Replies

Second, poverty and lack of education doesn't cause crime rates to go up and cannot account for the fact that blacks commit violent crimes 50 times more than other races (when adjusted for proportion to population).

Poverty and lack of education do cause crime rates to rise. But maybe not as signficantly as the presence of a culture that tolerates and even glorifies crime. A large percentage of the US black population suffers from all three traits. I don't think its any secret that poor white (or black or Hispanic or whatever) neighborhoods tend to have more crime than rich white (etc.) neighborhoods.

Third, there is a REAL problem in the black community (illegitimacy) that is exacerbated by drug use, government handouts, and especially other blacks who simply cannot stand to see someone make it out of the 'hood.

Were you expecting me to argue with that statement? I couldn't agree more.

neighborhoods tend to have more crime than rich white (etc.) neighborhoods.

You have it backwards. Rich neighborhoods are created by people that are honest and hard working; people that would not mug someone simply because they themselves are failures.

The Blacks that live in my neighborhood are not muggers and would be appalled by your statement.

Stay safe; stay armed.

Poverty and lack of education do cause crime rates to rise. But maybe not as signficantly as the presence of a culture that tolerates and even glorifies crime. A large percentage of the US black population suffers from all three traits. I don't think its any secret that poor white (or black or Hispanic or whatever) neighborhoods tend to have more crime than rich white (etc.) neighborhoods. Just because there is a correlation between two things does not indicate a specific cause-and-effect relationship. It can be just as easily argued that high crime rates result in poverty and lack of education, or that all are the result of yet another factor. After all, if you can be successful stealing cars, why go to college in the hopes of landing a good job when you get out? Why bother even finishing high school if you can make a pile selling drugs? Why work for something you can just take at the point of a knife or gun? There are plenty of affluent segments of society where crime, even violent crime, runs rampant, and plenty of places where extremely poor people live peacefully with very low crime rates.

I don't think its any secret that poor white (or black or Hispanic or whatever) neighborhoods tend to have more crime than rich white (etc.) neighborhoods.

Perhaps those who can afford to, move away from the crime, lowering the net wealth of the crime ridden neighborhood? So it would be more correct to say that crime causes poverty (in that neighborhood).