Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Urban Neglect

Very little difference between Dem and GOP presidential candidates regarding cities:

After 24 debates, the closest the Democratic presidential candidates have come to addressing urban issues is vague statements about fighting inner-city poverty and limiting gun control. The urban issues bullet points buried in the nether regions of their campaign Web sites have rarely seen the light of day and have rarely been “speechified,” unlike almost every insignificant issue imaginable. Meanwhile, Sen. McCain appears oblivious to city dwellers’ existence ....

Not only do metro areas contain the majority of the nation’s population and generate the majority of its gross domestic product, but cities are in fact solutions to issues such as climate change and sustainable development. Encouraging people to live in urban centers where they can ride mass transit or bike to work and concentrating workforces diverse in both culture and intellectual pursuits in metro areas are remedies for our sickly economy.

If you are using urban issues as a measuring stick for separating the candidates, good luck. You might as well close your eyes in the voting booth in November, point, and wherever your finger lands vote for a candidate, because the difference is negligible.

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