"The infectiousness of crime is like that of the plague." Napoleon Bonaparte
New Orleans has been considered by many to be the murder capital of all the United States cities. According to NOLA.com, "New Orleans saw homicides jump by 14 percent last year, ending the year with 199 killings. For the previous three years, the murder rate in New Orleans had stabilized at around 175 killings a year. Even that number was a staggering amount that gave New Orleans the highest per-capita murder rate in the country by a comfortable margin." These numbers are staggering, to say the least, and warrant careful consideration with what route to take next to solve the crime problems in the city.
While I do not have the power to change the crime epidemic that we are experiencing, I do have one ability in which I can attempt to help the city. I can communicate with the people. In the face of this plague we need to be ever watchful and vigilant. We need to watch for our neighbors; both those we get along with and those we do not. We need to protect our children, making sure they understand the dangers of the world around them as well as the beauty of it and the goodness of the people that inhabit it. We need the help of the community to keep our youth out of trouble, instilling them with the will to do what is right. We need the help of the schools to promote goodness and motivation in our youth. We need the help of everyone in this city to never give up and never lose hope. It is time to stand up and to stop the violence. It is our responsibility now. Let us be the hope amid the sorrow...
Monday, February 6, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
This New Year
"When did we stop believing in our dreams and start believing we cannot achieve them?"
This upcoming New Year, in my opinion, will be full of excitement, challenges, and great achievements. I have noticed the citizens of New Orleans, as well as the people at large, have lost much hope in themselves and each other due to a variety of reasons; financial instability, crime, education, and lack of opportunity all are contributers... Our flame of hope is dwindling and I believe it important to remind the citizens of New Orleans that there is nothing that cannot be achieved. So often we allow the media, friends, teachers, coworkers, family members, or even our nation's leaders to influence or dictate what we believe, how we feel, and how we act. In this process our beliefs become distorted and we lose sight of our dreams and hopes because we feel the crippling power of doubt; we often experience this in the terms of seeing something as being "unrealistic" or "out of our reach".
The message I wish to convey and restore for the new year is of great potential and possibility. Napoleon Hill, an excellent author and visionary, stated that "What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve". Hill greatly encouraged that even the average person, without money or power could reach success, achieve their dreams, and reach their goals; he wished for his readers what I wish for us all... to find the meaning of success and to use it to achieve one's goals. The citizens of New Orleans are a mighty people. You, the citizens of New Orleans, have the ability to make change in your lives and to make change in the community. The ability to dream, hope, and envision your goals must never be clouded by doubt. This new year make something special happen for yourself and/or for others....
Have faith, my friends. Believe in yourself. Believe in your dreams. You truly can achieve anything, do not be cast down with doubt.
This upcoming New Year, in my opinion, will be full of excitement, challenges, and great achievements. I have noticed the citizens of New Orleans, as well as the people at large, have lost much hope in themselves and each other due to a variety of reasons; financial instability, crime, education, and lack of opportunity all are contributers... Our flame of hope is dwindling and I believe it important to remind the citizens of New Orleans that there is nothing that cannot be achieved. So often we allow the media, friends, teachers, coworkers, family members, or even our nation's leaders to influence or dictate what we believe, how we feel, and how we act. In this process our beliefs become distorted and we lose sight of our dreams and hopes because we feel the crippling power of doubt; we often experience this in the terms of seeing something as being "unrealistic" or "out of our reach".
The message I wish to convey and restore for the new year is of great potential and possibility. Napoleon Hill, an excellent author and visionary, stated that "What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve". Hill greatly encouraged that even the average person, without money or power could reach success, achieve their dreams, and reach their goals; he wished for his readers what I wish for us all... to find the meaning of success and to use it to achieve one's goals. The citizens of New Orleans are a mighty people. You, the citizens of New Orleans, have the ability to make change in your lives and to make change in the community. The ability to dream, hope, and envision your goals must never be clouded by doubt. This new year make something special happen for yourself and/or for others....
Have faith, my friends. Believe in yourself. Believe in your dreams. You truly can achieve anything, do not be cast down with doubt.
Friday, December 2, 2011
The Beginning
“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” ~Lao Tzu
Many have asked why I have chosen to put my name in the political ring, especially so early on (reelection is not for another two years). The answer is that I must. Unlike the other candidates, I do not have any strong supporters nor am I financially capable of starting any later than now. Because I am so young, it is also quite important to me to prove to this city that my intention to run is serious. If I were to wait until the year of Mayor Landrieu’s reelection, there would not be nearly enough to time for you to get to know me nor for me to prove myself. My intention, like the other candidates, is to win.
I have been intrigued and fascinated by the political system of America for quite some time. The ever changing flow and movements of ideas and beliefs is truly a sight to behold. We are forever changing as a country, constantly evolving. Unfortunately, I believe that this same amount of change is not being felt in New Orleans for a lot of reasons; corruption, lack of interdepartmental communication and unification, fraud, education, blighted housing, homelessness, lack of jobs and job security, terrible road conditions, too much risk of natural disaster, etc. Their are many more, but this is to just to cover some of the basics. These city wide issues have led to a halt in natural and potential progress. It saddens me to see that the rest of nation is evolving, yet we are not. It seems that we are stuck in a cyclical pattern that casts an unfair perception upon the city. The leaders of this city, both past and present, have attempted to "fix" this city, but all that they have done is do nothing more than a simple patch job; eventually the pot hole will reemerge, deeper and darker. It is time to stop trying to patch an inescapable fate. We need a chance, we need a new idea, we need a new foundation, and we need action. The ground on which this city's issues and problems lay upon must be tore up and restructured, it needs to be constructed slowly and carefully; measured by the rule and the square. It is time to stop trying to fix what is broken. It is time to start over and create something new.
I have been intrigued and fascinated by the political system of America for quite some time. The ever changing flow and movements of ideas and beliefs is truly a sight to behold. We are forever changing as a country, constantly evolving. Unfortunately, I believe that this same amount of change is not being felt in New Orleans for a lot of reasons; corruption, lack of interdepartmental communication and unification, fraud, education, blighted housing, homelessness, lack of jobs and job security, terrible road conditions, too much risk of natural disaster, etc. Their are many more, but this is to just to cover some of the basics. These city wide issues have led to a halt in natural and potential progress. It saddens me to see that the rest of nation is evolving, yet we are not. It seems that we are stuck in a cyclical pattern that casts an unfair perception upon the city. The leaders of this city, both past and present, have attempted to "fix" this city, but all that they have done is do nothing more than a simple patch job; eventually the pot hole will reemerge, deeper and darker. It is time to stop trying to patch an inescapable fate. We need a chance, we need a new idea, we need a new foundation, and we need action. The ground on which this city's issues and problems lay upon must be tore up and restructured, it needs to be constructed slowly and carefully; measured by the rule and the square. It is time to stop trying to fix what is broken. It is time to start over and create something new.
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