@OCMD, than for what you do. I certainly would not want your job!
@RobA, I understand the argument that these people do not understand how to more effectively express themselves. I have flown in and out of BWI probably a hundred times. I doubt I will do so again. I never ventured into Baltimore but feel confident that I will never do so now. Same thing with St. Louis. I have been there a few times. I enjoyed the arch and cathedral but doubt I would go back again.
I do not disagree that many of these people were born with less opportunity than I was. But if we step back a generation my father grew up as a subsistence farmer. He hunted or fished for food after school everyday as well as taking care of his farm chores with the animals and garden. They had 500 chickens, raised hogs, smoked hams for sale, raised 6 acres of produce, milked a cow, raised other cattle for sale, used horses for much of their transportation, ran a peddlers route selling what they produced and had jobs at a local motel and general store to bring in additional cash. His Father had crippling arthritis from exposure and wounds during WWII. He worked his way through college by working at an ice company, cutting trees, and working as a teller. After college he became a banker and continued to run and expand the farm. My Mother's Father was a home builder in Houston, TX. He had been given chemicals during WWII and died from a long fight with kidney failure when she was 7. They moved to a family farm in Arkansas that was more than 25 miles away from the closest city. The roads were so poor that milk would spoil before they got it home. She has had significant tooth loss that the dentists believe was due to a lack of calcium as a child. They did not have electricity or running water. Her mother put herself through nursing school and raised four children on her own. When she was in 10th grade they moved to a house with running water and electricity. The GI Bill paid for her to go to college. They raised three sons all of which have six figure incomes.
My understanding of Baltimore is that similar to New Orleans it has a large population of citizens who live in government housing while collecting food stamps, tax refunds and numerous other government contributions to fund their survival. The city has experienced a loss of industry and jobs similar to Detroit. Historically, without the influx of government handouts, the citizens would have left for locations where they could find jobs. These government handouts have created generations of citizens who have no need to or interest in working. They do not have the skills, qualifications or eloquence to surpass their government provided incomes outside of criminal enterprise. Breeding is a primary source of income increases in their community.
So how can they / we change this?
