Pubdate: Sun, 30 Oct 2005
Source: Republican-American (CT)
Copyright: 2005 American-Republican Inc.
Contact:  http://www.rep-am.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/571
Author: Archie Richards
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/racial.htm (Racial Issues)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

GOVERNMENT POLICIES DON'T HELP BLACKS

The Davis-Bacon Act was enacted in the 1930s specifically to give
whites preference over blacks in obtaining high-paid, unionized
construction jobs. Outrageously, the law remains in effect.

Minimum Wage Laws make it especially difficult for black men in
central cities to obtain jobs. Economist Milton Friedman calls minimum
wages "the most racist laws on the books."

Welfare: Until the mid-1990s, welfare laws provided living wages to
mothers. But the mothers were required not to work and not to marry an
employed man. Therefore, millions of children have grown up without
fathers in an environment of dependency.

War Against Poverty: In an effort to wipe out poverty, the federal
government since 1964 has poured something like $8 trillion into U.S.
central cities. The effort has failed. The poor would be better off if
taxpayers had not had the money taxed away in the first place.

Dependency: Government welfare subsidizes and reinforces failure. It
prevents recipients from overcoming challenges on their own, which many
would succeed in doing. President Lyndon Johnson chose Detroit as a
showcase for the anticipated successes of the War Against Poverty. Yet
among U.S. cities today, Detroit has especially high levels of
fatherless families, crime, and unemployment.

Low-Income Housing divides a city in two by attracting people who need
employment and repelling those who provide it.

Criminalization of Drugs: Medically, drugs are less hurtful than
alcohol. But entrepreneurs who sell alcohol are free to proceed, while
entrepreneurs who sell drugs -- many of them black -- are jailed, often
for decades.

Violence: The suppliers of legal products resolve their disagreements
peacefully in court. But the suppliers of illegal products, like drugs,
cannot do so, because both contestants would be imprisoned. Instead, the
disagreements are resolved by force. Also, drug's criminalization raises
prices, increasing the number of robberies to satisfy addictions. The
criminalization of drugs is the most important cause of violence in
America -- especially in black communities. It's also causing civil war
in Colombia,and may do so in Afghanistan, providing havens to terrorists.

Gambling: The numbers racket, which used to be prevalent in black areas,
is illegal. But government-sponsored lotteries, whose odds are far less
favorable, have increased gambling addiction tremendously, especially
among the poor.

Affirmative Action brings to good colleges black students who are not
prepared for the intellectual rigors. The students drop out,
considering themselves to be failures.

Education: Far too many children, especially in the central cities,
discontinue their schooling before learning to read. The cities of New
Jersey, for example, spend approximately $12,000 per student per year --
highest in the nation. Yet New Jersey's public schools are poor. If
governments instead provided vouchers, enabling parents to send their
children to any school, the competition would force government schools
to improve. Campaign contributions by teachers unions have prevented
this inventive policy from being passed.

Many of the above laws were passed with good intentions. As is usually
the case with big-government policies, the actual, long-term results
are opposite. Most Americans are not racist, but some of the nation's
laws are very racist indeed.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake