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It isn't slavery chaining blacks ***....The shift back to an embrace of personal responsibility hasn't come a moment too soon. Because of global forces beyond the control of any politician, the jobs that created the nation's middle class are disappearing, leaving only a poorly paid service class and a highly paid professional class. Seeing the trends, many middle-class parents will be trying to ensure that their children end up among the well-paid professionals. The competition for slots in good schools and for high-paying jobs will only increase.

That portends a more fractious political and social climate. Black Americans will be less able to depend on liberal largess for a hand up. For that matter, so will less affluent whites. (A word of caution: This column is intended only for those comfortable with nuance and complexity. This is no libertarian brief for the end of government assistance or affirmative action. Both personal responsibility and societal responsibility — a social safety net, in other words — are necessary to provide a stable and democratic civil society.)

Already, black immigrants are challenging native-born black students for prestigious slots in Ivy League schools. In June, according to The New York Times, several prominent black academics pointed out that about two-thirds of Harvard University's black undergraduates are black immigrants, children of immigrants or children of biracial marriages. Researchers studying black enrollment at several other exclusive schools, including Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania, report that about 41 percent of their black students fit the same demographic profile.

It's no great surprise that immigrants and their children do well. Regardless of national origin, immigrants tend to be resourceful strivers. ...***

Take heed, Democrats: Unrequited love is not an option***SNELLVILLE, GA. – The black American electorate is at zero hour; a vital decision must be made. After 64 years of mostly unrequited love, black voters must choose to end their unilateral devotion to the Democratic Party. This will not be easy, and what is required for black voters to let go and realize their full potential will be counterintuitive to prevailing political thought in the African-American community.

Prior to 1940, most blacks who were able to vote identified themselves as Republicans because Abraham Lincoln - the great Emancipator - was a Republican. But with the success of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal policies, blacks began voting for Democratic candidates and by 1960, most had migrated to the party. For the second half of the 20th century, blacks have been a reliable constituency for the Democrats. Yet no longer can we afford to base party affiliation and voting patterns on sentimentalism.

The black electorate has received only a small and inconsistent return on its unyielding loyalty. Self-respecting black voters should not be counted on to flex their enormous political muscles on cue without asking for, and receiving, more return on their investment.

That yield must include more blacks in all levels of Democratic Party leadership and an unfeigned effort to promote blacks for statewide and national office - even the presidency.

Eloquent speeches at the 2004 Democratic convention by the Rev. Al Sharpton, a former presidential candidate and by Barack Obama, a candidate for US Senate from Illinois, are not fair trade for robust black electoral capital……***