Racial Tension in the U.S.

[WellYouNeednt]

It's the government's job to understand why that community is struggling and help it.

Can you possibly explain why and how? Also, Constitutionally speaking -- is that the role of the Federal Government?

 

[billmac91]

Well, yeah, when poverty was primarily an urban phenomenon, anti-poverty initiatives were mainly centered around urban areas. No surprises there.

I'm obviously talking about the modern day though, where you see the government pushing through legislation to help struggling rural communities (often at the expense of the environment), while struggling urban communities are largely blamed for their own problems.

Personally, I don't think many people look at today's "struggling urban areas" and view it as something where "they are blamed". I think there are very drastically different ideas on how those struggling areas should be helped and best policy going forward.

One of the interesting side-affects of the gov't programs of the 60's was the sky-rocketing influx on single parent homes. In 1965, 3.1% of Caucasian babies were born to single mothers. Imagine that.....only 3.1% out of wedlock birth. In the African American community during 1965, out of wedlock birth was seen as extremely high already at 24%.

In 2017, Caucasian single parent births are now at 25% and African American single parent births are at 75%. The programs of the early 60's were a nuclear bomb on the nuclear family. The government essentially asked women to marry the government rather than the man they had the baby with....because the programs being pushed by the government were not as favorable to 2 parent house-holds. While those aspects have now been rolled-back, the damage was really already done. You can't put the toothpaste paste back in the tube once you've encouraged that type of behavior.

In fairness, there are differing opinions on why births out of wedlock phenomena unfolded the way it did, but there is no denying the explosion from 1965 to 2017. And the correlation between single parent homes and poverty is absolutely undeniable. I actually believe a majority of Americans are sympathetic to those who are poverty stricken. Again, the question is what is the best policy going forward. Truthfully, it's likely a blend between conservative and democratic policy, but neither party really has a leg to stand on IMO.

 

[Tornicade]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4803676/Man-arrested-leaving-children-went-work.html

Father-of-five, 30, is arrested for child abuse after 'leaving his children alone' while he went to work in order to pay for cancer-stricken wife's medical bills

• Victor Alonzo King, 30, was arrested on child abuse charges on Tuesday
• Police claim he left his five young children at home in Raleigh, North Carolina
• King claimed he left them with a neighbor while he went to work at Chipotle
• The father pleaded with the judge, saying he needed to get back to work because his wife has cancer and he needed to pay for her treatment
• King is currently being held on a $25,000 bail; his next court date is August 28

King pleaded with a judge on Wednesday, explaining he needed to return to work because his wife had cancer and relied on him to pay for the treatment.

Speaking to the judge, King said: 'Two weeks ago my wife was diagnosed with stage four cancer. And I'm practically like her only way to pay for all of her medical bills.'
King continued: 'So I was wondering if I could get out early and I can still work so I won't lose my job so I can still pay for her medical expenses.'

However, the judge denied his request and kept his bail at $25,000 after the prosecutor said King was convicted for child cruelty in California in 2011.

Authorities were alerted to the situation when a concerned witness called 911 to report the children were left alone.

In the audio, obtained by ABC 11, the caller tells the emergency dispatcher: 'Her husband has been the one caring for the kids and we've tried to help them get a babysitter but he refuses our help.

'And this is the second time. I called the police department last night because this is the second day the kids have been left alone.'

What people's takes on this?

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

30, 40 years later those programs obviously haven't solved the problem. Is the thinking that the current programs are sufficient, they just haven't had enough time? That doesn't sound like a defensible position to me.

It will depend on who you ask. Guys like Thomas Sowell will say they are basically doing the exact wrong thing by creating dependency. Others will have the exact opposite opinion -- that we need to put much more money into them. The truth is that nobody actually has a clear cut, provable answer as to what would work, else we'd try it.

If a disproportionate number of people in a certain area are struggling, basic statistics says that it's likely not the fault of the individuals, but the fault of their environment.

The people who live within an environment are in fact a major part of that environment, and it becomes self-reinforcing. There are absolutely cultural factors that can really affect the people who are raised within that culture.

 

[Nathan S]

Can you possibly explain why and how? Also, Constitutionally speaking -- is that the role of the Federal Government?

In Lincoln's words, "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

If a government isn't looking out for its own people, it's neglecting its most basic function.

 

[Nathan S]

It will depend on who you ask. Guys like Thomas Sowell will say they are basically doing the exact wrong thing by creating dependency. Others will have the exact opposite opinion -- that we need to put much more money into them. The truth is that nobody actually has a clear cut, provable answer as to what would work, else we'd try it.

To me the strategy of "let's try making them even poorer, so that they're forced to work harder out of desperation" seems cruel and counterintuitive in the year 2017. Can you imagine if someone suggested reducing government aid to rural white communities, arguing that a tough-love strategy would break them out of their victim's mentality and help them get their lives on track? I feel like politicians of all stripes would reject that idea.

The people who live within an environment are in fact a major part of that environment, and it becomes self-reinforcing. There are absolutely cultural factors that can really affect the people who are raised within that culture.

I totally agree that the people are a part of their own environment, but that doesn't invalidate my point. You can't say "oh, sorry, you've actually been passively contributing to the culture of your community this whole time, so you're indirectly to blame for the opioid epidemic and for the closing steel mill."

 

[Sebastian]

I'm obviously not black so I don't know how it feels to walk by statues of Civil War heroes and the right call may be to put these in museums.

But @King Stannis, if I understand the Civil War correctly...Robert E Lee could have easily been a Union General or other high ranking officer, yes? And chose not to be one simply because of his sentiment, as that of many other people then, that states came before country and that they should be allowed to secede if they chose to do so.

And that THIS- the rights of a state to secede if they chose to do so- was what the Civil War was about more than slavery. That the abolition of slavery was a secondary (maybe even tertiary) effect of the Confederacy losing the Civil War.

If I'm understanding this correctly (may not be), Robert E Lee was not the terrible person he has been rewritten to be at all.

Help me on this one please before I develop an argument further. I flat out don't trust the information out there at the moment and don't feel like reading a book on him.

Lincoln offered Lee, who was only a colonel at that time, and had 24 officers senior to him, command of the entire Union Army. Everyone knew Lee was the golden boy. But Virginia was on the brink of seceding and Lee politely declined the offer after 24 hours consideration.

It is a pity he turned down Lincoln. The war would have been over in a year.

 

[Huber.]

 

[The Oi]

White privilege post deluge incoming.

 

[Sebastian]

"I also believe in deinstitutionalization and a War on Crime™ and War on Drugs™ that has cost the taxpayers far more money than social programs and savings from tax cuts combined."

 

[Maximus]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4803676/Man-arrested-leaving-children-went-work.html

Father-of-five, 30, is arrested for child abuse after 'leaving his children alone' while he went to work in order to pay for cancer-stricken wife's medical bills

• Victor Alonzo King, 30, was arrested on child abuse charges on Tuesday
• Police claim he left his five young children at home in Raleigh, North Carolina
• King claimed he left them with a neighbor while he went to work at Chipotle
• The father pleaded with the judge, saying he needed to get back to work because his wife has cancer and he needed to pay for her treatment
• King is currently being held on a $25,000 bail; his next court date is August 28

King pleaded with a judge on Wednesday, explaining he needed to return to work because his wife had cancer and relied on him to pay for the treatment.

Speaking to the judge, King said: 'Two weeks ago my wife was diagnosed with stage four cancer. And I'm practically like her only way to pay for all of her medical bills.'
King continued: 'So I was wondering if I could get out early and I can still work so I won't lose my job so I can still pay for her medical expenses.'

However, the judge denied his request and kept his bail at $25,000 after the prosecutor said King was convicted for child cruelty in California in 2011.

Authorities were alerted to the situation when a concerned witness called 911 to report the children were left alone.

In the audio, obtained by ABC 11, the caller tells the emergency dispatcher: 'Her husband has been the one caring for the kids and we've tried to help them get a babysitter but he refuses our help.

'And this is the second time. I called the police department last night because this is the second day the kids have been left alone.'

What people's takes on this?

Sounds horrible. Would love to hear the judge's reasoning. Convicted of child cruelty once. The gofundme page has been removed. Wondering if we have all the facts.
If the story is legit and another fundraiser is started, I'm sure a fortune will be raised for his wife and kids. I'll donate.

 

[AZ_]

President Trump can't even create these at the same pace as Obama.

That's got to hurt.

 

[Tornicade]

Sounds horrible. Would love to hear the judge's reasoning. Convicted of child cruelty once. The gofundme page has been removed. Wondering if we have all the facts.
If the story is legit and another fundraiser is started, I'm sure a fortune will be raised for his wife and kids. I'll donate.

Looks like someone made his bail
http://abc13.com/offers-of-help-for-man-accused-of-leaving-children-alone/2323040/

the gofund mepage was taken down because the woman who posted it wasn't a family member.

 

[WellYouNeednt]

In Lincoln's words, "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

If a government isn't looking out for its own people, it's neglecting its most basic function.

Coming back and reading this, I definitely came across quite inhumane -- I apologize for that, it was not my intention.

The thought process in my mind is more geared towards the complexities of the issues within Government intervention on these matters.

I guess what I am trying to say is at what cost do we (re)integrate and evaluate approach? How stringent would the evaluation processes be? [From my studies/observations], the current net is a little too wide, as far as qualification and the incentive to actually graduate yourself from Government/State assistance.

 

[Cavatt]

Dependency is not good. Government programs are just designed wrong and meant to encourage the wrong thing. Really there should be levels of Welfare starting with the most basic then you get more money if

#1 You do some charity and or volunteer work. Then you get a bump in payout.

#2 Bonuses for maintaining a Job for a period of time. You can't have a system where if you are working the exact amount comes out of your welfare. Then there is no incentive to get a job. Instead bonuses should be paid when welfare recipients show initiative. If public housing is involved, you could step up to the next level of place for doing good.

#3 education. Welfare should absolutely be tied in some way to education for able bodied folks. The biggest problem with large groups of unemployed people is that they are self-fulfilling pessimists. hanging around unemployed people doesn't help you get a job. If you go to some kind of life skills education, you can improve your lot.