Sometimes when you think of a city, you think of bustling crouds, bright lights, modernity, and the excitement of nightlife. You think of new buildings being built, expansive friendly public services, and a government that works for the people.

Cities today are far from that. Buildings are crumbling. Streets are dirty and warn. Whole blocks are traps of poverty, that will never be escaped in this generation or next. Budget cuts removing even basic progress. Welfare does not get to those who need it. 32 million Americans will wake up tomorrow with little to eat, in dangerous shacks, in poverty.

Poverty effects the heart of the country—the economy, politics, social issues, and the way we view society. A hungry mouth, is one who goes into crime and fascism. Ghettos are not caused by crimes, but by poverty.

Poverty is not something you are born with. Poverty is a failure of the American system to allow all to succeed an attain the American dream —whatever it is for them—to get a job, be successful, own a business or a farm. We can do better. I know we can. We careful planning, and some risk, we can end poverty.

President's Johnson's War on Poverty, ended poverty for 10 million Americans. That's pretty impressive—1/29th of all Americans would now be able to seek the American dream.

I'm not recommending a super large handout system. I believe that all welfare program recipients should receive money only for work. Even if they are injured or poorly educated, we should try to create welfare for community service programs—ie. the people receiving welfare should be helping to improve their neighborhood.

Welfare should work towards getting people good jobs in the private and public sectors, while developing their own communities. The lack of education in cities is disgusting. Cities should pay for the best teachers, even if it breaks budgets. Students who do not want to be in school, should be allowed to leave school. Freedom of opinion must rule schools.

Finally, cities should spent lots more money on rebuilding and improving the cities. Old ideologies need to fall to the way side, we need progress. New roads. New public housing. New government agencies to help develop neighborhoods. Low interest loans for improving apartments and housing in the worst neighborhoods.

Business should be actively encouraged to set up businesses in cities. Brown fields need to be dealt with, and businesses should be protected well by the police. Cities should also offer low interest loans to help encourage businesses to tear down old obsolete factories, and replace them modern businesses. Cities have the infrastructure, it just needs to be patched an updated.

Cities are not a lost cause. There is clearly a lot we can do.