Sarah Visits C-Town!

While Alex and I are very comfortably situated in Indiana, McBone laid its roots in Northeastern Ohio. We're proud of that fact, but we recognize that the region has seen better days. Last week VP hopeful Sarah Palin had the nerve to visit a city in which her party will be lucky to garner 35 percent of the vote this November. What the hell was she doing in Cleveland? Good question. Let's break down the numbers and see exactly why she had no business setting foot in the Forest City.

-Cleveland is annually listed as one of the two or three poorest cities in the United States.

-The per capita income in Cleveland is just over $14,000, compared to a national average of almost $39,000

-Over 25 percent of the population of Cleveland lives below the poverty line.

-Cleveland is 53 percent black and rising.

-Cleveland is 8 percent Hispanic and rising.

-Cleveland is 38 percent white and falling.

-A great many Clevelanders rely on welfare to survive from month to month.

-Cleveland, like many cities, has been decimated by suburbanization.

-Ten percent of homes in Cleveland are vacant.

-Cleveland public schools are among the worst funded in the nation.

-Cleveland is listed as the 7th most dangerous city in the United States.

So, poor and black. Sounds like a republican's dream right? Republicans, who thrive on helping the underprivileged and rebuilding cities. Republicans, who love pumping billions into public education. Republicans, who embrace diversity. Republicans, who have the best interests of our minorities at heart.

Whatever. Palin spent much of her visit avoiding reporters and sitting down with towering imbecile Sean Hannity for a high-pressure interview in which she touted the benefits of--get this--tax cuts and controlling government spending.

Sarah Palin, former mayor of a city of 6,000, governor of a state of 683,000. Her designer glasses represent about 5% of what the typical Clevelander earns in a year. What does she know about the needs of our crumbling urban centers? Nothing. Personally, I'll take Barack Obama, who cut his teeth as a community organizer in Chicago, in the fight against urban blight and poverty.

Go back to Alaska, Sarah Palin, and stay the hell away from Cleveland.

nwb