Gosh, Peter, I don't think I see anything within this thread referring to race at all.  One might infer......but it surely wasn't specifically stated by anyone.   And if I were to say that the tone of this thread was pointed to  particular geographical areas, it was that only and not to race.  One can certainly speculate though.

This is a late add/edit:  Maybe you're referring to the previous post by Larry.  In his defense (and Larry needs none), Des Moines and the surrounding area is of mixed race with the same economical challenges as most most mid-sized cities now.  But the midwestern self-responsibility  & help thy neighbor still seems to be intact for the most part.  Give it time, though, I guess. 

I believe Malvi hit it on the head. It is what you are raised into that forms your outlook on life. I worked on a farm for many years as a youngster and worked very hard, 12 hours a day. It was a rough life, but one that I respected. We had some dark skinned help and all they did was work, go home, eat, and sleep. They were not taught to have a desire to  improve themselves and from what I have learned all my life, the whites created this envelope. Times are changing and I am seeing some very successful dark skins. NOLA is an exception to any rule. Most of the people there are very pleasant, honest and trustworthy. You do have an element that expects something fo nothing, but that does not apply only to darker skins, it also applies to many white skins.

Iowa  people are for most part, hard working and honest. They don't expect hand outs, as that is not how they were raised. They are overwhelmed by all this historic flooding, but they just keep plowing ahead. Attitude, its just plain attitude.

Think about this, real hard.

Everyone concentrates on the problems we''re having in this country lately: illegal immigration, hurricane recovery, alligators attacking people in Florida ..

I concentrate on solutions for the problems. It''s a win-win situation.

Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border.

Send the dirt to New Orleans to raise the level of the levies.

Put the Florida alligators in the moat along the Mexican border.

Think about this:

1. Cows
2. The Constitution
3. The Ten Commandments

C O W S

Is it just me, *or* does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic our government could track a single cow, born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she slept in the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow.

T H E C O N S T I T U T I O N

They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq .... Why don''t we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it has worked for over 200 years, and we''re not using it anymore.

T H E 1 0 C O M M A N D M E N T S

The real reason that we can''t have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse is this:
You cannot post ''Thou Shalt Not Steal,'' ''Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery,'' and ''Thou Shall Not Lie'' in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians..It creates a hostile work environment.