WORLD NEWS TRUST: Economic Segregation: The Rise of Private Towns (Eran Reya)

[Tace]

Jan. 27, 2007 (World News Trust) -- It seems the more things change the more they stay the same. In Atlanta’s Fulton county, (White Atlanta suburbs push for secession) the majority white suburb in the northern side of the county has introduced legislation to form their own county under the name of Milton County.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/23/AR2007012300790.html

This Republican led legislation would allow North Fulton County to free itself from the tax obligations to greater south Fulton County, a majority black suburb. It is interesting to watch the resurgence of segregation via economics and the legal system as they absolve themselves of the cost of local infrastructure for roads, mass transit, hospitals, and schools.

America is in the process of a long slow decline with its state and local governments apparently unable to fund social services and infrastructure maintenance without ever increasing property taxes. Examples of this are the Texas Health Care Crisis, and the TennCare crisis leaving 200,000 Tennesseans without medical coverage.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-06-18-texas-health-care_N.htm?csp=34

http://www.agenceglobal.com/article.asp?id=722

Along with this is the move toward the privatization of public highway infrastructure, in which states sell off their public highways to private corporations who takeover the cost maintenance, but can charge unusually high toll charges. With this move to cost cutting and privatization comes the rise of the Private Town, commonly known as a Gated Community.

http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2007/01/highwaymen.html

http://www.hotspringsvillagechamber.com/yourhome/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gated_community

more

http://www.worldnewstrust.com/wnt-reports/commentary/economic-segregation-the-rise-of-private-towns-eran-reya.html

[ananda]

1. Segregation.. privatization.. deregulation all mean..

the end of any last hope for a decent America.

[Doctor_J]

2. Krugman predicted this, and says it's a bellwether for the end of America

at least the one founded by Jefferson, Adams, et. al.

[undergroundpanther]

3. Izzit time to

drag out the guillotines and storm the Bastilles ..ummm I mean.."gated communities" yet?
How much of this shit are the poor,working poor, working class,and middle class people willing to suffer for the lifestyles of the greedy and rich?
Don't you get it yet? The rich are literally robbing us blind and destroying our nation.
They are a bunch of racist arrogant THIEVES,who take and take and take,whatever they can manage to get away with taking ,some albeit more or less indirect about it.Using Bush's idiotic tax cuts to steal money by not paying your fare share back to the people who made you rich to begin with is still thieving from them .Betting with other's money and livelihoods by predicting market futures to blow costs up beyond all sanity is just another way the rich steal from us.
How much more are we willing to let them take,to scam out of our incomes? When will people get pissed off enough to get the fucking wealthy to stop picking our quickly growing bare pockets? When will the Wealthy PAY UP for what they take. The fucking rich people are parasites!!And their bank accounts are getting fatter everyday as we let them continue to financially abuse us.

[raccoon]

4. I'd rec this if I could. nt

[Trillo]

5. What's the difference between this and gated communities with HOA fees?

Yeah, a county is larger, so, other than size.