I knew it would happen eventually. There was a big accident on the Schuykill the other night and I had the pleasure of another trek on the 30 Blocks of Squalor under the Market Street El and through the lovely 69th Street shopping mecca in Upper Darby. No matter how hard I try not to think while I travel through this bustling ghetto of Obama voters, I can’t help but be amazed at the unbelievable sights and reach conclusions that would make Rachel Madow and Chris Matthews foam at the mouth in anger.
It now gets dark at 4:30 every night, so my daily trek through West Philly has taken on a new complexion. Did you know it’s hard to to see black people in the dark? I’m extra vigilant when driving at night through West Philly. My biggest fear is a Bonfire of the Vanities moment where I run over a black person and have to decide whether to flee or stop and be confronted with irate Obama phone toting voters. The chances of hitting a black person are higher than you might think because they really don’t give a crap about stop lights or walking on sidewalks. There is one crazy ass black lady who walks down the middle of 37th street on a regular basis with no concern whatsoever for being run down. Her crack addled brain is incapable of worries about safety. You’ve all seen the type.
Another general observation regarding West Philly in the dark is how dark it is. I’ve been wondering about this for some time. The row homes along 37th street are dilapidated, decaying, rat infested hovels. The vacant ones have boards over the windows. The average price of these dumps is about $25,000. In the summertime there are 300 pound welfare mommas sitting outside as their bastard children play in traffic. There are automobiles parked in the street in front of these Obamaville slums. But as I drive by every night I notice there are no lights on in 90% of these low income estates. My first thought is they must still be at work. Then I come to my senses and realize no one works in this community. The unemployment rate on this block is easily 80%. But that doesn’t seem to be impacting the corner bar that always has plenty of patrons. I can’t help but come to the conclusion that these people are living in these hovels without electricity and/or heat. My guess is their electricity was cut-off due to non-payment. It’s almost like this neighborhood is in 3rd world country, except that everyone has a cell phone and there are Cadillac Escalades, Lincoln Navigators and BMWs parked on the filth covered streets. This is one of the neighborhoods that voted 100% for Obama. After 47 years of welfare programs pushed by progressive do-gooders and urban enclaves completely run by the Democratic Party, the black people who inhabit this squalor have no jobs, no education, no self respect, no inhabitable shelter, and no incentive to change or improve their condition in life. Only in the bizarro world of the United States would these people vote unanimously to retain their right to live in squalor.
When you drive into my neighborhood at this time of year, it’s like a winter wonderland of lights and decorations. When you drive down 37th Street in West Philly there isn’t a Christmas decoration or twinkling light to be seen. Not one. They have bars on the windows, but not Christmas lights. You’d think someone in this squalor would have the Christmas spirit. But, I guess they figure Obama Claus delivers their EBT presents on the 1st of every month, so no need to celebrate just in December. The only Ho Ho Ho you’re likely to see in West Philly is this one.
Shortly after turning onto Market Street I noticed something new, in addition to the hundreds of newly installed wheel chair ramps on every street corner. We all know the millions of taxpayer dollars spent putting wheel chair ramps on every corner in West Philly has created thousands of union construction jobs and jump started the West Philly economy. Don’t worry about the water mains that burst every other day and cost taxpayers millions when they flood homes and businesses. At least the rascal and hoveround ghettomobiles can manuever easily from block to block. These dudes are really happy.
You will be thrilled to know that the brilliant government leaders of Philadelphia have dramatically improved Market Street by painting a bike lane in each direction. This is considered a major improvement in a corrupt, bankrupt city that has been in non-stop decline for the last 50 years. It was such an accomplishment that our African American Mayor Nutter brought his big scissors to the grand opening of a freaking bike lane. Meanwhile four more people were gunned down in cold blood in other parts of Philly while Nutter was celebrating some paint on a street. If we can just have a productive last four weeks, we can have the Christmas gift of a five year homicide high of 330.
I couldn’t help but find the whole concept amusing. The dimwits who run the City of Philadelphia evidently haven’t spent much time in West Philly on Market Street. Over 90% of the people are obese and only exercise when leaving the scene of a robbery or murder. Black people in West Philly don’t need to ride bikes because they don’t need to go anywhere. Their welfare payments, food stamps, and SSDI payments are all delivered electronically. They certainly don’t need a bike to get to their jobs.
I wonder if anyone else finds it amusing that the painted symbol of a biker through a neighborhood that is 98% black is as white as a ghost. This painted white stick figure is the only white person who will ever occupy this bike lane. I wonder why the city decided to have the bike lane abruptly end at 56th street? Maybe they did a study that told them that no one on a bike in this neighborhood would make it past 56th Street alive.
As I continued down Market St. the commercial success of Obama’s economic policies are evident for all to see. His 2008 campaign visit was the only and last time he will ever set foot under the Market Street El. The yellow tape is actually designating a crime scene. Notice the mural of black people doing great things in the background. There are at least six murals like this one on this route.
The murals are far outnumbered by the number of vacant, crumbling buildings that once housed businesses and have been abandoned to the rats and vagrants. I’m sure four more years of Obama economic policies will surely revive the entreprenuerial spirit that lurks just below the surface in West Philly.
If you honestly observe the reality of Market Street today, you realize that fifty years of failed welfare policies have caused this travesty. The only operating businesses on this corridor are nail salons, hair salons, check cashing joints, bars, and porno video stores. The best selling products in West Philly are roll down steel gates, plywood, illegal hand guns, and crack. The worst selling products are books, condoms and wedding rings. It seems commerce in recently owned appliances, furniture, and electronics on the sidewalks of Market Street is thriving. The former owners of these products probably aren’t thrilled.
The parades of the 1950s down a Market Street of thriving businesses watched by hard working middle class married white familes are a distant memory. The population of Philadelphia reached its peak in 1950 at 2.1 million people. Today, there are only 1.5 million people living in Philadelphia. That is almost a 30% decline in 62 years. Meanwhile the U.S. population grew from 152 million in 1950 to 315 million today, a 107% increase. The State of PA.’s population grew from 10.5 million in 1950 to 12.7 million today, a 21% increase. In 1950 80% of the Philadelphia population was white and 18% was black. Today, 30% of the Philadelphia population is white white (non- Hispanic). Over 44% of the population is black and 12% hispanic, with many parts of the city (aka the 30 Blocks of Squalor) at 95% black. The white flight from the city to the suburbs was not due to racism. It was due to the government policies instituted by liberal do-gooders who thought they could create a welfare paradise.
The city inflicts a 4% wage tax on all residents and a 3.5% wage tax on non-residents like myself. The state wage tax rate is only 3%. The city has had a Business Privelage Tax and a Net Profits Tax for decades that crush businesses. For the privelage of doing business in Phila, they tax your gross receipts. They don’t care if you are making money or not. They take their slice off the top. What business in their right mind would choose to open in Philadelphia? The city is completely captured by unions. The government drones are all union, the construction industry is union. This puts a 30% premium on every expense in the city. The real estate taxes on businesses and homeowners are off the charts to support one of the worst government run school systems in the nation. As more people flee this urban nightmare, they raise the taxes on the remaining producers. Philadelphia is an example of what the nation will become after a few more years of Obama policies.
We don’t need hard working married families anymore. We have the government, welfare, Obama and shovel ready wheel chair ramp installation jobs. Market Street and West Philly are a tribute to government solutions. Maybe another PR campaign and a coat of paint on streets strewn with garbage and debris will revive Squalorville. If not, just raise taxes on the producers so the parasites can retain their free shit.
As I got closer to 69th Street the route actually deteriorated. The people who occupy this stretch of squalor are ignorant and angry. They have no self respect or respect for others. The average educational level of these people is at about a 5th grade level. During this Christmas season I’m reminded of the Island of Misfit Toys, where all the defective toys live. The 30 Blocks of Squalor is the Island of the Ignorant & Uneducated Gang Bangers, where all the dregs of our society live. Maybe Obama Claus will arrive soon and deliver them more of our tax dollars.
As I approached 69th Street I experienced another example of ignorance and disregard for others. A van driven by an ignorant resident of the Squalor just stopped in the middle of the street to chat with one of his homeys on the sidewalk. He didn’t care that there were four cars behind him who couldn’t get by. There were parking spots available for him to pull into, but it was easier to just sit in the middle of the street and converse about the latest goings on in the hood. After about 3 minutes he decided to pull over. I didn’t dare honk my squeeky Honda horn. It would be like the scene from Animal House when they walk into the black bar and everyone stops and looks at them. And then the black guy pulls out his switchblade.
As I entered the 69th Street area of Upper Darby, more observations about the deterioration of our daily existence came to light. The 69th Street Terminal is a transportation hub where various trolley lines, train lines and the Market Street El meet. There are four stop lights that must be timed properly in order for the traffic to flow properly through this congested area. This is a basic function of government. As I entered 69th Street it was complete and utter gridlock. The stop lights were completely out of sync. Intersections were blocked. One light was red when the light 20 yards away was green. Nothing but honking horns and pissed off drivers. As I sat in the gridlock, I looked up at the famous 69th Street sign that has been there for decades. At night it is supposed to be lit up. It is a basic government function to keep it lit properly. Today at least 70% of the lights in the sign are out. Just another example of government incompetence and attitude of indifference about the basic things that need to be done. The zombies shuffling around this decaying urban enclave amidst the garbage thrown on the streets really put me in the Christmas spirit.
The lesson to be learned from the 30 Blocks of Squalor is that you get more of whatever you incentivize. If you tax the productive members of your city into oblivion they will flee the city, leaving only the non-productive eaters. If you penalize businesses and business owners with excessive taxation and union level prices they will leave or close up shop. If you take from the productive and give that money to the uneducated and unemployable, they will not educate themselves or seek employment. In It’s A Wonderful Life the terrible future was Potterville, where the capitalist pig Potter owned everything and kept the workers trapped in his slums. In West Philly 50 years of Democratic welfare policies have created Squalorville, where government do-gooders have created a wasteland of filth and dependency.
Now that I’ve gotten this out of my system, I’m ready to hang the Christmas lights and decorate the tree this weekend. Merry Christmas from the hood.
