Examining Racial and Ethnic Reality Part 2: Employment, Politics, Crime, Poverty, Home Ownership, Conclusion and Future

 

In part two of our look at race and ethnic reality, we'll take a look at employment and unemployment, Affirmative Action and quotas, racial equality in politics, crime  and prison sentencing, poverty, welfare, housing, and who really benefits the most? Finally, we’ll address the issues of reparations, the future of race relations, and what does all this mean, if anything?

Employment

When it comes to labor force participation, 63.1% of Blacks are in the work force. 65% of Asians are actively involved as are 62.3% of White and 66.9% of Hispanics. Meanwhile, 65.3% of those who claim to be mixed race participate in the work force.

Whites and Asians occupy the majority of professional and managerial jobs with Asians holding most of the STEM and healthcare professions while Blacks fill most of the community and social services occupations (Black males work the majority of transportation and utility jobs while Hispanics dominate the construction and hospitality industries per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).  

Examining income levels by race (based on 2023 data), we find that the median household income for Whites nationally is $89,050. For Hispanics, it’s $65,450. The median income for Black households is $56,490. Native Americans earn $57,270.  The highest household income belongs to Asians which averages $108,700.

The national unemployment rate is 4%. Among Whites, it’s 3.6% and 3.5% for Asians. In the Hispanic community, the unemployment rate is 4.6% (4.9% for Mexicans and 5.9% for Puerto Ricans). However, the highest percentage of unemployment belongs to Black Americans with an average of 6%.

Affirmative Action and Quotas

Affirmative Action came into being through two separate measures. First in 1961 when President John Kennedy signed Executive Order 10925 which required government contractors ensured equal employment opportunities  for all applicants. Second was in 1965 when President Lyndon Johson signed into law Executive Order 11246 prohibiting employment discrimination by federal contractors and requiring them to adopt a plan to employ minorities. By the 1980’s, this had been expanded to include gender and religion. It was also expanded to include education and other areas. Basically, it federal dollars touched it, there had to be an affirmative action plan in place.

Some institutions used this as a de facto “quota” system, rather than as intended. Thus, individuals were hired or accepted based not on their skills, experience, or test scores, but on skin color and gender. The overall result was a drop in performance which affected productivity and employability. Fortunately, that was done away with by the Supreme Court  in a 2023 ruling against Harvard College. At long last, ability returned to the forefront.    

Politics

What about politics? Whites make up about 59.3% of the population. Hispanics are 18.9%. Blacks comprise 12.6%, and Asians are about 5.9%. When we look at the make up of Congress, of the 431 members, 301 identify as White. 61 are Black, 46 are Hispanic, 18 are Asian, and 5 say they are racially mixed.

 Of the 99 Senate members, 83 are White. 7 are Hispanic, while 5 are Black and 3 are Asian with 1 Native American (not including Elizabeth Warren), and of course, there was Barack Obama who was bi-racial although popularly identified as Black.

When it comes to federal judges, the majority (65.80%) are white. 14.44% are black. 9.11% are Hispanics. 6.63% are Asian, 2.84% are mixed race, and an embarrassing 0.47% are Native American. Additionally, 52.7% of federal judges are male. Currently, there is one Black governor, one Native American, and one Hispanic.

Crime and Punishment

When it comes to crimes, Black Americans were 50% more likely to be victims of non-lethal violent crimes than Whites according to a report by the Council for Criminal Justice (CCJ). In both instances, the assailant was more likely to be a black male than not. In comparing Hispanics and Blacks, Blacks were 40% more likely to be the victim than Hispanics.

There was no difference in non-lethal victimization between Hispanics and whites although Hispanics were 2x more likely to be robbed than Whites whereas Black females were twice as likely as Hispanic females to be the victim of rape or sexual assault. In short, Blacks were more likely than other races or ethic groups to be a victim of crime while at the same time, most likely to have been the perpetrator of the crime.

An FBI Uniform Crime Report from 2019 seemed to back up the CCJ data. According the UCR, Black Americans accounted for 55.9% of all murders committed. Whites accounted for 44.1%. When it came to the race of the victim, 54.7% were Black while 42.3% were White, and roughly 3% were “other”. The pre-capita “offending rate” was eight times that of whites as were their victim rate meaning that statistically, Blacks (especially males) were more likely to commit violent crime than any other race and that Blacks in general were more often than not to be the victim of a violent crime.

According to a victimization report conducted in 2004, blacks were 56% more likely to be the offenders when it came to carjackings compared to 21% for Whites and 16% for Asians. Blacks were 12% more likely than any other races to commit an armed robbery. Hispanics, on the other hand, comprised 40% of those sentenced for federal crimes.

Per a report by The Sentencing Project, Blacks are the most incarcerated group in America. Black offenders are 5 times more likely than Whites to be sentenced to prison. Hispanics will go to prison almost 2.5 times more often than White offenders. Native Americans will be incarcerated more often than Whites but less than Hispanics.

Blacks are also more likely to be jailed on misdemeanor charges than any other group, but they are also more likely to violate probation. Hispanics are more likely than not to serve time in a federal prison. Asians are least likely to be jailed for any reason.

Black women are more likely than White or Hispanic women to do time. Asian women behind bars are virtually a statistically null category. The Sentencing Project also reports that while there has been a decline in incarceration rates overall, the Black prison population has declined the most.

Echoing the above, the Prison Policy Initiative pointed out that while Blacks are roughly 13% of the U.S. population, they make up 37% of those behind bars. However, based on percentage of population, a discorporate number of Native Americans are incarcerated compared to any other race or ethnic group. Lastly, it should be noted that the U.S. imprisons more of its population than any other country on the planet bar none.

So, with legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Affirmative Action, federal incentives for Historical Black colleges, and various federal and state programs, not to mention academic courses and majors, why isn’t the situation better?

Black, Hispanic, and Asian enterprises have been extremely successful. The Federal Office of Advocacy reported in 2022 that there were 5 million Hispanic owned businesses employing some 3 million individuals. Latinos are also the largest entrepreneurial demographic in the U.S.. There are 3.4 million Asian and Pacific Islander owned businesses in America, employing 5.3 million, and generating earnings of $1.2 trillion dollars annually.

Native American owned businesses, of which there are over 340,000, have earnings of some $46 billion annually despite representing roughly 7% of the total population.  As for Blacks businesses, there are approximately 3.12 million according to the Census Bureau. They provide 3.56 million jobs while producing $206 billion in annual revenue.  Of course that doesn’t include cable channels, print media, radio stations, music and movie genres, events, pageants, business associations, advocacy groups, and so forth which are dedicated to a specific racial or ethnic group.

Lastly, White owned businesses. Currently about 82% of all businesses in the United States are White owned, including 85% of all small businesses. Together, they generate about $1.3 trillion dollars while employing around 21.9 million workers. Given that Whites are by far still the largest demographic, that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Poverty

The highest poverty rate in the U.S. belongs to Native Americans with 22% living at or below the poverty line. Black Americans are next with 17.9% in poverty. Hispanics have a poverty rate of 16.9%. The poverty rate for Asian Americans was 9.1%.  Whites had the lowest poverty rate at 7.7%.

When we look at those who receive the most government assistance such as Welfare, WIC, energy or rent assistance, or SNAP, Whites are the greatest beneficiaries at 43% (this is also due to their largest percentage of the population). They are also the group mostly likely to leave the poverty rolls and drop government assistance programs.

In terms of SNAP or “food stamps” alone, White make up 62.7% of recipients. Hispanics are 39.8%. Black Americans make up 27% while just 3.8% are of Asian origin. 6.6% are of other races including Native American. It’s bears mentioning that 87.8% are native born.

Hispanics are the second largest users of government assistance at 26%. They are followed by Black Americans at 23%. Finally, Asian Americans. They are just 8% users of taxpayer based services.

Home Ownership

Lastly, let’s look at home ownership. According to the National Association of Home Builders, 65.7% of Americans owned their own home as of 2023. When broken down by race, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, White Americans were 73.8% of all homeowners. Asian Americans were 63%. Hispanics were 49.8% while Black Americans were slightly behind at 45.9%.

Hispanics also saw the greatest increase of homeownership or any group. Black home ownership has also increased while slowing for Whites and Asians (one explanation it that the aging White population is shifting to low maintenance residences like apartments, condominiums, or assisted living facilities).  

Conclusion

According to the numbers, Whites remain the largest racial demographic, and as such, dominate in most of the categories, including use of government services and prison population, as one would expect based on the population size (note too that there are large pockets White communities, such as in Appalachia or the Ozarks, which resemble more of a third world nation than a top tier one).

In looking at education, Asian Americans, the smallest demographic, outperforms every other racial group relative their size in terms of education, labor market participation, income, own a home, or hold a managerial or professional position.  At the same time, they are least likely to be a criminal offender, got to jail/prison, or use government assistance.  

Hispanics, the second largest demographic, is most likely to use some form of taxpayer based serves, hold service or construction jobs. They are growing most rapidly of any other group in terms of home ownership. They also make up the majority of the labor market while having the third highest unemployment rate.  They have the third highest graduation rates behind Asian Americans and Whites. In terms of politics, they hold the second most number of seats in Congress.

On the downside, Hispanics (especially males) are more likely than other groups to be convicted of a felony and sentenced to a federal prison (usually on immigration or drug related charges). They are ranked third in terms of poverty. Lastly, they are the second highest racial minority  over all to be a victim of a non-lethal crime.

From being  statistically insignificant just 50 years ago, Hispanics have become a powerful force in American culture. Within the next 50 years, they will be on par with Whites in terms of population and likely a powerful player in politics, perhaps having the largest racially based caucus.  There’s no question they’ll regularly hold the Oval Office.

Black Americans, for various reasons, haven’t been able to gain any significant traction socially. They do well when if comes to the number of live births but also lead in terms of illegitimate children. They also have the highest divorce rates while, despite the myth to the contrary, Black fathers are the most active in the lives of their children.

They have an impressive graduation rate yet hold the least number of top level jobs. Black females are also most likely to outperform Black males, but also most likely to be harassed by them as well. They also have the third largest number of individuals in the labor market with the lowest income level or any group. When it comes to poverty, they’re the second highest. However, they are not the “Welfare Queens” they are portrayed as.

In terms of politics, they’ve had decent success, though it’s come in waves, with success in Congress, judgeships, mayoral offices, and even the presidency.  However, these gains are often negated by charges of corruption, drug and alcohol abuse.

When it comes to crimes, Blacks (particularly males) lead the pack, most notably when the victims are also black. They are also most likely to be sentenced to prison, skip bail, or violate probation. Thus, they don’t seem to get the break other groups get.

However, Blacks aren’t the worse off. That goes to Native Americans. They have some of the lowest birth rates, the poorest schools, least number of job opportunities, highest poverty and homeless levels of any racial or ethnic demographic. They also experience the highest school drop out rates. Their overall income levels have improved (thanks largely to legalized gaming). Nevertheless, their representation in politics is and has been negligible.

In the end, each race can boost of a certain measure of success and bemoan its failures. Is there any justification for “reparations”? If we mean as a result of self-inflicted failure, then no. That’s on them, not society. The opportunities are there.  The problem is not taking responsibilities for outcomes. It’s not demanding quality and rewarding success, be it in education, job ownership, or self-care.

They must self-police neighborhoods and create acceptable role models. If they don’t care, why should society? Case in point, look at Asian neighborhoods and schools.  If, on the other hand,  we mean reparations because of governmental abuse or apathy, then yes, and Native Americans would be that group.

They’ve been the subject of land theft, blatant lies, attempted genocide through starvation and disease, and enforced poverty.  They’ve had their culture stripped away. They’ve been denied the opportunities others have taken for granted. Where they’ve succeeded, it’s where they’ve stepped up and took charge…and responsibility…for their situation, handling their own affairs, and keeping the government at arm’s length as much as possible.  

If we continue along the same path, America will slowly, but assuredly, balkanize. For Whites, most everything will remain largely the same despite a slow decline into pockets here and there. Hispanics will settle into their position of co-parity with Whites. Their language and culture will be common place. Parts of the U.S. will be de facto “El Norte” (or “Aztlan” as it’s called”). Asians will dominate the West Coast while a shrinking Black population will occupy some of the larger cities, especially in the Rust belt, looking like they belong more to some dystopian movie or third world country than to the United States. 

Thank you for reading "Another Opinion", the Op/Ed blog page for the "militant middle".  Here at "A/O" we truly value our readers. At A/O we seek the facts as they exist, not partisan talking points.  We hope you find our articles informative and engaging. Comments are welcome, provided they are not vulgar, insulting or demeaning.  Another Opinion is offered without charge and is directed toward all independent and free-thinking individuals. We ask, however, that you "like" us on whatever platform you found us on in order to keep our articles available for free to others. Lastly, in order to keep costs down, we depend on passive marketing, and therefore, depend on our readers to please forward our posts along. Below you will find links to the sources we used in writing this article. Thank you. 

 

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Homeownership by race and ethnicity

 

Federal Employees Play “DOGE” ball with Elon Musk's Cuts as President Trump Fulfils His Campaign Promises

As we close in on Trump’s first 100 days, he’s has cut through the Washington quagmire like General Sherman's march through Georgia. With Elon Musk leading the charge through “DOGE” (Department of Government Efficiency), over 200,000 federal employees in 18 agencies have had their employment come to an end, not to mention 75,000 who have accepted buyouts.

 That number includes 2,400 Veterans Administration employees, 1,700 workers from the consumer watchdog agency, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,  2,000 from the Department of Energy, and 2000 from the Department of the Interior, including 800 from the Bureau of Land management.

The IRS has seen 6,000 employees terminated and 5,400 probationary workers from the Department of Defense with an estimated 70,000 who may be let go by the time it’s over. 700 workers at the Centers for Disease Control have fired along 388 employees from the Environmental Protection Agency.  

The Department of Homeland Security has seen a reduction of 400 individuals, of which half were from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Small Business Administration has seen a reduction of 20% of its workforce.

 Lastly, 10,000 individuals from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have been placed on indefinite leave. The move is estimated to reduce government “bloat” and save billions in taxpayers dollars.

Meanwhile, some 530,000 immigrants have seen their temporary legal status revoked while some 27,000 illegal immigrants have been deported back to their country of origin as the Pentagon has announced the deployment of some 10,000 active duty and National Guard personnel to our southern border while so-called “sanctuary cities” are facing the possible loss of the  federal funding which keeps them afloat.

So, what do Americans think of the Trump-Musk blitz on the Status Quo? Are all the cuts and reductions justified or is this another example of government going too far? 48% of Americans surveyed by a Pew poll see illegal immigration as problem, so there’s presumably happy with President Trump’s handling of the problem.

As for the mass layoffs, 57% of those polled though the budget deficit was a serious issue, so the reduction in the federal work force would presumably be a good thing. While the layoffs have little or nothing to do with the corruption, 72% believe money in politics is problem. Perhaps Trump can take steps to reduce the control Wall Street has on Washington, such as overturing Citizens United, term limits, and honest to goodness campaign finance reform.

But for that to happen, we’d have to have a level of bipartisan cooperation that we haven’t seen in decades. The divisiveness in today’s politics borders on political turmoil or even a possible civil war. Maybe that’s why 56% of respondents are concerned about the failure of the two corporate owned parties to work together. 48% are worried about the failure of our political system itself and why not?

Afterall, given our “winner-take-all” system, the majority of voters have no representation. Only those whose side wins have any form of representation, while the losing side is out of luck, and when you consider that the largest percentage of voters are Independents, that means that no more than 28% or 29%  of voters (the respective size of the two parties by registration) can claim to have a voice in politics. Of course, when we consider that Washington serves Wall Street and gives Main Street lip service at best, a pretty good argument can be made that voters have little real representation at all.

One issue which has come to the forefront lately is the Trump-Musk duumvirate cutting social services like Welfare, food stamps, Social Security, and  Veteran’s benefits. Supposedly, these cuts will affect just the administrative staff of these agencies and have little impact on benefits. 47% of those polled said they were concerned about the financial solvency of the Social Security and Medicare while 67% are worried about the cost of healthcare.

Of course, cutting back the staff will certainly impact wait times. As anyone who’s applied for Social Security or Veteran benefits already knows, it can sometimes take weeks or months before they receive benefits, which can seem like an eternity when you’re needing the money.

Nevertheless, the reductions are designed to improved the financial stability of safety net programs like Medicare and Medicaid, so that they’ll be available for future generations. One change which will likely occur is changing the minimum age requirement to receive benefits to 70, which makes sense.  For instance, when Social Security was introduced by President Roosevelt in 1933, an applicant had to be at least 65 years of age. That was ten years beyond the average male life expectancy. Today the average life expectancy is 78 years old.

Another possible change is allowing individuals the option of allowing future recipients to invest a portion of their SSN payments themselves into something like an IRA account. Currently the federal government handles all that. Some people may prefer a more aggressive strategy. Of course, should their investments not live up to their expectations,  they could end up receiving a smaller social security check at an age when they need the money most and then what?

In a related area,  63% of those surveyed are concerned about the impact of inflation. It seems that every time we go out to eat or go to the grocery store, food prices have skyrocketed. From 2020 through 2024, food prices have jumped 24%. Egg prices are up 37.5%. thanks in large part to another round of Bird Flu. The average price for a dozen regular size eggs is $5.90. Drought and feed prices has resulted in a reduction of cattle for consumption to the lowest level in 70 years, resulting in 5% increase in the price of beef. Chicken has seen comparable increases in price.  

The price of coffee has increased 1.9%. Orange juice and other frozen juices have spiked 17.2%. The reason is primarily because of weather conditions. Brazil, which is responsible for 30% of our orange juice, has just face one of the worse harvest its had in decades thanks to flooding (due to hurricanes) in some regions and drought in others, as well as a citrus greening disease.  Analysts, reflecting the opinions of 41% of those polled, said climate change may be the culprit.  As a result, don’t expect to see prices go down anytime soon.

Rising prices and taxes coupled with stagnant or declining wages are fostering concerns about the poverty rate. 53% of those polled were worried about the declining middle class and the growing number of individuals slipping into poverty.  As of 2023, 11.5% or 37.9 million Americans were living at or below the national poverty level.

44% of those polled admitted being concerned about natural disasters, which are usually handled by FEMA.   Last year, in 2024, there were 27 weather or climate related disasters in the United States according to the National Centers for Environmental Information, with each exceeding $1 billion dollars in damage and a total of 588 deaths.

In 2024, there were 90 declared “major disasters” according to FEMA. That’s roughly a declared disaster every four days. 41% or 137 million individuals lived in an area affected by a natural disaster. Also in 2024, there was 64,897 wildfires reported. That’s up from 56,580 in 2023. 8,924,884 acres were destroyed compared to 2,693,910 acres in 2023.

California by far experienced the most damage, followed by Alaska, Mew Mexico, Texas, and Oregon (together, they accounted for 46% of all fires).  The cost in terms of private property and economic impact to the affected areas was between $ 250 and $275 billion dollars.

Aside from natural disasters, crime and violence is another area where America’s are concerned. 48% said they were worried about gun violence while 47% were the rise in violent crime. The District of Columbia, New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama had the highest number of gun related deaths.

The Department of Homeland Security reports that gang related violence is on the rise thanks to the expansion of ultra-violent gangs from South and Central America and the growth of the fentanyl market.

 Most of the violence is occurring in inner cities, which is sparking fear among city leaders that their city will turn into gang controlled “narco-cities”.  51% of respondents said the drug problem is our biggest concern. 50% said declining morals and values are a contributing factor.

Will Trump’s crusade help ease the concerns of Americans or will it backfire? According to an NBC News Poll conducted in March by the Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies, 46% of those surveyed thought DOGE was a good idea. 40% didn’t while 14% had no opinion. However, the numbers flipped when asked about Trump appointee, Elon Musk, who is leading DOGE. 51% disapproved the billionaire tech president. While just 39% actually approved.

However, in another poll conducted by Quinnipiac, 54% of their respondents said the DOGE was actually hurting the country. 60% disapproved of how DOGE dealt with federal employees while just 36% approved. The poll also indicated that 50% of those polled did not approved of how Trump handled the termination of the federal employees. 82% of Republicans thought Trump was doing a good job when it came to DOGE. 94% of Democrats disagreed.  

The polling results shouldn’t come as a great surprise. They go to show the extent of our divide. It’s also another case of “NIBY” or “Not in my back yard”. Many Americans appear to want to cut the size and scope of the federal government, but not if it adversely affects them.  

We’ve become too dependent on the government. It’s a sense of entitlement. We’ve come to expect it as normal. We want everything but we don’t want to pay for it. Unfortunately, life doesn’t work that way. There’s a cost to everything. President Trump campaigned on what large numbers of Americans said they wanted, and in keeping with his promises, he is acting on them. But, as the American People are coming to realize, the consequences of having often doesn't match the anticipation wanting.

 

Thank you for reading "Another Opinion", the Op/Ed blog page for the "militant middle".  Here at "A/O" we truly value our readers. At A/O we seek the facts as they exist, not partisan talking points.  We hope you find our articles informative and engaging. Comments are welcome, provided they are not vulgar, insulting or demeaning.  Another Opinion is offered without charge and is directed toward all independent and free-thinking individuals. We ask, however, that you "like" us on whatever platform you found us on in order to keep our articles available for free to others. Lastly, in order to keep costs down, we depend on passive marketing, and therefore, depend on our readers to please forward our posts along. Below you will find links to the sources we used in writing this article. Thank you. 

 

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Breaking Up May Not Be So Hard to Do: Secession from High Crime, High Taxes, and Failing Schools is on the Rise

Remember Reverend Louis Coleman (1948 - 2008)? He was a widely known black social activist in Louisville Kentucky, noted for his megaphone and had a national following. He was sometimes referred to as Louisville's "Dr. King". or "Jesse Jackson. Others called him an extortionist or race baiter. 

Rev. Coleman would ago around organizing protects mainly along racial lines outside of businesses  with the media in toe often inspiring fear from local business (mostly white) owners. City government agencies weren't exempt either. Coleman was active from the 1970's until his death in 2008.

Most every owner (or "target" as some called themselves) would typically cave to whatever his demands were, which usually included hiring more black employees, the cleanup of predominantly black neighborhoods, investment in or relocating businesses to the West End as well as "suggestions" of making a substantial financial "donation" to some black owned program (the majority of which were aimed at remedial education and ending substance abuse). Frankly, he was a hoot to watch in action!

Not long before he died in 2008, the megaphone toting activist grew frustrated with the City of Louisville's hiring policies and especially its budget allocation. (he claimed that black areas were being short changed). Coleman demanded more taxpayer money be directed to Louisville's West End, Portland, and Newburg areas which are predominately black (blacks comprise approximately 24% of Louisville's population, Hispanics and Asian populations were nominal). Interestingly Coleman faced resistance, which was  rather unusual.

Coleman threaten to form a movement which would result in the West End leaving Louisville and becoming a self-incorporated city, taking its tax base and voters with them. (while it produced little in the way of taxes, its resident voted solid Democrat). Rather than inspiring angst and caving to his demands, Coleman and his supporters were meet with a mixture of laughs and "encouragement" to pack up and leave.

Knowing his bluff had been called, Coleman quietly backed down. There was no way the West End, even if joined by Portland and Newburg had the tax base to support itself as its own city.  Nevertheless, the idea of splitting off from a high crime city with a largely inept Board of Education, a hamstrung police department, a rubber stamp Metro Council (which replaced a rubber stamped Board of Aldermen with the City/County Pact of 2003), and a string of worthless mayors, hasn't gone away (it's worth noting that since 1969, the City of Louisville has been run by the Democrat Party).

Since the merger between the City of Louisville and Jefferson County in 2003 (and county residents got screwed), there has been widespread public and private conversations about breaking up with Louisville, which has gone from an important production hub to a city of warehouses.

Reverend Coleman's "Achilles heel" in his threat to succeed from the city was the lack of an organization and having an adequate  self-supporting tax base, hasn't been lost on anyone. It seems that the desire to leave is still there, but as of yet, not the organization or money.

In recent years, as things have continued to decline in the city (which now has murders on par or exceeding that of much larger cities like Chicago and Detroit), the lack of high end jobs or even something as basic as quality schools which are safe, the talk about a "municipal divorce" has taken on a more serious tone.

Communities in the Greater Louisville area have begun exploring a number of possibilities ranging from reversing the 2003 City-County merger to the succession of parts of the southwest portion of the county (which also most strenuously opposed the merger) such as the communities of Pleasure Ridge Park (PRP), Valley Station and Prairie Village. Residents in other parts of the county, including Hillview, are starting to explore other options outside of Louisville proper.

So, where to go? Unlike Coleman's threat of creating a separate city, residents are looking to merge with one of the adjacent counties such as  neighboring Bullitt County. The reasons are numerous, but most notably center on the fact that as a whole, Bullitt County tends to be conservative with strong traditional family values, which closely matches the values in Southwest Jefferson County.

The City of Louisville has a long history of being quite liberal, especially in neighborhoods such as the Highlands and Phoenix Hills. Bullitt County and Southwest Louisville are mostly blue collar working class. Bullitt County has a lower crime rate, better schools, a more responsive government, provides better quality services, and best of all, has lower taxes.  

I said earlier that local residents lacked organizational know how (which plagued Rev. Coleman earlier). However, that may have changed. Residents in the Baton Rouge community of St. George faced many of the same issues as those in Louisville may have found a way to break from their decaying city. I've included a link to the story below in bold, which I think you'll find interesting. It may also give county residents in Louisville  a possible roadmap for making a successful break with the city possible.

Of course, the move prompted many to start calling St. George residents the usual name calling such as "racist", "supremacists" "red lining", "segregationist" and so forth. However, the real reason for the break was a dismal school system (and the refusal to allow St. George the opportunity to create a separate school district), high crime and a  highly unresponsive local government. Sound familiar? 

The break came as a result of several years in court with the state's supreme court finally granting the resident's application to break away. The move, according to Baton Rouge's mayor, Sharon Weston Broome (D), members of Metro government, and the NAACP, the break will hurt the city due to loss of the rather wealthy tax base of St. George and result in reviving the budget. She also said they would fight the high court's "mistake" and will continue every effort to force St. George back into Baton Rouge.

St. George is not the only community to break off. Similar movements (called "soft secession") are happening in New Orleans, St Louis, Atlanta, and in other communities. In Oregon, resident of Wallowa County, lead by the "Greater Idaho Movement" are close to breaking away from Oregon and joining with Idaho. Secessionist movements exist in places like Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Their are numerous communities throughout the U.S., but especially in parts of California, Florida, Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, which appear little different from communities in Cuba and Latin America. These are also forms of soft secession since there is little or no efforts to assimilate.  

Some survivalists and individuals  wanting to live "off the grid" have grouped together to form their own communities away from society are another form of "soft succession".  There are numerous Hispanic communities throughout the U.S. which are de facto ethnic enclaves totally immersed in their culture, language,values and traditions with no intentions of ever assimilating.  

The Black Panthers and Nation of Islam have long sought to create "separate but equal" zones away from others.  You could refer to certain religious sects such as the "Branch Davidians" led David Koresh in Waco Texas a soft secessionist. You could even argue that the wealthy elite are de facto secessionist too. After all, they tend to live in their own world, tucked away in protected gated communities, with their own values and laws. 

So what are secessionist movements on the rise? For many of the same reasons cited earlier, namely quality of schools, high crime and higher taxes, a breakdown in infrastructure, along with a unresponsive government. Wallowa residents say they have nothing in common with Western Oregon, which is known for being extremely liberal.  So-called "sanctuary" states and cities are de fact forms of this soft succession in that they are defying and operating outside of federal laws for instance.

Even the wealthy members of Congress, the judicial system, and the "nomenklatura" who run the government's agencies and bureaucracy are the same. They have little in common with the people they're suppose to represent. Ordinary laws and behavior don't apply to them. Even their values are different. As author F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in his 1926 novel, "The Rich Boy" "Let me tell you about the truly rich. They are different from you and me...They think deep in their hearts, that they are better than we are because we had to discover the compensations and refuges of life for ourselves."

Lastly, did you know too that there are 14 unique secessionist movements currently active in the U.S.?  They  range from natural or historical sovereignty, race, ethnic heritage, religion, taxes and excessive government interference or control or nationalism. Whether any of these movements will succeed is matter of both debate and time. What might not seem plausible now may be common sense later on. One thing is for sure, America is more deeply divided than at any time since 1760's in Colonial American prior to our revolution or the late Antebellum period just prior to the Civil War.

As for Louisville residents, what the residents of St. George accomplished may prove to be a useful template. The merger wasn't as billed. Residents in the county, especially in Southwest Jefferson County, have repeatedly come up short since 2003. Perhaps the time has come to step up to the plate and swing for the fence. What do you think? Is it time to split? 

 

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Succession is here: States, cities, and the wealthy arealready withdrawing from America

Oregon break away effort is down to just 8 votes, deepeningurban - rural divide

List of Separatist Movements in North America

 

 

Descent into the Abyss: Crime, Drugs and Homelessness in America's Major Subways

I'm sure most of us have seen short video clips on the internet (including TikTok and elsewhere) of individuals, mostly seniors, handicapped, and typically Asian, white, Hispanic, or gay are randomly being punched in the face and knocked out while the assailant either nonchalantly either walks off as if nothing happened or picks up the victim's cell phone, IPad, or maybe their wallet, and walks away without a care in the world.

In fact, it's become so common that it has its own name---the "knockout game". In a majority of cases, the victims  are chosen because they appear unaware and vulnerable. In mostly of these cases, the perpetrator will quietly walk up from behind and hit the victim as hard as they can, knocking them out cold.  By the time someone comes along to help them, their attacker is long gone.

 While many of these attacks happen on sidewalks or street corners,  a large number of them occur in subways. New York's subway system is the largest and busiest in the North America. It encompasses  472 stations on 25 different routes along 665 miles of track.  And despite some 400 surveillance cameras (which aren't live streamed) there's been instances where subway surveillance cameras have even caught individuals attempting to shove  a passenger onto the tracks and into the path of  a oncoming subway train.

There have been countless other instances where passengers are aggressively harassed by these street thugs. In most instances the harassment involves physical  confrontation and rummaging through the victim's personal possessions such as briefcases or purses in search for money or valuables, not to mention stealing laptops and cell phones. 

It's worth mentioning that reports of murder on subways aren't unusual. During an eight month period covering 2022-2023, the New York Transit Authority reported five murders. In 2022 there eight cases of reported rape. Robberies accounted for 396 of the crimes reported in 2022. In 2023, the number of reported robberies was 353, a 11% drop.

Felony assaults stayed about the same from 2022 through 2023 at 374 to 372. There were 700 reports of grand larcenies in 2023, down from 730 the year before. Burglaries, which aren't typically associated with transit related crime and often involve breaking into public lockboxes or storage containers jumped from four in 2022 to ten in 2023. Recently there has been several reported cases of knife attacks in members of the LGBQT community, which has gained a lot of national attention.

Vandalism is rampant when it comes to New York's subway system as dozens of subway stations are "tagged" with graffiti. At the same time, trains, both inside and out, are regularly spray painted ("tagged"), costing New York taxpayers millions to have the "street art" removed.

Nevertheless, the New York Police Department reported just under 9000  transit related arrests in 2023. Meanwhile, some 115, 908 summons were issued by the NYPD for reported crimes. By comparison, let's look at subway related crime in Chicago. So, what else are authorizes doing to make riders safe?

In a unique move, New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) has announced the purchase of 5,400 cameras to be installed in 2,700 transit cars, including several hundred "hidden" cameras. In addition, the governor is ordering 1000 security professionals to man the various stations and subway cars. This will include 750 members of the New York National Guards, state police, and MTA officers to check all bags at the busier stations.  Way to go governor!

Chicago's subway system covers 224 miles of track along 145 stations. According to the Chicago Transit Authority, it spent $26 million dollars to install 3,600 surveillance cameras  along the line, with extra emphasis along Belmont Street and the "Red Line". 

Still, in 2023, there was 4.7 violent crimes per every one million rides, which is down from 6.2 in 2022. Even non-violent crimes, such as pick pocketing and petty larceny, are showing signs of dropping. The CTA also reported that just 43.5% of reported crimes took place on a CTA train and of those, 35.6% took place on a CTA platform. 

Overall, violent crime, however, was down 16% from August 2022 through August 2023. So, what's the most common complaint about the CTA now that crime seems to be down? It's that many of the stations and some of cars have a strong smell of urine due to the city's large homeless population.

One of the key reasons is that authorizes in City Hall have agreed to spend more money to hire additional police and security officers as well as increase the number of patrols (many of these private security firms include officers with K-9 units, which historically have proven to be a serious deterrent, along with the addition more security cameras, bringing the total to  33,000.

San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit (aka "BART") operates the largest subway system on the West Coast.  BART was established in 1957 as a means to link San Francisco, Oakland, and Sausalito to the numerous "bedroom" communities which were sprouting up throughout the Bay Area such as Fremont and Daly City. 

BART operates 50 stations along 131 miles of track, including a nine mile spur to Antioch. It also operates a 3.6 mile tube under the San Francisco Bay connecting Oakland and San Francisco. which has a maximum depth of 135 feet below sea level. (and having traveled it countless times, it was very cool!).

Unlike Chicago's subway system, BART has continued to see a rise in crime, especially open drug use, particularly among the city's burgeoning homeless population. Other complaints is just how filthy the cars and stations have become due to the increase in illegal immigrants as a result of the city's ill-conceived "sanctuary city" policy and changes in laws concerning the homeless.

As a result, ridership on the BART has dropped significantly while those who continue to ride say they routinely bring disinfectant. However, like with Chicago's subway system, it doesn't help much with stench, even for individuals who regularly wearing air filter masks.   

46% of BART riders have reported actually witnessing a crime, ranging from simply stepping over fare gates without paying to open drug use to physical assaults. When it comes to crime, robberies at knife or gun point, are up. In 2023 there were 224 reported violent crimes (in 2022 it was 180).  Of those, armed robberies made up 136 of those while assaults make up the balance.

Rapes have also increased, including attacks during broad daylight. In one instance, a mentally handicapped woman was sexually assaulted, and while he was caught and arrested, he was ultimately changed with two counts of misdemeanors battery, thus avoiding jail time. 

The Bay Area, and San Francisco in particular, has the largest gay community of any major city in the United States. Nevertheless, officials report attacks on gays have significantly increased, especially in the BART. The attacks range from ordinary harassment to assault. But many of the attacks are intentionally hate oriented crimes directed toward gays. One such series of attacks involved the attacked using a razor blade and cutting the victims hands. Many of the assailants arrested are Muslim asylum seekers, though not exclusively.

According to authorities, there are over 4000 security cameras throughout the system. While station activity can reviewed within seconds, incidents on the trains cannot. Only certain cars have cameras and those record events and are reviewed later!  Not surprising, 85% of BART users have said they've reduced or stop their ridership because of rising crime, open drug use, and not feeling safe. A lack of adequate sanitation is a serious problem too. 

However, if those issues could be resolved, 64% of former BART riders said they would resume riding. 79% said they would feel safer if BART would increase the number of security or police officers on each train. Ironically, 33% added that they wouldn't trust the officers to treat everyone fairly. Guess they're concerned about being "PC".

As an aside, London's famous subway system, known as the "Underground" is having similar problems, thanks primarily to the recent increase of "migrants" from Africa. and parts of the Middle East Thefts and robberies have increased 83% over last year---10,836 just between April and September 2023 alone; Assaults have risen 30% to 22,294 in 2023 while ridership has dropped 11% and shows no signs of coming back.

Meanwhile, crime on Moscow's "Metro" subway system is virtually nonexistent, but that's not to say its crime free. Instances of pick pocketing are not unusual. However, reports of violent assault, armed robbery, or rape are practically unheard of.  In addition, the trains are clean, well lit, and typically free of  a homeless population. The reason is because of the presence of security (which can be pretty aggressive toward offenders) and strict laws. The stations are bright, well lit and clean. The public too are very proud of their Metro. Regular riders of Moscow's Metro are known for having a low tolerance of crime no matter how petty.

So what does this all mean? It means that the three more prominent cities, known for their liberal illegal immigration policies, are facing a crisis of their making due to their open door policies. Compounded by this has been their traditionally liberal judicial policies when it comes to crime and punishment. As a result, these major engineering achievements have become dangerous and unsafe for the average resident as well as unprofitable to operate.

Not only has crime become a serious problem, but so has the issue of homelessness as each of the stations have become de facto "shelters". Public restrooms, which were known for being clean and well stocked, are now no longer open, which means the homeless will use anything and everything as their personal restroom, including the trains.

San Francisco's recent changes in laws concerning the homeless permits them to freely occupy public park as camp sites, as well as sleeping in alleys and doorways without being disturbed. Businesses may not keep them out of their stores (including restrooms). They're free to roam about in the stores (even high end ones) without interference. They are free to panhandle and pretty much anything else without interference by law enforcement. In addition, they are allowed to use public sidewalks, trash cans, sewer drains or whatever as restrooms. Can you imagine?

Speaking of stores, a change in a Californian law prohibits taking steps to prevent shoplifting and petty theft. Employees are no longer allowed to detain, block, or say anything to these thieves. All they can do is call the police (who may or may show up to take a report) and alert their managers. The result is a 81% increase in thefts. One example is San Francisco's main business center along Market Street, which is now almost totally deserted, costing the city millions in tax revenue.

The thefts have also had a ripple effect. It's resulted in dramatic price increases as stores pass along the costs to consumers. It's also resulted in stores closing, some are moving while others are closing permanently. Either way the result is the same, and while depressed communities are complaining about the loss of access to grocery and drugs stores, they ignore the economics of the thefts.

What further proof do we need that the United States needs a comprehensive immigration policy to eliminate its  de facto "open door" policy and halfhearted enforcement. Along the same lines, the federal government needs to take steps to end "sanctuary" cities.

Some have suggested that the best solution is to restrict any taxpayer assistance directed toward the city. New York alone receives $396 billion in federal aid.  However, of that just 9% of New York City's budget is derived from federal aid and of that, the majority goes to 11 agencies which deal with poverty relief.

Another related and just as serious issue is that of homelessness especially veterans, the disabled, mentally ill, and children. There is simply no excuse whatsoever that this country, as wealthy as it is, should have a homeless problem of this magnitude. Many are homeless due to lack of affordable housing. Others because their salaries are unable to keep up with the rising cost in practically everything (especially medical and prescriptions), as well as mental illness and chronic drug and alcohol abuse.

In December 2022, President Biden proposed a "housing first" strategic plan to reduce homelessness 25% by 2025. So far that plan is showing no signs of working. In 2023, there was an estimated 653,104 chronic homeless individuals in the United States, a 12% increase over the previous year. The number of homeless veterans is estimated at 35,574, an increase of 7% over 2022. 

As an aside, California, and in particular San Francisco and Los Angeles, leads the nation with the highest homeless population. It's followed by New York, with the Big (Rotten) Apple being the epicenter. Illinois is 11th in nation. It should be pointed out that since 2020, homelessness has dropped an overall 40%, which obviously contributes to drop in crime in Chicago's subways.

All these are the consequences of a inadequate immigration policy, a lack of affordable housing, a failed healthcare system, and substandard education (which includes a serious lack of discipline), and poor planning. Crime must be seriously addressed, especially race based assaults which get brushed off by the media. Current efforts at non-stigmatizing so-called "petty theft" and shoplifting or dismissing it because as a side effect of race is destined for economic and social disaster in short order.

America could still have a "Silver Age " ahead of it, but only if these problems are seriously addressed in a open matter free from politically correct ("woke") imposed censorship. That will require a focused effort, dedicated and well informed individuals and non-partisan discussion. if not, then a our decline will not only continue, it will accelerate exponentially.  

 

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New York subway crime sees downturn so far this year whilearrests and summons soar

Gov. Kathy Hochul sending National Guard members to New Yorksubways combat ongoing crime

Chicago transit violent crime down as police, securitypatrols increase

CTA Crime Continues Downward Trend

BART commuters say crime, open drug use keeping people awayfrom the transit system.

46% of BART riders say they witnessed crime in the system,poll shows

Moscow's Metro

London's lawless Underground...

Knockout Game

Making Crime Pay Through Legislation: California's Senate Bill 553

There's an old expression which says that crime doesn't pay. Well, tell that to the hundreds of individuals brazenly walking into retail establishments throughout California and helping themselves to whatever they want while store employees either stare helplessly or run to another part of the store and hide.

Some bring large garbage bags with them while others just bring large garbage cans. Even little kids as young as 8 or 9 are getting into the act! Security cameras and cell photo phone camera doesn't faze these criminals. Some even stop to pose in front of them.  

The result has been the loss of millions of dollars worth of merchandise and the closure of numerous businesses throughout the state, with some choosing to pull up stakes and move. The result is the loss of billions in tax revenue for city, county and state's coffers plus the loss of jobs and the cascading effect that brings.  Crime apparently does indeed pay, particularly if you have the help of inept politicians. What is happening to California?

The answer is Senate Bill 553, otherwise known as the "Occupational Safety: workplace violence: restraining orders and workplace violence prevention plan" which was introduced in February 2023 by State Senator Dave Cortese of San Jose. The bill was intended, at least in principal, to reduce violence in the workplace, particularly mass shootings, murders, and assaults.

However, the bill has a unintended effect. It prohibits employees from taking any action in the event of a robbery, be it petty shoplifting or armed robbery. Specifically, the bill makes it illegal for employees or managers to confront or defend themselves against looters, shoplifters, burglars,  or run-of-the-mill thieves or face a fine up to $18,000 dollars.  

While the bill calls for employers to provide "active shooter" training for all employees and maintaining a log of all violent incidents on store property, it still prevents anyone from physically confronting thieves.  As a result, an event such as shoplifting for example, employees may not to interfere in anyway (referred to as the "hospital standard").  All they can do is watch as their merchandize and profits go out the door, and for many of the employees, their jobs are going out the door too.

Case in point is Nordstrom, a high end department store which has been located in the heart of San Francisco for 35 years. Due to a dramatic increase in crime (especially violent crime), runaway homelessness, the ramifications of being a "sanctuary city", and all the problems that brings, are only partly to blame.  The chief cause for the closures is the dramatic increase in shoplifting, costing millions in stolen merchandise, since the introduction of Bill 553 this past January (thanks to the passage of Proposition 47 in 2014, shoplifting merchandise with a value up to $950 dollars is now treated as a misdemeanor. Such thefts are longer investigated or actively prosecuted).    

Along with Nordstrom, 37 other major retailers in downtown San Francisco such as Whole Foods, Home Depot, and Anthropologie are calling it quits too. Target reported  a "organized retail crime" network for costing the retail store some $400 million dollars worth of stolen merchandize in 2022.  Drug stores, liquor outlets, high dollar boutiques and jewelry stores, as well as gun shops have also become popular targets for these cheap wannabe "Dillingers".  

To make matters worse, California is facing a serious shortage of law enforcement officers. The number of sworn officers is down by over 13.2%, which is the lowest level since 1991, with nearly every major county facing shortages in double digit percentages.  Los Angeles County is down 12%, which represents 9000 officers while Riverside County, which includes the upscale community of Palm Springs, is down by 25%.  Sacramento County, which takes in the state's capital, has lost 21% of its police force.

The effects of the "peaceful" riots by Antifa and BLM have also played a role too. Demands to "defund" the police has had a serious negative effect on police moral. Polls reflect a new lows in confidence for the police, especially among Democrats and the black community.  Police budgets have been reduced, resulting in fewer promotions or pay raises and more mandatory overtime (which often leads to increased on-the-job stress and burnout). In many instances, police departments have become more dependent on federal grants to cover budgetary short falls.  

The result has been large numbers of police officers are taking early retirement, switching career paths within law enforcement, with a significant number seeking law enforcement careers outside of California, or simply quitting. 

As an aside, the stress and strain of being an "good cop" has resulted in increase cases of alcohol abuse, divorces, psychological issues involving professional counseling and increased suicide rates by officers (officers have a 54% higher rate of suicide than civilians according to 2022 McAward report. In fact, more police officers die by their own hand than are killed in the line of duty).

Senate Bill 553 is one of those instances where good intentions went astray. It was an attempt to reduce violent crime in the workplace, but due to a failure to fully grasp the problem and poor wording only made it worse, which has triggered a serious crime wave effecting the entire state.

While the bill has passed several key hurls, it's still has a ways to go before it reaches Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom's desk. The bill has already faced one amendment by its author, Senator Dave Cortese, the changes simply weren't adequate. As it exists, Bill 553 is like punching a hole in the hull of the Titanic for the water to drain back out.  

Senate Bill 553 is in need of a serious rewrite before becoming law if it is to prevent store owners from being forced into handing over the keys to the business to the criminals. In a state plagued by "feel good" intentions gone amuck, one can only hope common sense at some point intervenes before then.  

In researching this article, I came across literally dozens of videos showing the thieves brazenly walking into stores, sometimes alone or in pairs, and in other cases, in packs, and stealing everything they can get their hands on. I've included several links below (most are five minutes or less in length).

As an aside, some of links mention that this type of behavior has started to spread to other cities such as New York, Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Chicago. Apparently a bill isn't always required, but it sure doesn't hurt.

 

Video: California bill aims to prevent retail theft,business groups oppose

Video: SF stores install exit gates, chain locks to stop shoplifters

Video: Thieves target Oakland 7-Eleven stores

Video: Police say shoplifted merchandize beingsold at Bay Area flea markets

Video: Raw video captures dozens of thieves swarming Nordstrom  department store in Los Angeles

Video: Warnings about surge in 'organized retail crime": GMA

 

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What crime? Calif. advances bill barring retailers fromconfronting thieves

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Commentary: Stop retail thief? Store owners say this billwill promote it