In a world teeming with problems such as famine, disease and other assorted examples of human misery; it is absolutely amazing the United Nations has decided to intervene in the public housing debate in New Orleans.
The United Nations is supposedly committed to promoting human rights around the world. Yet, the incompetent organization is silent on abuses occurring in scores of countries across the globe. Last week, it was not silent on the public housing situation in New Orleans. A U.N. housing specialist, along with a supposed minority affairs expert, claimed that the demolition of dilapidated public housing in New Orleans was somehow racist and would cause more homelessness in New Orleans.
Both of those claims were factually incorrect; however, it did not stop the United Nations from criticizing real progress in New Orleans. The four public housing complexes, C.J. Peete, St. Bernard, B.W. Cooper and Lafitte, should have been demolished many years ago. It has been quite obvious to the vast majority of citizens in New Orleans that the public housing complexes were not only decaying, but the units were also an outright heal hazard. New Orleans residents are also well aware of the real problems associated with public housing in New Orleans. Crime, drugs, gangs, prostitution, trash and other assorted ills characterized life in the public housing developments. These conditions were horrible and any organization supposedly committed to promoting human rights should be leading the effort to improve living conditions for poor residents. Instead, the United Nations recommended that thousands of poor people in New Orleans return to public housing complexes that were crumbling and not fit for human habitation. Hurricane Katrina only made a bad situation much worse.
To make matters even worse, yesterday we learned that the United Nations did not actually visit New Orleans before issuing their condemnation. In fact, they did not investigate the situation at all and relied on press releases sent by biased protestors with an obvious agenda. If this is an indication of the research efforts of the United Nations, it is a pretty sad commentary about what is happening with that organization.
The United States hosts the United Nations in New York and pays approximately 25% of the annual budget of the organization. Continually, the country is subjected to ridiculous criticism and condemnation from the United Nations, which offers dictators and tyrants honored positions of power on various committees.
Now that we know the United Nations is clueless about the real housing situation in New Orleans, we should completely disregard any proclamations made by the organization. In fact, after over 60 years of inaction and incompetence, it is clear that the United Nations is an outright failure and it is time for the United States to demand fair treatment from the organization and real action on the real problems across the globe. In not, we should use our funds on more worthy projects, such as constructing more livable public housing units in not only New Orleans, but in every urban area of the country.
Jeff Crouere is a native of New Orleans, LA and he is the host of a Louisiana based program, “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Fri. and 10:00 p.m. Sun. on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 8 a.m. till Noon weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. For more information, visit his web site at www.ringsidepolitics.com. E-mail him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com.
TD - you're talking "history" when you speak of 43 Presidents. I'm talking "now". White males make more money - perhaps it's because white males have a higher education on average? And, don't say that blacks don't have an equal opportunity in school. While it is illegal for blacks to be given "points" when applying to schools, the admissions departments can still take race into account in an effort to have a "racially diverse" student population. If they choose not to complete as much school, that is not a matter of "equal opportunity". Are there racist whites? Oh yeah. But, there are also racist blacks - Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Marc Morial, NAACP, Black Urban League, etc. Oh, and I agree wholeheartedly about your sentence about a majority of people moving to communism. That's what I meant when I said that the only way for democracy to fail to if it is replaced. And, yes, many democratic nations have socialist policies. In fact, America is 10x more socialist than it was 100 years ago (no welfare, no income tax, etc.). Doesn't mean it's right, or that I like it. And, even in those countries, capitalism still is the way that most business is run. Written by Professor
on 3/12/2008
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I'm woried my bossess will think the time I spend on the internet will add up to a good reason to fire my f@t @$$! Dat's why da "incognito" ting, yo. Written by oops I mean , kpf
on 3/12/2008
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One cigarette will not give one lung cancer, to see the entirety of a problem, one must add things up, no? One example of wasteful spending, times "x" million instances times "x" number of days and years will add up to more than a fraction of a penny. Written by kerry fox
on 3/12/2008
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Well, maybe she could refund your 1/10th of .001% of a penny that went into that purchase? TW Written by Tee Dub
on 3/12/2008
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TW, I must respectfully disagree (surprise-surprise). In order for this woman to have "government" paid housing, money is taken from the taxpayer which means these working people have less funds for their families and will have to work longer before retiring. So she should do EVERYTHING POSSIBLE to "get off the dole" and supply her own needs; by not doing so she becomes a fraud and a thief. That is neither "mean spirited" nor "racist" - it applies to everyone: myself and my loved ones, or whoever else chooses to live on the backs of other's labor. The difference between an "evil capitalist" living off my labor is I choose to work for him, whereas her government sponsors will lock me up if I refused to part with the funds this woman "needs" for her ten grand boob tube. If (a BIG "if") the government did a better job of forcing her to become self sufficient (torture?) instead of simply desiring her dependency and vote I would be much more willing to embrace the socialistic “reforms” you see as such a panacea. I was only joking about torture so don't bother firing a BROADSIDE at me about that. Written by kpf
on 3/12/2008
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P.S. You're right - you did have the right to chastise this woman, but you shouldn't have. That was horribly rude and mean-spirited, and I suspect that deep down, you know that. Written by Tee Dub
on 3/12/2008
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Okay Professor - here's the rub - there's no guarantee that democracy will shine when people feel the odds are stacked against them - sadly, they're just as likely to move to a communist or fascist dictatorship as they are to make democratic reforms. As for capitalism - I figure it's a necessary evil, but you have to keep it in check, and in that regard, I would argue that there are a lot of democratic nations that infuse their society with a healthy dose of socialism - all of Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, for example. As for white males having an advantage in our society - I'll tell you what - when we have 43 women or black presidents in a row, then I'll cede that we've become an egalitarian society. White males are paid more than any other major demographic in this country, and they still run corporate America, where the true power in our society lies. As Chris Rock notes - we have "rich" black Americans, but we don't have "wealthy" black Americans. "Shaq is rich," he says, "but the guy who signs Shaq's paycheck is wealthy." As for Bush, you really should read the late Molly Ivins' book _Shrub_ for a humorous look at George Bush's "illustrious" business career before going into government. TW Written by Tee Dub
on 3/12/2008
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What you do not understand professor is that - as a white male - you must berate your kind to show that you are enlightened, progressive and have a heart full of love. You must be blind to wrong behavior from those groups who white males have oppressed - or at least never mention these failings. Of course, another alternative is to "wipe the slate clean" for each individual - in fact treat them as just that, "an individual" as opposed to a member of a <more or less deserving> group. This way one could berate or praise another "individual" without regard of their sex, race, political affiliation or any other way we "separate" ourselves from each other. It was not just the Nazis in Hitler's Germany who had divisive minds; one cannot change the world but at the very least, one should not get caught in the trap of separating individuals into groups and then - based on that group affiliation - determine their worthiness on ANYTHING other than the choices that particular individual makes. Written by kpf
on 3/12/2008
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1) You're right - nothing says democracy and capitalism goes hand in hand. One is a political philosophy, the other is an economic philosophy. However, I know of no democracy that is not also capitalistic in nature. 2) Absolutely incorrect. Democracy shines when a majority of people feel that the system is against them. Because, it is at that precise point that they will revise the system. It's not always pretty (like the Civil War), but it is always successful. The sole exception to democracy being unsuccessful is when a majority of people choose to turn their back upon it. 3) Please prove how things come easier to white males. I know that I hear all kinds of statistics each way, but no proof. We have a white male, a white female, and a black male running for president. For every example you give, for every statistic you quote, I can find another that refutes it. 4) I have EVERY right to chastise her! I may not "be right" for doing it, but I most certainly "have the right". And, there is no excuse. If that was her last dollar, why was she buying liquor and cigarettes with it? And, is it my fault that she didn't walk into a bank, deposit the money, and start making 5% on it? Nope. I'm not quite sure what you mean by the George Bush example. To be honest, I'm not overly familiar with his business dealings. Written by Professor
on 3/11/2008
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Since LBJ's "Great Society" "reforms" the illegitimacy rate for whites has increased from 5% to 25% and for blacks from 23% to ~ 70%. Children who are raised by only one parent are more likely to be in poverty. Throw in poor schooling and sure enough, we'll have a situation where "a majority of the people who feel the odds are stacked against them." I guess one way to have Socialism is to ensure "the majority of the people" are unable to provide their own welfare. Written by kpf
on 3/10/2008
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Ah, Professor, you are once again wielding that sharpest arrow in the quiver of the conservative - the personal anecdote! No data needed, just a moving apocryphal story. Let me just make a couple of minor points (I've been wanting to chime in all day, but I'm really busy) - 1) There is nothing that says democracy and capitalism go hand-in-hand. Mussolini was very much a capitalist. 2) Democracy does not work when a majority of the people feel that the odds are stacked against them; and many people in America feel that way today, and you know what? They're not wrong! 3) You are a white male, so in this society, by default, things come easier to you (I can say this, because I'm a white male too - and, like you, I was a starving graduate student who worked extra jobs, as well). 4) You had no right to chastise that woman. You don't know her life history - you don't know whether those Ben Franklins were all the money that she had in the world (poor people don't always have bank accounts). Everyone has a story; you berated her, but do you berate George Bush the baseball team owner, when he makes a fortune from the government in Texas? If the answer is yes, then I humbly apologize. If the answer is no, that you tolerate corporate welfare, then I tell you that your position is hypocritical. I don't want to end on a sour note - I do want to tell you that I like your idea of using existing county/municipal/parish boundaries in drawing Congressional Districts. C'est tout. TW
Written by Tee Dub
on 3/7/2008
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While I'm keeping on the tack of "real life", let me tell you another story. One that is more germaine to this subject. I used to work downtown, and many of my co-workers lived in the Iberville housing projects. In my discussions with them one day, one of them told me that she was being asked to work 30 hours per week, but couldn't because she was going to lose her apartment by making too much money. Then, a while later, the conversation turned to luxury items. She proceeded to brag that she owned a plasma TV (this was in 2001, so it was easily a $10k TV), leather couch and drove a late 90's Mercedes. So, she could afford these things, but was too poor to work more hours and move out of the projects. Written by Professor
on 3/7/2008
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Oh, you would prefer to talk about "real life"? Fine. How's this for "real life" - get a job, get a house, get a car, stop sucking at the teat of government, stop being a loser, stop being a drain on society. Is that "real" enough for you? You want "real life"? let me tell you a story from my college years. I had a full paid scholarship for college, because of my good grades in high school (which I worked hard for). It included tuition and dorm room, but no food. So, I held down a part time job, in addition to ROTC and classes, to pay for food and other stuff. I went to the grocery one day to buy foodstuffs - taking care to calculate the costs of everything and weigh what I "needed" versus what I "wanted". When I got to the checkout line, I got behind a lady with 2 baskets of stuff. When the cashier finished scanning the first basket, the lady pulled out some food stamps (back then, they were still around) and proceeded to pay for everything with those. Then, the cashier started on the second basket - which contained steaks, liquor, beer, cigarettes and a lot of snack food. When the cashier finished, the lady pulled out ROLL of hundred-dollar bills and paid for it all. I was so enfuriated that I told the lady, loud enough for the cashier and both adjacent aisles to hear, that I really did not appreciate her paying for one cart of her stuff, while I was being forced to pay for the other cart. I asked her to please return everything that I had just bought and then pay for it with cash, since she obviously had no need for food stamps. A guy in the next aisle actually applauded. Written by Professor
on 3/7/2008
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Professor, sounds good in theory or principle, but your dissertation is simply fatally flawed in more than just a few fundamental ways. Written by Realities of this life aren't what you think.
on 3/7/2008
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Almost every single person posting here is completely missing a major point. Even the UN is missing the point. Demolishing public housing is not, and CAN NOT, be a "human rights" violation. It is not the responsibility of the government of a Constitutional Democracy to provide housing. It is the responsiblity of our government to ensure that every person has an equal opportunity to pursue life, liberty and happiness - it is not the responsibility of that government to provide a house, income, food, and/or transportation while people pursue those things. Yes, some people are born into poverty. They must work harder than someone who is born into the Rockefeller or Kennedy family. But, these people raise themselves up all the time without asking for a handout. Now, here's the interesting part. When you have a form of government such as communism or similar, then it DOES become the responsibility of the government to provide housing and those other things. The reason for this disparity is in the basic philosophy of each. In a capitalist economy, which most democracies are, it is usually held that "all men are created equal." However, while everyone starts from the same place, some will make themselves better while some will make themselves worse. This means that, while they are "created" equal, all men may not die equal. By contrast, a socialist country operated on the premise that all men are created equal, and remain equal throughout their lives. No matter what you do or how hard you work, you will never get ahead of the person next to you who is doing nothing. So, if you want to live in a country where people have a right to housing, call up Raul Castro and apply to become a Cuban. If you want to live in a country where hard work will raise you up and you can make your own destiny, stay here and watch us tear down housing. Written by Professor
on 3/7/2008
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I wish it were not so, as I would much prefer as many citizens as possible to be taxpayers instead of tax recipients. I'm not sure how this city is ruled by "racist ruling class dogs" when the mayor, chief of police and (usually) the majority of the city council is black. Unless these New Orleans black leaders are just a bunch of "Uncle Toms" doing the bidding of their white masters, the blame for how this city is run is on the shoulders of the black Democratic leadership that controls it. Unless of course "leading" this city is nothing more than getting taxpayers from outside Orleans Parish to cough up dough for our city's occupants. In that case one can blame "excessively greedy" white Republicans for the plight of this city's citizens. Although I've never lived in a project, I did make deliveries to residents there in the early seventies. I first went into the St. Bernard projects a longhaired Marx (not Groucho) and Engels reading pot-smoking pacifist. I will say my experience there did cause me to reevaluate my positions on many issues (such as: the next time I made a delivery to a project, I brought a "friend" along in my pocket. As my best human friend at the time – a black man, BTW – stated it “my friend don't turn corners, but you’ll play hell trying to outrun him”). Written by kpf
on 3/7/2008
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kpf,
You summed it all up very nicely. Others will try to complicate the matter with all sorts of theories about social policy conspiracies. But it all boils down to your message. Keep them poor, uneducated, dependent and democratic. Written by trifull
on 3/7/2008
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In taking care of our poorest citizens who are unable to care for themselves (such as a pregnant teenager) we have inadvertently created more of these people (just as any subsidy will do, if you pay farmers to "not grow" a crop, you'll have more farmers "not growing" that crop(?!) - that's okay, it doesn't make much sense to me either). So we have people who think they are entitled - generation after generation - to live on the public dole. We also have politicians who will give them this low-level subsistence as long as they keep voting them in office. All this along a "below sea level coastal city on a hurricane prone coast." Seems to be working out.... well.... about as well as one would expect things to. Written by kpf
on 3/7/2008
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Friends:
HUD once again does not report the complete story in our community's need for
affordable housing.
I think it is important to add the following facts about the need for
subsidized housing in New Orleans:
1) we have 12,000 homeless in New Orleans;
2) FEMA is evicting 30,000 needy families across the gulf from trailers;
3) prior to Katrina, HUD had 12,000 subsidized apartments in New Orleans - after
all their current plans are completed - there will be slightly more than
one-third the number of affordable subsidized apartments in New Orleans. Source
is POLICYLINK:
"In the two-plus years since Hurricane Katrina hit, New Orleans’ poorest
families have faced the most difficult time returning home. The lack of
resources dedicated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and
its local counterpart, the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) to restore
its pre-Katrina housing stock leaves seniors, people with disabilities, and the
working poor with few options. This new PolicyLink analysis (pdf) of the agencyâ€
™s progress in restoring its subsidized homes found that it only has approved
resources to rebuild little more than one-third of its pre-Katrina homes."
http://www.policylink.org/documents/nola_fewerhomes.pdf
4) public housing residents and affordable housing advocates have always stated
they wanted one for one replacement of housing - HUD still refuses to do this
for our community.
Thanks and peace,
Bill Quigley
Written by friend of Bill
on 3/7/2008
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Jeff, it is NOT obvious to all New Orleanians that the public-housing buildings are dilapidated health hazards. It is, however, obvious to many New Orleanians that the public housing in New Orleans was neglected by both HUD and HANO for many years, so that they deteriorated as neglected buildings are wont to do. Despite neglect, the Lafitte and Iberville buildings in particular remain solid constructions which could be turned into beautiful residences with the stroke of a pen. Even the human tragedies of the projects were due to mismanagement. With appropriate services and disciplined oversight, including police sub-stations, the projects would never have become the blights they became on the lives of many of the people who lived in them. Destroying buildings is not the remedy for mismangagement. However, it provides a neat excuse for profiteering. I accuse the mayor, the city council, the sycophantic one-man board of HANO and its one-man Department of HUD of destroying the historic buildings for profit, not for civic improvement. If they tell us a lie often enough we'll believe it, so they tell us the projects must be destroyed to be replaced with multi-income-level replacements. Why not just mix the incomes in the historic buildings? Simple. The profiteering would not be possible. I make this accusation and I have not seen proof to the contrary. The city council held a sham hearing on the issue on December 20, and then the Times Picayune on March 6 has the gall to quote the council as saying that they took their vote only after many public hearings. The UN has made mistakes, but it certainly has made no more mistakes than our own governments have. And what about this assertion I infer from your words that the UN should never disagree with the US? The US is often disastrously wrong, and it is most useful to have others point it out. If you recall, the French and Germans were vilified a few years ago, and now many of us are wishing their views had prevailed. Written by Robert Desmarais Sullivan
on 3/6/2008
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You people are the most ignorant people in the world. none of you ever lived in the housing developements or know anyone in them so stop perpertrating. My mother and my wife are from the calliope and st bernard developements and i grew up one block from the st bernard developement and live presently two blocks away. I have very dear friends from there; worked at a neighborhood corner store across the street from there; when i was 16 and 18 and met the most honorable people there, more honorable than the idiot in white house or the housing secretary. so it is good that the u.n. is calling out and embarrassing the racist ruling class dogs of new orleans. Written by anthony
on 3/6/2008
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It is not indifference that has caused this problem but the ineptitude of a city administration for decades to such needs and to provide the ability to get out of that terrible world. The failure to enforce rules and regulations in the housing described, the failure to properly educate, the total abuse of power, the attempt to use certain people for the vote, the failure to curb crime, and the litany could go on. The reality is that the people as a whole did not unite to make the demands that are so necessary. Clean up City Hall and elect competent individuals who will hire competent people and this city will change. Unfortunately for the last five decades that has not happened and the homeless and mentally ill will continue to suffer. Written by RhettsWife
on 3/6/2008
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Yesterday I drove along Claiborne Ave. from the Superdome to Esplanade. What I saw was never-ending rows of tent cities. Homeless (tent-dwellers) as far as the eye could see. Let's invoke Hand, The Invisible god to cure such a disgraceful scene within what used to be one of the richest nations in the world. I echo the U.N.'s assessment, and as Louisianans we should not be defending such total indifference to fellow citizens! Written by Innocent Bystander
on 3/6/2008
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The UN could go to St. Thomas and see a "mixed income" development of 100% Section 8! Free $300-500,000 houses to some good people, some prostitutes, some thugs, but ALL ON THE GRAVY TRAIN!
If anything the U.N. should condemn New Orleans for encouraging people to never work and never leave the City and their mini-mansions....which is buying votes. As long as a politician gives out free houses they will be elected. Written by BestFreeHousingInAmerica
on 3/6/2008
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I say we make the UN officials come to New Orleans and spend a few days and nights in the Iberville Projects - the last remaining one. We'll see what they think after a few days of that. Written by NolaBoy
on 3/6/2008
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Per the decay of public housing projects, we can thank Jeff's political idol, the Ronald Reagan administration for this. Wholesale neglect and cost shift from welfare to the rich has occurred since. And to show my bipartisan leaning, this equally occurred in the the Clinton administration under the guise of "welfare reform". The amount of wealth available to the top 1% of america's richest people has increased dramatically, while the rest of us, including fellow residents in public housing, have suffered tremendously. Pile on HANO mismanagement (under federal control since 2002] and you have the conditions set in advance for the forced removal of our poorest and darkest-skin residents. If anything, the UN UNDERSTATES THE SCANDAL> Written by decaybeganunder reagan
on 3/6/2008
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I am about as sure as I can be that in 25 years (and in probably much less), people will be aghast and say in amazement "what in the *$%# were they thinking?" when they think about the destruction of sturdy, architecturally, historically, & culturally significant housing such as the Lafitte.
I haven't read the (incredibly biased) T-P account since this morning, but I seem to recall the two representatives were speaking for themselves or a subcommittee or something. They weren't representing official U.N. views; but their views were timely in that the U/N. is looking at the entire Gulf Coast recovery issue in the upcoming days and that this was timed to come before that effort. They were presenting findings, not presenting themselves as having launched a full-scale investigation. Written by Linda
on 3/6/2008
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Jeff, dear, the crux of the matter is how two obviously incompetent persons could create such havoc on a city already fighting for its survival under leadership which appears to be incompetent itself. By the way the disclosure in Tuesday's T-P about salaries leaves us with many questions. What are the exact credentials of each and every person pictured in the newspaper. One must question competencies there also and length of service. Written by RhettsWife
on 3/6/2008
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Why is it that we chafe at being criticized? It is fact that rents have risen 46% since Hurricane Katrina [see http://www.gnocdc.org for direct references]. Public housing residents were lease holders in their apartments, having met all the requirements of them. Most however we not even able to recover their own possessions before their apartments were closed off and demolished -- see the C.J. Peete and St. Bernard demolitions now in progress for evidence of this. Read further down in the Times-Picayune article on this subject, and you'll discover that UN colleagues of the report authors, including United Nations Undersecretary for Internally Displaced Persons, Walter Kalin HAVE VISITED THE CITY AND OBSERVED THE CONDITIONS. The Times-Picayune piece was nothing more than an editorial disguised as news. We need to be ashamed for the forced displacement of most of our poorest and yes mostly African American fellow citizens. It is a human rights violation that we should not be proud of. Written by gobraduno
on 3/6/2008
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Point! Personally, I don't agree with the scope of the United Nations to begin with! I feel that it is a useless organization to begin as many people agree with! I would like to the the United States get out, and stop the 25% dues, a waste of taxpayer's money! Written by Driver
on 3/6/2008
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I must disagree. Instead of stopping the practice of paying 25% of the U.N.'s budget and then "use our funds on more worthy projects" how about we quit taking this money out of the taxpayers’ pockets? Of course a fair way to stop taking this money out is according to how each taxpayer pays into the system. Those who pay 30% in taxes would see a reduction three times what someone who pays 10% would. Those who do not pay any taxes would get just that - nothing ("X" percent times zero equals zero). Seems fair to me.... or is this "tax cuts for the rich" and "unfair" and "excessively greedy" (which is an interesting turn of phrase, I mean, isn't all "greed" "excessive" or is there an acceptable level of "greed"). Written by kpf
on 3/6/2008
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In a world teeming with problems such as famine, disease and other assorted examples of human misery; it is absolutely amazing the United Nations has decided to intervene in the public housing debate in 
