64 Responses to:
WHITE GOVERNMENT KILLED THE BLACK FATHER

# 1. 6/26/12 12:55 AM
I guess that you could say:

obama has finally gotten into "the big (white) house"

temporarly, hopefully.

# 2. 6/26/12 1:37 AM
The road to hell is paved with "good" intentions...

# 3. 6/26/12 2:09 AM by Cal - Rochester, NY
Bob,

I would substitute liberal government for white government. Liberals have suffered a huge loss, among the electorate, in their failed programs.... Liberal is now a dirty word... Rush L had a huge influence in this battle... Now the public is beginning to yearn for the old values, look at what happened to the Greece school monitor! Letters from your readers agreed something had to be done about discipline as these kiddies were turning into monsters (thanks to the liberal leadership lack of values) They are the ones who created the failed welfare programs too...

Our ship of a Country is about to tip over... We pray to Jesus that our ship will be righted now and for the liberal radical black leaders to come to their senses!

# 4. 6/26/12 5:11 AM by B Smith - Syracuse New York
You have nailed it, but don't think for a second that this behavior is just a black thing. You see an ever growing number of lower class young whites living off welfare and having too many kids too. Also realize that many on the far right contribute to the problem with their opposition to family planning and yes, abortion.

The more serious question is how do we turn this around. We cut off everything and the cities burn. We make it far too attractive by paying more with each child. Youngers have kids at an early age because they see this as a sure way to get their own income stream from the government.

I know you hate new programs, but realistically we need to find a way to reward those who don't have kids. Maybe pay a bonus if you turn 30 and remain childless. Find a system that works and you would only have to do it for one generation. Of course that won't happen because the Dems want them as voters and those on the right think any idea to limit reproduction is a class A sin.

# 5. 6/26/12 5:11 AM
I asked one of my friends who lives where some of the murders/shootings are going on, how he deals with it. He says as long as it's not your family, you just learn to ignore it. The violence is certainly out of control. It seems like a mess with no answer right now.

# 6. 6/26/12 5:43 AM by Abner D

Your burden of white guilt is overwhelming -- a sure sign of a liberal. Another is 'self-loathing,' which you also have in abundance.

After countless paragraphs listing hand-outs given to blacks, you state, "Because nobody every [sic] had anything handed to him."

The underlying theme of your blog post (It's Whitey's fault!), is well covered by The Blame Whitey Blanket. If you don't already know, The Blame Whitey Blanket stretches from today, all the way back to the exploration of East Africa, and it covers everything in between.

Blacks cling to it tenaciously and they will never let it go.

# 7. 6/26/12 6:10 AM by Abner D

Uhmmm ... let's make that, West Africa, ok? My internal compass got knocked for a loop when my train of thought went off the tracks.

# 8. 6/26/12 6:20 AM by Liberty Tom - Rochester, NY
Government welfare programs. The new "plantation". Sad.

# 9. 6/26/12 6:43 AM by OldVietVet - Rochester, NY
I am not responsible, nor has any one else in my White Family ever been responsible, for the choices made by blacks,or the consequences that go with them.Blacks make their own lives,and although influenced, as we all are by the Nations welfare system, live according to their own design.And that design is to exploit the welfare system to their ultimate advantage. Todays Conservative spin on this Nations welfare system, laid out precisely in your column, is false because it ignores free will, and retains the delusion of white oppression and black subjection.Buying off the Blacks from their blame game,and the violence that accompanies it, hasnt worked, and the old conservatives from the 60s had said it wouldnt.Shaming them off the welfare rolls aint working either. Lets admit it, deconstruct the welfare system, and move on.Its the only way.Oh, I almost forgot.They run the Welfare system.

# 10. 6/26/12 6:51 AM by Poplar Beach
Wow Bob, you certainly said it well, but there is so much more to say!

Apparently white government programs, and feel good societal caveats have degraded white families and white parenting too. How else do you explain the actions of those white kids toward that bus monitor last week.

Yes, it is much worse for inner city black families, because they have been subsidized to stay in their place for some much longer a time, but it is spreading to many weak white families who do not have a firm family center (mothers and fathers, grand mothers and grand fathers) to teach right and wrong, instill integrity, insist on a work ethic.

Rudeness is rampant in America today, the ME generation in now going into the ME, ME generation! You see it in the roads, you see it in the stores, you see it in schools.

You don't often see it in a family with a strong father figure, and you hardly ever see it in these two parent families who are regulars at church.

All the government programs, all the government money can not come close to replacing a good family unit. I know many rich kids who are spoiled brats too, money does not solve the problem, parenting, discipline, insistence on integrity does. Daddy can't just bring home the paycheck and head for the golf course, he must be involved with his children, a partner with his wife, always putting family first.

We have been descending in America, and every year the hill we have to climb gets higher, for many black families that hill is a mountain, I feel sorry for them. But our all knowing government has created a mountain of debt, and the problems only get worse.

It is time for a reality check, government can't save us, another agency, another program, more debt, will not do it. It is time for everyone, including our self serving leaders (votes, power, reelection, before country) to start climbing one common sense step at a time!

# 11. 6/26/12 7:02 AM by fgf - Rochester
Sadly you're right. Prior to the Lyndon Johnson era and all the welfare legislation the majority of black children were born in 2 parent families. The welfare system destroyed that and created a chronically dependent class of people who have become a loyal base for the democratic party. That's why this administration has expanded food stamp grants by almost 50 percent the past 3 years. Obama is solidifying the base for the next election.

# 12. 6/26/12 7:05 AM by CJV - Wayne
Bob, You are 100% correct. The new Lords Prayer is...."Our Father who art in Washington".

# 13. 6/26/12 7:24 AM by Larry - Greece,NY
Didn't Bill Cosby get clobbered for saying more or less the same thing? I can hear clobbering coming now! People don't like the truth!

# 14. 6/26/12 7:26 AM by Durwood - Canandaigua
Massa's not in the cold cold ground. He's alive and well on Westfall Road.

# 15. 6/26/12 7:27 AM by S J - Rochester, NY
Thanks Bob, now I feel really guilty. To which non-political online fundraiser should I donate money in order to feel better about myself?

# 16. 6/26/12 7:34 AM by Tim - Canandaigua
This column is going to get you fired.... again.

# 17. 6/26/12 7:40 AM by RC - Bloomington, IN
Bob - The concept of this article is not wrong, but adding generalities of color are offensive. What I think you could do is replace where you put black, and instead add urban families or even urban black families.

A better concept is a follow-up article on what we need to teach young urban men about what it means to be A Man. It could start by reading Ecclesiastes.

# 18. 6/26/12 7:48 AM by tom - penfield, ny
It is amazing the power some people think that government has. We are now seeing how inept and impotent the government is. I'm afraid you are too easily giving Black Fathers a pass by not allowing them all the blame they deserve. It is their fault, not the government's fault. Bob, you try to excuse bad behavior on bad government policy. Are you any different than Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson? A bum will always find a way to be a bum no matter how much the government tries to help.

# 19. 6/26/12 7:51 AM by Victor
I would vote number three, "Both." But "truth" has never been embellished by positive prepositions. We have the sad truth, the unvarnished truth, the ugly truth, and of course, the offensive truth.

Unfortunately, the million-dollar question is, How do we change this?

# 20. 6/26/12 8:18 AM by Christopher - Newport News, VA
Blacks (and whites) are capable. Take away the incentives (welfare) and most will stop having babies without the benefit of marriage.

Statistics show that the best way to escape poverty is to be and stay married.

As a landlord I have seen this first hand.

# 21. 6/26/12 8:28 AM by Rev. Tom
"Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly FATHER feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"

Matthew 6:26

# 22. 6/26/12 8:33 AM by Moron
And we try to remedy this misdeed by pouring money into the school district, enriching administrators and building more prisons.

# 23. 6/26/12 8:38 AM by Oscar
If blacks don't work they should starve. People on welfare take drugs have lots of children and there ain't nothing wrong with them. They know the Government will kick in.

# 24. 6/26/12 8:42 AM by Diane - Utah
I think the welfare program has created another reckless group of people who sense entitlement. I believe that anyone on welfare should be working for what they get, unless they absolutely can't for physical reasons. There are government offices, parks, roadways to maintain. You should have to put in a forty hour workweek to receive money. Maybe then, they wouldn't be so quick to jump on the welfare wagon. The mother of these children or father should be required to work for the support that us taxpayers are giving them. Maybe it would curb this rise in the disappearance of black fathers.

# 25. 6/26/12 8:42 AM by GEORGE (THE OTHER ONE) - GANANOQUE ONTARIO CANADA
*

If there is a need of an illustration of how welfare in it's many forms corrupts and destroys the human spirit this is it. And you and I and anyone who agrees with this column will be labeled a 'racist' by those who are enslaved by these programmes.

# 26. 6/26/12 8:43 AM by Sparky - NC
Kudos to you for having the guts to say it. That's three, now. You, Bill Cosby, and Walter Williams. (and the black "community" told Cosby to shaddap . . .)

# 27. 6/26/12 8:45 AM by Jacob
People are on welfare because they don't read the bible. All the answers are there.

# 28. 6/26/12 8:47 AM by Bart - Webster
This is an example of the "It takes a village to raise a child" mentality that liberals espouse. It doesn't work. I would NOT allow any 'village' to raise my kids.

# 29. 6/26/12 8:55 AM by john - rochester
And just like slavery of old, the system was created to and exists solely to benefit the slave owner, currently the democrat party.

# 30. 6/26/12 8:55 AM by DD
White government? Explain yourself. Exactly who and what is "the White Government"? It is the black race, not the white, that pushes for more and more government programs and specialties for black people. How dare you pin this problem on white America.

# 31. 6/26/12 9:33 AM by Matt - Rochester NY
I would have thought you'd learned to hide your racism better than this, especially after being fired for similar comments back in 2003. Then again, if nothing else, you do know your audience and they know you. Sickening column.

# 32. 6/26/12 9:41 AM by Heh - Rochester
You can speak the truth, but don't expect anyone to want to hear it.

There are protected classes in this society, whom even though not much is expected of them, are above reproach and cannot be criticized.

You say these things, and while many people believe them to be true, nothing will be done about it. There would be riots in the street if these entitlements were ever removed.

Black culture will never be white culture, no matter how hard you try to overwrite it. In all I would expect things to get worse, not better. People do not understand what has the potential to hurt them until the system implodes. And I do believe eventually everyone will be affected.

# 33. 6/26/12 9:42 AM by kittynana - Lewiston NY
Well said, sir.

# 34. 6/26/12 9:43 AM by Victor
"But "truth" has never been embellished by positive prepositions."

I am SO, SO embarrassed. Obviously, I meant to say, "positive ADJECTIVES." How could I have mixed up my grammatical elements?

(On a note semi-related to this and a previous column, I recently "taught" a an early-2000's Greece grad the proper definition and use of the "past participle" verb form, of which he seemed to have never heard. Funny, _I_ learned it... in Greece schools... in the 1960's. The district has gone from one of the BEST in the nation to down in the mud, in 40-years' time.)

# 35. 6/26/12 9:45 AM by Go Deep
There are people in this country on welfare and disability who simply do not want to work despite ability and opportunity which is why Democrats introduced a means test.

It was voted down in the GOP controlled committee in the House....go figure.

# 36. 6/26/12 9:51 AM by frodo lives - williamson, ny
#19 I don't think it can be turned around, things are too far gone. Those who have lived for several generations on welfare (all races)simply can not make it on their own. Its a culture of laziness and dependence. I hate to sound so hopeless but I think this is reality. The communists have taken over and there is no place to run.

# 37. 6/26/12 9:54 AM by Tom Bastian - Fairport, NY
Truer words have never been written. I have felt this way for years and have worried that it is just going to get worse as each generation gets farther from the traditional family unit. It is easy to see the ravages of government paternalism by just reading about crime in the inner city and the cost, both social and economic. It is brought home to me every day at work as a school bus driver when I interact with truly middle class African American students and see them flourish and then compare their results of those who are buried under the weight of the failure known as The Great society. I don't know how we get back from the brink of societal breakdown but I do know that we must. Everyone needs a chance and White Government Welfare will never get us there.

# 38. 6/26/12 10:02 AM by frodo lives - williamson, ny
#19, I don't think it can be turned around. Things are too far gone. Those who gave been on welfare for several generations (of any race) would never survive. It's a culture of laziness and dependence. I hate to sound so hopeless but i believe this is a fact.

# 39. 6/26/12 10:15 AM
"Because nobody ever had anything handed to him."

So you say that all IQ's are the same. That there is no such thing as talent, either. Also, that there are no nurtured advantages in anyones life.

Is there a name to this planet you speak of?

You are a gifted writer Bob. Gifted means you had something handed to you. Same as Michael Jordan, Albert Einstein, Mitt Romney (yes, the man was an LRB, little rich boy).

Of course much of what you write has merit to it. But you fail to delve in to the reasons why so many blacks do not survive well without the "plantation taking care of them as they did for 400 years". White owned plantations. White people who INSTILLED the dependency way of life in many black families for 400 years.

Oh but it's all the liberals fault. I love hearing you conservatives grab that excuse but don't anyone dare say GW Bush is at fault for our economy. Liberals though, they caused all the troubles.

As for nobody had anything handed to him, open your eyes. Your analysis is that of a blind man blinded by ideologic dogma. Good God, you conservatives recite the same danged talking points, every one of you. Life is not that simplistic.

# 40. 6/26/12 10:24 AM by Poplar Beach
I know this will stir up a hornets nest, but I think this decline started with the woman's rights movement.

At about the same time woman's rights became a big deal, Lyndon Johnson started the lets wipe out poverty programs.

Prior to that single parenting was pretty tough, and daycare was a future thing, many folks stayed married just to survive, dad worked, mom took care of the kids, they got though the tough times because they had to, there was no government safety net.

The church, their parents, their friends and neighbors were the safety net.

Gradually the government offered a way out of this rocky marriage, with programs that would SAVE people. About the same time gurus were spouting YOU must be happy first and foremost, and many woman's rights groups were painting most men as inherently evil. So began the decline of the American family!

# 41. 6/26/12 10:31 AM by Army Specialist
Defense Commissary Agency reports that nearly $88 million worth of food stamps were used at commissaries nationwide in 2011, up from $31 million in 2008.

# 42. 6/26/12 10:33 AM by Tom Dey - Springwater, NY
Offensive and true. We're so wrapped around the political correctness axle that the painful truth hurts. But ignoring or (even worse) glossing over it assures no solution. Just heard your (related) comments driving between work buildings...regarding the daily murder tally in Rochester. I grew up here in the 50s and the city was beautiful. I recall murders were a few a year back then...yet the population was about the same as now. Man, woman or child could safely walk the streets at any hour. Something was right then and is gone...probably forever. And that's because of the failed social experiment.

# 43. 6/26/12 10:34 AM by Pat Harper - Rochester, NY
Hey Bob, how do you feel about the de facto segregation that we have here in Monroe County? I heard you yesterday talking about how it's unacceptable to think that blacks can't learn. I agree. I would love to see you spearhead a movement to create a county wide school district, one that provide equal educational opportunities for all. I think it would be outstanding if we had local school schools that were integrated and reflected society. Let's end the concentration of poverty that has doomed the city schools and led to many of the social problems that only a solid education can truly solve. Bill Johnson was right!

Editor's Note: spending per pupil in the rochester city school district is the highest in the county. the most damaging poverty in the city of rochester is the poverty of a failed culture, that abandons family and rejects education.

# 44. 6/26/12 10:42 AM by Abner D

@#39 - "Oh but it's all the liberals fault. Liberals though, they caused all the troubles."

+1

# 45. 6/26/12 10:44 AM by Matt - Rochester, NY
And your solution to this problem is what? Still waiting.....I am just glad the conservatives made sweeping changes to help solve this problem. Oh wait, they didn't do anything either. So where lies the problem now? What solution is being offered by the conservatives? Waiting....waiting.....waiting......

# 46. 6/26/12 10:44 AM by John - SLC
Absolute truth, every word!

However, the massahs of de plantation and their chattel will surely be smearing you (again!) with their allegations of racism. Despite the fact that THEY are the ones responsible for the sorry plight of so many in the black community.

Although he is anathema to the liberal and media (but I repeat myself) approved black "leaders," Justice Clarence Thomas provides the map to escaping from the ghettos and welfare plantations. His book should be required reading for all downtrodden blacks (or listening to, since so many of those needing the info cannot or do not read).

The keys to success for blacks (and whites) born into extreme poverty and squalor is not mysterious, only hard to do. That requires will power, strong morals, and firm guidance.

Religion (any will do), education, hard work when not in school, speaking proper English (not ghetto "ebonic" jungle sounds) and self reliance instead of welfare are the keys. However, these are all ignored, if not downright attacked by the liberals and their chattel.

The decay of the inner cities may be beyond saving, but the causes are absolutely clear, as you have stated.

# 47. 6/26/12 10:57 AM by Mike - Greece
On your radio show, you just mentioned that some potted plants would be better than Obama. Are there ANY potted plants that would worse than Obama??

# 48. 6/26/12 12:09 PM by Steve
To that Matt that always posts dude just go away your posts are always the same. As for the column I don't think race matters I know a lot of whites and various other races on some form of welfare. Whites just tend to use disability more. I know people who type on the Internet all day who are disabled. I believe at the government level welfare is for control and will never end even when we can't pay for it. Well just end up like north Korea when the money runs out.

# 49. 6/26/12 12:23 PM by phelpschick - phelps ny
Don't look now but it's happening to white, middle class suburbia. The divorce industry/family court law and government incentivizes divorce by giving Mom supreme parental authority (instant custody no matter what) and a hefty child support check should she decide to dump dad.

Dad becomes "disney daddy," a mere visitor to his kids who had BETTER play by Mom's (lack of) rules for the children or else. Mom tells the kids that their dad is no good and worse. A loyalty conflict ensues--if you love Dad you hate Mom baloney. Kids are then pitied due to being "children of divorce," the land where there is no discipline or expectations. The government equates any form of correction or discipline as "abuse" doncha know.

Mom can no longer control children through cuddling and coddling as they enter school age. By now the children have learned to manipulate quite well and call the shots.

Mom then slaps them on meds and calls Child Protective Services when she hears that dad was attempting to instruct/train/discipline the little angels while on "visitation."

The children have a "low level of frustration" due to being raised on instant gratification, therefore do horribly in school. These children are mere pawns and "meal tickets" (child support) similarly to the way minority children are "meal tickets" (welfare).

# 50. 6/26/12 12:28 PM by BSP
Crime would be almost nonexistent if people went to bed at a decent hour because they have to work the next day.

Workfare, not welfare.

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