Posted on 09/12/2005 5:51:41 PM PDT by StoneGiant
LBJ's Great Society: 40 Years Later
1964 was a very busy year for Lyndon Johnson. First he rammed through Congress the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, giving him war powers in Vietnam. Next he signed into Law the now famous or infamous, depending on ones political slant, Civil Rights Act. He called this ambitious undertaking his "Guns and Butter" program. The first part of this equation to go sour was the war effort. Johnson treated the war like a political problem that he could solve by twisting the arms of Ho and Giap the same way he had got things done in the Senate for so many years. When this strategy failed to produce results he next tried to micro-manage the war from the Oval Office as if it were a giant chess game with our troops as the pawns. He went so far as to select bombing targets and to turn missions on and off like a switch with a carrot-on-a-stick approach to entice Ho to the peace table. Meanwhile on the home front, with his Great Society and War on Poverty programs, he was socially engineering our country into a welfare state while funding a military adventure overseas. When asked by a reporter if it was fiscally prudent to fund a war effort and his social programs at the same time he replied, "Heck yeah man, we're rich".
When Cronkite abandoned him on National TV, as he strolled through the ancient city of Hue with his battle helmet and somber intonations that we were mired in a quagmire and that it was time to seek peace, (code word for surrender), with honor, Johnson folded up like a wet tissue, tucked his tail between his legs, and slinked off back to his ranch in Texas.
As bad as his failure in Vietnam proved to be, the results of his Great Society Programs were far more insidious, deadly and injurious to our Nation's psyche. The mammoth social welfare entitlement programs that streamed out of Washington did more damage to the fabric of our society than any number of Vietnams could have done. The irony is, that the segment of our society that it meant to help, was the one that was most grievously harmed. Of all those who fell victim to the welfare mentality, none suffered more than the black communities.
In the fifties, although blacks were still struggling for equal oppertunities and were on the low end of the economic ladder, the black family was for the most part strong and stable. Two parent families were the rule, not the exception. They attended church together, had strong moral values, and did not comprise a majority of the prison population. Compare that to the present state of the black community after 40 years of Liberal Socialism. Our prisons are disproportionably black, unwed mothers and single parent families are the rule, black youths without a strong male role model other than rap stars and basketball players, roam the streets and are drawn into a culture of drugs and crime.
The following statistics are provided by Star Parker's Coalition of Urban Renewal, (CURE).
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What was the message of the social programs that came out of LBJ's Great Society? One of the most devestating to the family was that if an unwed woman became pregnant, moved out of the home of her parents, did not name or know who the father was, then Big Daddy in Washington would provide for all her essential needs. Ergo she no longer needed a husband or the support of her family. In fact, the more children she had out of wedlock, the more money she would receive from the government. This program was the death knell for many families, especially in the black community. Unfortunately many black men saw this as the best of all possible worlds. They could father as many children as they wanted, from multiple women, without ever having to accept the responsibility of fatherhood. Many women rejected marriage in favor of a boyfriend who could slip in the back door and not jeopardize her government check. In this dysfunctional culture why would education be important? Why seek an education only to have to compete for a good job in the market place when they could just hang around the neighborhood and have all of life's amenities? In fact studying and getting good grades, for many blacks, became a social stigma. They were called "Uncle Toms" and accused of trying to act "white". Many blacks who had the potential to succeed gave in to this pressure and opted for failure. After all they had the perfect excuse. Did not the NAACP and race hustlers like Jesse Jackson tell them that it was not their fault? That they were just innocent "victims" of white racism?
This is the legacy of LBJ's Great Society.....compassion as defined by Liberalism.
--LBJ War on Poverty Speech, 1964.
"We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good"
-- Hillary Clinton, 2004
should have typed AFDC.
Texan Lyndon B. Johnson's "War On Poverty" should give an idea of how Texan George W. Bush's "War On Terror" will play out. Not to mention the War On Cancer, War On Drugs, War On Burger(s)....
Don't forget that "lady"bird (Who made an emense fortune over the VN War!!!) had her own li'l beautification project.
The family of a friend of mine owned a towing/wreckage company. She put slats in their fence to make things more lovely to look at.
snicker...
Source - I worked at the LBJ Library for about a year. I would cue up the tapes on a reel-to-reel player, put on headphones, and, working a foot pedal to rewind, pause, or fast-forward, transcribe interviews that had been conducted with people who had known Johnson at different times of his life.Most of the interviewees spoke glowingly, and fondly, of Johnson; even those who were critical of Johnson... And yet, despite everyone's best efforts, what emerged from this Citizen Kane-like mosaic of interviews was not a pretty picture. For nothing could gloss over the fact that Lyndon Johnson was an overbearing, ruthless, sociopathic, power-mad monster. He was politician enough to know how to charm when he had to, but the mask could easily slip, and often did.
He would dictate letters and conduct meetings while sitting on the toilet. He would fondle other women in front of other people, including his wife, Lady Bird. And, if he were walking past the White House swimming pool, he would suddenly strip naked, right in front of everyone, and jump in.
snip
See my new tagline.
Good essay...up to a point. A proper essay is supposed to posit a solution for the problem it identifies.
This article sets in stone random thoughts I've had for years. Thanks for posting this.An absolutely perfect description of the "Great Society."
I had many discussions with friends about this in 1964 as it was coming to a head. We all thought it was a bad idea. But none of us came close to predicting the disaster it has become.
If he were around today, I wonder what LBJ would think of what his program has wrought?
This article states that 60 percent of blacks are born out of wedlock, but I've seen statistics that put this number at 70 percent. Before Johnson launched his "Great Society," just 20 percent of blacks were born out of wedlock. This is a staggering figure.
The question is this: how much longer will blacks continue to marginalize themselves by voting for Democrats?
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can exist only until voters discover that they can vote themselves largesses from the public treasury. From that time on, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury...Too bad LBJ didn't read Tyler.
Doctor Schotic, "Texan Lyndon B. Johnson's 'War On Poverty' should give an idea of how Texan George W. Bush's 'War On Terror' will play out. Not to mention the War On Cancer, War On Drugs, War On Burger(s)...."
Well then that settles it. The War on Communism, the War on Slavery, and the War on Nazism were also farces. So how do want to surrender? Will you convert to Shia Islam or Sunni Islam?
In 1964 I was 21. I meet and shook hands with LBJ in downtown Milwaukee during his campaign. To my everlasting shame, I voted for him in my first election. I can honestly say I have never voted for another democrat.
Regards,
GtG
(I learn quick!)
exactly
Obviously George W. Bush didn't read Tyler either. America is turning into a nanny state.
I call it "The beginning of the end" of our great society!
LBJ = dirtbag!
I saw Goldwater on TV once commenting on various political figures he had contact with.He was mostly civil until Johnson came along.It was obvious that he despised the man,his comments were that Johnson came to Washington in virtual poverty and left a multimillionaire.It was not hard to understand the implication of graft and corruption.
"we don't know, he was very generous to Lady Bird".
HA! Damned nice of him, considering SHE was the one with the serious money! LBJ had nothing but his hands in his pockets until he met Lady Bird, and many speculated her wealth was what he loved most about her.
LBJ was a manipulative, backstabbing SOB who would do anything for power. Compared to him, Clinton was a poser and a punk. (But they were probably equals as physical cowards and shameless liars.)
The Caro biographies paint a stark portrait of the mad emperor. He was faithless to everyone, especially his friends.
Worst presidents ever for the damage they did:
1. LBJ (Viet Nam, diplomacy, the welfare state, treasonous cabinet members
2. Clinton (surrender to terror, possible alliances with terrorists, you know the rest)
3. FDR (welfare state, surrender of Eastern Europe to the communists, welcoming communists into government)
4. Carter (for giving us Iran) but forgiven for giving us Reagan.
We saw LBJ's "Great Society" sitting on their butts waiting for the government to save them in NO. Three generations of people with no initiative because the government check is in the mail to keep them alive and voting Democrat...that is LBJ's legacy.
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