‘The Welfare State Has Done to Black Americans What Slavery Could Not Have Done’

'The Welfare State Has Done to Black Americans What Slavery Could Not Have Done'

Say Anything

The headline statement was made by economist Walter Williams during a most excellent episode of John Stossel's Fox Business show which you can watch in its entirety below.

It's hard to argue with Mr. Williams as we observe the recent spectacle of the NAACP siding with teachers unions over the minority students of failing schools.

Social programs are the government's form of altruism, and the proponents of such program accuse their critics of being cruel or unkind. Of, essentially, not wanting to help people. That premise is the framework of much of our national debate.

Opponents of affirmative action programs are racist and want minorities to fail. Opponents of Medicare and Social Security hate the poor and the elderly. Critics of run-away education spending, and public school monopolies, are anti-education. And on and on.

But the premise of that debate is wrong. It presumes that government social programs are truly helping those they intend to help, and that assumes facts not in evidence. In fact, it's become blinding obvious to anyone with the courage to look that much of this country's social policies are actually hurting those they intend to help.

We can go a step further and suggest that some of the most ardent supporters of those policies not only know that said policies are exacerbating the problem, but want it that way. The NAACP, for instance, works hard to keep black children in failing schools because well-educated blacks are likely to find a level of prosperity. And prosperous, independent blacks have little need for the victim pimps at the NAACP.

The paradox at the heart of most social programs is that those employed by the programs have little economic interest in actually being successful. True success for a welfare program means fewer people on welfare. But then, that also means fewer case workers and administrators. Not to mention fewer victims for the politicians and advocacy groups to pander to.

And this sort of victim exploitation goes far beyond race politics. Look at farmers who consistently pull the ballot box lever in favor of the politicians promising the biggest and best farm programs, as one example. Corporate executives pulling the lever for politicians offering the biggest and best bailouts is another.

Government help is often less help than a road to serfdom.

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