I hear what you're saying Jimi.  But consider this:  perhaps the reason some things back in your ol' hood that appeared to be a result of laziness or lack of education had as much to do with that as they did with the ol' hood itself.  Maybe part of the problem is some of your dudes had indeed received an education or got a skill but then once on the street, realized that there were no jobs to be had because either the jobs were no longer there, or the burden of their criminal past negated their hirability to the weakened labor market.  I doubt those dudes were waiting for reparations or anything (hell do they even know what reparations are about?); maybe they had run out of options.  I don't think it's as cut and dry as it appears or the poor whites would not be in similar circumstances.  I think the urban blight, white flight, black-on-black crime,lack of jobs, and lack of personal responsibility all combine to contribute to the 'floaters' problems.  I think it is less about no room for 'floaters' and more about no more middle at all.

Makes sense!  This stuff is rearing its ugly head everywhere.  There are sections in my little town that look like the land that time forgot while others look like they came out of a "Southern Living" magazine.  Its strange!  

School is not as hard as folks may put it...and there really isn't a shortage of employment.  It may not sound glorious like some hip-hop videos, but it will guarantee bill payment, at least!

It is now as it was in my parents' time still true.  Blacks are the last hired and the first fired!  Education may put one into a higher category of hireability, but don't look to a 9-to-5 for your financial salvation.  It's not where one physically lives or comes from that determines success, it's where one's mind exists.  Floater...I like that term!

The best part is that the ghetto population and the hillbilly population each blame each other for ruining America.  They might want to look at all the rich people who vote against school funding measures because they don't want to pay an extra dollar a year in property taxes.

Mr. Izrael,

Please pardon if this post isn't entirely related to your article, but you say you were trapped in Lexington, Kentucky?

I ask because I went to school at the University of Kentucky and lived in Lexington for four years. I am curious what brought you there. I apologize if it left a sour taste in your mouth. It did mine and I haven't been back since the week I graduated. One of the reasons for this is the kind of social dynamic you described. On the one hand you have the quaint, utopian environs of a (major) college town while on the other hand you are rubbing elbows with people who (God love 'em)really do exhibit the finer traits of the Beverly Hillbillies.

I understand perfectly where you're coming from on that one.

"School is not as hard as folks may put it."

Depend on your inherent capabilities.  Everyone is NOT equiped to do the exact same things, physically or mentally.  If you doubt this, then why isn't a larger segment of the population working on curing cancer or advanced mathematics.  People like to think it is all about "applying yourself" but it's not.  There are definitely some lazy people out there but some of these people are simply ill-equiped mentally to perform lot a of available jobs.

"and there really isn't a shortage of employment."

That's all depends on your skill set.

"It may not sound glorious like some hip-hop videos, but it will guarantee bill payment, at least!"

...in a run down dump.

I guess I'm an anomaly, because my spouse and I work two retail jobs and somehow manage to live comfortably. I guess the 'somehow' is having no car payments or loans and having some well-off relatives to occasionally bail us out. But seriously, if we were better with our money, we'd probably still be able to put some away on $9 + $14/hr.

Relative Deprivation.  Even the folks living with their mamas or sacking groceries at the HiLo are well off compared to folks in other countries.  Folks ain't starvin.  That brotha with the alligator probably buff as a mug!  

For those that think that our current economy is behind the homeboy/hillbilly laggedness--- ask if they've done their four year bid of post-secondary ed.  Two years at junior college?  An eight month certification program?  Then, why the hell not?! Self investment is the best investment and we all get what we pay for.

I would have to say there is a lack of jobs out there. In my area I keep my eyes pealed for a better paying job, but am thankful that I have the one I've got! If I didn't have a job I know that it would be hard to find a job at any of the local gas stations/grocery stores. Its just not happening. And we really should look into the situation of education, seriously what was common knowledge when I graduated highschool 5 years ago is now considered "a level" (advanced).

point two eight:

Im not picking on you and have mad love for anyone whos here on this site trying to broaden their minds, but............having to get bailed out by wealthy family disquailifies you from saying that you and your wife from saying you live comfortably. it may appear to be that in the same "show and no substance way" that we talk about. if you live comfortably you dont need wealthy relatives to bail you out. you handle it yourself. Comfortable living doesnt need bail outs. maybe thats part of the point of the article. most of us dont even really know what the term means. its the same thing that makes regular people think that they need new whips and 42 inch tvs. we need to stop the madness, redefine a lot of the words we use. My nephew thought his moms was "ballin" cause she has a bullshit ass Chrysler 300 even though she is broke from bailing his punk ass out and on lawyers, not to mention all the time spent with his " i have a record so noone will hire me ***, and im living at home at 25".

We need to wake up and realize that most of us dont know what real money is or what comforable means. and damn sure need to stop using stupid ass terms like balling and living it up and all of that *** cause its bullshit. this whole country is learning now that what it thought was wealth was built on BULLSHIT. its time that started paying attention. Dont believe the Hype. learn some *** and stop using words that we dont know the meaning of.

The other commentators have aptly expressed the necessary concerns regarding this topic.  Therefore, I will digress and address something else.

Aligators have very short legs and do not move in a straight line.  While they can move on land, they are principally an aquatic animal.  Based on the preceding, in my opinion, it is cruel to walk an alligator any more than 50 feet or so.

BedStuyWhiteGuy:  I take your comment about the "finer qualities of the Beverly Hillbillies" as sarcastic, but admittedly playful.  Jed, Granny, Jethro and Ellie Mae were basically decent, good hearted people, especially when compared to the avarice of Mr. Drysdale and the snobiness of Mrs. Drysdale.  As an aside, Jane Hathaway was also a good person.

I agree with the author on this.  I grew up in and out of homeless shelter in East St. Louis.  My mom came here illegally from Mexico (she is considered legal now), my dad was a crack addict.  I had my son when I was sixteen, and when I was 18, after finding out I had cancer in some important female areas, I decided to have my daughter before it was too late.  I am now 25.  What's the point of my monolouge, you ask?  I am a student working towards my Ph.D in Neuropsychology, I have a 3.8 grade point average and am co-authoring two chapters in two different psychopharmocology books and as an undergrad worked with the state on a research project to find out about Meth usage in our area.  I do this while working at crappy menial jobs to support my kids.  I am the last person who finds it acceptable for someone to use their circumstances as an excuse to spend their life loafing off their parents.  When someone says "I can't do it the man is holding me down" I hear an excuse.  I don't hate on ya'll but I think that it's time to stop blaming others for your troubles and do something about your situation.  My mom died two years ago of lung cancer and I wish she was here because one of the most valuable lessons she gave me was that we are what WE make of ourselves.  She showed me that the only limitation we have is the ones we put on ourselves.  I am not going to sit here and tell you guys that my life is a piece of cake, but it isn't easy to wait and see if your job at the local Gas N Go is going to pay your house payment either.  And it's worth it knowing that I am working towards a future where not only will I be more finacially secure, I will also be happy with my job, and have a sense of purpose in my life.  Trust me, if I can do it, you can do it, you just have to take that first step.

I grew up in a small town called Gary Indiana. This was during the sixties, when the steel industry was in it's hey day. It didn't matter what your education was, what your skin color was. or if you had a crimminal past or not. Eveybody who went and applied obtained employment. At this time Gary was mostly Black with a growing Hispanic population. There was still crime, drugs, and children born out of wedlock, but nobdy was waiting reparations checks and the "floaters" as you call them were at a al time low. The reason for this is because of an economic base that existed in the city that provided it citizens employment oppertunities. I come from a family of six, my parents were college educated, and my brothes and sisters as well. However, as educated as my family was, when the steel industry went under, so did the city of Gary. Hard working, educated people went from well to do to poverty. Many sought refuge in Chicago and neighboring communities for emploment. The amount of floaters in Gary Indiana tripled when this down turned occured. No fault of their own. Whether your college educated, a hillbilly, or a floater, a strong economic base is essential for people to survive. Overcoming personal hardships is a admirable quality, and achieving personal goals, such as a college education, my make you more employable, but it doesn't change the fact that we as Americans, Black, White, or Hispanic need a strong economic base in our communities. Clearly, American companies who sent jobs overseas, to take advantage of cheap labor, create whole communities of "floaters". Changing our economy from a industial economy to a information economy created a whole nation of "floaters". If you want to get rid of the "floater" bring back the job.

Floaters. That's funny, reminds me of toiler fish.

Anyway, I have a correction, and I think it's an important distinction, and it comes from somebody who finds a lot in common with the haves. A lot of the haves were dreamers a lot longer than they thought they would be. That includes me. It took me more than 12 years out of high school for me to live as large as I thought I should live, and there were a lot of traps in the middle. One of the most devastating traps was "you take yourself to serious, fool". It's the same trap that puts you at the checkout counter still thinking that you're smarter than GWBush, and mocking all the success in America because you think you're really smarter than everybody else who must have been cheating their way to the top. There are few things more dangerous than a ghetto philosopher, or a jailhouse guru. Because truth be told they are just as smart as the smart guy, but they decided to kill the American dream - and then they go preaching that America killed their dreams. L.I.E.

It takes perseverance, hard work, dreams and luck to succeed in America. But you've heard that before haven't you? America ain't about to go broke. It can afford you. It's all about when you quit dreaming.

We really need to be honest with the have-nots and tell them that nobody cares. Let me re-phrase that.  Most people care about the poor and uneducated but only a few will actually do something about their plight.  And that really doesn't include the government.  In our capitalistic society, money is all that matters.  However, the benefit is that we don't have a static caste system. Therefore, we all have the chance to go from rags to riches.

I appreciate the inspirational comments... It reminds me that I'm not the only one trying to improve my lot with academics.  To be honest, I'm procrastinating from studying right now.  So I just wrote this to motivate myself to read another chapter of accounting before I hit the sack.  Life is certainly harder for some but it is still what you make of it.

Looks are deceiving.  A lot of middle class people have the appearance of prosperity, when they are actually swimming in debt. In that way, they are no better off than the "floaters."   I'm pro-education and have been taking grad courses, but all the education in the world is not going to help in a community where business can't thrive.  Right now I have a job that's not in the area of my expertise, but I have to eat.  And I'm grateful to have it!

I agree 100 percent with Folic Pollen.  Cleveland is a city similar to Gary, Ind.  It's seen a lot of factories, which offered good-paying jobs, close.  Maybe our next president, hopefully it's Obama, will do some things to get this economy on track.

Oops.  I meant to say high debt has in some ways made the middle class no better off than the have-nots.  Thanks for the interesting post.

Interesting article and comments. There was an article in a business magazine back in the early '80 entitled "The Molting of America". The article basically described how the American economy was shifting from a focus on manufacturing, to a service oriented economy. The Rust Belt was beginning to become entrenched in the Upper Midwest (I'm from Chicago, so I can empathize with the posters from Gary and Cleveland) but a lot of people in the mid to late 1970's didn't take advantage of all the money the Government was practically giving away for college.

My parents were middle class in those days; for me going to college was a foregone conclusion. But a lot of high school grads took the jobs offered at the steel mills and auto plants where like the poster  from Gary said, all you had to do was show up. Well fast forward to the '80 where Ronald Reagan proclaimed 'Morning in America' but 'Goodnight' to free money for college that helped middle and lower class people obtain degrees. So when America started 'Molting' into a service based economy and the manufacturing jobs went overseas, "Floaters" started appearing in all areas of the country. In today's America, the 'Molting' is complete. Our economy is about hi-tech, High Finance, Healthcare, or on the low end, retail. The days of unskilled labor jobs that paid a living wage has gone the way vinyl records. Today's economy places a premium on getting some kind of EDUCATION. That seems to be a dirty word in a lot of our minds, but if you don't go out and get something of an EDUCATION, you will have basically doomed yourself to a hand to mouth existence. In a rising economy, when times are good, there is less strain on "Floaters" because companies are hiring low wage unskilled workers in retail, fast food, etc. But in an economy such as the one we are facing now, well, I don't need to remind anyone how hard times are. But if you have and EDUCATION, or are fervently pursuing one, in any economy you have a leg up on the denizens of the hood out walking their pet alligator.

I get what you're saying, and I love education and it's true that a degree can open some doors but is that really the answer to all of these problems? I am a recent college grad and there are many entry level jobs that demand a degree and 3-5 yrs of experience but are we really just turning bachelor degrees into high school diplomas? In my industry there are a ton of older (baby boomers) employees who got on the job training w/o degrees. but those people wouldn't be able to find a job in my area if they'd just graduated from college just recently. So my question is even if we inspire all the folks in the hood and the hills to go to college, would there be enough jobs for them in their field? or would we just have a lot of waitresses and garbagemen with college degrees?

Tampa Diva, you are absolutely correct. A B.A. in today's America is just a high school diploma.

And those older Baby Boomers you spoke of? If they got that job straight out of high school, for instance, they'll be the first ones offered eary retirement because their salaries are too high for the company to pay, compared to a recent college grad to whom they can pay a lower salary, even with the 3-5 years experience. The local power company here in Chicago (Commonwealth Edison) has been instituting this policy over the last seven years, offering buyouts, or just terminating employees for minor transgression. Unions are so weak right now that you can't even expect to get help from them. To answer your question, even if they have to waitress, or take a similar job to pay bills with the education, there is always the CHANCE, that, if they keep looking and trying. A better job will open up. I can't knock garbagemen; here in Chicago they make real good money. But to all those out there who put in the effort to get educated, a least they'll have the skill set and the paper backing them up. You gotta bring something to the table to eat. This is where perserverance will win out. Read ccrase's post agein. She put it much better than I ever could.

In a black and white world most of of what Izrael stated would be on point.  Too often we fail to see the balance between personal responsibility and the social contract.  I agree that folks can't claim there are no opportunities if they are ill prepared to take advantage of the opportunity but the society has a responsibility to prepare its citizens to be contributing members to the economic well being.  Slowly but surely that contract is being broken and the most vulnerable amongst us are opting out out of sheer apathy.   One thing to remember is that rhe poor are the "canary in the mine" of our society.  What happens to them is forewarning of what awaits the larger society if we don't change the way things are being done.  So when many sociologist and social activist rally about the state of povery in society, its a warning to rest of us that there is hell to pay if you don't take heed.  Take heed people.  

"A lot of middle class people have the appearance of prosperity, when they are actually swimming in debt"

Tell 'em again.

And even if they can maintain this debt load once they die the bill collector's get theirs first which keeps the cycle of non-wealth building in the family going adinfinum.

Bravo!  I liked this post.  So true, stay in school people!!!  ps, get a masters while you're at it, that bachelors barely cuts it anymore...

Mr. Izrael,

Thank you again.  

I have to begin by disclosing a strongly held belief of mine.  We all benefit from living in the USA and we all owe a huge debt to history.  I think that we all should endeavor to "pay it forward".  Do something for the next generation as Abe Lincoln and Martin Luther King and that little old lady who sweeps the side walk and all the fathers and grandfathers who died for our freedom have done.  Don't just reep the benefits.

With that said, opportunity in this country abounds.  From free schools to every sort of aid program you can think of.  If your school is not as good as it should be then you and your folks need to get a little proactive and study some more at home.  The books are there, the library is there, Abe Lincoln and more Heros of the civil rights movement than we can count taught themselves, you can too.

Finally, if you cannot aford college, join the military, join the merchant marines, heck join Greenpeace.  All of these, and many more will pay you and give numerous avenues to higher learning.  It is each individuals responsiblity to succeed.  The rest of us and gov't programs can help, but the responsibility, blame and (hopefully) reward belongs to each of us, individually.

WORK DAMN IT

nola_diva

Good points but if the criminal past is a problem for some individuals, "then sleep in the bad you made"

People in this country need to come to terms with the fact that, if you have been convicted of a crime, you are probably going to have a tough time getting a job, and you know what, TOUGH.  DON'T DO THE CRIME!

You drop out of school or steal a car or commit assault you can count on a tough row to hoe when you get out.  Reference to manual labor intended.

To justawhiteguy,

Blacks serve in the armed forces in greater proportion than our share of the population. There are a good many of us fighting and dying in Iraq and Afghanistan.  And African-Americans working a job, any job,  just to make ends make greatly out number the ones who don't.  

Nicely said.  Lazy people lose; people who work hard win.  No excuses, just reality.

Kinsmankid

I don't think that I mentioned race.  I don't think Mr. Izreal's comments were race specific.  I think that if you find yourself on hard times the first thing you should do is look in the mirror, you may not find who is to blame but you will certianly find who is responsible.

Be careful throwing around that percentage of the population line.  All to often it doesn't reflect well.

I am currently active duty Navy, 17 years and counting.  I have served with the fine men and women you speak of.  We are not talking about that.  If I can cut from Mr. Izreal's article, we are talking about:

"I went down to my old ‘hood  not long ago to see how it’s changed and I could believe the number of people still living on the block—kids I came up with 20, 30 years ago—still living in their mama’s house."

These "floaters" are nothing like my fellow servicemen.

Thank you to all who serve or have served.  Your gift to the rest of us cannot be quantified.

College is NOT for everybody, and the public school system fails to prepare a HUGE number of Americans for higher education. Back in the 80's, everyone told us to learn a trade. So, we did. At that time a man could provide for his family working 50 hours a week framing houses, hanging drywall, laying block, whatever. Now we are being told to go back and get a college degree because our govrnment has failed to protect our borders and our unions have failed us too. While we complete our degrees, the same government is allowing health insurers to outsource surgical procedures to India and South America. When will we wake up and put a STOP to the rich getting richer while the poor get poorer, and the middle class continues to grow IN CHINA and INDIA as it is being wiped out in our own land?

To justawhiteguy:

"Be careful throwing around that percentage of the population line.  All to often it doesn't reflect well."

Blacks serve in the armed forces in greater proportion than our share of the population is not a percentage I just threw around; it's a fact that I read in the NYTimes and other publications.  I realize there are people who are lazy and don't want to work.  However, this column and your response to it doesn't give consideration to the vast majority of people who do want to work, but can't find jobs or create businesses because of the weak economy.     Your words don't try to encourage people.  Instead, they tear people down.  

Hi Jimi,

As good as this post is/was I must disagree with you. As someone who grew up in the solidly middle class neighborhoods  of suburban Washington, DC and Chicago's (now famed) Hyde Park I have to disagree with the floater mentality and its impetus.

I myself went to college for 2.5 years and did well. The second semester of my Junior year there wasn't anymore FAFSA and my parents were not in a position to contribute. Now practically 10 years later, I am able to return to school to finish my degree. At no time was I lazy or lacked proper intelligence. If anything, my intelligence intimidated many and and lack of degree  kept me at a lower level. Many of my friends who went on to get graduated degrees found themselves in the same boat! The problem: too much education and not enough experience.

Out of all my friends who got master's, about a third make significantly more than I do while the remainder are at about the same perhaps up to $10K more. Many still live with their families as the average apartment is at $1200 per month. Others are trying to buy homes but struggle with saving $20K-$30K dollars down for a simple $100K condo on "the wrong side of town".

I've seen what you speak of and on a certain level agree with you however everyone on my block is striving, climbing and reaching for every damn dime they have. No one is ballin' out of control or making major figures. Oh and the one's who are making significantly more, they already started witha mini trust funds and when they went to college their parents wrote a check. When they graduated, they were given the down payments for their homes again by their parents. At this moment if the ish didn't work out, they are practically straight because they've had time to bankroll their cash.

No matter what color you are, poverty is a cycle. Even the bible says, "Them that's got shall have and them that's not shall lose".  Even with the finest education, you have to have help.