Post by blackviking on Jun 23, 2006 3:40:45 GMT -5
Let's discuss the Welfare system and it's impact of the African American community.
What are the pros and cons, in your view? In what ways does it work for us? In what ways does it work against us?
One of the wisest men I know said that Welfare is the cost of capitalism. It's the bottom line that no one should be allowed to fall below. In that way, I think Welfare is an important safety net for African America. Moving forward economically within the White Supremacist system is more difficult for us that for anyone else, and we make up a disproportionate number of poor and working class people. Also, it is the poor and working class people that make capitalism possible. Those are the people that keep churning out the wealth of the middle and upper class day after day. Society has a responsibility to those people, and it's in the best interests of everyone to ensure that they don't fall below a certain economic level.
However, I have two major issues with the Welfare system. One is fixable, the other is just a part of the nature of living in a White Supremacist system.
The fixable one first...
The Welfare system hurts families by essentially paying fathers to stay outside the home. Single mothers get significantly more money that married mothers. This has got to stop. In theory it makes sense, because a single mother needs more money than a married one. That is assuming that being married means having two breadwinners in the house, which is not always the case. The theory is one thing, but the actual application leaves much to be desired... considering the incredible damage done by this particular side affect. The amount of assistance should be measured by the amount of money actually being made versus the number of mouths that there are to feed, including the father! The way the system is set now, we have far too many Black mothers who don't even want the fathers of their children around... because it hits them square in the pocket book. The system is actually paying women to separate children from their fathers.
The other issue I have...
I am sick and tired of listening to ignorant White people complain about all the Blacks and Hispanics on Welfare. I actually had one stupid White woman say, "It's a proven fact that the majority of people on Welfare are Black and Hispanic." Now, you know as soon as someone says, "It's a proven fact...", that they don't have the first damn clue what they're talking about. The VAST majority of people on Welfare are single White mothers... period. And, they get disproportionately more money than minorities in the same situations. White people who complain about minorities draining the public coffers need to wake up and check the numbers again.
What are your thoughts on this?
What are the pros and cons, in your view? In what ways does it work for us? In what ways does it work against us?
One of the wisest men I know said that Welfare is the cost of capitalism. It's the bottom line that no one should be allowed to fall below. In that way, I think Welfare is an important safety net for African America. Moving forward economically within the White Supremacist system is more difficult for us that for anyone else, and we make up a disproportionate number of poor and working class people. Also, it is the poor and working class people that make capitalism possible. Those are the people that keep churning out the wealth of the middle and upper class day after day. Society has a responsibility to those people, and it's in the best interests of everyone to ensure that they don't fall below a certain economic level.
However, I have two major issues with the Welfare system. One is fixable, the other is just a part of the nature of living in a White Supremacist system.
The fixable one first...
The Welfare system hurts families by essentially paying fathers to stay outside the home. Single mothers get significantly more money that married mothers. This has got to stop. In theory it makes sense, because a single mother needs more money than a married one. That is assuming that being married means having two breadwinners in the house, which is not always the case. The theory is one thing, but the actual application leaves much to be desired... considering the incredible damage done by this particular side affect. The amount of assistance should be measured by the amount of money actually being made versus the number of mouths that there are to feed, including the father! The way the system is set now, we have far too many Black mothers who don't even want the fathers of their children around... because it hits them square in the pocket book. The system is actually paying women to separate children from their fathers.
The other issue I have...
I am sick and tired of listening to ignorant White people complain about all the Blacks and Hispanics on Welfare. I actually had one stupid White woman say, "It's a proven fact that the majority of people on Welfare are Black and Hispanic." Now, you know as soon as someone says, "It's a proven fact...", that they don't have the first damn clue what they're talking about. The VAST majority of people on Welfare are single White mothers... period. And, they get disproportionately more money than minorities in the same situations. White people who complain about minorities draining the public coffers need to wake up and check the numbers again.
What are your thoughts on this?