Misplaced priorities for black Americans
Published July 10, 2015
by Walter Williams, professor George Mason University, published by Burlington Times-News, July 9, 2015.
Let’s list major problems affecting black Americans. Topping the list is the breakdown in the black family, where only a third of black children are raised in two-parent households. Actually, the term “breakdown” is incorrect. Families do not form in the first place. Nationally, there is a black illegitimacy rate of 72 percent. In some urban areas, the percentage is much greater. Blacks constitute more than 50 percent of murder victims, where roughly 7,000 blacks are murdered each year. Ninety-five percent of the time, the perpetrator is another black. If a black youngster does graduate from high school, it is highly likely that he can read, write and compute no better than a white seventh- or eighth-grader. These are the major problems that face black Americans.
Let’s look at some of the strategy since the beginning of the civil rights movement. The black power movement of the ‘60s and ‘70s held that black underrepresentation in the political arena was a major problem. It was argued that the election of more black officials as congressmen, mayors and city council members would mean economic power, better neighborhoods and better schools. Forty-three years ago, there were roughly 1,500 black elected officials nationwide. According to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, by 2011 there were roughly 10,500 black elected officials, including a black president. But what were the fruits?
By most any measure, the problems are worse. There is the greatest black poverty, poorest education, highest crime and greatest family instability in cities such as: Detroit, St. Louis, Oakland, Calif., Memphis, Tenn., Birmingham, Ala., Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Buffalo, N.Y. The most common characteristic of these predominantly black cities is that, for decades, all of them have been run by Democratic and presumably liberal administrations. What’s more is that in most of these cities, blacks have been mayors, chiefs of police, school superintendents and principals and have dominated city councils.
Political power has not lived up to its billing.
So what should black politicians and activists now be focused on to address some of the problems confronting black people? Let’s look at some of the fiddling by some black politicians, white liberals and some intimidated white conservatives. How about banning the Confederate flag from public places because it is alleged to be a symbol of slavery? What would that do for black problems? By the way, one could make the case for also banning the American flag. Slave ships sailed under the American flag.
What about Memphis Mayor A C Wharton’s proposal to “help” his black constituents? He has proposed to dig up the bodies of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife and remove them from a city park. One wonders whether he thinks marshaling resources to do that is more important than dealing with the city’s 145 murders, 320 rapes, 6,900 aggravated assault calls, and 3,000 robberies. All of the Memphis black homicide victims were murdered by other blacks.
What about a ban on the use of the “racist” term “thug” in reference to black criminals looting stores? How about a ban on “stop and frisk” and proactive policing as a measure to increase public safety in high-crime neighborhoods? What about more teaching, as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has done, that what blacks need to fear most are white policemen?In the wake of the Charleston murders, some people promote the false narrative that it’s white racists who are the interracial murderers. That’s nonsense. FBI crime victimization surveys show that blacks commit 80 percent of all interracial violent crime.The bottom line is that even if white people were to become angels tomorrow, it would do nothing for the problems plaguing a large segment of the black community. Illegitimacy, family breakdown, crime and fraudulent education are devastating problems, but they are not civil rights problems. There is little or nothing that government or white people can do to solve these problems. The solution lies with black people.Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. To find out more about him, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
July 10, 2015 at 11:24 am
Norm Kelly says:
Like every other person who points to black problems as belonging to blacks, it won't be long before the 'leadership' of the black community condemns Walter. He will be called an Uncle Tom. He will be called a wigger. He will be denigrated by the likes of the buffet slayer in Raleigh and the race pimps who make their living telling blacks they are incapable. Every socialist out there, who used to belong to the democRAT party such as Billary, will also condemn him.
Why? Because he is telling blacks that it's socialist, family-killing, policies of the left that are holding blacks back. It's the liberal education monopoly that is killing education for blacks. It's the limitations on blacks being able to move to non-public monopoly schools placed on them by the socialists that prevents too many blacks from getting a real education. Charter schools and vouchers are prevented by the socialists, which prevents too many blacks from getting their kids a real education. It's implementation of the dumbing-down communist core that helps to hold everyone back, but will especially impact black kids.
When I say things like Walter has said, I'm called a racist. When I say things like Walter has said here and in other places, the ever-senile Harry calls us anarchists.
What's the difference between Walter & me and black leaders & socialists? We believe blacks ARE capable. The buffet slayer and other black 'leaders'/race pimps tell blacks they are wholly incapable. There's even a lawsuit in NC where black 'leaders' are suing because they believe blacks are incapable of identifying themselves before voting. Blacks are constantly told that they will not get a job unless central planners protect them. Blacks are constantly told that they won't get a promotion (if they get a job!) unless central planners protect & help them. They are told that tests, whether in school or on the job, are biased against them because and only because their skin is darker than mine.
At what point will more blacks get in line with the likes of Walter & Bill Cosby. Whether the allegations against Bill are right or wrong, truth or lie, it's his stance on the ABILITY of blacks that is important. When will more blacks STOP listening to the likes of the Raleigh buffet slayer and start listening to either themselves or Walter. When will blacks stop listening to their 'leaders' who tell them that whites are the ones killing them every day when it's actually their fellow blacks that are killing them in droves?! When will blacks stop being taken care of and start taking care of themselves? Wouldn't this prove that socialists and black 'leaders' are wrong? Of course it would. Some like buffet slayer and Jesse would be put out of business, but that would be good for blacks AND the nation.
Walter may be an uncle tom. I may be a racist. But it's a black problem that too many blacks do not seem willing to do anything about. Walter isn't an uncle. I'm not a racist. But if it makes socialists 'feel' good to say so, if it makes blacks better off in life to say so, then we'll take it. But it's just another lie being perpetrated by socialists and black 'leaders'. And we all know the most important thing to a lib/socialist/demoncrat is feelings. Truth doesn't matter to this group any more. It's only feelings, followed quite distantly by perception. On a scale of 100, feelings rates a 94.3 for libs/socialists/demons/black 'leaders', and perception rates about a 4. So perception is on their scale but it's so far behind feelings that it almost doesn't count. And the amount that remains has to do with 'the children'. And when socialists/libs/demons/black leaders aren't playing the race card, they play the 'for the children' card. Both are out & out lies, but it makes them feel good!
I'm tired of being told I'm a racist because I expect blacks who have never been slaves are capable. Isn't it terrible of me to assume that an adult can take responsibility! Isn't it terrible of me to assume an adult is capable! Or is it worse for blacks to be told how incapable and unqualified they are by their own 'leaders'? Including the racist current occupier. Who in actuality isn't a leader at all. He even admitted to leading from behind. Which is a cowards definition of a follower!
July 10, 2015 at 5:18 pm
Frank Burns says:
Excellent points made in the article which often get brushed aside in debates on race.
