Makers and Takers: Liquid150

Some correspondents shared a link to a snarky article at blacksphere.com. On Friday the computer opened the link, today the computer's decided it's a pornographic site--somebody must be posting ugly comments--anyway links to porn sites would violate this site's contract. The article I read looked like a legitimate editorial with a headline about the current administration apparently "wanting" more Black youth in jail. I wasn't overwhelmed by the brilliance of the article, but I was struck by the brevity and cogency with which Liquid150 summarized my whole "Makers and Takers" content thread in the space of one comment. Here, with Liquid150's permission, is that comment.

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It is exceedingly frustrating that Barack is blaming the schools for this. The problems of crime and poor education in black neighborhoods do not stem directly from the schools themselves. Most of them are great people trying to do the best job they can with what they are given. One problem is that these neighborhoods have low property values, and therefore lower revenue. But from where do low property values come?

Low property values and the state of education of the poor black community are are caused by, ultimately, the welfare state. I must caveat, that culture plays a large part. However, this culture is also caused by the welfare state. I will explain why, in the following.

The welfare state has taught the whole poor class, not just blacks, that the traditional family unit is not only irrelevant, but not in their best interests. The welfare state has taught the poor class that you do not need to work. The welfare state has taught the poor class not only that they don't need to work, but that they *should not* work, that it isn't in their best interests to do so. Out of wedlock pregnancy is promoted because the welfare state pays extra for more children, and pays less if there is a man in the home on which the family ought to depend.

This results in an increase in single parent households (SPH). SPH is the primary driver for criminal activity and poor performance in school. Even when family wealth is controlled, SPH children from wealthy family show comparable academic performance and criminal activity to those in the poorer segments of society.

Education is highly dependent on the amount of attention given to education by the parents. Under welfare income, with several children, and distracted by the drugs and alcohol associated with the culture, the parent cannot physically devote the attention to the children's education that they ought. This results in poor academic performance, and this lack of attention also drives criminal behavior.

Poor academic performance clustered in certain geographic areas puts a negative light on the schools therein. This, combined with higher crime rates caused by the above, results in lower property values in the neighborhood. Lower property values in the neighborhood lead to less property tax, resulting in less revenue for the school district. Less revenues for the school district result in inadequate facilities, which foster the "poor culture" and drive more crime and worse academic achievement.

Essentially, welfare causes a self-perpetuating cycle that only results in the permanent impoverishment, both economically and academically, of the citizens to which it is given.  "

I commented that I've seen the same thing here in the Appalachian Mountains that I observed with the problem students in the D.C. school system. Dittos Liquid150.

How does the welfare state "teach" recipients that the traditional family unit is not in their best interests? Try: a regulation to the effect that if the father of children is living with the mother and their children, they can qualify for food stamps and subsidized housing only, but if the father moves out, the mother and children get an actual monthly cheque. I don't know whether this law has been reviewed or revised since the 1990s, when I was credibly informed that it was still in effect, but I know that this law was what separated the parents of a lot of people who grew up in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.