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mary_bobo
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More money is always the answer. Is not DC the most highly funded area in the country? More money to a system that is not working is not the answer IMO.
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StMarkEofE
Guest
How about school vouchers? Oh, thats right the Dems shoot that down some time ago, Or, how about home schooling? Oh, thats right the NEA shoot that down as well. Or, how about privately run business financed satelite schools? Or, does this bother the socialists in our government who pretend to care “for the children” by allowing them year after year to wallow in the mire of the existing stench of the public school system?
Lets face it folks, if there wasnt power or money to be made in keeping the poor poor then maybe just maybe we could change things.
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JLSacred
Guest
You seriously think that it’s a conspiracy to keep these people poor? What about individual responsiblity, free will, and personal choice?
The collective social problems found within the inner city are not the fault of the school system. They are doing their best to cope with children whose parents are on crack, on welfare for multi generations, where the out of wedlock birthrate is greater that 80%. You can’t expect the schools to solve all of these children’s problems. There is no easy solution.
The collective social problems found within the inner city are not the fault of the school system. They are doing their best to cope with children whose parents are on crack, on welfare for multi generations, where the out of wedlock birthrate is greater that 80%. You can’t expect the schools to solve all of these children’s problems. There is no easy solution.
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Cygnus_X1
Guest
I know. I should have indicated that my tongue was placed firmly in cheek.
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StMarkEofE
Guest
Yes, I think it is a conspiracy or whatever you want to call it to keep people poor. Why? Because if it was in the best interests of these politicians to “do the right thing” they would be out of power very soon. They NEED these poor to keep their jobs. Their whole reason for being is to promote social welfare programs that they themselves know dont work but it does provide a paycheck every two weeks and that aint bad for them. These same politicians keep getting elected BECAUSE they promise all this money for doing nothing at all to better the lives of those who are on the receiving end of the welfare check. Remember when the GOP sponsored a program designed to get the welfare recipients to do some work and at least feel that they were contributing to society? Well, it was shot down by guess who - - - - The Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons of the Welfare state. So, unless there is a sea change in the mindsets of these so called do gooders in the HEW departments things will remain the same or even get worse.
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Cygnus_X1
Guest
That is sadly true.
But last week I heard outgoing NAACP president Bruce Gordon say that the focus of his organization had to change from victimhood to empowerment and education:
I hope the NAACP and other leaders in the African-American community are listening. And again, these are also problems in white ghettoes (yes, they do exist, although not really in DC).
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JLSacred
Guest
I’m not sure if either political party has any solutions for these poor people. Their problems seem to be spiritual. I agree, liberal social programs sometimes only encourage indolance. But, their subculture is so totally dysfunctional, how can government help that? These people need God. These children grow up in such a terrible enviornment, it’s incomprehesable to us. They’re exposed to violence, drugs, sex, filth and every other social ill under the sun.
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vern_humphrey
Guest
It’s more than embarassing – it’s a tribute to the Great Society and programs like that.
In 1 Timothy, chapter 5, Saint Paul explains that excesssive charity can have a devastating effect on the recipients. Washington, DC, is proof he was right.
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StMarkEofE
Guest
“These people need God” yes I agree but they also need politicians who truly care about getting these folks off the dole. They need political missionaries to go into these neighborhoods to get the youngsters registered for special ed in special schools who care more about their minds instead of their pocketbooks. Our social welfare programs ARE the CAUSE of this social unrest. You may be too young to remember but prior to 1964 there were black neighborhoods will fully funcitioning families, ie fathers and mothers and allthough there were segregated schools these kids were being educated. Boys wore white shirts and ties and girls wore dresses. Dont get me wrong in thinking that we need to go back to these days. This isnt going to happen even though there was an infinitely better family setting back then. But there was a certain pride in their neighborhoods that we dont see today. They in fact were depending on themselves for their livelyhoods. Blacks had their own businesses in their black communities and it did work. What I am now saying is that these same people need to be incorporated into the rest of civilization and this can only be done by educating them and getting them into programs that do work. Look at the Orientals. They live and work in their own onclaves but we dont call them ghettos do we? They seem to make their situation work well. Im just saying that we need market forces not government forces as a means of these folks getting out of the mess there in right now.
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JLSacred
Guest
If you look back in history, you’ll find that there were often population groups that had a lot of social problems. I agree, the Great Society programs have caused more problems than they have solved, but part of that might also be that the sexual revolution also occured at the same time, with the accompanying breakdown of the family, the loss of the social stigma in unwed parenthood, the access to abortion, the explosion of the illegal drug problem that totally destroys lives.
You had the New Deal, back in the 30’s, and it didn’t cause such a breakdown of the family because there weren’t all of these other problems contributing. Many people say that the New Deal saved the country from totally going socialist, since the Great Depression was so bad. What do you think of that?
You had the New Deal, back in the 30’s, and it didn’t cause such a breakdown of the family because there weren’t all of these other problems contributing. Many people say that the New Deal saved the country from totally going socialist, since the Great Depression was so bad. What do you think of that?
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vern_humphrey
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Read The Grapes of Wrath. That shows early breakdown of families. However, the New Deal only lasted a short time, and was not so pervasive as the Great Society – which is still going on, 40 years later. The New Deal – interms of actual programs and legislation – only lasted a few years, until production for war material brought an end to the Depression.
Let me suggest also that the Great Society and the other ills you mention are interrelated. If you are on welfare, you have no job. What do you do with all the free time you have?
Saint Paul was right!
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mary_bobo
Guest
What you say is true. But I don’t see this coming about as long as the country is on a fast train to secularism.
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JLSacred
Guest
The New Deal did put into place many things, such as the Social Security system, the welfare system and other social safety nets. Doesn’t our Church support these things? I’m not sure those things are bad, as long as society in general has strong morals and a strong work ethic. But now you have a victim mentality, loose morals, abortion, etc. I don’t know how that can be reversed. Generally these days, no one wants to suffer and everyone wants to blame someone else for their own troubles.
I just don’t know the solution, I’ll admit that. I’m thankful I didn’t grow up in an inner city enviornment. There is so much despair in those places. I agree, free handouts by the government don’t build character.
I just don’t know the solution, I’ll admit that. I’m thankful I didn’t grow up in an inner city enviornment. There is so much despair in those places. I agree, free handouts by the government don’t build character.
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vern_humphrey
Guest
If you look at the things you mentioned – for example, Social Security – you’ll see they’re not all they are cracked up to be. The FICA tax takes 15.3% of your pay off the top (7.65% that you see, and another 7.65% that you don’t – the “employer’s contribution.”) If you were allowed to keep and invest that money, you’d retire as a millionaire.
The problem with welfare is, as Saint Paul points out, if you support with charity those capable of supporting themselves, you have a disasterous effect on them – as well as using resources that could be allocated to those who really need help.
When you have whole neighborhoods of young people on welfare, what do they do with all that spare time? Drugs and sex, of course! And when you pay more for each additonal child, what do you get? More children born out of wedlock – to parents who see welfare as a way of life.
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Michaeljc4
Guest
This is a horrifying story. I was a teacher in inner-city Boston for a year, at the worst high school in the district. It was utterly depressing…and no where near as bad as what D.C. sounds like.
There are many intertwined problems here. That’s what make social ills so intractable; they are like a hydra: lop off one head and a dozen others pop up. Is it the fault of parents…or are parents just adult versions of the last generation of illiterate kids? Is it the fault of bad teachers…or are many teachers overwhelmed by the baggage that kids bring in to school everyday? Is it bueracrcay…or are bureaucrats trying to manage too many conflicting programs, funding streams, demands from unions and government, federal testing standards, and God knows what else? Racism? Poverty? Corruption? Hopelessness? Yes, to all of the above.
Money isn’t the sole answer. In Cambridge, MA (not to far from where I live), the city and state spends $18,000(!!!) per student…and has one of the poorest performance records in Massachusetts. It’s an embarrassment. In Andover, MA (a very wealthy, virtually all white town north of the city), nearly all of their graduates go on to four-year colleges…while–literally–across the street, Lawrence, MA has something like a 40% drop-out rate. Both school systems spend an identical amount per student: $7,421.
I don’t know what the answer is. There probably isn’t one answer. In the case of utterly dysfunctional systems like DC, perhaps competition is a good idea. I mean…it couldn’t hurt at this point, right? How much worse can it really get? 33% illiteracy is a staggering number. Believe it or not, Camden, NJ is worse (or so I’ve read).
There are many intertwined problems here. That’s what make social ills so intractable; they are like a hydra: lop off one head and a dozen others pop up. Is it the fault of parents…or are parents just adult versions of the last generation of illiterate kids? Is it the fault of bad teachers…or are many teachers overwhelmed by the baggage that kids bring in to school everyday? Is it bueracrcay…or are bureaucrats trying to manage too many conflicting programs, funding streams, demands from unions and government, federal testing standards, and God knows what else? Racism? Poverty? Corruption? Hopelessness? Yes, to all of the above.
Money isn’t the sole answer. In Cambridge, MA (not to far from where I live), the city and state spends $18,000(!!!) per student…and has one of the poorest performance records in Massachusetts. It’s an embarrassment. In Andover, MA (a very wealthy, virtually all white town north of the city), nearly all of their graduates go on to four-year colleges…while–literally–across the street, Lawrence, MA has something like a 40% drop-out rate. Both school systems spend an identical amount per student: $7,421.
I don’t know what the answer is. There probably isn’t one answer. In the case of utterly dysfunctional systems like DC, perhaps competition is a good idea. I mean…it couldn’t hurt at this point, right? How much worse can it really get? 33% illiteracy is a staggering number. Believe it or not, Camden, NJ is worse (or so I’ve read).
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vern_humphrey
Guest
When I lived in Virginia, I used to speak of the “Magic Bridge.”
The Magic Bridge is on State Highway 5 across the Chicahominy River. On one side is Charles City County School District – arguably the worst in the state. On the other is Williamsburg/James City County School District – one of the best in the state.
The bridge is magic because poor children cannot cross it to get to the good schools.
The Magic Bridge is on State Highway 5 across the Chicahominy River. On one side is Charles City County School District – arguably the worst in the state. On the other is Williamsburg/James City County School District – one of the best in the state.
The bridge is magic because poor children cannot cross it to get to the good schools.
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JLSacred
Guest
Good post Michael. You said it all!
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vern_humphrey
Guest
Correct. Let’s look at it:
- In the 1940s, we failed to educate the great-great-grandparents. In the 1960s, we failed to educate the great-grand parents. In the 1980s we failed to educate the grand-parents. And now we are failing to educate the parents of the next generation. Our system was “Plenty of Children Left Behind.” It was acceptable to not educate many children. And now we are stunned find that many families have no tradition of valuing education!
- With the best good will in the world, we set up a welfare system – and put many people in a position where they could best “earn” a living by not working, not having a stable family, and having more kids to get more money. And we were stunned to find that poverty increased, rather than decreased!
- A consequence of our system was that many people had nothing to do, no education, and no prospects beyond welfare – and we were stunned to find such people turned to drugs, alcohol and sex!
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Cygnus_X1
Guest
I think another factor, which was briefly alluded to above, is the culture of fatherlessness. Check out this report, for example.
Much of inner city black culture (and an increasing amount of the white ghettoes) is now matriarchal, which is not to say those women don’t do what they can! For only one example, look at how Dr. Ben Carson’s mother encouraged him to do what she could not . . . read. She made him and his brother write book reports. In the summer! (BTW, I’ve met Dr. Carson. We only need a few million more men like him.)
But still, the impact of absent or nonexistent fathers on students cannot be ignored.
Much of inner city black culture (and an increasing amount of the white ghettoes) is now matriarchal, which is not to say those women don’t do what they can! For only one example, look at how Dr. Ben Carson’s mother encouraged him to do what she could not . . . read. She made him and his brother write book reports. In the summer! (BTW, I’ve met Dr. Carson. We only need a few million more men like him.)
But still, the impact of absent or nonexistent fathers on students cannot be ignored.
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vern_humphrey
Guest
The Welfare system drove fathers out – first, it made them non-essential as breadwinners, and then it penalized women for having a man in the house.
We created this system – with all the good intentions in the world, we destroyed the family at the lowest economic levels.
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