I was hit today by some of the more obvious storylines that control a big chunk of American news media. The same storylines also control a big part of our politics. The problem is that these storylines are more like religious dogma than truth.
The best example is the issue of racism. How many articles have you read denouncing racism in Baltimore. It was racism that killed Freddie Gray, right? That's the storyline. The political response is that we need to do more to end racism in Baltimore by, of course, spending more money on the problem. But the reality is different. The entire elected power structure in Baltimore is black. The "racist" cop who is accused of the most serious crimes is black. Of the six accused police, half are black, but the two who are accused of only minor violations are white. The economic victims of the riots are nearly all black, but the damage was inflicted by nearly all black rioters. Okay, but doesn't this all stem from indifference towards the plight of the inner city? Aren't these places starved for funds as president Obama tells us? Again the answer is no. Baltimore's schools spend more per pupil that all but three other cities in the country. Based on money spent, those schools should be pumping out graduates who are uniquely successful, except they are not. Federal money pours into Baltimore in copious amounts, but the economy in that city does not benefit a large segment of the people.
So what is the truth here? It is a truth that none of the media wants to discuss since it undermines liberal policy beliefs. The reality is that the welfare/social net that has been built and has operated in America over the last 50 years does not work. I am not going to summarize all of the failures; that would be an endless task. The truth, nevertheless, is that we need to refocus our efforts to help those in need. Individuals need to be encouraged to use their own skills and their own efforts to improve their lot in life. If there is a problem in Baltimore, the issue ought not be how can the federal government fix it; instead, the focus must be on how those in the community can fix the problems. Let's consider those Baltimore schools again; the school board ought to get rid of poor teachers and demand results instead of failures.
The best example is the issue of racism. How many articles have you read denouncing racism in Baltimore. It was racism that killed Freddie Gray, right? That's the storyline. The political response is that we need to do more to end racism in Baltimore by, of course, spending more money on the problem. But the reality is different. The entire elected power structure in Baltimore is black. The "racist" cop who is accused of the most serious crimes is black. Of the six accused police, half are black, but the two who are accused of only minor violations are white. The economic victims of the riots are nearly all black, but the damage was inflicted by nearly all black rioters. Okay, but doesn't this all stem from indifference towards the plight of the inner city? Aren't these places starved for funds as president Obama tells us? Again the answer is no. Baltimore's schools spend more per pupil that all but three other cities in the country. Based on money spent, those schools should be pumping out graduates who are uniquely successful, except they are not. Federal money pours into Baltimore in copious amounts, but the economy in that city does not benefit a large segment of the people.
So what is the truth here? It is a truth that none of the media wants to discuss since it undermines liberal policy beliefs. The reality is that the welfare/social net that has been built and has operated in America over the last 50 years does not work. I am not going to summarize all of the failures; that would be an endless task. The truth, nevertheless, is that we need to refocus our efforts to help those in need. Individuals need to be encouraged to use their own skills and their own efforts to improve their lot in life. If there is a problem in Baltimore, the issue ought not be how can the federal government fix it; instead, the focus must be on how those in the community can fix the problems. Let's consider those Baltimore schools again; the school board ought to get rid of poor teachers and demand results instead of failures.
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