ABOUT FAMILY AND POVERTY

"Literally trillions of dollars have been spent since the 1960s to address poverty, both in the United States and in developing countries, in exactly the manner that Revs. Wallis, Sharpton, and Jackson suggest we should continue doing today. That is, to cast poverty not as something that individuals rise above and out of, but as something that bureaucrats spend other people's money on to eliminate. The result, after trillions spent, has been negligible results and massive social costs... On the other hand, what is quite clear is that the likelihood of a black child in the United States living in poverty is five times higher if that child is living in a home headed by a single parent than in one headed by married parents. It is also true that the incidence of child poverty in homes headed by married parents is virtually no different between blacks and whites... Rev. Sharpton wants to continue to insist that 'The problems in our community have been systematic and because of structural problems within the system.' The black left has dominated black life and thinking for the last 50 years. Black family life is, on average, in much worse shape today than 50 years ago and black poverty persists. Our Lord is merciful and forgiving. But surely we should not expect infinite patience. We have some responsibility to learn from the errors of our ways."
—Star Parker