Abstract
This paper examines how Louisiana's brand of poverty offers some challenges that are almost unique, especially in terms of disease caused by a combination of poverty, national greed and local corruption. It looks at how the problem is endemic and unlikely to be reversed as long as its own state government and leaders continue to misuse executive power to prevent interested parties from helping.

Outline
Louisiana's Poverty Profile
Louisiana Lifestyle Matters
Higher Education for Louisiana's Poor?
The Ultimate Solution to Poverty
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Environmentalists, sociologists and economists worry about the toxic releases in the Mexican maquilladores, the industrial sites just across the Mexican border that lured U.S. companies, especially environmentally significant companies, after NAFTA. However, Louisiana has had its own 100-mile stretch of unmitigated industrial problems that are blamed for causing an exceptional incidence of cancer. In fact, "Locals call it Cancer Alley" (Koeppel 1999, 16). In a 100-mie stretch between Baton Rouge and south of New Orleans, there are seven oil refineries and between 175 and 350 heavy industrial plants, all of which produce "staggering amounts of waste, much of which they treat on-site or spew into the air, land and water."

Tags:education, disaease, poor