Question
By Thomas Sowell
Capitalism Magazine (online), August 17, 2004
The War on Poverty represented the crowning triumph of the liberal vision of
society -- and of government programs as the solution to social problems. . .
In the liberal vision, slums bred crime. But brand-new government housing
projects almost immediately became new centers of crime and quickly
degenerated (declined) into new slums. . .
Rates of teenage pregnancy and venereal disease had been going down for
years before the new 1960s attitudes toward sex spread rapidly through the
schools, helped by War on Poverty money. These downward trends suddenly
reversed and skyrocketed.
The murder rate had also been going down, for decades, and in 1960 was just
under half of what it had been in 1934. Then the new 1960s policies toward
curing the "root causes" of crime and creating new "rights" for criminals began.
Rates of violent crime, including murder, skyrocketed.
The black family, which had survived centuries of slavery and discrimination,
began rapidly disintegrating in the liberal welfare state that subsidized (paid for)
unwed pregnancy and changed welfare from an emergency rescue to a way of
life. . .
The economic rise of blacks began decades earlier, before any of the legislation
and policies that are credited with producing that rise. The continuation of the rise
of blacks out of poverty did not -- repeat, did not -- accelerate during the 1960s.
The poverty rate among black families fell from 87 percent in 1940 to 47 percent
in 1960, during an era of virtually no major civil rights legislation or anti-poverty
programs. . . . In various skilled trades, the incomes of blacks relative to whites
more than doubled between 1936 and 1959 -- that is, before the magic 1960s
decade when supposedly all progress began. The rise of blacks in professional
and other high-level occupations was greater in the five years preceding the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 than in the five years afterwards.
what is his perspective
in a few snetnces
Capitalism Magazine (online), August 17, 2004
The War on Poverty represented the crowning triumph of the liberal vision of
society -- and of government programs as the solution to social problems. . .
In the liberal vision, slums bred crime. But brand-new government housing
projects almost immediately became new centers of crime and quickly
degenerated (declined) into new slums. . .
Rates of teenage pregnancy and venereal disease had been going down for
years before the new 1960s attitudes toward sex spread rapidly through the
schools, helped by War on Poverty money. These downward trends suddenly
reversed and skyrocketed.
The murder rate had also been going down, for decades, and in 1960 was just
under half of what it had been in 1934. Then the new 1960s policies toward
curing the "root causes" of crime and creating new "rights" for criminals began.
Rates of violent crime, including murder, skyrocketed.
The black family, which had survived centuries of slavery and discrimination,
began rapidly disintegrating in the liberal welfare state that subsidized (paid for)
unwed pregnancy and changed welfare from an emergency rescue to a way of
life. . .
The economic rise of blacks began decades earlier, before any of the legislation
and policies that are credited with producing that rise. The continuation of the rise
of blacks out of poverty did not -- repeat, did not -- accelerate during the 1960s.
The poverty rate among black families fell from 87 percent in 1940 to 47 percent
in 1960, during an era of virtually no major civil rights legislation or anti-poverty
programs. . . . In various skilled trades, the incomes of blacks relative to whites
more than doubled between 1936 and 1959 -- that is, before the magic 1960s
decade when supposedly all progress began. The rise of blacks in professional
and other high-level occupations was greater in the five years preceding the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 than in the five years afterwards.
what is his perspective
in a few snetnces
Answers
GPT-4o mini
Thomas Sowell's perspective is critical of the liberal vision and government interventions aimed at alleviating poverty and social issues. He argues that programs initiated during the War on Poverty, rather than solving problems, worsened them by creating new slums, increasing crime rates, and leading to the disintegration of the black family structure. Sowell contends that the economic progress of black Americans was already underway prior to the 1960s and that subsequent policies did not accelerate this progress, debunking the notion that government action was the primary catalyst for improvement. Instead, he emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility and market-driven economic growth.