Saturday, August 26, 2006

The Black Renaissance?

Earlier this morning I was reading an article by Thomas Sowell about basic economics. You might find it interesting so I will link to it here. As I was reading I began to think about some things I have read and heard lately and was prompted to write the following.

Thomas Sowell is one of the leading black economists and writers in the country. He has published more than thirty books on economics and other subjects. He graduated from Harvard even though the dropped out of high school and grew up in Harlem. He is currently a senior fellow at the Hoover institute in Stanford Calif.

Yesterday as I was listening to Rush Limbaugh's program, he had a substitute host named Dr. Walter E. Williams who holds a doctorate in Economics from the university of Los Angeles and has written many books as well. He is on the boards of several institutes including the Hoover institute in is widely known as a very smart and prolific writer as well as being a highly respected professor of economics at George Mason University in Virginia.

These are but two examples of highly successful black men from humble backgrounds who have lived through the 60's and prospered throughout their lives due to persistence and hard work. Dr. Williams was interviewing Juan Williams who is also a very successful black man, a senior correspondent for NPR and contributor on FOX news he has a highly regarded career as a journalist. Juan is known as a liberal Democrat yet he has written a book recently called ENOUGH! His book is in the vain of Bill Cosby's latest speeches where he has chastised the black communities in America for their behavior and lack of personal responsibility.

My point here with all of this is that I am seeing a trend in the upper and middle class of the black communities around America. They are recognizing that their lower income brethren are caught up in a self made stew of victimization and blame everyone but themselves attitude. This has been shepherded by liberal politicians and race baiters who have urged poor blacks and other races to depend on the government and not tried to foster personal responsibility in these communities. Many things have lead us up to this point in America, hurricane Katrina being a turning point in my view.

It is also my view that an unintended consequence of the recent invasion of America by illegal immigrants, mostly Latino (12 million or so) has put enormous pressure on the black communities since these illegals are taking jobs traditionally held by poor blacks and whites. Now blacks are being forced to go on the public dole or get and education so that they can take higher level jobs. Many are moving up into the middle class as they experience this move from working at Mickey D's to working at Wachovia or Bank of America. Once this happens and they start earning a middle class income they find out quickly what a large bite the tax man takes from their hard earned paycheck and they acquire a more conservative viewpoint concerning those that choose to stay at the bottom, living off of the government or (me, you and our new middle class black brothers and sisters). Some quickly take the attitude, if I can do it then so can they! Then they see the world from a new perspective.

I think (hope) we are seeing the beginnings of a renaissance in the black communities of America as more and more successful blacks speak out against the victim mentality that has been created and nurtured by liberal politicians here in America and around the world for that matter, for the past 40 to 50 years.

I say it is about time and I applaud those who are stepping up and making their viewpoints known.

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