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...Poverty has forced many people into homes in neighborhoods that are vulnerable to everything from flooding to mudslides to toxic air - as if it isn't destabilizing enough to have to worry about safety on war-torn streets, get an education in schools with no resources, or hunt for scarce jobs.Meanwhile, the stability of the relatively affluent is also under threat. The average American family has spent itself out onto a perilous perch. Credit card debt outstrips savings plans. A sharp economic downturn or the collapse of the U.S. dollar could toss millions overboard into financial crisis. (Van Jones, The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems
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And of course we are also on the verge of environmental bankruptcy. That big greenhouse-gas bill is fast coming due - in the form of extreme weather events that could overtake more than just the Gulf Coast. Some say it could be Manhattan, and most of our cities are no more ready than New Orleans was. Our levees, dams, schools, and hospitals are crumbling or in poor repair.On a larger scale, Katrina also shows the flaws of the individualist 'sink or swim' philosophy that dominates both major political parities. That political-economic worldview informed New Orleans's free-market evacuation plan, which ensured that only those with private car sand money could get out.
The Katrina story illustrates clearly the two crises we face in the United States: radical socioeconomic inequality and rampant environmental destruction. (Van Jones, The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems
Published June 2, 2009 by Gerald Britt |
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| Tags:
Economy
Green
Income Disparity
Poverty
Comments (1)
Great post! This is such a critical issue and Van Jones is spot on about solutions. The US must act soon. thanks for highlighting it.
Posted by Michael Fedor
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June 3, 2009 8:32 AM
Posted on June 3, 2009 08:32