Glen T. Meakam, venture capitalist and former Pittsburgh software entrepreneur, spoke before the African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania. Kim Leonard of the Trib has the story."We have young folks, young kids, our kids who are really suffering for a variety of reasons including lack of economic opportunities."
"The people who have to stay because they don't have those opportunities get into a more desperate situation. That's one reason why the African American murder rate is going through the roof in Pittsburgh."
We admire how he is drawing a direct and quite short line between our crime situation and our macroeconomic situation, and highlighting its importance.
He seems to be stressing how a lack of opportunity causes neighborhood hardship. We would only suggest a more dynamic relationship; that failing neighborhoods in turn act as a weight on our economic growth (and our city treasury, and our bond rating...).
In the blurghosphere, we have many fine thinkers who turn up their noses at electoral political drama, in favor of hoity-toity economic policy. That is fine, but we do encourage them to chime in on this issue, like Mr. Meakam, and suggest some points of intervention.
In the blurghosphere, we have many fine thinkers who turn up their noses at electoral political drama, in favor of hoity-toity economic policy.
ReplyDeletehuh. I think I had a blog post suggesting the mayor's office should move to Homewood.
Well, what do you know?
ReplyDeletehttp://nullspace2.blogspot.com/search?q=Homewood%2C+%22mayor%27s+office%22
It's recent, too! Must check you more regularly ...
The article only had excerpts of the speech, but it seemed like the same tired GOP line: cut taxes on those that already have wealth, and curtail unions, and *poof* the poor will benefit. Meakem even linked public employees having the right to strike as being a cause for the "blood in the streets".
ReplyDeleteI can't remember when the last time a public union actually went on strike around here (teachers don't count: 11 days worth of striking power is no power at all); I think the Port Authority went on strike about a decade or so ago.