Skip to main content

Contagion

"Come away; poverty's catching."

--Aphra Behn, English Restoration dramatist

Councilman John Grasso, who supported colleague Derek Fink’s bill, was not impressed. "When I came out of high school, I had two full-time jobs and a part-time job," Grasso said. "So my heart doesn’t go out to any of you with this problem."

Grasso went on for a minute and a half, his voice rising as he concluded, "You get out of life what you put into it. You save your money, and if you can’t afford it, you can’t live there." --Who Gets to Live Where? By Lawrence Lanahan

"Not in my backyard."

Even if these matters do not invoke you to demand change and bold action, one must consider the economic outcome. If we fail to fix some of the problems in the ‘other’ MCPS, those problems will ripple into other parts of the county. House values may plummet, county budgets may unnecessarily skyrocket causing cuts in other programs, and the whole county may feel the effect. One way or another, these Two Montgomerys will become one.

--A Tale of Two Montgomerys, written by Michael Robinson

"There goes the neighborhood."

"The fact is, we’ve had growing inequality in the country for many years," [McGuire] said. "It didn’t happen overnight, but it’s steadily been happening. Government used to be a source of leadership and innovation around issues of economic prosperity and upward mobility. Now we’re a country disinclined to invest in our young people."

Majority of U.S. Public School Students Are In Poverty, by Lyndsey Layton

I don't have much to add to this except to say that the millions and millions we are spending on the Corporate Educational Complex (Pearson, et al) should be at work lifting children out of poverty. And all the money and lawsuits and broken window policing being leveraged to keep people out would be better used in bringing people in.

It does seem that many today are operating under the 17th-century notion that poverty is contagious and that avoidance is a cure. In fact, as student Michael Robinson points out, it is much more likely to spread if it is ignored. Addressing poverty means going right up to it. Blaming the poor may be done from a distance.

What will we do in Howard County? What will we choose in Columbia's Villages?

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...
1 comment
Read more

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more