gdp growth was less than 1%. we re kind of bumping along the bottom. what do we need? we need people to get back to work. this is not rocket science. whether it s a giant corporation or the small business on the corner, if customers are coming through the door, i guarantee you they ll start restocking their shelves and selling into domestic markets, they ll start hiring people once again. that s why the president s jobs plan is so important because it s geared at getting people back to work. remember, this is a 70% consumption economy, and if people are not working and if their paychecks aren t growing, the economy is stuck in the mud and that s where we are. it s also why your conversation with gene robinson was not exactly the most uplifting in terms of hope of where this is heading. indeed, i think you have now giving me the back of the t-shirt. front will say corporate froftibility will not create jobs and the back will say growing gdp does.
out into the world and become successful men and women. when i came back to new orleans, i knew i wanted to create that. it was our responsibility to create that. to those much is given, much is expected. i knew we had it within our ranks to do it ourself. that s why we put together pontchartrain park community redevelopment corporation. housing is one thing, then i decided to also do food. let me ask you about the comprehensive piece. what we re seeing here, the spirit of the people of new orleans is is the best thing, and yet i think you and i would both say we see these amazing nonprofits, these incredible entrepreneurs, people just doing work on the ground for six years. also often running smack into government another the local, state and federal level. how do we scale the spirit of people to something so that food desert your grocery store could be an amazing thing, but how do we make sure there s