THE BODY OF CHRIST

I grew up in Corpus Christi, which translated means the body of christ. One of the big problems in the city used to be the lack of higher education. We had a community college and a 2-year college. Most people were poorly educated and didn't really see the point of striving for good grades in High School unless they knew they could eventually move out of Corpus. Now there is a 4-year college - part of the A&M system - and that helps tremendously.

The problems with the city now are mostly cultural and are due to 3 factors that dominate in the city: the petroleum industry; the military; and the Catholic church. The city's economic fate is closely tied to the military base and the oil corporations, and a large segment of the population is employed by one of those entities. This has led to an acceptance of capitalism, environmental deregulation and military ideals that is difficult to overcome. Combine that with the influence of the Catholic church and you have my hometown.

So there really is no influence by unions or environmentalists in the city. The air is often poor. Streams and beaches are often dirty. There is a lot of poverty but it is accepted as simply the way things are, or God's will, or both. There is a Houston feel - people drive everywhere and large parking lots leading to warehouse-style chain stores dominate each side of the main freeway through the city. Most males get clipper-cuts and drive trucks or SUV's. American flags and jesus fish cannot be avoided.

It still votes Democrat, but that has more to do with race than philosophy.