One Good Thing about Obama’s Candidacy
Like most white, middle-class Americans, I was astounded, shocked and disgusted by the comments and beliefs of Reverend Wright, and, given the applause and cheers, he mirrored the beliefs of most in his congregation. I thought, “well, maybe the people in this church hate America this much, but this has to be a tiny sample of what black people think”. Then, for weeks afterward, I watched black talking head after black talking head appear on various cable news channels – some disagreeing with the Obamas and Wright, but many agreeing with them – that America is a terrible country, for blacks at least.
Then I thought some more about Katrina and the terrible problem it exposed of a large group of people in this country whom welfare programs have robbed of the significance of their lives – and turned them, both blacks and whites, into helpless wards of the state, unable in the face of a disaster to do more than sit around waiting for others to help them.
While I was pondering this, I recalled the recent news, first discovered in Memphis, Tennessee, that the huge increases in crime in many of America’s mid-sized cities could be traced almost exactly to the locations in the cities where recipients of Section 8 housing vouchers lived.
What we are witnessing is a terrible disaster unfolding before our eyes, and Obama's campaign has opened my eyes to it as never before. Over the years we have let all our inner-city manufacturing jobs where unskilled and semi-skilled workers could earn a decent wage on which to raise a family, disappear; and we have replaced those jobs with a group of welfare programs that have failed miserably – and destroyed families and society in the process. Aside from traditional marriage, the glue that keeps a civilized society civil is the same thing that breeds self-respect and self-reliance – a good job.
I believe we need to begin to reverse this process in a massive way, and put the money we now spend on various anti-poverty programs into subsidizing manufacturing plants that provide jobs in our cities, jobs that were lost to foreign competition, union overreach and technological obsolescence. I know that this will be a very difficult program to sell and to carry out; it means ending AFDC for new recipients and coming up with a way to get an honest administration of a program that will require business knowledge and the subsidizing of entrepreneurs who otherwise could not compete in head-on competition to provide these jobs.
Since President Johnson launched the “Great Society” anti-poverty welfare programs, white births of fatherless children has about doubled to 50%, while black births of fatherless children have tripled. Before the Great Society, both black and white unwed births were about the same, about 25%. A fatherless boy is a destructive missile launched on society, often ending up with a gun in his hand before he is caught and goes to prison. Let’s give him an opportunity for a good job close to where he lives so he can start a family, and his children WILL have a father.
Labels: America the Beautiful
posted by RussWilcox @ 7:07 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
For over 35 years I've worked with programs that are funded to target the economically disadvantaged (as defined). I've noticed that we now have a new form of Slavery.
Often I would find clients who told me they were afraid to find a real good job. They had become so used to getting that "handout" they were afraid to step out.
The "War on Poverty" as comedian Pat Paulson would say, "the poor people have nothing to fight back with".
Getting back on track, I like your approach and since Entrepreneurship is the HOT BUTTON TOPIC in the Education Field, it could be the time to push that, among conservatives as a valid alternative to what hasn't worked since LBJ.
The current PERKINS Federal Funding guidelines for Career and Technical Education push for Entrepreneurship curriculum to be included.
They are also pushing like I've never seen in 35 years for DOCUMENTATION of Efforts to reach what is now called "special populations" (economically disadvantaged, single parents, minorities, etc.) and encouraging Schools to activity recruit from that population to get them involved in Career and Technical Education Programs. (Formerly called Vocational Education).
Enrollment in Regional Technical Schools has created waiting lists.
The Dept. of Education now wants comprehensive schools to enlarge their smaller vocational programs to prepare those students for Jobs and Post Secondary Education.
Several new FOUNDATIONS exist to promote Entrepreneurship in schools from the traditional Junior Achievement group to many new groups.
With your suggestions Russ, the total effort is WIN WIN.
Federal Funds should go to businesses that either hire Special Populations, but need to include some sort of Education activities to show that what is expected from the World. Like a Day's Work for a Day's Pay.
One draw back is the effort we must spend in tutoring those students to pass the High Stakes Tests in each State before graduating.
Some of the items on those tests aren't that critical to know to be a successful business person.
People like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and Jeremiah Wright want to keep black people down by telling them that "whitey" is to blame for all of their problems and living conditions. This is how they are able to cash in on the poor black people. All three of these guys are stinking rich! This is why Jesse Jackson was angered when he was listening to Obama talk about black people needing to take more responsibility for their actions. Obama was giving the same type of spiel that Bill Cosby has been giving, and Jesse didn't like it because it cuts into his greedy livelihood of taking advantage of his own people. The Reverend Wright, if you want to call him that,-- preaches about how bad "Whitey" is and then turns around and is building a 10,000 sq. ft. house valued at $10,000,000 in an all white neighborhood next to a golf course. He also drives two Mercedes valued at $150,000. How is he looking??? I totally agree with what you are saying here, but we need to make jobs available to all our people here in the United States, including blacks who are willing to work, before we give them to illegal aliens and the Red Chinese. We need to close the borders, drill for oil, build new refineries, Nuke power plants, and stop buying junk from China. All our problems can be solved if we do this. NAFTA is nothing but an attempt consolidate our country with Mexico and Canada. It will ultimately lead to this country adopting a new currency called Ameros, and place us under UN Control with all the other countries. Can't happen? If CNNs Lou Dobbs is talking about it, there must be something to it. I've only heard Fox' Britt Hume talk about it once on Fox News. All we have to do is adopt the "Law of the Sea Treaty" (LOST), and it will become a reality. The talk going around is; George Bush, including his old man, Clinton, and most of the Democrats are pushing LOST, and we need to get together to fight them before it's too late, or we will be paying a tax to the UN and lose our sovereignty forever.
I agree with and am in favor of anything that creates additional real jobs. I am also in favor of anything that reduces dependancy on government programs....and in the process eliminates some of the abuse of these programs. What can be good programs turn out to undermine generations of people once the abuse takes hold and passes from generation to generation...
A lot of blacks have legitimate complaints regarding their history or their forefathers history. Some of this is still going on today. However, we should not be blaming today's generation for something that happened a generation ago or for something that happened 150-200 years ago.
Steve
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