Sowell On Williams About Government And Intentions

These writers, and the topic one reveals in this short article, describe the root of what makes the last 80 years of liberal interventionism in our government a crying shame of hubris, oppression, and human suffering.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/04/26/race_and_economics_109659.html

"Some might find it puzzling that during times of gross racial discrimination, black unemployment was lower and blacks were more active in the labor force than they are today."

The author makes a compelling case that the entitlement programs have, despite their intentions to the contrary, done more to hurt black skinned people than did systemic, government sponsored, illegal, unconstitutional, racial discrimination. 

I cannot write much about race issues.  My grandparents were farmers, merchants and business men.  Their parents were too.  They lived in southern central Alabama.  My private school education was paid for by my parents, as were theirs.  My father's medical school bills were paid by the US Navy.  Everyone involved in these transactions earned what they got.  If I wasn't a great student, I did the work, went to class, and struggled every quarter to be a better student.  I was able to leverage the education my parents gave me to enter a career path that would have been closed to many due to circumstances as out of their control as I was of my good fortune. 

In short, what I am, and where I am in the world, is a mix of incredible good fortune and my being just savvy enough to make something out of my jackpot.  I am not ashamed of drawing the jackpot, and apologize to no one.  I do not believe anyone else has fared more poorly because of whatever success I have had.  I believe in what Steven Covey describes as the abundance mentality - there is more than enough possibility for success for every person to get a share - in theory. 

So I tread lightly because I know there are people with an ENTIRELY different experience than mine.  What troubles me, though, is the idea that these groups of people, identifiable by race, gender or ostensibly some other genetically identifiable characteristic, are doing badly despite government force used on their behalf. 

What I see, what these authors highlight so well, is that these groups of "disadvantaged" people are doing well BECAUSE of the (presumably well intentioned) government force used on their behalf.

We are presented with the horror of tyranny used with good intentions which causes vast, unintended harm in all directions.  Even those who believe heart and soul that the monopoly on coercive force held by the government should be used to "do good" should be frightened by even the possibility that this is true.