Walter Williams Knows How Not To Be Poor

Sometimes the answers to the problems of society are way to simple for liberals to figure out. Think about the "Great Society" or the "War on Poverty" that effectively created a class of poor people in this country and a natural constituency for the Democratic Party. Here we are, billions of dollars after we delcared war on poverty and it appears that poverty has won. Maybe some of these bleeding heart liberals who enjoy taxing people that work so that they can give that money to people who do not, should listen to Professor Walter Williams. Here are some of his suggestions about how not to be poor:

"Avoiding long-term poverty is not rocket science. First, graduate from high school. Second, get married before you have children, and stay married. Third, work at any kind of job, even one that starts out paying the minimum wage. And, finally, avoid engaging in criminal behavior. If you graduate from high school today with a B or C average, in most places in our country there's a low-cost or financially assisted post-high-school education program available to increase your skills."

He goes on to shoot down the old "I can't make it because I am black" bunch of BS with these statements:

"How much does racial discrimination explain? So far as black poverty is concerned, I'd say little or nothing, which is not to say that every vestige of racial discrimination has been eliminated. But let's pose a few questions. Is it racial discrimination that stops black students from studying and completing high school? Is it racial discrimination that's responsible for the 68 percent illegitimacy rate among blacks? The 1999 Bureau of Census report might raise another racial discrimination question. Among black households that included a married couple, over 50 percent were middle class earning above $50,000, and 26 percent earned more than $75,000. How in the world did these black families manage not to be poor? Did America's racists cut them some slack?"

America is a lovely place and while there is still racism in this country, there is much more opportunity for people of all races than there has ever been. If Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton really cared about black people, they would echo what Williams says. Sadly though, most people who consider themselves black leaders, are not leaders at all. A leader tells his audience something that they do not want to hear, but need to hear. A demagogue is quite different. That person just stirs up the crowd with a bunch of rhetoric which helps nobody but themselves. Jesse and Al are a couple of demagogues and as long as their message is being heard, the illegitimacy rate and the unemployment rate in the black community will always be high. As long as black people are convinced that society owes them something, they will never have anything. Some of you may be reading this and saying "I can't believe he went there." I realize that some of you make take offense at a white boy speaking on this issue, but it is the truth and it is about time somebody had the courage to speak it.

Hat tip: Q and O Blog