U2Bama
Rock n' Roll Doggie
Se7en said:
what common ground is there between the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor?
Let me go back to my example of some things that have been attempted and addressed in Alabama, and also tip my hat to former President Clinton. The "Black Belt" region of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia has some of the "poorest of the poor" in this region. High unemplyment rates, drug addiction, lack of educational opportunities and even a local AIDS crisis have all been present in this region. Now some of the "richest of the rich" may simply see this as a burden which crings the state down, while other "rich" and middle class people see it as a problem affecting the lives of their neighbors and their communities. For the "poorest of the poor" that live here, it is their life, not just a burden; it is their everyday life. But if the state and multi-governmental agencies and business interestes invest in the region properly, they can turn it around, by improving funding (and accountability) for the school systems, by bringing jobs to the area, and by fighting the symptoms such as addicition and AIDS. The Hyundai plant south of Montgomery, Alabama has already made a dent in the high unemployment stats. Good corporate partners incvest in their community, and we've seen his as we've introduced Mercedes Benz, Honda, and now Hyundai plants to previously underserved, rural communities in Alabama. Schools will benefit from this investment as well. The poor will face a better job market; their children will, hopefully, get better educations. The challenge then is to sustain this pattern, and in a way that also leads to a diverse job market (since not everyone will want to build automobiles).
Ultimately for the "Richest of the rich" who once saw "the poorest of the poor" as a burden, that "burden" can hopefully be lifted as the poor move up and move on to the work rolls. Basically, to answer your question, I guess I'll say that their common interest is opportunity.
Now, as to former President Clinton, I do admire his approach to welfare reform in thinning the welfare rolls not by kicking people off but by creating and improving jobn markets for them and giving them opportunities to pursue the better jobs. The final impact of this, as I suspected, will take awhile to realize, but I do think it will be in improvement.
~U2Alabama