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dominated by corporate power is the shareholder value theory, which says that the sole purpose of publicly - held corporations is to maximize shareholder profit. (For more on this, see this article from 1971 by the hallowed economist Milton Friedman: hitp:/ /www.colorado.edu /studentgrogps /libertarians /issues /friedman- soc-resp- business.html) In pursuit of this over - arching goal, our economic system has a long and under- scrutinized history of exploiting minorities which continues to this day. These minorities are also often the most under - served by our educational system. Orange County may seem to many of us like an oasis in this difficult economic landscape. Yet amidst the relative affluence of our citizenry, about 20% of our population lives in poverty. We have an ethical obligation to help these people. The County is addressing poverty in a variety of ways that are helping, but we can do more. The Family Success Alliance is a relatively new project that is helping children in poverty create a better life in two communities in the County. The Orange County Schools have a free or reduced meal plan for those in need. The County has a Child care Subsidy program. The County Social Services Department administers several programs such as nutrition services, low- income health care, low income energy assistance, and more. I would like to see the County create a "Poverty Ombudsman" who would: • Manage information on the various manifestations of poverty in Orange County. • Go into communities, schools, homeless camps, trailer parks, etc. and gather first -hand knowledge. • Coordinate efforts and facilitate resource sharing among the various anti - poverty efforts. • Identify gaps in our efforts to address poverty so that we can consider different approaches. We must accelerate our affordable housing efforts. The County, Chapel Hill, & Carrboro jointly own a 169 acre parcel of land called the Greene tract which is between the Rogers Road community and Weaver dairy Extension. We should immediately begin making collaborative plans for some affordable housing projects there, since we could save on land costs which are a major source of affordable housing expense. Let's create an experimental transitional, tiny home village for homeless people. We are likely to learn what many studies have concluded — that it is less expensive for a community to house a homeless person than to use tax money for the various social services that person requires without a home. Successful transitions to an independent life for homeless people begin with having a home. We should get more bang- for - the -buck by building smaller homes and rentals with smaller units. Quick thought — instead of Orange High students building one 1700 sf affordable home per year, how about three 600 sf homes? We need to ensure that our transportation systems are serving all communities. I was glad that our work to provide better bus service to the Rogers Rd. — Eubanks neighborhood resulted in improved service for them.