What the next First Turning won't be like

[beechnut79]

(02-01-2021, 12:21 PM)David Horn Wrote:

(01-19-2021, 09:34 PM)beechnut79 Wrote:

(01-19-2021, 11:45 AM)David Horn Wrote:

(01-18-2021, 10:54 PM)beechnut79 Wrote:

(01-18-2021, 11:31 AM)David Horn Wrote: The last 1T equalized the economic lives of white Americans, and did next to nothing for anyone not in that class.  This time it has to be broad-based, or our grandchildren and their children will be back staring at this same state of affairs.  If this 1T fails in that regard, the next 2T will be explosive.

Even more so than the 1960s? That was certainly an explosive time to say the least.

When a problem recurs and is either ignored or downgraded to the point of irrelevance, it will fester and reemerge later in a more virulent form.  Race has already been down that road more than once.  So have income and wealth inequality.  Failing to address them again won't be taken lightly in the 2T.

Sometimes malaise seems to stay stuck in place regardless of who ascends to the helm. The current mayor of Chicago who possesses the triple threat of being black, female and gay, is supposedly passionate enough to think outside the box and attempt to revitalize long neglected neighborhoods of the city. Yet critics say that she isn’t doing enough. Not sure whether this story gained national notoriety but she is also receiving flak about a botched raid on a social worker’s home even though she wasn’t mayor yet when it happened.

Politics is the art of the possible, and Chicago is a real challenge.  As the Blue sitting in a pool of Red, the city has to solve problems without the help of the state much of the time.  That makes it hard to say the least.  My brother lives downstate, and is typical in trashing Chicago but expecting it to be there when needed.

The city was also trashed by suburban residents a lot when I was growing up. Of course now there is more of a peaceful marriage between city and suburbs now that the latter ain’t nearly as bland and lily white as they used to be. And some of the issues long associated with cities are now in many of the suburbs, especially those south of the city limits, such as Harvey and Dolton, the latter of which was highlighted in a story I stumbled upon just a couple of days back. In a half century the town went from nearly all white to 90 percent black, and has become quite poor and saddled with debt.