At a recent speech in Atlanta, a somewhat famous former elected official made some rather blunt comments about welfare. According to a news report:
In discussing welfare, he said rules instituted by liberals to limit benefits to single mothers discouraged blacks from forming families. “Slavery didn’t break up the black families as much as liberal welfare rules,” he said.
So who was this Neanderthal? Was it Klansman/charlatan David Duke? Was it former Georgia Governor Lester Maddox, who made George Wallace seem cuddly by comparison?
None of the above. It turns out that the article was discussing comments made by Andrew Young, the former Mayor of Atlanta and Ambassador to the United Nations. He was at the Jimmy Carter Center to talk about his new book, “Walk in My Shoes: Conversations Between a Civil Rights Legend and His Godson on the Journey Ahead.”
Setting aside my sarcasm, kudos to Young for putting concern for families before left-wing political correctness. As indicated by my previous post on welfare destroying the human spirit, luring people into dependency is a tragic example of misguided government policy (a problem that is particularly severe in certain states, particularly the Northeast). And Young is not the only one to note that African-Americans have been the biggest victims.
