re: Samantha Bee's Husband Fights To Keep Poor, Black Kids Out Of His Children's School

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Could you imagine the reaction from these same Northern liberals if a Southern mayor commented that Bull Connor wasn't a racist but was just really concerned with crowd control?

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When I heard their defense, my impression of the movement changed. They feel neglected. They want accountability for the tax dollars spent in the city. They feel underrepresented in local politics. And, as they reinforced repeatedly, this was “for the kids.” They shared the frustration of taxation without representation, as our Founding Fathers did.

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Saying that they want to keep their tax dollars is one thing, but telling these people they will be “the richest city in the state and even the country” and to “do what’s right for [their] pocketbook” is problematic. They want to hold onto their tax dollars, but at the expense of whom? The movement stresses community, but St. George would create a clear rift in ours.

Racial issues plague Louisiana politics, and they separate Baton Rouge. By holding onto their tax dollars, they decrease the amount of money spent in Baton Rouge.

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They presented a legitimate problem, one not unfamiliar in our American history. They wanted political representation and financial accountability from a seemingly distant government. But they needed to account for the modern definition of American government: one that, for better or worse, includes a responsibility to care for its less fortunate citizens. The town is racially divided, and this is integrated with our socioeconomics: poor neighborhoods are predominantly black, and it is these neighborhoods that St. George will not include because they want to keep their tax dollars to themselves. Are these people responsible for the welfare of the parish? Do they have the right to question how their money is spent? Moreover, do they have the right to create their own school district, which has now expanded to a new town?

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St. George needs to lower its sword, as do all of us Louisianans. If we’re going to address our government’s financial accountability, we need to address our state’s crippling poverty — and how it disproportionally affects African Americans.

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