In the last few months we have seen outbreaks of violence in the black parts of many of our cities. The reason for the outbreaks is the claim that the police are shooting black men for no cause. Immediately many national figures join in and claim police are hunting down unarmed blacks to shoot them. Some of these provocateurs make a living as race baiting hustlers and unfortunately some of our political leaders are saying the same thing including our President.

With the election of a black President many thought discrimination was behind us. Those that thought so were almost exclusively white.  Generally white people believe that all the money and the preferences given to blacks over the last 50 years had finally worked in ending discrimination of black Americans. And for a large part they were right, the vast majority of white Americans were no longer discriminating against black. It had been a long costly and painful road to overcome the legacy of slavery, poverty and actual racial discrimination.

However, now the shoe is on the other foot. Black hatred against whites has become very strong. They blame whites for everything wrong in the black interface with society in black neighborhoods. In reality the bulk of today’s problems for many blacks are a result of politicians and civil rights organizations. It is a result of the welfare state that has made self-destructive behavior financially rewarding for the individual.

Having children without the benefit of marriage is the key to housing subsidies, welfare payments and food stamps. Plus, any shame associated with unwed motherhood has vanished from our society. Female-headed households, either black or white, are a ticket for lots of freebees. Hidden under this seemly great windfall is a dependency that it creates and all of the associated problems. It is a dependence to stay single and having lots of children. The results of that are lots of fatherless homes and the lack of discipline that is a result. These kids are running wild, largely unsupervised and unguided on the path to success.

Just a hundred years ago in New York City, 85 percent of black families had two-parents and almost all the children had the same mother and father. Today the vast majority of black children are raised in single female-headed families. The black illegitimacy rate is about 75 percent, yet, in 1940, black illegitimacy stood at only 14 percent. It had risen to 25 percent by 1965.

What we see in the black community today is a direct outgrowth of the welfare state that has made self-destructive behavior rewarding for the individual. Having children without the benefit of marriage is less burdensome if the mother receives housing subsidies, welfare payments and food stamps. Plus, the social stigma associated with being an unwed mother has vanished. Female-headed households, whether black or white, are a ticket for dependency and all of its associated problems. Ignored is the fact that the poverty rate among black married couples has been in single digits for the last 20 years.

Black youth unemployment in some cities is over 50 percent, before the “Great Society” it was around 10%… So what do you do if you don’t work? Hang out on the streets. And what do you learn there, “kill the cops” and hate “Whitee”. With all our efforts to help,   the law of unintended consequences has caused us to unleash a portion of our populations with great hate and very little hope.

We have created a vast underclass of millions who are dependent upon government for most or all of their basic needs, a class that has lost the ability to survive without government money, food and shelter. What to do; freeze welfare benefits 9 months from now. No new benefits and everyone who gets aid and who is physically fit works at something. Provide Daycare for other welfare mothers and all the others who are working at something. Everybody can think of some jobs that needs doing and even if jobs aren’t critical they’re on the list. Remove the minimum wage law and other labor regulations that discourage business from hiring unskilled labor. Those laws and regulations have cut off the bottom rungs of the economic ladder. The minimum wage law discriminates most against the employment of low-skilled workers, who are most often youths — particularly black youths. That’s a start.