In the interest of supporting common goals, I support the intent of this post. You did need to throw in a comment about how liberals "just shower money on various bureaucratic entties", but hey, I'll emphasize the positive. At least you are expressing the fact that allowing these blights of poverty and hopelessness to exist in our country is un-American. I'm with you on that. And you admit that it will cost some money, so at least there is a dose of reality. Believe me, we liberals like saving money, despite the conservative stereotypes. And you refrained for the most part from just blaming the people that live there, and even providing some blame to the absentee landlords - you're sounding downright populist! You did throw in the bit about housecleaning classes, but what the hell, maybe it would help.

So keep it up, and see if you can get any of that onto the Republican platform. THAT would be real progress!

Wow, I just read your earlier post on "tax & Spend" Edwards, should have read it before commenting on this post. You truly swing from reasonable to right-wing hysteria in a heartbeat. You lambaste Edwards for saying we have a problem with poverty and we should spend some money on it, that we should sacrifice, and then you make THIS post saying we have a problem with poverty and we should spend some money on it.

Who ARE you? Where do you actually stand?

Can't you try to find some common ground, instead of harrassing Edwards? He appears to be trying address a problem that you say concerns you as well. Work on the details - how much money, from where, spent where? - look for unity. But no, it's too important to do the partisan posturing...

JayHay,

My problem with Edwards is that he's just going to to "more of the same" on the very liberal programs which have failed miserably over the past forty years. College for everyone? He's either going to make it easier to get loans, or he's going to subsidise college educations...in either case, he's just going to allow the colleges to continue to increase their tuition far in excess of inflation, student body growth or the reasonable needs for the school and staff. College is so expensive PRECISELY because we make it financially so easy for kids to go - easy, that is, until the loans come due 6 months after graduation, when the college (fully paid, of course) don't give a darn about the kids anymore (not being a source of income anymore, you see?). If Edwards wants to help kids go to college, then what he needs to do is stop all subsidies of college...or, if that proves politically impossible, say we'll loan/grant money to kids, but we're only going to pay X amount per college unit...no more, ever; the colleges will then lower their prices on the "half a loaf" theory.

You see, Edwards doesn't want to actually help - he wants to SEEM to help while all he's really doing is rewarding the filthy rich special interests who help him get elected. I want to help - I want the owners of the blighted property to take responsibility for their property, or I'll auction it off to owners who will take responsibility...and I want the residents to take responsibility for keeping up the house and living a decent lifestyle; finally, I want government to take responsibility for what it has done - which is overtax and regulate business out of the inner cities. Everyone takes their aliquot share of responsibility - and no excuses.

George Bush's Faith based inniatives program was cut by the Democrats. I live on the border of Detroit. When I roll down a street like Van Dyke in Detroit. It used to be old burned out building. They transformed alot of those buildings into churches and it looks a lot better than it did. Some nail salons and other businesses have gone up recently too. It was the kind of program that