In the 1930’s, my adoptive grandfather hopped a train and road it to Chicago. When I say hopped, I mean it literally. He didn’t pay for a ticket. He and his friend climbed the train and sat on top. From Little Rock to Chicago.
They sat on top of the train.
That’s right. On top. They were happy to do it, too.
My grandfather called it hobo-in’. They were looking for work, so they headed north. Chicago didn’t work out so Grandpa “hobo-ed” to Milwaukee, where he survived by shining shoes and eating every other day.
In the 1950’s, my father left Mississippi. He followed the trail blazed by a few other men from his small town that found work in Milwaukee. Once he got established, he brought my mother here, got married, built a house and had us kids.
My father left his home in search of work.
Two generations of Americans (of African descent) left family and friends in the South to move to Milwaukee. Yet in 2007 we actually entertain plans for building multi-billion-dollar rail systems so that inner-city residents can find work in the suburbs. “All the jobs have left the city,” we’re told.
Please. We don’t need to spend so much money on newfangled transportation.
Waukesha, Port Washington and Grafton are a lot easier to get to than Milwaukee is from Arkansas and Mississippi.
The unemployment crisis in the city has less to do with job availability and more to do with laziness. Our lazy, left-leaning, drive-thru, let-the-government-do-it-‘cause-I-don’t-want-to culture.
You make your own life. Don’t wait for someone else to make it for you.
I guess they've given up on bringing jobs to the city.
Posted by: Andy | March 22, 2007 at 09:37 PM
Couldn't disagree more:
Tell me James, would rich white folks from Mequon and Delafield tolerate an hour and half commute each way to work downtown? Would they support dismantling the freeways (a huge public subsidy) and we could go back to two lane streets connecting our communities?
Forget transportation, why can't these poor central city folk not LIVE near the jobs in the burbs?
To put this on the backs of poor people (ie they are lazy) and not realize that decisions have been made by very rich people to seperate themselves from "those" kinds of people is to bury your head in the sand.
Posted by: Jim | March 23, 2007 at 06:18 PM
In answer to your questions:
Yes,
Yes,
Because a $220,000 house costs more than a $2000 car.
--------------------
There comes a time to get off the pot and go get what you need to survive. Your ancestors came to this country for some reason...now THAT'S a commute!
Posted by: Andy | March 23, 2007 at 08:08 PM
Speaking of "rich white folks," how's life in Shorewood? Must be rough.
Posted by: bk bomber | March 24, 2007 at 09:25 PM
Well, bk bomber, you appear to know who I am, do you have the guts to identify yourself?
To Andy's point that poor folks don't live in the ex-urbs because the housing costs too much um....that's my point. Would Brookfield support affordable housing development, single-family or otherwise. Why do you think Ozaukee and Waukesha counties have large lot zoning requirments?
If this was truly market based, motivation for improvement, etc. of James original post, there would be plenty of housing for poor and lower middle class folk out in the burbs, near the jobs James wishes they'd jump on a train for. There are other powerful factors at play and blaming the poor has always been the EASIEST way out. No way the rich and powerful could be at fault. No way indeed.
Posted by: Jim | April 05, 2007 at 04:47 PM
Jim,
No, I don't "have the guts" and I won't be meeting you at the playground after school, either.
But I will ask you a serious question: Why is your every example of a "rich and powerful" suburb out west? -- Waukesha, Ozaukee, Brookfield. Will you not acknowledge that Shorewood is just as rich and powerful (and white) as any of those?
Posted by: bk bomber | April 05, 2007 at 11:51 PM