The crisis of African American unemployment requires federal intervention

Briefing Paper #328; Economic Policy Institute ^ | December 14, 2011 | By Algernon Austin

[DBCJR]

[Article featured link in an email newsletter by the US Census Bureau, Census Information Center, Jan Figart]

Millions of African Americans live in communities that lack access to good jobs and good schools and suffer from high crime rates. African American adults are about twice as likely to be unemployed as whites, black students lag their white peers in educational attainment and achievement, and African American communities tend to have higher than average crime rates. These issues have been persistent problems.

Jobs are essential to improving African American communities. Increased employment would help people in these communities lift themselves out of poverty. In addition, because poor economic conditions are an important causal factor behind poor educational outcomes and high crime rates are correlated with high unemployment rates, creating job opportunities would help improve educational outcomes and reduce crime.

This paper outlines a plan for significantly increasing the number of jobs available to African Americans. The plan, which targets communities with persistently high unemployment, includes three main components: creation of public sector jobs, job training with job-placement programs, and wage subsidies for employers. Although the plan is constructed with African Americans in mind, it would also provide benefits to Latino, American Indian, and white communities in which unemployment has remained high...

[bassmaner]

Blacks commit crimes and glorify the criminal subculture.

The root of the problem.

Unfortunately, for the rest of us (some of whom are black, too), since the real solution (ie. restoring the family unit and getting rid of government entitlements) will never be seriously considered, it may become necessary to declare martial law in the "hoods" and impose severe restrictions on movement and summary executions for sociopathic behavior. If tribal street thuggery spills over into civilized areas, civilized people of all ethnic stripes who become victims will demand that such a crackdown occur.

Perhaps that is exactly what Obama and his Chicago thugs are planning for ... they of course would not limit use of military force to the areas where it's needed. Top down, bottom up, inside out ...

[RFEngineer]

“The crisis of African American unemployment requires federal intervention”

US Postal Service?

[Marathoner 244]

Bingo!

[dfwgator]

Newt will fix it with janitorial jobs in schools and enlisting them building a base on the moon!

Bring back NASSA, the Negro American Space Society of Astronauts.

The Old Negro Space Program

[Jay Santos CP]

The social injustice represented by this type of unacceptable African American unemployment and poverty could be solved if out society made a real commitment to executing the following steps:

a. Focus on real affirmative action efforts. Force private employers to have at least 25% of their staff be composed of African Americans.
b. Insure that African Americans are placed into leadership positions in these organizations, CEOs, COOs, board positions
c. Government should place a moratorium on the hiring of non-African Americans for 10 years
d. Education requirements should be removed as a prerequisite for employment for African Americans
e. The Federal government should put together a large cash infusion for any African Americans that may have been involved in farming. An activity impacted by unfair treatment for centuries.
f. Loosen Federal and state requirements for assistance programs, including SNAP, WIC, SSI, Section 8, as well as programs for cell phone and internet access. Aggressively market these programs to African Americans.
g. Improve educational opportunities in the African American communities by removing the bulk of standardized testing and redevelop these tests to better reflect the unique knowledge patterns of these communities.
h. End or significantly reduce state prosecution for crimes having a higher incidence within the African American community. This could include incidents of unintended shootings, fighting and inadvertent property theft.
i. Rework the tax code so that all African Americans earning less than $250,000 annually would receive a payment rather than a tax liability.

Why the sarcasm? What better way to express the absurdity of the constant hand wringing over the state of the African American community. Start learning skills, start working, stop the mindless violence and end the whining and resentment.

[count-your-change]

Bring back that wonderful program CETA. YIPEEE!

[Moonman62]

Millions of African Americans live in communities that lack access to good jobs and good schools and suffer from high crime rates.

Why don't they use Section 8 to send them to nice neighborhoods where people work hard to live?

[Pearls Before Swine]

Like we already don’t have affirmative action in hiring and promotion! Try working your way up the Civil Service ladder as a white male without any political connections. You’d better be patient.

[GeronL]

lol. That’s just wrong.

[Gaffer]

The question should be “Is it inappropriate for an organization to continue 24/7/365 in perpetuity for a Consitutional Requirement that only calls for work once every ten years?

This is prevalent throughout our government - agencies going above and beyond their purviews: CDC (guns are a health problem), US Census Bureau (with dumbass stuff like this), Dept of Education (whatever the hell they call themselves now) with meals and diet, USDOT (mileage standards - none of their damned business), FDA, IRS, and on and on and on.

[Kickass Conservative]

My Niece just started a Masters Program.

One of her classes is taught by a Black Woman who is a Tenured Professor. The first assignment that was handed out had the students list their life experiences and goals, sort of a Biography / Resume.

The Professor told the class, and I quote here, “tell us who you be”.

We are so screwed...

[cincinnati65]

African American adults are about twice as likely to be unemployed as whites, black students lag their white peers in educational attainment and achievement

Not that the two are related, mind you.......

[Toddsterpatriot]

EPI! LOL!

[Mase]

EPI Lives!

We don't see much from them here any longer since Willie left the scene....twice. Or was that Economic Alert.org (Alan Tonelson et al)?

[expat_panama]

Goofy stuff comes out all the time, but what truly amazes me is how many people actually go along with that stuff.