With so much poverty hidden in plain sight, you have to ask: is this still America?

The Guardian ^ | 21 March 2016 | Brigid Delaney

[R. Scott]

I thought it was great until the Haoles took over.

[Obadiah]

Mahalo.

(Which from my visual recollection could mean “thank you” or the apparent universal Hawaiian symbol for garbage cans.)

[Cronos]

i think even india has photo ids needed for voting

[StAnDeliver]

"While parts of Honolulu looked a little deteriorated, much of what we saw there and on the other side of island looked pretty good."

My impression too, but wasn't looking for poverty like Frigid, so mileage may vary wildly.

[SoCal Pubbie]

The original poster who wrote the comment "go to So Cal. you can live and work for months and never see another White person" was indeed wildly exaggerating a situation that exists not only in Southern California but many parts of Michigan, New York, Illinois, Texas, Florida, and many other states. Had ghosthost posted that in PARTS of So Cal you can live and work for months and never see another White person it MIGHT have been closer to the truth, all though to be honest that's STILL an exaggeration.

Orange County, where I live, was recorded as 73.5% white in 2014 according to the Census Bureau, UP nearly 13% from 2010. Of that percentage, 42% are not Hispanic. Perfectly illustrating the Hispanic white residents of the OC is an 18 year old waitress I know from Peru who works at a Mexican restaurant in Costa Mesa. She is as white as Sandra Bullock and speaks perfect English without an accent as well as the flawless Spanish which is her native language.

Is Santa Ana nearly 90% Hispanic? Yes, that's true. Is the city of Los Angeles majority Hispanic? Yes, by the narrow margin of 47.5% to 41.3%. How about the county as whole? Whites make up 71.3%. What about San Diego County? Whites are 77.4%. Riverside County? Whites are 80.5% Kern county? Whites are 82.7% Santa Barbara? Whites make up 85.9% Ventura County? It's 84.8%

It is literally IMPOSSIBLE to spend any time in Southern California and not see a white person. Oh, and T-Bone Texan, here's the "hellhole" that was once El Toro!

[T-Bone Texan]

"...Oh, and T-Bone Texan, here's the "hellhole" that was once El Toro!(?)"

Well, El Toro no longer exists. It was incorporated and is now called Lake Forest.

When I call it a hellhole, I say that as a person who returned as an adult and saw things differently: My street was more run down than when I was a child. Many old beater mexi-cars blocked driveways and were parked on lawns that were not maintained. Foreigners gave me hostile glares on the street I once played as a child.

That is what I mean by "hellhole".

[SoCal Pubbie]

I know the history of the area well. El Toro was never an incorporated city. Yes, it’s part of Lake Forest now. As for your street being run down, maybe you lived in a bad part of town. El Toro Road had been completely redeveloped. That’s the second photo I posted. Calling the area a hellhole is a flat out distortion of reality.

[T-Bone Texan]

I called it a hellhole because compared to my experience as a youth, it just seemed icky by comparison.

It’s an emotional response. Sorry if I offended.

I lived on Horseshoe St, a few blocks uphill from the high school.