Government subsidies no substitute for fathers

Several recent articles in the Cape Gazette make me think that the constant drumbeat from political progressives about white supremacy and racism misses the major problem facing black families.

Last month the paper ran a full-page, paid advertisement from the Civil Rights Team of the Progressive Democrats of Sussex County.

It resurrected the complaint that "state funds should not be involved" in the Georgetown Historical Society because it maintains a memorial for soldiers and others who supported the Confederate cause in the War Between the States.

Apparently, the Delaware Grays, a branch of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, who have an agreement with the GHS, are de facto white supremacists. That phrase and "white supremacy" were used three times in the ad to drive the point home.

But, some salient facts are missing from their history lecture. The Confederacy existed and flew its flag for only four years.

But, slavery's oppression was legal in the U.S. for 90 years (1776-1865) under the banner of Old Glory. In fact, the Supreme Court stamped its seal of approval on slavery in the Dred Scott decision as late as 1857 by denying Mr. Scott's argument in pursuing his freedom.

And, don't forget the sainted Abraham Lincoln. He had no problem with that "peculiar institution." In fact, before the Civil War even started, Lincoln was supportive of the Corwin amendment to the Constitution to enshrine Southern slavery forever. It became irrelevant when the war started.

Dr. Thomas DiLorenzo, PhD, economics, author of "The Real Lincoln," documents that during one of the Lincoln-Douglas debates Lincoln said "Free them [black slaves] and make them politically and socially our equals? My own feelings will not admit of this ... We can not then make them equals" (Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, vol. II, p. 256). This is one of many similar quotes which may explain his work plotting the deportation of black people up unto his death.

So, following the PDSC's logic, shouldn't we end taxpayer funding for the $25 million restoration project for the Lincoln Memorial?

And, what about Delaware, where reportedly the first slave was brought up from the West Indies in 1639? Shouldn't our flag be ripped down?

Following this was a second series of articles which appeared May 4, under the banner, "Equal Justice: A Special Report" and celebrated Delaware native Bryan Stevenson who in 1989 started the civil rights organization, Equal Justice Initiative.

Part of the nonprofit's commitment is to fight for the wrongfully convicted and against excessive punishment, a noble endeavor.

Their new museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice memorializes and says it seeks a frank conversation about the history of slavery, racial terror lynchings and mass incarceration in the U.S. But, notably absent is the mention of the 1,297 whites who were lynched. The articles' themes continue the white supremacy predicate of the PDSC.

But do these efforts really serve to correct black society's ills today?

Consider Walter Williams, PhD, economics and author, who is black and grew up in the housing projects of Philadelphia. He writes that, "the No. 1 problem among blacks is the effects stemming from a very weak family structure. Children from fatherless homes are likelier to drop out of high school, die by suicide, have behavioral disorders, join gangs, commit crimes and end up in prison. They are also likelier to live in poverty-stricken households. But is the weak black family a legacy of slavery?"

In 1960, just 22 percent of black children were raised in single-parent families. Fifty years later, more than 70 percent of black children were raised in single-parent families. He asks, "Was the increase in single-parent black families after 1960 a legacy of slavery, or might it be a legacy of the welfare state ushered in by the War on Poverty?"

He adds that, in 1938, "11 percent of black children were born to unwed mothers. Today about 75 percent of black children are born to unwed mothers. Is that supposed to be a delayed response to the legacy of slavery?

"The bottom line is that the black family was stronger the first 100 years after slavery than during what will be the second 100 years."

Dr. Williams concludes that, "The undeniable truth is that neither slavery nor Jim Crow nor the harshest racism has decimated the black family the way the welfare state has."

But, it's puzzling that the PDSC and Bryan Stevenson, in marketing their white supremacist mantra, ignore this catastrophe. They fail to realize that government programs and a check are no substitute for fathers.

Geary Foertsch lives in Rehoboth and writes from a libertarian perspective to promote economic liberty, non-cronyism free markets, small government and a non-intervention foreign policy. He can be contacted at gearyfoertsch@yahoo.com.