East St Louis -- A Microcosm Of What We See in London -- Not a Bakken Story

Link here.

When the state's US senator needs to call in the federal government to protect citizens ...

The public housing complexes on the east side of the river might just be the deadliest places in the country, but efforts are underway to secure the area.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is bringing in federal law enforcement to help state and local authorities crack down on crime. Figures show that East St. Louis is nearly twice as dangerous as even the worst streets in Chicago.

“You will find that the crime rate here is the worst in the nation,” Durbin says. “The club scene in East St. Louis is a crime scene.” 

This says it all:

Sister Julia Huiaskamp has tutored many kids in the area, and she says opportunities are few.

“We have many, many children who have been cheated by the public schools system here, who do not have the skills they need to get a job, even if there were any jobs to find,” Huiaskamp says.

I assume the reporter did not follow up on what Sister Juiaskamp meant, or the reporter cut out the answer: the public school system failed in terms of providing a moral compass. 

Abraham Lincoln was dirt poor.

Helen Keller had a few strikes against her. I highly recommend adults view Miracle Worker again. One can watch the full movie on YouTube.

Loretta Lynn was a coal miner's daughter. 

Bill Clinton was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Somehow those folks rose above it all. Most of the farmers two generations ago in North Dakota were dirt poor but somehow the state prospered. Poverty is not the problem. How we deal with poverty is the issue.