Anonymous says...I think that anyone that visits this site cares about Gville or they would not be here. I also think that comments whether positive or negative have value to them. We all have our own ideas on how to make Gville a better place to live and that makes most on here correct in what they say. I guess some just express themselves better than others and some are just just so disgusted they want to argue.
Lee Owen just lost his position on council not because of experience or hard work while in office but because of the people wanting a change at city hall. Agree or disagree for Gville to change you must change leadership. Changing leadership means from the top to the bottom and the voters in Lee Owens precinct have sent out that message. Now the question is will voters in the other precincts go to the polls and send out the same message. Like it or not the majority of voters in Lee Owens precinct are majority white, tax paying, working class voters. Will the voters in the precincts that are majority black government assisted voters do the same? Probably not ! WHY ?
They do not care who is elected as long as it does not affect their check ! "FACT" With Greenville being majority black it will never move forward until we get the correct black and white leadership working together at city hall.
To clean up Greenville our elected officials have to first recognize that we do have problems and correct them no matter whose feet you step on.Imagine this ! A drive around Greenville with all property clean and neat, no trash, parks mowed and trimmed, no loud music, no speeding, car insurance, children under age in car seats, handicapped parking spaces being used by the handicapped, no hanging out in vacant lots and in front of a business, police officers that were friendly, a city hall willing to smile and say good morning, a mayor that was available, garbage pick twice a week etc.
These are things that are a beginning to a better Greenville. Oh and clean up the public schools !
These are things that cost very little but are necessary for Gville to even think about jobs and industry back in Gville.
Amen! This blog allows all people to express their opinions... whether positive or negative. I am sure that we all know someone who has left Greenville for "greener" pastures. Some find it and some don't.
What I take from the comments posted here is that most citizens are tired of the current ineptitude of the local government. They are tired of the excuses they are given as to why Greenville is stuck in the last century. They are weary of paying local taxes for nothing and they are devastated by watching their financial investment in Greenville, crumble!
I welcome all comments to this blog. We have finally gotten beyond the fear of "who said what" and into a lively discussion of local issues... which if nothing else, will make us "think" about alternative views of our community.
The underlying message that I interpret from those who have left Greenville is that they loved Greenville, but could no longer tolerate the poverty, ignorance and racism that continues to grow here in the 21st century.
What I love about Greenville is our propensity to unite about matters of little importance, to rally together for the immediate moment, but when faced with a significant challenge, we separately raise our glasses and toast each other!
Forthright
Posts
41 comments:
Leadership is the first step but we have one problem. There is no way that 20% of whites left will ever be able to defeat 80% of blacks left. The table has turned here in the poverty striken delta and there is no way they are gonna vote to change what they have now.
Someone has already poited this out in the blog:
Will voters in the other precincts go to the polls and send out the same message. Like it or not the majority of voters in Lee Owens precinct are majority white, tax paying, working class voters. Will the voters in the precincts that are majority black government assisted voters do the same? Probably not ! WHY ?
They do not care who is elected as long as it does not affect their check ! "FACT" With Greenville being majority black it will never move forward until we get the correct black and white leadership working together at city hall.
There can't be change with this kind of thinking by most of the blacks. It's so sad but true. There is still the 60's way of thinking here in G'ville by having seperated the whites and blacks by the schools. While most of the country embraced both attending the same schools, we here in G'ville right off the bat started our own instead of giving it a chance to work. Now it's killing our town and prvents our town from bringing in other industry and business because of the cost of paying taxes and paying for private schools. And then only 20 % of the people here pay taxes to support the town. It just is no way out. I have almost conviced myself by reading this blog and thinking about what I have read, that my family must also move to give my kids a fighting chance somewhere else. The money for schools, car tags and taxes could be used for mortgage (bigger house) or savings for their future or college. The more I thought about it I came to the conclusion we have been just throwing money into a pit.
And the pit will only get deeper with Obama-care. His plan won't correct the abuses of Medicaid. It will simply put a greater burden on tax payers and insurance companies. As long as you have Medicaid to fall back on, no one is going to "purchase" health insurance. If you have health coverage through your employer, it will be going up to pass on the costs of indigent care.
Very well stated! Good luck with that. Sorry it won't ever happen.
The majority population will continue to be used by the few to achieve their own agendas and those so called leaders will get rich doing it.
Greenville poor will never wake up till its to late.
Why should the G'ville poor want to wake up? They still will get a free ride if the new healthcare is passed. Not only will the employers be heavily taxed (40%)for providing healthcare for their employees but will have to cut its benefits to abide by the new healthcare laws. Therefore the employees will have to buy additional health insurance to cover what the employer had to cut.While the ones that don't work will get healthcare for free if they are considered below the poverty level which G'ville has at
about a 70% rate. If the ones that voted for Obama the last time don't WAKE UP this country will be like living in the old SOVIET UNION or Russia for those who aren't old enough to remember. It's up to us old timers to teach our grankids or children that this way of thinking is wrong for the country and to keep them from getting brainwashed in our state colleges. Obama believes in change alright but believe me from what I'm seeing the change will soon be our countys' downfall.
If America was wrong then why did everyone want to come to America? All that have tried what Obama is doing to this country have since gone back to our system that has worked for over 200 years and now they are headed in the right direction and we are headed where they just came from. Even several states have tried the healthcare system that Obama wants to FORCE on the American people and went broke after only a couple of years. Just look it up. Even Sen.Kennedy that just died passed it in his state and it failed miserably but you won't hear that on the news. Hawaii even tried it and it went broke. Look it up for yourselves and then make up your own mind. The government is sure not going to let you know the facts. It's up to each of us to educate ourselves and then pass it on to others to beat this bill being shoved down our throat.If it's so good for us, the citizens, then why do our congressmen have their own healthcare and will not be forced to participate in it? Makes you wonder doesn't it?
So now if this bill is passed not only will my employer take more out of my check for less coverage I will also be forced to buy out of of pocket additional insurance.
How about keeping Obama and the much needed changes in health care out of this discussion.
It gets this very local and important issue watered down with whining about Obama. He's the president, so let it go - we survived Bush (barely, although we're still paying for it), so how about leaving Obama out of it and focusing on our own very real issues.
This blame, blame, blame should probably stop, too, if we want to get something done.
It's easy to point, shout and criticize, but it's more difficult to get in the game and try to make a difference (I'd say "change" but I'm sure the anti-Obama crowd would object).
3:42 You darn right about fighting Obamas change. If you don't wake up he will soon be running everything you do such as telling you what to wear, eat and how long you will live according to his healthplan. WAKE UP YOU DUMMIE!!!!! Go online and educate yourself on the bill......Read what it says very carefully. You will be shocked.
Good idea! Read the healthcare bill. You will have done something that neither house of Congress has done! (They pay people to do that for them.)
I'm not blaming the private schools that cropped up in the 60's and 70's in this area....Greenville already had a disproportionate ratio of blacks/white compared to the rest of the state. So to say that (for example) Tupelo or Hattiesburg or other areas fared well enough by sending their white students to the public schools is just comparing apples to oranges. Let them come walk in OUR shoes and see if they'd have agreed to do send their precious babies to the publix during the 70's, 80's or NOW. And other areas didn't have Catholic school to further dilute the white student population.
The Catholic school here has roughly 40% black and other minorities, and 60% white. Hardly a dilution--more like the most integrated school in Greenville, and it works quite well. The reason is simple--most people pay to go there, or their child can get kicked out if they misbehave. Something the public schools can't do because they are a public institution.
There are good students at the public schools who do not have good financial options to go to the private ones. It's unfortunate that we aren't more focused on the successes that do exist at our schools--and that is due to the negatives that do exist.
It is simply true that 80% of our problems are caused by 20% of the people (I would suggest it may be closer to 90% caused by 10%). There are many good people in Greenville, but there are enough bad ones to ruin it for the rest of us. We must focus on getting rid of the bad.
Tonight's paper had a good article about some young people trying to make a difference. How can we help them?
I wanted to go to the public schools in 71 and 72 but my parents made me go to private. If all of us had stuck it out back then I don't think G'ville would be in the shape it is today. If we all had stuck with public schools back then the private schools couldn't have made it financially and those that left would have come back making G'ville better today. Lots of families would have stayed in G'ville I think and the schools would have been just fine. G'ville would still be the QUEEN CITY it once was if we all stuck together back then and not be forced out back our backwards way of thinking in the early 70's. When I was at GHS before being taken out in 71 , GHS was mostly white and some blacks. There was no trouble at all. I loved it and most of my friends stayed and graduated from GHS. They loved every minute of it .But after the mid 70's the white exit from public schools started the downfall of G'ville from families moving and leaving the public schools.The population fell from almost 60'000 to what it is now just above 30'000. So the start of private schools started the ball rolling that caused G'villes decline.
oh pleeeze! white people leaving public schools is not the downfall. Let's look at today and not '71. Would you want to send your grandchildren to Greenville's public schools? why couldn't the black people make the schools work? are they that dependent on whites? please enlighten me.
Carla Hughes?
Any comments?
The Greenville public school system has many problems.
Why do you think school buses have to pick up the children so early? The reason being that they get free breakfast at school.
Why don't they use the "no child left behind law" to it's true potential? They don't kick the bad kids out because they lose funding.
So....good children that want to learn have to be left behind. Parents are not parents any more. My parents made sure I had a good breakfast BEFORE I went to school. They checked my homework. They would have known if I had gotten in trouble BEFORE I got home. Then they punished me along with the school. They knew who my friends were and where I was going most of the time.
I had to be accountable for my actions both at home and at school.
I graduated from public schools in 1975 in Mississippi. My parents offered me the choice to go to private schools. I did not want to leave my friends and the wonderful free education that I was recieving.
No one,not the administrators, teachers, kids, parents, or the community is doing their job. People just accept that this is the way it is.
Let's stop being blase and do something about it. One small step is better than nothing.
I am willing to do my part, how about you?
Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance. — Samuel Johnson
How about that Mayor Hudson!!! You have got to love her. After the complete screw-up on the water and e-coli, we find out there NEVER was a problem. On top of that, after the fact she finds out there were other options to resolve this in a more timely manner. A TRUE leader would have been busting somebody's balls before the holiday weekend but she decided to run for cover with Daddy and enjoy the weekend. I have elderly parents that are in Greenville and did not have the options of "running off for the weekend" like the Mayor did. Heather, my dear, you are a joke. You have no leadership other than being black. I hate that there will be a day when the NEW Mound Bayou has relocated to Greenville. To all of the Brothers and Sisters out there that keep voting for her...good luck! You will need it!
Greenville is definitely on its way to becoming the next Mound Bayou, but i guess as long as everybody gets their checks it's ok.
11:06 The person was just stating that back in '71 if the whites would have stayed in public schools back then G'ville MIGHT be a better place to live .Instead the whites fleeing from public schools caused many families to leave G'ville because of financial situations, therefore leaving just a few whites left to cover all expenses for 80% of G'ville now. They didn't say they would send their kids to public schools now and I'm sure they wouldn't. They just stated if the private schools did not exist back then and everyone stayed in public schools G'ville MIGHT be a better place now. The backward way of thinking back then, starting the private schools, started the the ball rolling back in '71 to G'villes DOWNFALL. NOW ARE YOU ENLIGHTENED?
Think about it:
PRIVATE SCHOOLS STARTED:
WHITE FLIGHT FROM G'VILLE
LESS POPULATION FOR TAX BASE
BUSINESS CLOSING DUE TO LESS PEOPLE JUST GO LOOK AT DOWNTOWN G'VILLE
FACTORIES CLOSING BECAUSE OF POOR WORFORCE TO PULL FROM
LESS WORKFORCE MEANS NO BUSINESS TO LOCATE IN G'ville
80% on some kind of welfare
20% HAVING TO SUPPORT OTHER 80%
20% CAN'T COVER CITIES NEEDS FOR MONEY TO RUN CITY
60'000 PEOPLE IN 71 NOW JUST OVER 30,000
THE LIST JUST KEEPS GOING ON AND ON
ALL BECAUSE OF THE BALL GETTING STARTED BY PRIVATE SCHOOLS
This person sure got me thinking what if the whites had stuck together back in 71 and stayed in public schools. Just how big would have G'ville gotten because of still having good public schools. Maybe G'ville would have been the place for the whites to run to and live here. No telling how big the QUEEN CITY might have grown. Instead look at it now because of one small mistake, PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
Since everyone seems to be on the "Let's Blame Private Schools" kick let me say this although it will never happen.
Turn the city over to majority Private School Graduates and watch Greenville turn into the city it once was.
It is a shame that even here white's are blamed for the current downfall of Greenville when any educated responsible adult knows what the problem is. I can assure you if anything in Greenville is turned around it will take the involvement of whites and blacks.
By the way i was not alone working 2 jobs to send my children to private school. Where there is a will there is a way ! Another rule of thumb is not to have more children than you can afford.
I graduated from Gville public schools and it hurts me everyday i ride by one or read about police officers and security at GHS or metal detectors, or gang related fights but i guess Private Schools are responsible for that too.
Bullcrap!
Why does everyone always blame the whites?
Maybe, just, maybe if Greenville didn't have so many on welfare, it could be a better city. Oh, and how many whites are on welfare?
And the ones that are on welfare,how many were born and raised in Greenville, and how many migrated here from somewhere else?
There is a concept called "planned parenthood".
The first step is to find a companionable partner and get married.
The couple should be employed and then, basically, with paper and pencil, determine their income and expenses. Cars, insurance, housing,
utilities, and yes, the expense of child or children should also be included.
Once again, there are those who expect 20% of the local population to carry the load for the other 80%. HOW ON EARTH COULD THOSE FEW WHITE FAMILIES WHO SENT THEIR KIDS TO PRIVATE SCHOOL IN THE 70'S HAVE "SAVED" THE GREENVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS? Or saved Greenville itself? You are forgetting that neighborhood schools were abolished, and the already weak "strength in numbers" theory was even more diluted when you threw in the 10th grade population at T.L. Weston. Can you imagine the horror of sending your 15-year-old white daughter into the neighborhood that exists around Weston just to attend school? She certainly couldn't ride her bike to get there. How about the white kids---male and female---who suddenly found themselves living in the Coleman Junior High district instead of Solomon Junior High? Not the cozy and familiar neighborhood they grew up in. And teachers. How do you tell a 40-year old white female that she will now be teaching across town and can no longer walk to school with her own children?
Our segregation problems could have been solved with equal resources and freedom of choice. Moving children was stupid, and was the result of outsiders thinking they knew what was best for us. Funny thing is, their own schools were and are no better.
To blame the downward spiral of Greenville on the private schools is to single out a precious few and placing the blame on the only remaining positive feature that Greenville has to offer a new industry: a reliable and safe education for their children.
You people just dont get it. You can make money having all thes children and more money when you get the labeled disabled. Why bother with that marrage stuff and legal stuff. that screws up your medicaid benefits your disability checks your food stamps and your unemployment. Ain't no man gonna pay you what all that is worth
Keep having them babies and dont think about no job. Back pay on disability checks can get you $15000 and mour if you know how to work it right.
Why do I need Obama to make me pay for somethin I am gettin free right now. I don't. He needs to leave us alone cause we got this system figured and it works.
I ben living in Greenvile for 40 years and its a good place to live. I ain't had to work and I owns my house. When i go to DMC, it don't cost me 3 dollar to help me. With all my checks, I get 1450 a month. I got me a hud house and it nice and i don't pay no gas or nothing.
We dont need no help in Grenville. Poor folk no how to do for they peple and we dont need no help
I dont see why we wnt to change somthing that is good.
Blah, blah, blah...
Damn freeriders!
And then, guess what, they get to vote...and ONLY vote for someone that will endorse their "freeride"
life style.
Change? Yes, it's time for a change.
Make a new law.
You can ONLY vote if you are a tax paying citizen. You should not have the right to vote, if you can't get off of your lazy welfare ass and contribute something to society.
If the damn government is "footing" your damn "supposedly"entitlement, then you shouldn't have a say so (with your vote) about government. Just shut the hell up and keep on receiving your damn money!
Fair is fair!
Memphis Commercial Appeal-
Former Greenvillian faces charges.
Read below, copy and paste.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/jun/22/suit-filed-cordova-parking-lot-shooting/
Attaboy, 8:39,
No right to vote. What about to own property? get an education? healthcare? eat in a restaurant?
Man, that's very progressive.
I Agree we need to clean house Bozo and the clowns siting on city council need to go ALL OF THEM! bodyguards too. Mound Bayou that's not right. I nicknamed it Greenville Mounds four years ago.
Private Schools are not to blame.
I only had one child; all we could afford. We scraped to send him to private school.It was number five in the state in academics at the time. Blacks are welcome there pay tuition and make the grades.
The whole black white thing. I met an educated black man from Texas several years ago visiting here for a couple weeks.HIS QUOTE WAS "These dumb ass racist niggas in this town make me ashamed of my own race"Could be something there coming from an outsider.He was visiting an industry that is now closed.
TO 11:00AM post
If a person is on welfare, then,
No, they shouldn't own property. If they want to own property, then they always have the option of getting a job and working and saving for a home. That's what other property owners do.
They can receive free public education and health care. Hey, it's free and they shouldn'to be choosey or complain. It's their choice to be on welfare instead of working.
Restuarants? Oh, well they have food stamps to eat off of. If they want to eat at a fast food place or a restuarant, then, again, get a job, like the rest of us, and pay for "eating out". They can use their food stamps and shop economically and still eat well for a whole month. Oh, that is if, they want to get in the kitchen and cook, but, that might be considered work!
Beggers can't be choosey!
11:23 PM post....
I've lived in Greenville my whole life and I don't know
this "supposedly" former
Greenvillian.
True, we do have former Greenvillians sitting in prison right now, but he's not from here.
Check out this past week's Clarion Ledger, if you're interested in former Greenvillians serving life terms without parole!
Ray Coleman is from Greenville. His family had Riverside Hardware in the Thomas Shopping center for many years. He still has family here.
Just goes to show you, Greenville is larger than you knew, for you not to KNOW everyone. I have lived here for 55 years and I would never say that I know everyone here..that is just too stupid for words to claim!
Carla Hughes and her parents, are all formerly from Greenville.
Now Carla will live the rest of her life in Pearl, MS. and will continue to teach her peers, the other female inmates.
I don't know why someone chose to tear down what's left of a family by posting Old News on this site. Mr. Coleman's parents were honest, law abiding citizens of Greenville. He still has a sister here--a cancer survivor and a lovely, gentle lady. What purpose did it serve to post his unpleasant news from last June? Yes, he made a very poor choice. But to post it here turns this site into "Greenville Gossip." Very unproductive. I don't want to see this site used for gossip, as it's already used for other vengeful and hateful purposes. Can we make some constructive comments?
I am sorry I thought it was recent news. I missed the date of the article ...no one said anything against his family. You are right, it is an awful for both families. Most of all for the children of the father, who was killed for no good reason. I stand corrected.
The only restrictions for food stamp receipients is they they can only buy human food items and no alcohol. That means that they can buy prime rib or junk food; they can buy anything considered human food... and if you have a pet, just purchase "human food" to feed them. (Pets don't complain or report.)
You can't buy toilet paper or soap with your EBT (electronic bank transfer) card, but you can buy all the soda, junk food and chips your buggy will hold.
If you need alcohol, illegal drugs, clothes or anything else, you have to find an EBT broker, which will provide you cash... and it is not difficult to find a broker in the Delta.
The "borker" will give you $80 cash for your EBT pin number and your card... they in turn charge $100 on your EBT card (for legitimate food purchases, which they then sell for a nice profit).
BINGO! You get the Government to pay for your alcohol, drugs, or whatever and no one is ever the wiser!
The EBT broker makes 20% profit from you and then turns around and sells the food purchases for yet another profit!!!
Gotta luv it! So, how do you find an EBT broker? Check with your local pastor, or friend who works at Wal-Mart. They all know how the system works and can find you a broker within minutes. After all, it's not stealing, it's just reparations for when you were a slave.
Just like our SS disability system, food stamps can become a nice second income if you know how to work it.
Personally, I know a woman who "brokers" 26 different EBT card "customers"... she just bought a 2009 Escalade and has three children enrolled at the Valley. She too is on "welfare" and has her own EBT card. She told me she doesn't even need her card, because of all the food she gets from her "business".
So... you can't get rich on Welfare? Sure you can because the government thinks that everyone on welfare is stupid!
Yea, stupid like a fox!
We are the stupid ones for allowing this to go on. Every cop, the Mayor and city council person knows about this scam... and do nothing.
Hell, it's not rocket science, it's just big business for the "entitled".
My "broker" friend makes twice what I do in my job of 13 years. Maybe I need to reconsider my career options.
So...the "broker" friend gets the "use" of 23 "different" EBT cards each month...and basically gets $2300 worth of human food for a mere $460 cash ($20 x 23)!
She and ALL of her three college aged kids must be as big as the side of the house! LOL!
And she still gets benefits for the three children, as long as they are in school...until they reach the age of 21 or 24?
And then, she starts receiving benefits for the grandkids!
I know another lady that breeds dogs and then sales the puppies.
No wonder Mississippi is labeled the "fat" state!
No maybe you need to turn your broker friend in to the authorities!!! You are an accessory to the fact! Guilty by association! Idiots like you don't help any of us!
to post 9:07 am...
Good idea. That's "part" of what's wrong with this world. People just 'turning their heads and looking the other way' whenever they see corruption, crime, or simply an injustice.
But, then, again, if someone does say something, then all HELL brokes loose, and everyone jumps on the "racial" or civil rights bandwagon and calls Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson!
Damned if you do and damned if you don't!
I LOVE G'VILLE BECAUSE:
My property is steady declining
I spend 6000 dollars for school
My car tags are 600 dollars
Love to dodge potholes
One of a few paying taxes
Can't go out at night
Kick my way thru garbage in parking lot
Have to shop in Jackson
Sewer backs up when it rains
Plenty of jobs (not )
Lots of indusrty (not )
Dirty water
Great public schools (not)
Center of delta poverty
Poorest part of United states
City Gov't is the best
Mayor is number 1 in state
Great city parks
Plenty opportunities for children
Love pink and lime green houses
Sunday drives thru the slums
Lifetime wheel alignments
And DOES eat place
12:04 You seem REAL happy.
I think 8:29 was never good at those math problems with words....
The previous poster said she MAKES 20% profit--not pay 20% of face value.
Washington School grad?
20% profit:
23 "customers" x $80= $1840
$80 cash per every $100 ETB
SHE paid $1840 cash for $2300 ETB.
My God, how much IS her monthly check?
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