The challenges facing cities like Baltimore are not just about policing and the complicated issues of race. There is also the significant challenge caused by a lack of opportunity.  This is a challenge that faces not just urban areas like Baltimore and Newark, but includes rural areas in Appalachia and the Deep South. It’s a challenge that must be addressed across America. The more affluent and economically driven areas of America are providing opportunities for growth, leaving behind the rest of the country. And the urgent question we must ask ourselves is what we can do to close the gap. I think, at a time like this, we have to look at America as a still-emerging nation. In many respects, this is a literal comparison. Our poorest areas share so many characteristics with those of emerging nations. They lack major elements of social and economic infrastructure taken for granted in wealthier neighborhoods. In our poorest areas, incidents of infant mortality,...(Read Full Article)