Wednesday, February 29, 2012
A Few More Inconvenient Facts (For the Progressives to Choke On)
1) According to the National Center for Health Statistics, black illegitimacy was 19% in 1940. By 2008, it had risen to 72.5%. Wow, I guess that there wasn't "inequality" back in 1940.............2) According to Amity Shlaes's modern masterpiece, "The Forgotten Man", black unemployment was actually LOWER than white unemployment in 1930. Compare that to January 2012, where white unemployment was 7.4% and black unemployment was 13.6% (the black teenage unemployment rate was 38.5%). Wow, I guess that there wasn't "inequality" back in 1930.............3) Back in the 1950s, there were no policeman "patrolling" the hallways of inner-city high schools. There were no assaults on teachers and students and there wasn't even any foul language used. Compare that to Philadelphia today, where there are hundreds of policemen throughout the high schools and where there have been over 4,000 teacher assaults (this, according to the Philadelphia Enquirer) over the past five years. Wow, I guess that there wasn't "inequality" in the 1950s.............4) According to the U.S. Census, nearly 1/3 of those in the lowest economic quintile in 2004 had moved out of that status by 2007. Similarly, and according to the I.R.S., 57% of the people in the lowest quintile in 1996 had moved out of that status by 2005 (nearly 33% having moved up TWO quintiles). Wow, I guess that, while there may in fact be some persistent poverty in America, we're not even remotely as stratified a country after all.
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16 comments:
2) Thomas Sowell blames minimum wage laws
[Has something changed on the comment form? I don't see how to subscribe by email...]
Sowell is a brilliant man, HR. I don't agree with him on everything (defense spending, for example) but when he talks about how the government can sometimes make things worse via the law of unintended consequences, I'm really and truly beginning to agree with him.
Inequality is higher now then in 1940. I (in citing The Spirit Level by Wilkinson and Pickett) never said inequality didn't exist in 1930s through the 50s... so I don't know what all the "wows" are in regards to.
Bill Cosby tried to administer some tough love to the black community just a few years ago. They responded by calling him an Uncle Tom and senile. Yes Houston, we definitely have a problem.
Will's posting shows exactly what the democratic party has done for blacks,absolutly nothing.Yet they continue to rail against anything they perceive as racisim.
The dems will throw the race card at the drop of a hat...yet they are the ones who thrive by keeping blacks subservient to them.
Looks like Rusty agrees with Rick Santorum's comment about "bla" people.
Both Rusty's and Will's comments represent the Conservative perspective, yet Will denies his conservatism every time I point it out. I just don't get it.
It is interesting what you can prove when you cherry pick statistics. I've done it myself. For example, prior to the civil war, black unemployment was probably close to zero. Does that mean blacks were better off under slavery?
WD,you're a friggin dunce.When faced by facts your only retort is to make a snide comment.The left will rant and rave about all they've done to help the black community,while throwing the race card at anyone disputing their rhetoric.When in fact the dems have kept black americans subervient to their cause using money whores like Sharpton and Jackson to wave the flag.
When a true patriot like Bill Cosby steps up to the plate the Jacksons and Sharptons of the world condemn him fearing the end of their gravy train.
FYI....I'm the conservative...Will's the moderate.
That's the point that I'm trying to make, Jerry. This silly book that wd continues to endorse claims that inequality CAUSES illegitimacy, unemployment, educational chaos, etc.. The statistics that I point out show that these variables were far LESS a problem back when inequality wasn't just the norm but was in many cases legally mandated. It blows his theory completely out of the water.............And wd can stick his little left-right dichotomies up his ass.
And, just for the record, I'm not opposed to a social safety net. I'm in favor of one. And I'm not even opposed to the rich paying a little bit more in taxes (I'm actually in favor of that, too). My whole issue is with the hand-wringing and the divisive rhetoric that isn't in any way born out by the facts; the fact that the top 1%'s share of the AGI went up 11.2% from 1988 to 2009 but their share of the income tax burden went up 33%, for example.
As it should.
Rusty: When faced by facts your only retort is to make a snide comment. The dems have kept black americans subservient...
You're wrong on both counts Rusty. The "snide comment" was my second remark. I addressed Will's "facts" with my first remark.
Also, Democrats are concerned about poor people, regardless of their skin color. They have done nothing to keep blacks "subservient". That's total bullpucky.
Will: wd can stick his little left-right dichotomies up his ass.
Conservatives blame the victim. Also, "The Spirit Level" isn't silly, it's a solid book backed up by 30 years of research.
Heathen said: "Thomas Sowell blames minimum wage laws"
Well, they do cause nothing but problems, and have wiped out a lot of starter jobs that idle youth would be otherwise working it.
Jerry said: "It is interesting what you can prove when you cherry pick statistics."
Well, let us also point out that in 1875, there was absolutely no "digital divide", even between affluent whites and poor blacks. They all had the same level of Internet access.
WD said: "Also, Democrats are concerned about poor people, regardless of their skin color."
The Democrat's love the poor is shown by the massive increase in black poverty under the Obama administration, due to his policies.
dmarks: [minimum wage laws] do cause nothing but problems, and have wiped out a lot of starter jobs that idle youth would be otherwise working it.
Nonsense. The minimum wage creates more jobs... and it forces employers to pay the real value of the work and prevents them from ripping off low-wage workers.
dmarks: The Democrat's love the poor is shown by the massive increase in black poverty under the Obama administration, due to his policies.
Not true. The policies that caused the recession and are holding back a recovery were (and are) those of George bush and the Republicans.
btw, the reason inequality didn't cause the social problems during the time periods cited by Will are because people's expectations were lower. It's when there is a large difference between expectations and reality that inequality causes social problems.
Today people's expectations are higher (as they should be) then they were during the time period referenced by Will (discrimination being one of the factors).
This also explains why suicide rates are (slightly) higher in Sweden. Life is so good there for the majority of the people that when someone isn't doing as well... his/her life looks a lot worse by comparison.
Will must have found my comments to inconvenient to resond to.
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