The Seen and the Unseen

I was intrigued when I saw this article on a city that had eliminated poverty. I was disappointed when I saw that the city was Dauphin, Manitoba.

Conspicuously absent from the article was any discussion of the demographics of Dauphin. Fortunately, Wikipedia provides a ballpark figure. Dauphin is about 80% white and most of the remaining 20% are aboriginals, or as we south of the border would put it, Native Americans.

The only speculation I would make about this is something I’ve mentioned here from time to time: it’s a lot easier to muster political support for something when the population is extremely homogeneous. Or even homogenous. You know, like milk.

What I’d like to see is a city in New York that had eliminated poverty. Or Illinois.

7 comments… add one
  • Also, I’m guessing that when they implemented their policy, they didn’t see a big influx in population. Being a rural community in Manitoba will do that.

  • PD Shaw Link

    Interstate migration was something that I thought would be a problem with a state-by-state approach. As I recall, Wisconsin’s welfare reforms from the early 90s were sold as a way to keep poor Illinoisans from coming to Wisconsin. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of policies in neighboring states are premised on making sure that benefits are not ever attractive enough to bring people to the state.

  • ... Link

    I still call ’em Injuns, unless it’s Sunday, then they’re Redskins.

    I say they should import the population of Pine Hills and see if it continues to work.

  • ... Link

    Oh, Christ, never mind. Pine Hills has seven or eight times their population, not to mention at least five more significant kinds of ethnicity.

    I found it unsurprising that they didn’t mention Nixon at all, or that at least one of the consumption tax proposals includes an idea that isn’t that far removed from MINCOME.

  • Well, yeah, that’s another thing. Hereabouts that wouldn’t even be considered a good-sized village let alone a city.

  • Andy Link

    “You know, like milk.”

    I laughed pretty hard there, thanks.

  • Jimbino Link

    No, Dauphin is not homogenous. It may be homogeneous. As dictionary.com says, homogenize is a
    verb (used with object), homogenized, homogenizing.
    to form by blending unlike elements; make homogeneous.

    You need to “quickly peruse” a dictionary, preferably the American Heritage, the only one that even pretends to correct lousy grammar.

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