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Income Inequality in the South

Despite slowing slightly at the end of the last economic boom, the income gap between the nation's richest and poorest families again is accelerating, The richest 5% of American families now have incomes 12 times greater than those of the poorest 20% of families. Not only are the richest Americans pulling away from the poorest, but they also are pulling away from middle class families and those that are just rich.

These findings come from the new report Pulling Apart: A State-by-State Analysis of Income Trends, published by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Economic Policy Institute, nonpartisan research organizations in Washington, D.C. The authors use modified census data to track income inequality from the early 1980s to the early 2000.

The report contains interesting findings about the South. Six Southern states were among the 10 in the nation with the widest gaps between the richest and poorest families, and five were among the 10 states with the widest gaps between rich and middle-income families. Moreover, five Southern states have posted the nation's greatest increases between the incomes of the richest and poorest families.

Ironically, the growth of income inequality in many Southern states like Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee is the result of economic growth and an upswing in prosperity. States connected to the new economy are thriving, but at the same time, the benefits of that prosperity are being concentrated among a few families, not shared widely.

Southern progressives should not misinterpret these data and bemoan economic growth. Rather, the challenge is to ensure that all Southern families have a chance to benefit from the region's newfound prosperity. The task is to help families access and take advantage of opportunities. Policies like raising the minimum wage, reforming state tax codes, revamping unemployment insurance, establishing state earned income tax credits, improving the safety net and improving access to post-secondary training mitigate income inequality and help families position themselves to take advantage of the opportunities present in the modern South.

Guns in the Virginia General Assembly: Lock, (Laughing) Stock, and Barrel

Once again, Virginia’s House of Delegates is a party to a minor controversy garnering national attention. One year after a member offered up a “droopy-drawers” bill aimed at reducing the scourge of saggy pants among school-aged young men and women, Del. Jack Reid (R-Henrico) is now the center of unwanted attention for something a bit more troubling. Reid, a school administrator and proud gun owner, accidentally fired his semi-automatic pistol while sitting in his office yesterday morning. Aside from wounding a helpless flak jacket (and his pride), Reid also upset the sense of security for staff members within earshot of the legislator’s personal chambers. This story generated attention around the state and across the border as the venerable Washington Post gave it “above-the-fold” copy today. Says the Post,

“The incident prompted an unexpected debate about gun control and also something uncommon in Virginia political circles: contrition from a state legislator. Reid, a Henrico County Republican, rose from his seat on the floor of the House of Delegates, asked to be heard, explained what had happened and said: ‘I want to apologize to the members of this body and to the greater body. . . . I'm just thankful that nobody was hurt.’”

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that Reid “said he doesn't know if he will continue to carry a weapon. ‘I have some soul-searching to do about that.’” The issue of guns on government property has engulfed the General Assembly for some time, and yesterday’s events will surely add to the murky waters. As the Post notes:

“The incident immediately reopened the debate among lawmakers and lobbyists about whether firearms should be allowed at the Capitol, a discussion that has been held for several years...anyone in Virginia until recently could carry firearms openly into the legislators' office building and the nearby Capitol. Then, last year, a committee of delegates and senators passed a rule requiring residents to have a concealed weapon permit to bring a firearm into the complex, even if the gun is carried openly. Some senators proposed barring guns from the buildings altogether. But many gun rights groups opposed the move.”

Undoubtedly Del. Reid is sincere in his remorse and would surely love for this incident not to have happened. Yet, the incident crystallizes the insanity of the current gun rights debate. Our Constitution protects the fundamental right to "bear arms," designed both for self-protection and for purposes of defending the state though “militias” have mostly been replaced by the Pentagon and National Guard. Sensible regulation of weapons is necessary to protect innocent citizens from criminals, but such rules must preserve the rights of law-abiding gun owners. Hopefully, the Commonwealth’s legislators can figure out a way to make a sensible compromise that does both, but given the contentious environment between the two major parties, that may not be possible. In the end, all we can hope for is that common sense – an too often a concealed weapon itself - will prevail.

Gas Tax and Growth

This week, long-time North Carolina political columnist Rob Christensen writes about the present debate over raising the gas tax in North Carolina. Writing in the Raleigh News and Observer, Christensen gives a brief history of North Carolina’s strong commitment to road construction.

The quality and volume of North Carolina’s roads have been instrumental in the state’s population growth and industrialization. The traditional commitment of North Carolina’s government to finance business-friendly infrastructure like roads and higher education has led to the present economic and population boom of the state’s urban and suburban areas. North Carolina’s century-long investment in its economic infrastructure is unique for a Southern state.

“… North Carolina has the second-largest state-maintained road system in the country, trailing only Texas.”

From Christensen’s article, it is apparent that the gas-tax debate is nothing new. It is not likely to be silenced in the near future; especially with rising energy costs and the rapid growth of the state.

“Today it is estimated that North Carolina will be $11 billion short for roads during the next decade. That may be something to think about the next time you are sitting in a traffic jam listening to a talk show host complain that a gas tax increase is not needed.”

Georgia moves toward modern-day poll tax

In a blatantly political move that would disenfranchise voters, the GOP-led Georgia Legislature is poised to pass a bill that would require photo identification of voters at the polls. According to Morris News Service, Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue plans to sign the bill.

Last year, a federal judge blocked a similar measure because he "thought the ID requirement was equivalent to an unconstitutional poll tax since the law required voters to pay $35 for a state-issued photo ID," according to reports. The newly-passed version of the bill, which proponents claim is needed to ensure election security, gets past the judge's ruling by making photo IDs available for free to voters without driver's licenses or other forms of photo identification.

But in our view, the soon-to-be-signed measure is still highly regressive because it would chill voter participation at the polls and erect newfangled barriers to voting. In a participatory democracy, new barriers amount to a step back toward the days of Jim Crow, not a step forward.

According to an editorial in the Savannah Morning News:

Just because the Georgia Senate made a bad bill better doesn't mean the legislation is good. Indeed, despite necessary revisions to the controversial measure to require voters to show proof of identification at Election Day polls, the fact remains that the bill is a solution in search of a problem - while failing to address genuine deficiencies in election law.

Part of the mission of the Center for a Better South is to rethink participation to include more people in democratic decisions.

Progress made, more needed

I won't be able to post tomorrow (my usual day), so I'll take this opportunity to refer you to today's NYTimes article about states taking the lead in lobbying reform.

Last week I suggested that Southern statehouses are desperately crying out for new ethics laws that include restrictions on lobbyist-funded meals and travel.

Little did I know that Georgia, Florida and Tennessee already are making progress:

State officials and lawmakers in Georgia began operating this month under new ethics guidelines signed into law last year by Gov. Sonny Perdue. The governor, a Republican, said the measures were needed because of the relationship between lobbyists and lawmakers that had developed over 130 years of Democratic control of the statehouse.

In Florida, there are new laws banning gifts from lobbyists and requiring extensive reports on lobbyists' spending, rules the Legislature enacted after revelations that three lawmakers flew to a golf outing on a corporate jet owned by a company seeking slot machine licenses. ...

"States are doing this for two reasons," said Peggy Kerns, director of the ethics center at the National Conference of State Legislatures. "They want to be ethical institutions, and they want the skeptical public to view them as ethical institutions."

That seems to be the case in Tennessee, where Gov. Phil Bredesen, a first-term Democrat seeking re-election this year, convened a special session to address what he called a culture of corruption in Nashville. Mr. Bredesen is asking for a ban on most gifts by lobbyists to government employees and elected officials, disclosure of spending by lobbyists, new limits on cash campaign contributions and the creation of an independent ethics commission with broad enforcement power. The package is similar to what many are calling for in Washington in reaction to the Jack Abramoff scandal.

Southern progressives need to continue to push for this kind of reform.

Reading material

I thought everyone would enjoy this review of four new books concerning Southern politics.

The (lost) wages of low prices

A Mobile Register story reports what most might except:

A majority of Alabamians believe that the aggressive growth of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is good for America, even if the company's expansion hurts local businesses, the results of a new Mobile Register-University of South Alabama poll suggests

Here, sadly, is a similarly predictable story from the Associated Press:

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Textile manufacturer Russell Corp. will eliminate some 2,300 jobs by the end of next year, beginning with about 550 positions that will be cut soon from its former corporate hometown of Alexander City.
Russell spokeswoman Nancy Young said Friday the company would phase out the positions as part of a restructuring meant in part to help it reduce costs and continue selling men's fleece products to Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Economists surely have $10 words for such an effect. The textile workers who will soon be looking for another job surely have other more common phrases to describe their situation, most of which are unprintable on a respectable blog such as this.

Ivins calls for leaders to show courage

In an explosive new column, tough-talking Molly Ivins gets quickly to the point - - that she won't support Sen. Hillary Clinton for president. But what she correctly hammers home is the need for leaders - - Republicans and Democrats - - to be courageous for a change instead of triangulating, expostulating, explaining, defending, reasoning and on and on. Says Ivins:

The recent death of Gene McCarthy reminded me of a lesson I spent a long, long time unlearning, so now I have to re-learn it. It's about political courage and heroes, and when a country is desperate for leadership. There are times when regular politics will not do, and this is one of those times. There are times a country is so tired of bull that only the truth can provide relief.

If no one in conventional-wisdom politics has the courage to speak up and say what needs to be said, then you go out and find some obscure junior senator from Minnesota with the guts to do it. In 1968, Gene McCarthy was the little boy who said out loud, "Look, the emperor isn't wearing any clothes." Bobby Kennedy -- rough, tough Bobby Kennedy -- didn't do it. Just this quiet man trained by Benedictines who liked to quote poetry.

A Missed Opportunity

In the days immediately following Hurricane Katrina, progressives talked about how the tragedy would give rise to a serious discussion of poverty in America. Yet five months later, that public conversation has yet to occur. While silence on the part of the current administration might be expected, progressives also have failed to speak out about poverty. Why?

This question stands at the center of an article by Ezra Klein in the February issue of The American Prospect. Klein argues that the Democratic Party has lost its historic interest in issues pertaining to poverty due to its perceived lack of success as an electoral issue and painful memories of the infighting present in the welfare reform debate of the late 1990s.

While progressives may not be able to talk about poverty in the same language employed during the 1960s, that does not mean, at least in Klein's analysis, that poverty is a politically dead or morally unimportant issue. Furthermore, progressives have a great deal to say about poverty if they rethink the ways in which they typically talk about the issue.

Klein's optimism flows from the successful and proven policies pioneered by progressive thinkers and organizations. For example, CFED, which has its southern regional office in Durham, N.C., has proven the power of different kinds of asset building programs. Similar promising initiatives have been undertaken in the areas of health care and labor market reform.

Instead of avoiding conversations about poverty, progressives should take pride in their policies and programs and talk about they can protect the most vulnerable citizens and support a fundamental American value; namely, that anyone willing to work should be able to earn enough to provide for life's basics.

Lobbying reform on horizon?

Will the ethics and lobbying reform momentum filter down from Washington, D.C. to Southern states?

Today's New York Times details the rush among members of Congress to respond to the Abramoff scandal with new restrictions on their entertainment.

"I think members can probably function very well in this town without having to go out to lunch with a lobbyist or to dinner with a lobbyist," Mr. Hastert said. "They can pay for it for themselves."

What if the same logic was applied to reform measures in Southern statehouses? Here in Arkansas, legislators daily accept free drinks and meals from lobbyists when the legislature is in session. There are nominal limits and disclosure requirements, but they are easily bypassed and often are. It's such a integral part of the political culture that we wonder if real reform is possible.

To the other blog contributors and readers: What are the lobbying rules in your state? If they are lax, do you foresee or expect any movement to tighten them in the wake of the current D.C. scandals?

A Southern toll

Another Alabamian has died while serving his country in Iraq. According to his local paper, "Army Sgt. 1st Class Stephen J. White, 39, was one of five American soldiers killed in action Jan. 6 when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle in Najaf, south of Baghdad." He was buried today.

As noted previously, the South is paying an outsized portion of the Iraq war's toll. The number of reservists from Southern states is greater than most of the nations participating in the so-called "coalition of the willing." Of the soldiers from Alabama killed in Iraq in recent months, most have not been the typical stereotype of a young man cut down in his prime. The victims have been men in their late 30s and 40s who were from small towns. See here, here and here.

One gets the sense that this toll - both in terms of the age of the victims and the holes they are leaving in small Southern towns - is not fully realized across the country. You can get a sense the frustration in the poem written by one of Sgt. White's sisters:

"Mr. Bush, Mr. Bush:
Just how do you feel?
My brother arrived home from Iraq today.
Because of your war, his body is breathless,
Cold and still.
He went over there and fought a battle you alone chose to fight.
Mr. Bush Mr. Bush:
Why don’t you get on the battlefield one night?
You allied a country you felt should be free.
But for us you’ve enslaved our family with pain and grief,
Which freedom to us will never be.
Mr. Bush, Mr. Bush:
I want you to see just what you’ve done
For us the battle will never be over,
It is a fight that can’t be won.
Mr. Bush, Mr. Bush:
You they should never re-elect.
They should pack you up and send you to Iraq
As a United States reject.
Maybe, Maybe a draft will be called and your daughters
Will have to go to Iraq and represent.
How would you like that, Mr. Bush, Mr. Bush,
Our. President?"

Yes Virginia, Progressive Bloggers are Making a Difference!

With the statewide election season wrapping up (aside from a few special elections), and newly-minted Gov. Tim Kaine (D) firmly ensconced, Virginia’s Democratic political bloggers have picked up right where they left off: challenging Republicans on legislative issues. The year 2006 has already been deemed as the year of the local blog by prominent Capitol Hill newspaper, Roll Call which said:

“…if 2004 belonged to the national political blogs, 2006 might well be the cycle of the local political blog. These blogs specialize in state or local political coverage, and while these smaller, non-national political blogs may not have the resources — financial or otherwise — of the well-known titans of the blogosphere, many are starting to gain a following, not to mention the respect of state and local media outlets and politicians.”

With the Commonwealth’s progressive blogging community having played a substantial role in Kaine’s election, as well as, the increase in the total number of Democratic seats in the state House, the new General Assembly session is bearing witness to Roll Call’s prediction. Through a variety of strategies and tactics, Virginia’s Democratic and progressive bloggers are now turning their sights to the legislature. A sample of a few key players illustrates this point.

Charlottesville’s Waldo Jaquith has been hired by a number of clients to give his observations about key pieces of legislation, and he has developed a tool for getting RSS feeds for bills submitted by legislators. The Virginia Centrist blog has created a running list of “Best and Worst” bills proposed by Delegates and Senators, and the New Dominion blog is keeping readers up-to-date on the latest moves around the state Capitol. Finally, Raising Kaine - touted as the “Voice of Virginia Progressives” - is both promoting elements of Gov. Kaine’s legislative agenda and hammering away at the remaining special election races.

So far, these bloggers and their progressive and Democratic brethren have outshone their conservative and Republican competition. In doing so, they have provided a substantive response to lingering questions over whether bloggers could shift from election-season political activism to artful legislative watch-dogging. Though the Virginia General Assembly session is still young, on the progressive side at least, the answer is a resounding “Yes!”

Abramoff in the collection plate

The recent edition of World magazine, a publication aimed at religious conservatives, is be commended for its hard look at disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff's connections to the religious right. Abramoff and Ralph Reed put many of the religious right's key figures to work in protecting Indian casino clients.

Mr. Reed has admitted funneling $1.15 million from the Choctaw Tribe to two anti-gambling groups in Alabama, including the Christian Coalition of Alabama (CCA), in 2000. In 2001, Mr. Abramoff hired Mr. Reed to rally evangelicals to oppose casino openings and pro-gambling legislation in Louisiana to protect the interests of the Coushatta Tribe. E-mails released by a Senate committee late last year show that Mr. Reed knew the Coushatta Tribe was Mr. Abramoff's client. ...
Other e-mails and faxes released by the Senate show that Mr. Reed organized TV and radio ads, as well as a letter-writing campaign, enlisting prominent evangelicals to help in the Abramoff-orchestrated campaign, including Focus on the Family's James Dobson and Tom Minnery, former presidential candidate and family-values guru Gary Bauer, Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly, and American Family Association head Don Wildmon.
Mr. Bauer, Ms. Schlafly, and Mr. Wildmon wrote letters to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton asking her to prevent a new casino opening in Louisiana. Each told WORLD that they had no knowledge of Mr. Reed's connections to Mr. Abramoff at the time, nor did they recall, they said, being asked by Mr. Reed to write the letters.

Oddly enough, many of these folks, who seemingly never tire of kicking Southern progressives, are mum when it comes to their ties to the scandal.
For more on the consequences of the scandal, see the Washington Post's treatment on Ralph Reed.

The Day of the Living Wage

In a piece related to Warwick's earlier post, the Sunday New York Times Magazine cover story discusses the living wage as a moral issue. While Jon Gertner offers useful insights on how the issue may aid the Democrats in the mid-term elections, the greater importance of the living wage, in my opinion, is to recognize the dignity of work. No one who works a 40-hour work week in America should be unable to provide for the basic necessities of life: food, shelter, and clothing. The recognition of this fact may explain the bipartisan support in the Senate for an increase in the federal minimum wage. This movement--unsuccessful to this point--has been initiated by the odd pairing of Senators Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA).

If progressives are to promote an agenda of social justice, the idea of a living wage must be at the heart of their efforts. As Gertner's article points out, such an effort will involve more than mainline progressive groups. Institutions like the Catholic Church may find common cause in the necessity of ensuring that all who work may live at a subsistence level at the very least.

For more information on the nationwide campaign to secure the living wage at the local level, visit the ACORN site.

FIVE QUESTIONS with the Rev. Joseph A. Darby

On this celebration of the Martin Luther King holiday, you might find a new Better South interview with the Rev. Joseph A. Darby of Charleston to be interesting. A few highlights:

• On a progressive agenda: “A truly progressive platform should also speak to how good schools and good jobs strengthen and create safer communities, spur quality housing, promote stable families, and foster individual independence and responsibility. Those aren’t conservative values, they’re American values.”

• On building a better future: “We’ve gotten comfortable and lost our shared focus on progress, our willingness to sacrifice for others and our sense of urgency, and haven’t done a good job of energizing new generations.”

• On how far we have to go: “Successful and enduring movements for change require those in positions of power to share power and welcome new ideas, and we have miles to go in that regard.”

To read the full interview, visit the Center for a Better South.

A Metropolitan South

If U.S. Census Bureau projections are correct, reports the New York Times, the 300 millionth American will be born this October, quite possibly in the metropolitan South. Regardless of whether or not that person actually is born in the South, the likelihood of that event highlights just how much the South has changed.

Despite it vast geographic size, the South traditionally was not a population magnet. Poor economic and social conditions often led Southerners, especially African-Americans, to leave the region in search of opportunity. Similarly, immigrants frequently bypassed the South in favor of more prosperous areas.

Today, things are different. A significant influx of in-migrants from other parts of the country and immigrants from across the globe -- an influx driven in large part by rapid job growth -- is remaking the region and giving rise to vast metropolitan areas.

Metros have powered much of the region's growth. Between 1980 and 2000, according to the think tank MDC Inc. in Chapel Hill, the South's metropolitan population grew by 42 percent. Close to three-fourths of Southerners now live in metros. During the same period, the number of Southern metro areas with at least one million people jumped from 10 to 22.

These trends help explain the likelihood of a Southern metro being home to the 300 millionth American. Of course, the trends also highlight the need for careful planning and responsible public leadership dedicated to bettering the region's health and vitality so that it is a better place to live when the 300 millionth American comes of age.

"Country Boys" Finale

To follow on to Bob and Shelly's posts below, tonight's finale of the film Country Boys on PBS was a fitting and fascinating end to a wonderful work.

In a discussion today on washingtonpost.com, the film's creator, David Sutherland, provided some interesting insight into his thinking about the computer as a sort of equalizer for youth in these depressed areas:

David Sutherland: I don't think there's any choice sometimes except government assistance... there aren't a lot of opportunities there, no public transit, and there aren't a lot of support services. A lot of government programs that helped the area have been cut back and have disappeared over the years. However, people your age do have the resource of the computer. I found kids in WV who were as adept at using the computer as kids in the cities. So I see that as the great equalizer.

He continued in another response with his thoughts about the film as a reflection of Appalachian culture:

I'm not saying that Cody and Chris "represent" every kid and everybody in Eastern KY. I'm not showing them as ignorant, I'm showing them as 2 kids that have a lot in common with teenagers everywhere. They're as hip as kids anywhere, they use the Internet, and kids all over the country are from broken homes or deal with alcoholism. But these kids have possibilities to amount to something great, and if you keep watching the film, open your mind and realize how intelligent they are. Cody's message is "don't judge a book by its cover", and if you can open your mind to him, he might be the most evolved person of any age you'll ever meet in your life.

As far as Chris goes, he's from a family living in deep "Appalachian Poverty", but he certainly speaks better than any teacher I ever had in Boston. When it comes down to it, he can do the work of 3 people, given the chance. By the end of the film, he does succeed, and you leave knowing that even though he could fall between the cracks, but he could also become governor. he's certainly smart enough too.

If I were you, I would try and look at both these kids for who they are, not by the trappings of their humble roots.

It's insightful to read his thoughts there, as well as some of the additional information on the PBS Web site for the show. While Sutherland's intentions in making the film may have been apolitical, there are important lessons to be drawn from the examples of the boys in the film. As Southerners and as progressives, we see things that trouble us and things we know we have to work to change. We also see, however, an inspiring picture of why our work is so critical.

Alabama's state

In his State of the State address last night, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley was talking about how to spend a projected surplus. Here is a sampling of comment from Alabama newspapers.

The Huntsville Times writes:

In Alabama's state government, any riches are an embarrassment of riches. This budget year, and maybe next, the two state government budgets will finish in the black, something almost unprecedented in Alabama.

The Birmingham News writes:

Forgive Gov. Bob Riley if his State of the State address Tuesday evening sounded an awful lot like the State of the Re-elect Riley Campaign. In his first three years as governor, the Ashland Republican has a lot to crow about - which he did, for about the first third of his speech.

The Anniston Star writes:

[I]t was a speech with something for everyone, just the sort of reasoned, incremental approach to Alabama’s needs one would expect from Bob Riley. It was also campaign speech, for he clearly wanted voters to know that he was the one who could bring these things about.

The Mobile Register writes:

[L]et us note that the governor had every right to boast about remarkable accomplishments, and that he has thus earned the trust necessary to implement a series of reforms he outlined.

Katrina resettlement and min. wage

From NPR's "All Things Considered" comes a report about a New Orleans refugee from Hurricane Katrina, a black woman seeking to start a new life in predominantly-white Siloam Springs, Ark.

Also from Northwest Arkansas and arguably on a related note, Lowell Grisham, an Episcopal priest in Fayetteville, offers in the Northwest Arkansas Times a Biblical view of the rightness of an increase in the minimum wage. Even the Family Council should join in, he says.

Raising the minimum wage ought to be something that Biblical Christians can unite around regardless of denomination or theology. When Jesus pictured the last judgment in Matthew 25, his sole criteria was how we have treated "the least of these" — did we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, and clothing to the naked? The apostle James says, "If a brother or sister is nakedand lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?" These New Testament words reinforce the tradition of prophets like Amos, Isaiah and Jeremiah and the obligations of the Torah to advocate on behalf of the poor.

Biblical voices tell us that it is immoral when people are working full-time and living in poverty.

New Years in Puckett

Anniston Star columnist Hardy Jackson rang in the new year in Puckett, Miss. His column about the celebration includes this nugget:

Throughout our nation are small towns like Puckett. And most are struggling to maintain their identity. Jackson, Mississippi’s state capital, is less than 50 miles to the north of Puckett and creeping that way. About 10 miles south, a major four-lane is drawing development and people.
There are lots of reasons for Puckett to disappear before the next generation of Puckettians arrives on the scene. But I don’t think it will. You see, in most small towns, folks like those at "The Shop" are the ones who start the exodus — leave for the big city and don’t come back. But in Puckett they have stayed.

The rest is here.

What's a 'modest' judge?

During Monday's Supreme Court nomination hearings, we heard a lot about Judge Samuel Alito and his "modesty."

To wit, here are some comments directed at Alito (emphasis added):

It appears to me that you easily fit into the mold of what this nation has come to expect from Supreme Court justices: a first-rate intellect, demonstrated academic excellence, a life of engagement with serious constitutional analysis, and a reputation for fair-mindedness and modesty.
- Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.

Your modest approach to judging seems to bode well for our democracy.
- Sen. Mike DeWine

You have a record as a brilliant but modest jurist, one who follows the law, who exercises restraint and does not use the bench as an opportunity to promote any personal or political agenda.
Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.

I like Judge Roberts' phrase of modesty. I believe that is your philosophy also.
- Sessions,

I do know your reputation as one of ability but modesty. In fact, I remember distinctly somebody told me, 'Don't underestimate Sam Alito. He's a modest kind of guy, but he's probably the smart guy in the Department of Justice.'
- Sessions

How does a "modest" judge operate? What's behind this talking point? No where in the Constitution is modesty a requirement for the highest court in the land. We can say this for certain, judges, particularly ones in the South, who were on the side of equal rights in the 1950s and 1960s, were frequently described in most immodest terms - yet they were on the side of right.

Perhaps Fred Gray, who as a young lawyer represented Rosa Parks following her Montgomery bus incident, will paint a picture of why modesty may not be the best way to judge a potential justice. The Tuskegee, Ala., resident is scheduled to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.

Wonderful 'Country'

Allow me to follow up on Shelly's post about the Frontline documentary Country Boys. After watching the first installment last night, let me add my voice to the chorus praising the PBS program.

The stories about Chris and Cody, the two Kentucky teens the film focuses on, are fully developed. No caricatures here.

The next two installments will be broadcast tonight and tomorrow night. Those interested in a deeper understanding of Appalachia would benefit by watching.

Economic Impact of NC's Hispanics Measured

North Carolina's Hispanic residents generate $9.2 billion in economic activitiy, according to a new study. Moreover, this economic impact is expected to double by 2009.

These findings come from a major report unveiled this week by UNC-Chapel Hill's Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise. Funded by the North Carolina Bankers Association, the study is the first comprehensive, fair and dispassionate attempt to gauge the economic impact of North Carolina's estimated 600,000 Hispanic residents -- citizen and non-citizen, immigrant and native-born, documented and undocumented.

Among the report's key findings were the following:

• Hispanics accounted for 27.5 percent of the state's population growth between 1990 and 2004.
• Contrary to popular perception, the majority of North Carolina's Hispanic residents live in metropolitan rather than rural areas. The Hispanic population is clustered along the I-40/I-85 corridor stretching from Charlotte to Raleigh-Durham.
• The typical Hispanic household is younger, larger and less affluent than a non-Hispanic one.
• Hispanic residents filled one-third of all jobs created in North Carolina between 1995 and 2005.
  
• Hispanic residents contribute $756 million in state taxes and contribute immensely to the state's economic output and competitiveness.
• Hispanic buying power in many rural communities goes untapped due to a lack of consumer outlets. This offers opportunities for growth and entrepreneurship.

Despite its overall positive tone, the study contains two controversial findings. First, the report argues that the public cost of education, health care and corrections slightly exceed Hispanics' tax contributions. Second, the report estimates that Hispanic workers reduce the private sector's wage costs.

Overall, the Kenan Institute's report strives to paint a realistic picture of a complex social phenomenon. Hopefully, it will serve as a springboard for future studies and help inform the public discussion of an emotional and economically crucial subject.

Appalachian Poverty Revisited in New Documentary

David Sutherland takes a look at rural poverty in Appalachia in his new documentary, Country Boys, which is to air on PBS’ Frontline January 9, 10, and 11.

Sutherland stated that he made the movie in an attempt to show what poverty “looks like” -- “I remembered the photos on the covers of Life and Look magazines in the late '50s and early '60s, when the media had sent correspondents down to West Virginia and the rest of Appalachia, and I thought how over the last 25 years poverty has taken on an urban face. I don't mean to say that urban poverty isn't a problem, but over the past decade or so, media coverage has focused more and more on breaking news and urban issues and less and less on the plight of the rural poor.”

In Country Boys, Sutherland follows the lives of two teenage boys in Floyd County Kentucky for over three years.

The timing of the movie is of particular interest as we have all been reminded with the recent mining tragedy in West Virginia of the economic state of Appalachia.

You may remember Sutherland’s critically acclaimed documentary, The Farmer’s Wife, about a family’s struggle to hold on to their farm, which aired on PBS in 1998.

Will Losing the Race for NASCAR's Hall Give Democrats a Flat?

Yesterday, one of the South’s most important cultural and economic institutions, NASCAR, announced that Richmond, VA (along with Kansas City) was out of the running for its racing Hall of Fame, leaving Daytona Beach, Atlanta, and Charlotte as the 3 finalists. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch,

“The Virginians Racing for the Hall of Fame board meeting was pegged as another strategy session for snagging NASCAR's $103 million shrine. But after a stunning announcement late yesterday afternoon from NASCAR, the focus of today's gathering at the Greater Richmond Partnership will switch from winning the bid to wrapping it up.”

State and local officials put quite a bit of effort into this project, and in particular the move to bring the facility to Virginia would have added another feather in the stock-car racing cap of out-going Gov. Mark Warner (D). Warner rode his now-famed support for NASCAR and its fans to victory in 2001, even sponsoring a racing crew. Gov-elect Tim Kaine (D), a former Richmond mayor, expressed his support in the waning days of the campaign, but his efforts to woo NASCAR lovers was not as vigorous as his predecessor.

That NASCAR won’t be coming to Richmond will be a blow to the Commonwealth and the Richmond region, which itself is home to two popular “short-track” events. It remains to be seen whether the loss of the Hall will have an impact on future Democratic efforts to capitalize on the political potency of NASCAR in order to reach out to rural Virginians, especially rural whites. In the absence of real political fallout from the loss of the Hall, it would still be wise for Democrats to keep an affinity for the popular stock car racing series. Otherwise, they’ll continue to get lapped by Republican in the race for the hearts and minds of Virginians who are citizens of the NASCAR nation.

One class disappears, another takes its place

Here's one way to think about globalization and its toll, especially here in the South:

Today, the jobs that are going overseas are the jobs that created the American middle class. They are the jobs that paid for homes and cars and all the consumer items that made our economy the envy of the world. They are the jobs that sent kids to college. And they are the jobs that baby boomer parents expected to pass on to their children — along with a deep faith in our country and our way of life.
Only it isn’t working out that way.

More here.

Conflicted? You bet

The South generally opposes gambling, so the conventional wisdom goes, because of high moral values and a belief that the Bible prohibits wagering.

Not so fast.

With a few exceptions (Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas), most Southern states have a lottery. Flights from Birmingham to Vegas aren't suffering from a lack of business. Mississippi has decided to let its hurricane-damaged casino operations, which produce tons of revenue for the state, move inland. And the best-selling spots for the state lotteries of Tennessee, Florida and Georgia are hard by the Alabama border.

Clearly Sunday sermons against gambling are one thing, refraining from placing a bet is quite another.

As we learn more details about the work of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the South may have to wrestle with its attitudes about gambling. Abramoff and his associates played on Southern attitudes about gambling to benefit clients, namely Indian casinos in Mississippi and Louisiana. Those tribal interests did not want competition in Alabama and Texas. According to the record, Abramoff (with help from Ralph Reed and Grover Norquist) kept gambling out Alabama and Texas with the help of religious right figures opposed to wagering.

It's a cynical game for casinos fearful of competition to take gambling proceeds and to give them to religious opponents in other states.

How Will the Brewing Immigration War Play Out in the South

The Washington Post explores the complexity of immigration politics within the American electorate. Calling immigration “an issue that has become a crusade to some conservative Republicans but has defied effective solutions over the past three decades,” the Post sees “Americans alarmed by the federal government's failure to do more to block the flow of illegal immigration and critical of the impact of illegal immigration on the country but receptive to the aspirations of undocumented immigrants living and working in the United States”

For the most part, it appears that Americans have mixed views about the influx of newcomers to our nation. In the South, in particular, the politics of immigration seem to revolve around several elements:

1. The significant growth of the Latino population in rural and urban Southern communities, especially as Latinos have overtaken blacks as the #1 minority in the US;
2. Fears about the loss of English as the primary language of this nation;
3. Growing demands on the public sector - particularly education and social services - as the population diversifies; and
4. Border security issues that feed fears about terrorism.

Whether it’s flak over Latinos displacing native blacks as workers in the New Orleans reconstruction or the national attention generated by a Virginia town’s decision to build a publicly-funded day laborer center, progressives and centrists across the South face the tricky task of providing leadership on this issue in a manner that responds to native concerns, yet protects the immigrant heritage of the region and country. If they can navigate these choppy waters, it’s possible that Southern progressives can establish a practical model for like-minded politicians and policy-makers to follow down a path to success.