Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy - Financial Leprosy lyrics

[Intro] The consumer is in no position right now to lead the country out of a recession [Intro] We look at dollars coming out of one pocket of the institution and going into the other pocket. The issue is larger than are there dollars to educate our children. The issue is do we want to educate our children [Verse 1: Michael Franti] Financial Leprosy We got to get up And wait in line For the soup toilets And things to read Fill out 11-0-1s And take a seat But then we got to Find a place to sleep We got to lay down Upon newspaper, cardboard Concrete, and plastic sheets Effects of '80s public policy We used to buy Full shopping carts And buy useless products Trained to drain Not to remain Red line economy "I have a dream"'s reality [Hook] Well, self-effacing and mirror-hating The ethnic notions and potions But I still smell bad Skin fader, tanning booths In conjunction with their plastic b**bs And diet pills All means to attract and distract [x4] [Verse 2: Michael Franti] Designer gla**es to see designer clothes Designer cologne to wave under a designer drug nose That sniffs through the perfume scented magazines Try to make sense out of dollars Often heard of, rarely seen As an ear listens to the dial tone I pretend to talk on a cellular phone That I know I can't afford Well I used to own this street And now I'm living on Market Street [Hook] [Sample] Narco-gangsters concern us all. We will need speed and ba**. Ba** It's a matter of priorities when in California, 42% of the kids in CYA are African American and are about 8% of the population. It is a priority when 40% of those in adult corrections are African American [Verse 3: Michael Franti] Thieves generating revenues Lottery poverty tax Druglords and landlords And praise the lords They prey upon us How did they ever Manufacture consent A meal in every trash can Myth of the happy hobo CoIntelPro The Cosby Show Why did the they cut the Pell Grant So they can build cells Ten years in prison But no tenure at the University Is this ethnic diversity Or is it public policy [Sample] The ones who need education the most are not getting it [Verse 4: Michael Franti] Chemical bullets Aimed at the Afro diaspora A genocidal ghost Manipulates a suicidal host And as high technology Eliminates the need for manual labor And Mercedes Benz logos replace peace signs On the necks of our youth [Hook] [Outro] The poverty industry The poverty industry They can find $750,000 a week to pay police, but they pay community-based organizations for after-school activities The poverty industry The poverty industry The poverty industry