Is Government Aid Helping or Hurting Blacks?

[Lue C Fur]

I thought this was interesting:

The other day, I went to Times Square to ask people what government should do to help poor people. Most everyone agreed on the answer: "more social programs and a higher minimum wage."
It's intuitive to think that way. I used to think that, too. When President Johnson declared a "war on poverty," he said "compassionate government" was the road to prosperity for poor people. That made sense to me. At Princeton, I was taught that government's central planners had the solution to poverty.
But then I watched them work. Government spent trillions of dollars on poverty programs, and the poverty level stayed stuck at about 12 percent of the population. It's stayed there for about 40 years.
Now I understand that that government poverty programs encourage people to stay dependent. There's money in it. They policymakers would have known this 25 years ago had they read "The State Against Blacks." The author, an economist, said poverty programs destroy the natural mechanisms that have always enabled poor people to lift themselves out of poverty.
That author, who will be a guest on my Fox Business show, is Walter Williams of George Mason University. Williams, who is black, says "there's a huge segment of the black population for whom upward mobility is elusive, and it's because of the welfare state -- because of government."


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/06/02/is-government-aid-helping-or-hurting-blacks/#ixzz1O84lZSay

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

"there's a huge segment of the black population for whom upward mobility is elusive, and it's because of the welfare state -- because of government."[QUOTE]

I disagree--upward mobility is not elusive because of the government--upward mobility is elusive in generational welfare families, regardless of race or ethnicity, because this is the environment that they were raised in and they simply don't know or can't comprehend a different way of life. You hear all the time about some kid from the ghetto busting his ass to make a better life for him or herself so clearly the government is not limiting their upward mobility. Blaming it on the welfare state is an excuse for lack of drive and personal ambition.

In other words, they would rather sit on their lazy butts and let the government take care of them from cradle to grave because that is the way their parents and grandparents did it.

 

[Lue C Fur]

"there's a huge segment of the black population for whom upward mobility is elusive, and it's because of the welfare state -- because of government."[QUOTE]

I disagree--upward mobility is not elusive because of the government--upward mobility is elusive in generational welfare families, regardless of race or ethnicity, because this is the environment that they were raised in and they simply don't know or can't comprehend a different way of life. You hear all the time about some kid from the ghetto busting his ass to make a better life for him or herself so clearly the government is not limiting their upward mobility. Blaming it on the welfare state is an excuse for lack of drive and personal ambition.

In other words, they would rather sit on their lazy butts and let the government take care of them from cradle to grave because that is the way their parents and grandparents did it.

I just cut and pasted the begining of the article and I agree with your point, but also agree with some of the points that the author brought up and thought it was an interesting read. But the "Cradle to grave" mentality has been going on for years and i dont really see any end in sight.

What did you think about the minimum wage issue where he felt raising it hurts and causes more unemployment?

 

[moreluck]

I think drug testing for your welfare check would help eliminate some of this generational stuff.

 

[Lue C Fur]

I think drug testing for your welfare check would help eliminate some of this generational stuff.

I agree, but would be concerned for the children of the idiot parent. The kids are innocent. They would be the ones that suffer because once the parent is cut off, then there is nothing for the child. Im sure that the children dont get much of the goverment assistance anyways but still...Now maybe if they could put the children in a better home...

I really dont see how to break the chain...it just keeps going and getting worse.

 

[moreluck]

If kids aren't fed, people call CPS and they take the kids away..............kids are not always in the best place when they are with their parents......but, it works both ways.

 

[trplnkl]

"there's a huge segment of the black population for whom upward mobility is elusive, and it's because of the welfare state -- because of government."[QUOTE]

I disagree--upward mobility is not elusive because of the government--upward mobility is elusive in generational welfare families, regardless of race or ethnicity, because this is the environment that they were raised in and they simply don't know or can't comprehend a different way of life. You hear all the time about some kid from the ghetto busting his ass to make a better life for him or herself so clearly the government is not limiting their upward mobility. Blaming it on the welfare state is an excuse for lack of drive and personal ambition.

In other words, they would rather sit on their lazy butts and let the government take care of them from cradle to grave because that is the way their parents and grandparents did it.

You're right that ethnicity doesn't define welfare families, but it's pretty statistically evident that it is predominantly blacks that are effected. There is a good case that the government assistance (welfare) don't give the drive to generational recipients. That's not to say they can't break out, but it isn't easy and for some just doesn't seem worth the effort to try. We can't go back and erase what has been done and I don't know the answer but this does beg the question of welfare not being a solution to a multi-generational problem.

 

[trplnkl]

If kids aren't fed, people call CPS and they take the kids away..............kids are not always in the best place when they are with their parents......but, it works both ways.

Hate to say it, but there are many times that kids aren't any better off with foster families than with their natural parents.

 

[cachsux]

I think drug testing for your welfare check would help eliminate some of this generational stuff.

So would mandatory community service for those able bodied. Those "not" able bodied can stuff envelopes, etc. There`s always something out there they can do to contribute to earn that check.

 

[moreluck]

I would like to see work done instead of just handing free money out. There's more dignity in that.....

 

[packageguy]

I think drug testing for your welfare check would help eliminate some of this generational stuff.

Yes, I agree with that, I've been saying that for years, The government will never let that happen.

 

[Babagounj]

Mass. did have some welfare reform a few years back. Changes were made to who could still receive payments. The way around the new requirements was for the parents to have all their kids declared medically unfit.