Hog,
Chicago is just as culturally diverse as any other city, but there are definitely areas where a small minority of the residents are *not* of a particular decent. Humboldt Park for example. You'd really have to search for someone who is not Puerto Rican. In fact, the area is so very much Puerto Rican, they they've erected large archways over the major streets entering the Humboldt Park area which display the Puerto Rican flag.
Huh huh... I said "erected."
*ahem*
I think the comment about not having to show your Visa/Passport is bit much though! :) I wasn't trying to make Chicago sound like a segregated city with paper-checking Stasi on the street corners. It's diverse, but there are definitely areas that are almost entirely the same decent. What I was trying to get across is that there are no defined borders or special treatment applied to these areas, yet they still tend to contain people of the same background who stick together. Regardless of if they came here, or were here from the get go.
Alright, so the "white man" fcuked the Native Americans nicely. Sure, it's a shame and if we could change it, we would. I think that goes without saying.
I know they are not bound to the reservations, and plenty of them do not even live there. But by defining those borders in the first place, the government sets apart those who do live there. Can't we abolish the reservations, let them continue to congregate there or wherever they want, and give them some sort of tax break as a sort-of "Sorry about that whole massacre thing."?
Or maybe we should just leave it how it currently is. Native Americans living on reservations don't seem to complain, and Native Americans living outside of reservations don't seem to either. Both parties are there because they want to be, I know. The only people complaining are those greedy evil white republicans who see billions in untaxed dollars slipping away, right? :o
A bigger issue to me are those who run Indian casinos and are only a fraction Native American, yet are taking advantage of not paying income tax. I hate to use examples from the "idiot box", but there was an episode of the Sopranos that mentioned such situations. Where should the line be draw though? I don't know.
Another debate perhaps?! Next caller, please!
Dan