Government Against Blacks

[MCWAY]

Government Against Blacks

By John Stossel


The other day, I went to Times Square to ask people what government should do to help poor people. Most everyone agreed on the answer: "more social programs and a higher minimum wage."

It's intuitive to think that way. I used to think that, too. When President Johnson declared a "war on poverty," he said "compassionate government" was the road to prosperity for poor people. That made sense to me. At Princeton, I was taught that government's central planners had the solution to poverty.

But then I watched them work. Government spent trillions of dollars on poverty programs, and the poverty level stayed stuck at about 12 percent of the population. It's stayed there for about 40 years.

Now I understand that that government poverty programs encourage people to stay dependent. There's money in it. They policymakers would have known this 25 years ago had they read "The State Against Blacks." The author, an economist, said poverty programs destroy the natural mechanisms that have always enabled poor people to lift themselves out of poverty.

That author is Walter Williams of George Mason University. Williams, who is black, says "there's a huge segment of the black population for whom upward mobility is elusive, and it's because of the welfare state -- [AZ2]because of government."

Williams elaborates in a new book, "Race and Economics." A chief culprit, he insists, is the minimum wage.

"Let's not look at the intentions behind minimum wage," he said. "We have to ask, what are the effects? Put yourself in the place of an employer who must pay $7.25 no matter whom you hire. Will that employer hire a person who can only add $3 or $4 of value per hour?"

He will not. And so fewer young people get hired and "get their feet on the bottom rung of the economic ladder." This hurts all young people, but black teens most, he says, because "many of them get a fraudulent education in the public school system. So a law that discriminates against low-skill people has a doubly negative effect on black teenagers. The unemployment rate among black teens today is unprecedented in U.S. history. In the '40s, black teenage unemployment was less than white teenage unemployment."

And yet a Pew survey says 83 percent of Americans support raising the minimum wage.

"People have the misguided notion that the minimum wage is an antipoverty tool."

Economists understand the truth. A survey of the American Economic Association found that 90 percent of economists say the minimum wage increases unemployment.

Williams says the minimum wage law has also been a tool of racism. In his book "South Africa's War Against Capitalism," he studied that country's labor markets during apartheid:

"White racist unions in South Africa that would never have a black as a member were the major supporters of minimum wage laws. Their stated purpose was to protect white workers from having to compete with low-skill, low-wage black workers. In the United States we found some of the same reasoning for support of a super minimum-wage law," the Davis-Bacon Act, which forces taxpayers to pay union-like wages for government-funded construction projects.



"The welfare state has done to black Americans what slavery (and Jim Crow and racism) could not have done ... break up the black family. Today, just slightly over 30 percent of black kids live in two-parent families. Historically, from the 1870s on ... 75-90 percent of black kids lived in two-parent families."

Why does the welfare state create illegitimacy?

"(Without welfare,) people would decide, 'I'm going to go out and get a job, I'm going to live more responsibly.'" And that would include getting married before having children, something the welfare system discourages.

I believe the creators of the welfare state had good intentions, but good intentions aren't good enough. Even if deficit spending were not bankrupting America -- which it is -- America should end these programs.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/06/01/government_against_blacks_110051-2.html

[loco]

Great post MCWAY!

[George Whorewell]

Racist thread reported.

[Deicide]

Government Against Blacks

By John Stossel


The other day, I went to Times Square to ask people what government should do to help poor people. Most everyone agreed on the answer: "more social programs and a higher minimum wage."

It's intuitive to think that way. I used to think that, too. When President Johnson declared a "war on poverty," he said "compassionate government" was the road to prosperity for poor people. That made sense to me. At Princeton, I was taught that government's central planners had the solution to poverty.

But then I watched them work. Government spent trillions of dollars on poverty programs, and the poverty level stayed stuck at about 12 percent of the population. It's stayed there for about 40 years.

Now I understand that that government poverty programs encourage people to stay dependent. There's money in it. They policymakers would have known this 25 years ago had they read "The State Against Blacks." The author, an economist, said poverty programs destroy the natural mechanisms that have always enabled poor people to lift themselves out of poverty.

That author is Walter Williams of George Mason University. Williams, who is black, says "there's a huge segment of the black population for whom upward mobility is elusive, and it's because of the welfare state -- [AZ2]because of government."

Williams elaborates in a new book, "Race and Economics." A chief culprit, he insists, is the minimum wage.

"Let's not look at the intentions behind minimum wage," he said. "We have to ask, what are the effects? Put yourself in the place of an employer who must pay $7.25 no matter whom you hire. Will that employer hire a person who can only add $3 or $4 of value per hour?"

He will not. And so fewer young people get hired and "get their feet on the bottom rung of the economic ladder." This hurts all young people, but black teens most, he says, because "many of them get a fraudulent education in the public school system. So a law that discriminates against low-skill people has a doubly negative effect on black teenagers. The unemployment rate among black teens today is unprecedented in U.S. history. In the '40s, black teenage unemployment was less than white teenage unemployment."

And yet a Pew survey says 83 percent of Americans support raising the minimum wage.

"People have the misguided notion that the minimum wage is an antipoverty tool."

Economists understand the truth. A survey of the American Economic Association found that 90 percent of economists say the minimum wage increases unemployment.

Williams says the minimum wage law has also been a tool of racism. In his book "South Africa's War Against Capitalism," he studied that country's labor markets during apartheid:

"White racist unions in South Africa that would never have a black as a member were the major supporters of minimum wage laws. Their stated purpose was to protect white workers from having to compete with low-skill, low-wage black workers. In the United States we found some of the same reasoning for support of a super minimum-wage law," the Davis-Bacon Act, which forces taxpayers to pay union-like wages for government-funded construction projects.



"The welfare state has done to black Americans what slavery (and Jim Crow and racism) could not have done ... break up the black family. Today, just slightly over 30 percent of black kids live in two-parent families. Historically, from the 1870s on ... 75-90 percent of black kids lived in two-parent families."

Why does the welfare state create illegitimacy?

"(Without welfare,) people would decide, 'I'm going to go out and get a job, I'm going to live more responsibly.'" And that would include getting married before having children, something the welfare system discourages.

I believe the creators of the welfare state had good intentions, but good intentions aren't good enough. Even if deficit spending were not bankrupting America -- which it is -- America should end these programs.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/06/01/government_against_blacks_110051-2.html

You do know you are citing a hardcore, antiwar, antidrugwar libertarian? Just sayin'....

[MCWAY]

You do know you are citing a hardcore, antiwar, antidrugwar libertarian? Just sayin'....

GASP!!! 

The truth is the truth, regardless of who cites it.

[Soul Crusher]

Sad reality is that too many blacks have bought into the socialist marxist garbage and don't understand that the cause of a lot of their plight is not whitey, but flawed economic beliefs and the govt itself.

[MCWAY]

Sad reality is that too many blacks have bought into the socialist marxist garbage and don't understand that the cause of a lot of their plight is not whitey, but flawed economic beliefs and the govt itself.

Couple that with their being political Esaus, trading in their spiritual and cultural birthright for a hunk of government cheese.

[Soul Crusher]

Couple that with their being political Esaus, trading in their spiritual and cultural birthright for a hunk of government cheese.

Another thing - blacks keep silent on illegal immigration for some bizarre reason when they are the ones hurt the most by it!

[MCWAY]

Another thing - blacks keep silent on illegal immigration for some bizarre reason when they are the ones hurt the most by it!

Fortunately, they aren't quite as silent, when it comes to the school voucher thing, though they were locklipped when Obama shut down the DC Opportunity Scholarship program, which Boehner has helped to get reinstated.

[kcballer]

Social programs are a great idea, they just have yet to be put into practice on a largely effective scale.  As noted when you don't have an incentive to work, you probably won't work.  The flip side is when you have no opportunity to work, you can't work or feel trapped.  A social program that gives opportunity to those who would otherwise not have it is the answer.  How do you do that?  I don't know. 

[Soul Crusher]

Social programs are a great idea, they just have yet to be put into practice on a largely effective scale.  As noted when you don't have an incentive to work, you probably won't work.  The flip side is when you have no opportunity to work, you can't work or feel trapped.  A social program that gives opportunity to those who would otherwise not have it is the answer.  How do you do that?  I don't know. 

Very simple - you don't work - you dont eat.   

[kcballer]

Very simple - you don't work - you dont eat.   

And what if you can't get a job?  What if you are disabled?  Or un-educated through no fault of your own other than going to an under funded school which didn't teach you anything?  What then?  You starve? 

[Soul Crusher]

And what if you can't get a job?  What if you are disabled?  Or un-educated through no fault of your own other than going to an under funded school which didn't teach you anything?  What then?  You starve? 

Not the disabled, but yes.    you would be amazed at whatpeople are capable of when they are forced to do something.   

[George Whorewell]

Not the disabled, but yes.    you would be amazed at whatpeople are capable of when they are forced to do something.   

QFT-- I once threw a blind paraplegic into a river with strong currents and alligators. He nearly made it to the other side before drowning.

[MCWAY]

Very simple - you don't work - you dont eat.   

2 Thessalonians 3:10.

[loco]

QFT-- I once threw a blind paraplegic into a river with strong currents and alligators. He nearly made it to the other side before drowning.

 

[kcballer]

2 Thessalonians 3:10.

Hahaha here come the cherry picked bible passages!

[loco]

Hahaha here come the cherry picked bible passages!

How is it cherry picked?  Can you come up with Bible verses that condone and enable lazy socialists?  

[Soul Crusher]

 

[MCWAY]

Hahaha here come the cherry picked bible passages!

That simply sourcing 333386's statement.

Nothing in Scripture condones subsidizing the lazy and there are passages in Deu. 24, for example, that cite examples of how to help the poor, the widows, and orphans.

[The True Adonis]

This can all be solved by depopulation or incentives given to not have children and abortion.  Hope this helps.

[Soul Crusher]

This can all be solved by depopulation or incentives given to not have children and abortion.  Hope this helps.

And how do you for all te entitlement program promises if no oneelse is around?

[Option D]

this is so awesome..

[MCWAY]

This can all be solved by depopulation or incentives given to not have children and abortion.  Hope this helps.

DEAD WRONG!! It can be solved by getting this FOOL, Barack Obama, and his left winged cronies out of office, and replace them with people who actually have a clue on how to get jobs rolling.

[The True Adonis]

And how do you for all te entitlement program promises if no oneelse is around?

As the population diminishes amongst the poor (who have the highest birth rate) social programs can be adjusted down accordingly.  Its quite simple really.