you have no food and water is caused by welfare.
Maybe its the fact that most of these people have been living in poverty for centuries, maybe its because they feel abandoned because people come to their city every year to party but never see how horrible the situation really is. Maybe its the fact that people dying everywhere around them and no federal aid for 4 days has some effect on your psyche.
No, no this ATOT. You people are sad. You're all relatively well-off, coming from well-off families and you have the audacity to assume that you know anything about these people. Reminds me of the Marie Antoinette quote: "If they have no bread, let them eat cake!".
The worst thing comes when you end up better off not working than having a job, because government handouts mean you end up with so much that you don't need to work for extra, and those in low paying jobs,or even middle classes begin to wonder what the point of working is when they could instead just leech off the state and end up in a similar financial situationto the one they're in while they have a job.
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