Good Intentions 1of3 Introduction and Public Schools with Walter Williams

Walter Williams' PBS documentary Good Intentions based on his book, The State Against Blacks (1982). The documentary was very controversial at the time it was released and led to many animosities and even threats of murder.

In Good Intentions, Dr. Williams examines the failure of the war on poverty and the devastating effect of well meaning government policies on blacks asserting that the state harms people in the U.S. more than it helps them. He shows how government anti-poverty programs have often locked people into poverty making the points that:

- being forced to attend 3rd rate public schools leave students unprepared for working life
- minimum wages prevent young people from obtaining jobs at an early age
- licensing and labor laws have had the effect of restricting entrance of blacks into the skilled trades and unions
- the welfare system creates perverse incentives for the poor to make bad choices they otherwise would not

Dr. Williams presents the following solutions to these problems:

Failing Public Schools - Give parents greater control over their children's education by setting up a tuition tax credit or voucher system to broaden competition in turn revitalizing both public and non-public schools

Minimum Wages - Remove the minimum wage from youngsters to give more young people the chance to learn the world of work at an early age instead spending their free time idle an possibly falling into the habits of the street

Restrictive Labor Laws, Jobs Programs - Eliminate government roadblocks that prevent new entrepreneurs from starting their own business

Welfare Programs - Enact a compassionate welfare system such as a negative income tax which would remove dependency and dis-incentives for the poor to get themselves out of poverty

Scholars interviewed in the documentary include Donald Eberle, Charles Murray, and George Gilder.

Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1r-r6...
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DS0XX...
Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqMuLN...

Playlist:
http://www.youtube.com/my_playlists?p...

• Category

  Education

[skinnyman1423]

public education was started to create factory workers, it is repetitive and perfectly suited for someone with down syndrome, the no child left behind act has furthered the retardation of Americans in the lower and middle class socioeconomic sectors. Dr. Williams makes many good points but focuses primarily on African American youths when it is all races that suffer for the incompetence of the public education system

[Stephen Shortall]

Walter Williams is one of my favorite people in the history of the world. reading or listening to him ( and his good friend Thomas Sowell ), you not only learn alot, but its very enjoyable learning,...it makes one`s mind work like like a super-charged engine.

[gplus46]

On an small scale I guess you could say "black flight",

[Tishauna7]

black flight....

[EndTheFed5]

Im not against a Tuition Tax Credit but it doesnt work with a Flat Tax, which is why I perfer a combination of Open Tuition, Magnet and Charter Schools and a Voucher Program....

[AmishWebmaster]

The "war on poverty" isn't just a black issue and doesn't cause children to be born out of wedlock.

[Dsdversbe Strike]

i can't understand what you're trying to say

[Ivan Campbell]

What Martih Luther King have todo with the war o poverty to beggin with it and why this Professor Walter Williams only focus on black people living in poverty this is complete irrational and make no sense no only black people live in peroverty in this country this Walter williams is a complete idiot

[smithyman33]

things have gotten way worse for the black community since this documentary came out..they said black births out of wedlock is 55% now its 75%

[nikejustdoitish]

1 dislike.... Chris Matthews was here.

[Linda Kutzer]

I agree with you 100%. But the documentary Mr. Williams created is made to speak to the black community who in effect were harmed more than they know.

[Kathleen Ludington]

true, but blacks are suffering disproportionately. since the war on poverty began. more and more blacks are born out of wedlock.