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Worse Than Racists
Townhall.com ^ | April 19, 2017 | Walter E. Williams

Posted on 04/19/2017 4:43:28 AM PDT by Kaslin

As a group, black Americans have made the greatest gains -- over some of the highest hurdles and in a very short span of time -- of any racial group in mankind's history. What's the evidence? If one totaled up the earnings of black Americans and considered us as a separate nation with our own gross domestic product, we would rank among the 20 richest nations. It was a black American, Gen. Colin Powell, who once headed the world's mightiest military. Black Americans are among the world's most famous personalities, and a few are among the world's richest people.

The significance of these and other achievements is that at the end of the Civil War, neither a slave nor a slave owner would have believed such progress would be possible in a little over a century -- if ever. As such, it speaks to the intestinal fortitude of a people. Just as importantly, it speaks to the greatness of a nation in which such gains were possible. Nowhere else on the face of the earth would such progress be possible except in the United States of America. The big and thorny issue that confronts our nation is how these gains can be extended to the one-third or more of the black population for whom they have proved elusive.

A major part of the solution should be the elimination of public and private policy that rewards inferiority and irresponsibility. Chief among the policies that reward inferiority and irresponsibility is the welfare state. When some people know that they can have children out of wedlock, drop out of school and refuse employment and suffer little consequence, one should not be surprised to see the growth of such behavior. The poverty rate among blacks is about 30 percent. It's seen as politically correct to blame today's poverty on racial discrimination, but that's nonsense. Why? The poverty rate among black intact husband-and-wife families has been in the single digits for more than two decades. Does one want to argue that racists discriminate against female-headed families but not husband-and-wife families?

As a group, black Americans have made the greatest gains -- over some of the highest hurdles and in a very short span of time -- of any racial group in mankind's history. What's the evidence? If one totaled up the earnings of black Americans and considered us as a separate nation with our own gross domestic product, we would rank among the 20 richest nations. It was a black American, Gen. Colin Powell, who once headed the world's mightiest military. Black Americans are among the world's most famous personalities, and a few are among the world's richest people.

The significance of these and other achievements is that at the end of the Civil War, neither a slave nor a slave owner would have believed such progress would be possible in a little over a century -- if ever. As such, it speaks to the intestinal fortitude of a people. Just as importantly, it speaks to the greatness of a nation in which such gains were possible. Nowhere else on the face of the earth would such progress be possible except in the United States of America. The big and thorny issue that confronts our nation is how these gains can be extended to the one-third or more of the black population for whom they have proved elusive.

A major part of the solution should be the elimination of public and private policy that rewards inferiority and irresponsibility. Chief among the policies that reward inferiority and irresponsibility is the welfare state. When some people know that they can have children out of wedlock, drop out of school and refuse employment and suffer little consequence, one should not be surprised to see the growth of such behavior. The poverty rate among blacks is about 30 percent. It's seen as politically correct to blame today's poverty on racial discrimination, but that's nonsense. Why? The poverty rate among black intact husband-and-wife families has been in the single digits for more than two decades. Does one want to argue that racists discriminate against female-headed families but not husband-and-wife families?


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: welfare

1 posted on 04/19/2017 4:43:28 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin
There is no doubt that Black men and women have performed miracles of achievement in the Judeo/Christian culture of the West.

It appears that what has held them back in Africa is tribalism and islam...not race.

2 posted on 04/19/2017 4:50:06 AM PDT by RoosterRedux
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To: Kaslin

“some people know that they can have children out of wedlock, drop out of school and refuse employment and suffer little consequence, one should not be surprised to see the growth of such behavior”

IMO it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to call that a form of reparations.


3 posted on 04/19/2017 5:15:37 AM PDT by V_TWIN
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To: RoosterRedux

I’ll give the blacks in America credit for one thing...they stick together like nobody’s business.


4 posted on 04/19/2017 5:17:33 AM PDT by V_TWIN
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To: Kaslin
Dr. Williams might also have mentioned that progress was accomplished against virulent and violent opposition from white Democrats. First, post-Reconstruction Democrat controlled legislatures in the South passed Jim Crow segregation laws, enforced with rope, guns, and fire. Then what little progress had been made through the last half of the nineteenth century was cast aside by that pillar of the Democratic Party, Professor Woodrow Wilson.

The Civil Rights Movement was spawned under Dwight Eisenhower and only carried forward and taken credit for by those Democrats who saw the writing on the wall and realized they could put blacks back in a sort of bondage (with voting rights as long as they punched the "D" cards) masked with the falsely benign face of "Welfare". But his points are correct. Not that very many if any people with whom he shares an African heritage will listen.

5 posted on 04/19/2017 5:46:16 AM PDT by katana (It still hasn't occurred to them that Trump doesn't give a s***)
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To: RoosterRedux

AND for long-lived american historians———since the mid 60s the bar has been lowered and black s, women and Indians and mexicans have been given special priveledges enabling them to go where more qualified white males are by-passed.-——(EX:—new york recently lowered and/or eliminated qualifying tests for educators because blacks and hispanics could not pass them!!——our country today (after 8yrs of a Black PRESident) has been left in a horrible and unsecure state. perhaps beyond repair.-—white male built, sustained and gave this country everything needed to make itthe greatest country EVER on this earth!!——IF you disagree and are unhappy —PLEASE LEAVE—QUIETLY!!


6 posted on 04/19/2017 6:13:11 AM PDT by bkrdoug
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To: Kaslin
What's the evidence? If one totaled up the earnings of black Americans and considered us as a separate nation with our own gross domestic product, we would rank among the 20 richest nations.

I wonder if this includes those on recurrent gubment help
7 posted on 04/19/2017 6:18:00 AM PDT by stylin19a (Terrorists - "just because you don't see them doesn't mean they aren't there")
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To: V_TWIN

They seem to kill each other too like nobody’s business.


8 posted on 04/19/2017 6:19:27 AM PDT by tflabo (Agent Able Deplore)
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To: Kaslin

***The poverty rate among blacks is about 30 percent.***

But, but Democrat Lyndon Johnson declared WAR on POVERTY back in 1964! What happened!

I saw an old Arkan-saw cartoon in 1964.

Hillbilly Woman: “Paw, the President said he is going to declare war on Poverty!”

Hillbilly man setting on the porch: “Well, if he wants me in his war on Poverty he is going to have to draft me!”


9 posted on 04/19/2017 6:37:54 AM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar ("You know Caligula?" --- "Worse! Caligula knows me!")
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To: tflabo
They seem to kill each other too like nobody’s business.

In certain localities, true.

10 posted on 04/19/2017 9:16:56 AM PDT by JimRed ( TERM LIMITS, NOW! Building the Wall! TRUTH is the new HATE SPEECH.)
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To: V_TWIN
I’ll give the blacks in America credit for one thing...they stick together like nobody’s business

Not exactly...

11 posted on 04/21/2017 3:13:46 PM PDT by rdb3 (Who is worthless to one, but priceless to two?)
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