The Democratic Presidential Debates open up the issue of the Black underclass especially in the light of President Trump’s critique of the city of Baltimore and Elijah Commings, whose district includes the poverty areas of the city. Trump states that Commings should do something with his district instead of focusing on investigating him. For this Trump is called a racist. But all that is beside the point. The issue is the city underclass. The murder rate is horrific; the drugs, the rat infestation, and sub-par housing and more are so tragic to behold. We are seeing the results of 60 years of bankrupt liberal policies. Here are a few aspects of it.
- Ignoring the importance of spiritual foundations for a solution. The Church is also much to blame because as I have written many times, the white churches with money should make the poor the center of Gospel efforts as the key to change.
- Incentivizing fatherless homes by the way welfare is structured. Rather welfare should incentivize fathers to be in the home and education and work for mothers where it is not possible to have fathers in the home.
- Not training in the black community for family life.
- Fostering an education system that is bankrupt as the only alternative rather than charters and vouchers as a way out of schools that do not perform. $16,184 is spent per pupil in Baltimore. Yet in one school no high school student could read or do math at grade level! Schools should have to perform up to a level or be closed. Testing should constantly measure this progress. Can you imagine what a private school could do with this much money per pupil? Cut the non-teaching part of the system drastically and get results from a good teacher? Our teaching colleges train the lower end of academically capable people. We have to attract good people to teaching in private and public schools. The money should go do them and not the bloated non-teaching sector of the schools.
- Not recognizing that a massive police presence will be necessary to stop crimes and drugs. These should be community police that build relationships in the neighborhoods. There should be so many that it is not possible for crime to continue. But instead, liberals vilify the police. Yes, there are problems, but vilifying police will lead to more tragedy.
Where are the Church leaders to mobilize the Church for massive involvement and presence in these communities?