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Gawain of Orkeny
05-11-2005, 16:54
How not to be poor
Walter E. Williams (archive)

May 11, 2005 | printer friendly version Print | email to a friend Send

Ministers Louis Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Washington, D.C.'s Mayor Anthony Williams and others recently met to discuss plans to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the October 1995 Million Man March. Whilst reading about the plans, I thought of an excellent topic for the event: 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.

Most jobs start with wages higher than the minimum wage, which is currently $5.15. A man and his wife, even earning the minimum wage, would earn $21,000 annually. According to the Bureau of Census, in 2003, the poverty threshold for one person was $9,393, for a two-person household it was $12,015, and for a family of four it was $18,810. Taking a minimum-wage job is no great shakes, but it produces an income higher than the Bureau of Census' poverty threshold. Plus, having a job in the first place increases one's prospects for a better job.

The Children's Defense Fund and civil rights organizations frequently whine about the number of black children living in poverty. In 1999, the Bureau of the Census reported that 33.1 percent of black children lived in poverty compared with 13.5 percent of white children. It turns out that race per se has little to do with the difference. Instead, it's welfare and single parenthood. When black children are compared to white children living in identical circumstances, mainly in a two-parent household, both children will have the same probability of being poor.

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?

The civil rights struggle is over, and it has been won. At one time, black Americans did not have the same constitutional protections as whites. Now, we do, because the civil rights struggle is over and won is not the same as saying that there are not major problems for a large segment of the black community. What it does say is that they're not civil rights problems, and to act as if they are leads to a serious misallocation of resources.

Rotten education is a severe handicap to upward mobility, but is it a civil rights problem? Let's look at it. Washington, D.C. public schools, as well as many other big city schools, are little more than educational cesspools. Per student spending in Washington, D.C., is just about the highest in the nation. D.C.'s mayors have been black, and so have a large percentage of the city council, school principals, teachers and superintendents. Suggesting that racial discrimination plays any part in Washington, D.C.'s educational calamity is near madness and diverts attention away from possible solutions.

Bill Cosby had the courage to speak out against individual irresponsibility. Surely those who profess to have the best interests of blacks at heart should be able to summon the courage to do so as well.

The article is brilliant yet simple. You could get a job in a supermarket here and stay there for twenty or more years and do quite well for yourself unless your a moron.

Duke Malcolm
05-11-2005, 17:22
What a wonderful plan. I could work minimum wage at Tesco's for the rest of my life, instead of going to University for physics, then joining the Army, then becoming a teacher, and finally a Lord of Parliament...

I think I prefer the latter option, but that may be because I am quite uncomfortably middle class, and see the shining light of the upper classes and the glorious aristocracy.

Gawain of Orkeny
05-11-2005, 17:29
What a wonderful plan. I could work minimum wage at Tesco's for the rest of my life, instead of going to University for physics, then joining the Army, then becoming a teacher, and finally a Lord of Parliament...

Once more if you work at the same place for even 2 years and are still havent got a raise youve got to be srupid. My neighbor started off at pathmark 25 years ago. He owns a nice house has 3 kids and makes like 30 dollars an hour. Not bad for a guy who worked in a supermarket all his life. Education is nice but someone has to do the real work or we will have to import labor from Mexico because americans dont want to work they will become a bunch of lazy over educated snobs. In other words liberals ~D

Duke Malcolm
05-11-2005, 17:31
Don't worry, I shall not become a heathenous liberal type.

BDC
05-11-2005, 17:37
Wow the US minimim wage is poor. The minimum wage for 16 year olds is almost as much here.

Byzantine Prince
05-11-2005, 17:37
wOW thanks Gawain I never thought of this that. To think that education advances one's finances, that's incredible discovery!

Are you freaken kidding me!?!?

Crazed Rabbit
05-11-2005, 17:39
WHAT?!?!?! Working hard can make you rise out of poverty?!?!?!

Who'd 'ave thunk it?

I recall recently reading that some Wal Mart employees were whining about their $8 an hour wages, saying they 'need more'. Well then, get another job. Wages aren't based on need, but ability.

Crazed Rabbit

Gawain of Orkeny
05-11-2005, 17:40
wOW thanks Gawain I never thought of this that. To think that education advances one's finances, that's incredible discovery!

Are you freaken kidding me!?!?

Unfortunatly many kids dont realise or even think about this. In many cases theres peer pressure to actually be stupid. The ither point is its easy to make it in America. A college education is not a pre requsite for success here.

English assassin
05-11-2005, 17:45
wOW thanks Gawain I never thought of this that. To think that education advances one's finances, that's incredible discovery!

Well its a discovery that seems to be beyond a lot of the muppets in school in the UK, as fair as I can see.

Anyway the point of the article is if you get a regular job and live within your means you will be OK. Which I think is not a bad message to remind people of, given the media stereotypes rammed down peoples throats leading people to feel unhappy just because they aren';t being paid a million pounds a year as a footballer.

BDC
05-11-2005, 18:00
Well its a discovery that seems to be beyond a lot of the muppets in school in the UK, as fair as I can see.

Anyway the point of the article is if you get a regular job and live within your means you will be OK. Which I think is not a bad message to remind people of, given the media stereotypes rammed down peoples throats leading people to feel unhappy just because they aren';t being paid a million pounds a year as a footballer.

Yeah it is beyond them. But they are the descendents of people who never realised that, and with every passing generation they are less and less likely to realise that as only the ones who fail to realise that pass on their genes.

But it's ok, they all leave before sixth form. ~:cheers:

Duke Malcolm
05-11-2005, 18:29
I remember Prince Charles was criticised for saying much the same thing...

Byzantine Prince
05-11-2005, 18:41
Unfortunatly many kids dont realise or even think about this. In many cases theres peer pressure to actually be stupid. The ither point is its easy to make it in America. A college education is not a pre requsite for success here.
Yeah, I agree about the stupidity being cool these days part. I'm pretty sure everyone realizes that they have to work hard in school to be successful though. It's quite the obvious thing. But most people think they are not good enough or they are just procrastinator who would rather be in a pub then in class.

Ser Clegane
05-11-2005, 19:29
Once more if you work at the same place for even 2 years and are still havent got a raise youve got to be srupid. My neighbor started off at pathmark 25 years ago. He owns a nice house has 3 kids and makes like 30 dollars an hour. Not bad for a guy who worked in a supermarket all his life.

Indeed - actually that reflects pretty much what my parents did (my mother also more or less started as a temp in a supermarket)

GoreBag
05-11-2005, 19:42
The article is brilliant yet simple. You could get a job in a supermarket here and stay there for twenty or more years and do quite well for yourself unless your a moron.

"...unless you're a moron."

PanzerJaeger
05-11-2005, 23:24
The civil rights struggle is over, and it has been won.

:bow:

I cant stand hearing blacks whine.. its not anyone's fault but their own anymore that they are in such a predicament. People like Condaleeza Rice prove that there is no white conspiracy to keep them down.

mercian billman
05-12-2005, 01:20
The civil rights struggle is over, and it has been won.

:bow:

I cant stand hearing blacks whine.. its not anyone's fault but their own anymore that they are in such a predicament. People like Condaleeza Rice prove that there is no white conspiracy to keep them down.

Actually there's a liberal conspiracy to keep blacks poor ~D

I disagree with the claim that the civil rights struggle is over, since there are people who still wish to take them away, but that's not the point of this post.

If you want to stay out of poverty all you really have to do is,

1. Graduate High School.
2. Not use drugs/alcohol.
3. Don't get pregnant or get anyone else pregnant.

bmolsson
05-12-2005, 05:31
People take to much for granted these days. It's fairly easy to get a decent life anywhere in the world. People in third world countries like Indonesia are lazy, no question about it. They make their own choice and pay the consequences. The really bad thing though is that poor people have a tendency to make their kids poor as well. Prevent them from going to school etc.

Surely there are some people with bad luck, but they stand for a minority.

Gawain of Orkeny
05-12-2005, 05:42
The really bad thing though is that poor people have a tendency to make their kids poor as well. Prevent them from going to school etc.

This is what this and the other article I posted Black rednecks and white liberals is all about. It seems blacks who try to learn and better themselves are accussed of trying to be white or oreos. They blame the whiteman for their problems and the liberals tell them their right. Stop looking for excuses and go out and do whats right. Its not so hard . All this about how we have so many poor here. In most cases its a choice they made. How is it poor illiterate Mexicans can come here and not even be citizens and make it yet these people cant?