Forstater, Mathew wrote:
>But I do think you have to consider this: the African American overall
>unemployment rate is still at a rate that would be considered a
>recession if it
>held for the overall economy. That means that in the "best of times" the best
>that African Americans can expect is recession level unemployment.
>When we add
>to this the incarceration rates and the rates of unemployment for certain
>age-gender groups (35% for young Black males, etc.), it seems clear that the
>system just can't deliver.
My god. Yes of course this is all true. But the black unemployment
rate is lower now than it was 2, 5, 7 years ago. Average black
incomes are higher, and poverty rates lower. The racial income gap is
narrower. This has something to do with why Clinton has
astronomically high approval ratings among blacks, and why 90% will
vote for Gore.
What's so hard about saying the system sucks, yeah, but it sucks less
for a lot of people than it did a few years ago. There's a lot to be
said for keeping the unemployment rate at 4% for a long time. Sure,
revolution would be nicer, but this is a start.
Doug
