DukeEngage I Want More Money!
Just kidding…Yes, it would be very convenient to have more cash but I am doing just fine in the Big Easy. I have enough moolah to enjoy my time here. BUT, if I did want a pay raise I wish it would be as easy as it is for Louisiana legislators. In the past two weeks much of the talk in New Orleans has been about the recent vote by Louisiana House representatives to triple their OWN salary. With a nod of approval and a simple raise of a hand these legislators can now get what used to be three years of pay in only one.
Many New Orleanians are living in rental housing provided by the government, some are in trailer parks because their homes are gone, and many are calling a highway bypass home. On the other hand, we have corrupt politicians spending weeks deliberating a bill to raise their own salaries instead of creating innovative policies to rebuild New Orleans. To further irritate me, we have foul-mouthed, “I do not make enough money already” Mayor Ray Nagin taking his wife out to meals on tax-payers expenses. It turns out that Nagin cannot vote to increase his own pay! How tragic, I know. So we cannot blame him for not having this wonderful birthright. Therefore we must allow him to charge $6,628 worth of meals to a city-issued credit card.
I truly do not know how New Orleans would be coming back if it were not for volunteers like ourselves. I have met helpers from at least eight different universities in my three weeks here. Our DukeEngage coordinator tried to sign us up for a Habitat for Humanity day to help rebuild houses but they are booked until September! Organizations matching volunteers to different organizations abound and the number of non-profits in New Orleans is astounding. It is sad to see that the local government here takes all this for granted, rather than taking advantage of all these volunteers and non-profits.
To make matters worse, when I listen to the local radio or talk to local co-workers they do not seem to be surprised at the actions of the state legislators or Nagin. Yes, people are infuriated and enraged. But, exasperated may be the more accurate word. My boss told me that he tries to not think about this “extra garbage” because New Orleanians have “too much headache to put up with already.” Working for a non-profit and talking with all the other DukeEngage interns about their jobs, I realize how vital non-profits are to New Orleans.
Yesterday we went to a conference where we listened to a NeighborWorks representative talk about community development. He shared his favorite quote by Maulana Karenga: “The basic justification of higher education is to enhance your social competence so that you can make a more significant contribution to society.” Working in New Orleans has stimulated me to have an involvement in community development with my future occupation. Whether it is social, economic, or physical change I have found it necessary to really give back. This sounds so obvious but appreciating this need for community development is hard to realize living in the fairly affluent Oakland County, MI and going to college at Duke University where opportunities abound. Individuals are truly the most important parts of change, not government officials. Anyhow, it makes me feel good that despite the politicians failures many Americans are coming to revitalize a great American city and keep its vibrant personality alive. It is this reason that I did not go overseas for my DukeEngage program. Many people wonder why I did not go to Peru or Africa if I am interested in improving public health. I just tell them what Paul Farmer so wisely said: “Global health is very important and America is on the globe.”