Happy Thanksgiving, CEO supporter!
One of the things we’re most thankful for here at the Center for Equal Opportunity is the kind and constant letters, phone calls, and emails we receive from all over this great country, supporting us in our work.
Here’s an example: We were recently contacted by a resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, who reached out to us because she remembered that we frequently challenge on a national basis the politically correct narrative that blames all racial disparities on racial discrimination. I’m including her email to us below – it’s very well done, and she makes many of the points that CEO likes to make. Great minds think alike:
Dear Roger,
I was very disappointed to read the article in USA Today which noted, “Lower incomes, educational attainment, and homeownership among black Americans, as well as higher poverty, unemployment, incarceration, and mortality all contribute to racial inequality in the United States. In some of America’s metro areas, discriminatory policy, racial bias, and a history of oppression have deepened such inequalities and widened the gap between black and white residents in a variety of socioeconomic measures.” The article goes on to list the 5 worst cities for blacks in these areas, and my city, Erie, Pa. is #1.
The article does not mention the one major contributing factor that is directly related to these social disparities and that is the fact that nearly half (48.9%) of Erie County live births were to unmarried mothers. The percentages listed by statistics on eriecountypa.gov are 43.6% for whites, 83.3% for blacks, and 70.2% Hispanic, and the staggering fact from our own US Census Bureau is that marriage drops the probability of child poverty by 80%. Weak family structure not only accounts for rates of poverty, but many other disparities. The data from the Fatherhood Initiative and the Heritage Foundation show children raised in single-parent households are more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems, more likely to be physically abused, smoke, drink alcohol and use drugs, be aggressive and engage in violent delinquent and criminal behavior, have poor school performance, and be expelled from school or drop out from school.
According to Dr. Walter Williams, … blacks must confront the sad reality that if we conclude that racial discrimination is the major cause of black problems, when it isn’t, the effective solutions will be elusive forever. He points out that the Census Bureau pegs the poverty rate among blacks at 35%, but that the poverty rate among intact black families is only 8%! He also points out that sadly each year, roughly 7,000 blacks are murdered, and 94% of the time, the murderer is another black person. He states that although blacks account for 13% of the nation’s population, they account for more than 50% of homicide victims — why aren’t we seeing national outrage from these statistics when it comes to Black Lives Matter?
Instead of just stating that black disparities exist in so many areas, when do we begin to shape policies in local, state, and federal governments to reward personal responsibility for committing to raising children? Surely black and white leaders can come together to insist on change in policy like tax benefits for married households, funding directives in school to encourage youth not to engage in uncommitted sexual choices, and giving minority children access to charter/Catholic and other private school settings for improved school outcomes, which will yield better jobs and income.
Erie has been my family home for over 20 years, and I wish we could gather community leaders to see what other measures we could implement to improve these sad statistics.
Well said, ma’am!
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The Federalist Society’s Regulatory Transparency Project – The Center for Equal Opportunity is also thankful for the opportunities we have to team up with other fine organizations to work on issues of common interest.
In the regard, I’ve written before about the Federalist Society’s Regulatory Transparency Project (RTP), but this is a good week to do so again: The former’s annual convention was held last week and, since the meeting’s theme this year was
“Administrative Agencies and the Regulatory State,” much work of the latter was showcased directly or indirectly.
The basic idea of the RTP, which began about a year-and-a-half ago, is to foster a nationwide conversation about areas where the costs of regulation exceed any benefits. The RTP consists of twelve working groups — Antitrust & Consumer Protection, Cyber & Privacy, Energy & Environment, Enforcement & Agency Coercion, FDA & Healthcare, Financial Services & Corporate Governance, Intellectual Property, Emerging Technology, Labor & Employment, Race & Sex, Regulatory Process, and State & Local — with an impressive array of scholars, professors, lawyers, and professionals who analyze how specific regulations can stifle innovation, impede opportunity, and harm the very people they were designed to help. To this end the RTP publishes white papers, posts podcasts, records videos, hosts telefora, and holds events across the country to explore the strengths and shortcomings of government regulations and policies. Input from the public is eagerly sought.
Just to give you the flavor: Earlier in the year the RTP released a paper prepared by its “Race & Sex Working Group” (love that name, and I’m proud to be a member of it). The paper critiqued three areas of Obama-administration overreach by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights: transgender bathroom and locker-room access under Title IX; investigations by universities of sexual-assault and harassment claims, also under Title IX; and requirements that school-discipline policies not have a “disparate impact” on the basis of race, under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
By the way, in addition to my being a member of this committee, it is chaired by Linda Chavez, who of course is also the chairman of the Center for Equal Opportunity.
Here are links to the project’s homepage and an introductory video. Its work is worth following, and the Center for Equal Opportunity will continue to play an important role in supporting it.
