Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Metroblogging New Orleans: Future Shock

Metroblogging New Orleans: Future Shock: "Future Shock

So now that water is finally moving into Lake Pontchartrain and the evacuation phase is winding down and some residents are even being allowed to return to their homes, maybe it's time to ask a couple of questions about New Orleans' future.

Here's what I mean: New Orleans is a town built on tourism, right? Service industry is king. And, of course, service industry workers--the people who toil in hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs--get paid practically nothing. Ergo, it should come as no surprise to the rest of the country that New Orleans has such a high percentage of poverty-level families because the city's major employer pays crapola. It's these families we've seen on TV for the past week, families who couldn't afford to leave, families who lived in flood-prone neighborhoods, families who have now lost everything."

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