Kwarteng is just a socialist dinosaur. I doubt whether he understands what he writes.
Kwarteng is just a socialist dinosaur. I doubt whether he understands what he writes.
Kojo T 8 years ago
Karl Marx said Each according to his deeds, each according to his needs.Where does abuse of welfare come in and freeloading of the system? Crooks exist in both systems PKB write about how we can sort out the decrease incommod ... read full comment
Karl Marx said Each according to his deeds, each according to his needs.Where does abuse of welfare come in and freeloading of the system? Crooks exist in both systems PKB write about how we can sort out the decrease incommodity prices causing unemployment , weakening of the currencies of emerging markets leading to imported inflation and revenue squeeze .Capitalists and socialists alike can be racists but slave labor is good for capitalists .That Maximizes PROFIT
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Philip Kobina Baidoo 8 years ago
The last sentence of the piece was truncated. It should have read, 'Other than that they should just shut up and enjoy the blessings of capitalism.' And I meant every word of it. I can only restore my respect when they tell m ... read full comment
The last sentence of the piece was truncated. It should have read, 'Other than that they should just shut up and enjoy the blessings of capitalism.' And I meant every word of it. I can only restore my respect when they tell me that they have moved to North Korea, or any of those godforsaken countries. Thank you.
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
Philip Kobina Baidoo,
This is Prof Lungu getting to this essay this late.
Just found out about the egregious serial impersonations of our moniker.
That is not us!
Further, if this is Philip Kobina Baidoo of London ... read full comment
Philip Kobina Baidoo,
This is Prof Lungu getting to this essay this late.
Just found out about the egregious serial impersonations of our moniker.
That is not us!
Further, if this is Philip Kobina Baidoo of London, you must have a serious problem, to tag a comment to that tribalist comment about your error in prose.
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
francis kwarteng 8 years ago
Title: "The Real Welfare Queen is Uneducated, Single and White"
When the United States Department of Agriculture released their latest report on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Programpoverty (SNAP) their numbers we ... read full comment
Title: "The Real Welfare Queen is Uneducated, Single and White"
When the United States Department of Agriculture released their latest report on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Programpoverty (SNAP) their numbers were astonishing. SNAP, better known as Food Stamps, benefited an average of 46.6 million per month.
President Ronald Reagan wanted you to believe three things about food stamp recipients. According to him, people on food stamps were lazy, illiterate and worst of all……….Black.
However, the average person on food stamps is not lazy, illiterate, or even Black. According to the data, 37.6% of food stamps were being allotted to White non-Hispanics. African Americans were allotted 23.6% of SNAP benefits (www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2012Characteristics.pdf.)
In fact, contrary to popular perception, Whites, not Blacks have continually made up the greatest percentage of recipients.
I know this is a hard pill for many people to swallow since we have been constantly told that Blacks are the leeches of society. So, following that logic, they must make up the greatest percentage of all subsidies. But wait you say, Blacks still take more than their fair share of these “handouts”. After all, Blacks make up only 13.1 percent of the population, right? Yet, Blacks comprise nearly twice that percentage of SNAP recipients. True. But, I would counter that with this fact: The largest percentage of the unemployed in this country is Black people at 15.8%. (www.dol.gov/_Sec/media/reports/blacklaborforce/. Whites make up 77% of the population while their unemployment rate stands at 7.9%. Yet, they still make up 37.6% of food stamp recipients).
For the record, I fully support the SNAP program because are people who are suffering and need the extra hand up. Lately, however the SNAP program has been the target of those who say this program is a handout not a handup. Unbelievably the same Republicans who support cooperate handouts, refuse to support SNAP. “Seventy-five percent of SNAP households included a child, an elderly person, or a disabled person, and these households received 82 percent of all benefits.”
According to a November 2012 report, 40% of SNAP recipients live in a household that receives earnings and are still at or below the poverty line. In addition, of the total number of SNAP recipients, 45% are children, 9% are elderly and 10% are disabled adults. There is no mention of what percentage is represented by “Welfare Queens”.
Whatever happened to the illusive “Welfare Queen”? We spent years looking for Reagan’s stereotypical “Welfare Queen”, only to discover that she never existed. She was part of a political strategy, the Southern Strategy. The Republicans were able to successfully weave fear of interracial marriage, gun ownership and welfare into wedge issues.
Many Blacks also began to accept that the “Welfare Queen” truly existed, and that they, or people they knew, fit the description. But that couldn’t have been further from the truth. (jezebel.com/reagans-welfare-queen-was-a-real-person-and-her-stor-1486653666).
But Black America has owned the “Old Welfare Queen”. However few Blacks understand that the “New Welfare Queen” bears a remarkable resemblance to “The Old Welfare Queen”. She is uneducated, single and white.
francis kwarteng 8 years ago
The paper whose contents we produce is an important document in that, in our opinion, it presents one of the best arguments we have read in a long time regarding the political economy of racism in America. It represents a ser ... read full comment
The paper whose contents we produce is an important document in that, in our opinion, it presents one of the best arguments we have read in a long time regarding the political economy of racism in America. It represents a serious indictment of Mr. Philip Kobina Baidoo, Jr.’s lack of knowledge of what obtains in America vis-à-vis racism and how much racism costs America in financial terms ($2 Trillion a year). This paper, unlike Mr. Baidoo’s largely emotional and unrealistic piece “Re: Nkrumahism, The Can Of Worms I Opened–Slavery and Racism 3,” critically looks at the complex issue of racism from a “scientific” perspective. It shows among other things that racism is still a major issue for America in spite of the Oprah Winfreys, Bill Cosbys, and the Michael Jordans. Mr. Baidoo may not have known anything about Oprah’s position on racism. In a 2013 interview in which she was asked whether the problem of racism had been solved for instance, she had this to say:
“Of course the problem [of racism] is not solved….As long as there are people who still— there’s a whole generation—I say this, you know, I said this, you know, for apartheid, South Africa, I said this for my own, you know, for my own community in the South—there are still generations of people, older people, who were born and bred and marinated in it, in that prejudice and racism, and they just have to die” (“Oprah Winfrey Is Delusional About Racism, White and Black,” Washington Examiner, Gregory Kane, Nov. 20, 2013).
What? They just have to die? Did Oprah really say that? Oprah may not have been privy to data from the FBI, the Department of Justice, security services and research institutions across the country (we provided some of the information on this in our “What Ghanaians Can Learn from Pope Francis” series). Thus, we can only speculate that Mr. Baidoo may not have known that the utopia of post-racial America does not exist yet (see Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness”). Well, let us drop the Oprahs for now and continue from where we left off. We want to say that credit for this brilliant paper goes to him (Mr. Schwartz), to the lead (Ani Turner) and to her contributory authors (Please go to the last page of this essay for additional information. Note: PRODUCTION OF THIS BRIEF WAS FUNDED BY THE W. K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION/ALTARUM INSTITUTE INTRODUCTION. Readers also go to www.wkkf.org and follow instructions to download the original paper). We should, however, inform readers that we sought formal permission from Mr. Ken Schwartz (W.K. Kellogg Foundation) and was granted one.
Finally, lest we do not forget the title of the paper is “The Business Case For Racial Equity.” We hope readers learn something useful from this paper and hopefully “adapt” those useful lessons to Ghana’s and Africa’s inter-ethnic relations. Understandably, it is Mr. Baidoo who must avail himself of the opportunity to educate and enlighten himself and then give us a numerical breakdown on how his “tribalism” in Ghana operates in education, health, housing and residential segregation, crime and the justice system.
INTRODUCTION
Striving for racial equity–a world where race is no longer a factor in the distribution of opportunity–is a matter of social justice. But moving toward racial equity can generate significant economic returns as well. When people face barriers to achieving their full potential, the loss of talent, creativity, energy, and productivity is a burden not only for those disadvantaged, but for communities, businesses, governments, and the economy as a whole. Initial research on the magnitude of this burden in the United States (U.S.), as highlighted in this brief, reveals impacts in the trillions of dollars in lost earnings, avoidable public expenditures, and lost economic output.
Racism in the U.S. has left a legacy of inequities in health, education, housing, employment, income, wealth, and other areas that impact achievement and quality of life. Opportunities that were denied to racial and ethnic minorities at critical points in the nation’s history have led to the disadvantaged circumstances that too many children of color are born into today.
While significant progress has been made in eliminating legal discrimination, disparities by race and ethnicity remain imbedded in societal institutions and manifested in lending practices, hiring practices, law enforcement and sentencing, and other policies. Further, the implicit, or internal, biases carried by both whites and minorities and perpetuated by the media and other cultural representations, subtly but powerfully influence how we view ourselves and each other.
Achieving greater racial equity will become even more critical in the U.S. due to demographic shifts that are already underway. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, children will be “majority minority” by 2018, and, overall, people of color will surpass 50% of the U.S. population by 2043.
STUDIES BEGIN TO QUANTIFY ECONOMIC BENEFITS
Altarum Institute studied the effect of closing the minority earnings gap in the U.S., and the corresponding impact on a number of broad economic measures.1 Age/sex-adjusted earnings per person for people of color are currently 30% below those of non-Hispanic whites. The full set of causes for these earnings differentials is unknown, but it clearly includes inequities in health, education, incarceration rates, and employment opportunities–all areas that can be influenced by targeted policies and programs.
We found that, if the average incomes of minorities were raised to the average incomes of whites, total U.S. earnings would increase by 12%, representing nearly $1 trillion today. By closing the earnings gap through higher productivity, gross domestic product (GDP) would increase by a comparable percentage, for an increase of $1.9 trillion today. The earnings gain would translate into $180 billion in additional corporate profits, $290 billion in additional federal tax revenues, and a potential reduction in the federal deficit of $350 billion, or 2.3% of GDP.
When projected to 2030 and 2050, the results are even more startling. Minorities make up 37% of the working age population now, but they are projected to grow to 46% by 2030, and 55% by 2050. Closing the earnings gap by 2030 would increase GDP by 16%, or more than $5 trillion a year. Federal tax revenues would increase by over $1 trillion and corporate profits would increase by $450 billion. By 2050, closing the gap would increase GDP by 20%. This is roughly the size of the entire federal budget, and a higher percentage than all U.S. healthcare expenditures!
These figures are initial approximations, and they represent upper bounds on potential economic benefits. They do not consider the cost of investments required to close the earnings gap. But they illustrate that even modest progress toward eliminating racial inequities could produce significant economic benefits.
Researchers from the Center for American Progress (CAP) also recently examined the impact of closing the earnings gap, estimating total earnings would have been 8% higher, and GDP $1.2 trillion higher, in 2011.2 CAP estimates were of the same order of magnitude as the Altarum estimates but a few percentage points lower due to methodological differences–the Altarum analysis captured the broader impact of equalizing average earnings per capita, including the currently unemployed and incarcerated, while the CAP analysis focused on eliminating disparities for current wage earners.
In similar work, a McKinsey & Company analysis of the educational achievement gap between African American and Hispanic students and white students in the U.S. found that closing the education gap would have increased U.S. GDP by 2% to 4% in 2008, representing between $310 and $525 billion.3 Inequities in health create a tragic human burden in shortened lives and increased illness and disability. They also create an economic burden.
Gaskin, LaVeist, and Richard, for the National Urban League Policy Institute, updated their research on the economic impact of differential health outcomes by race and ethnicity, finding that disparities in health cost the U.S. an estimated $60 billion in excess medical costs and $22 billion in lost productivity in 2009.4 They projected that the burden will to rise to $126 billion in 2020 and $363 billion by 2050 if these health disparities remain. An additional economic loss due to premature deaths was valued at $250 billion in 2009.
An Urban Institute study found that the differences in preventable disease rates among African Americans, Hispanics, and whites cost the health care system $24 billion annually, and under current trends this cost is projected to double to $50 billion a year by 2050.5
Developing an accurate estimate of the total economic burden of racial inequities is clearly a complex task. The numbers presented here from various studies cannot easily be combined as there are methodological differences and some overlaps in what they measure. Further, reducing racial inequities may not completely eliminate current disparities in health, income, and other measures. However, these findings indicate the enormous economic consequences of racial inequities and the degree to which the impact will be compounded in the future if we fail to act.
RACIAL EQUITY BENEFITS BUSINESSES, GOVERNMENT, AND THE OVERALL ECONOMY
Greater racial equity supports businesses by creating a healthier, better educated, more diverse workforce, and by increasing the ability of minority populations to purchase goods and services. A U.S. Department of Commerce study estimated that if income inequalities were eliminated, minority purchasing power would increase from a baseline projection of $4.3 trillion in 2045 to $6.1 trillion (in 1998 dollars), reaching 70% of all U.S. purchases.6
A MORE PRODUCTIVE WORKFORCE
Whether as employees or as self-employed entrepreneurs, a well-educated, healthy, and diverse workforce is essential for improving economic efficiency and competing in a global marketplace. Healthier workers have fewer sick days, are more productive on the job, and cost less in health care benefits.
The job opportunities of tomorrow will require a higher level of training and education than those of today. The U.S. President’s Council on Jobs and Economic Competitiveness has identified strengthening education as a top priority for preparing the American workforce to compete in the global economy. The Council found that 3.3 million jobs go unfilled because the potential workforce does not have matching skills or training, and that by 2020 there will be 1.5 million too few college graduates to meet employers’ demands.7
A better educated workforce will lower unemployment and enable businesses to more efficiently produce the level of goods and services the market demands. A more diverse workforce brings with it a better understanding of cultures and potential new markets around the world and a greater variety of perspectives, leading to more innovation in products and services. Research has shown that businesses with a more diverse workforce have more customers, higher revenues and profits, greater market share, less absenteeism and turnover, and a higher level of commitment to their organization.8
RELIEF FOR GOVERNMENT FISCAL PRESSURES
The U.S. population is aging. The ratios of wage earners to recipients of such social insurance programs as Social Security and Medicare are declining. Government deficits and debt are a major concern for our economic future. Greater income for the growing minority share of our population will generate more contributions to these programs through payroll taxes and higher income, sales, and other tax revenues. There will be a double benefit in that a healthier and more productive population will require fewer tax dollars spent on safety net programs supporting food, housing, medical care, and other essential needs.
The Altarum analysis cited above found that, by 2030, closing the minority earnings gap would increase federal tax revenues by over $1 trillion and that even a 10% reduction in federal Medicaid and income support would reduce these safety net expenditures by nearly $100 billion. The increase in tax revenues and decrease in outlays would combine to produce over $1.1 trillion dollars annually that could be used to reduce the debt, lower taxes, or shift spending to other priorities.
ECONOMIC GROWTH
The U.S. Congressional Budget Office projects growth in real GDP starting late in the decade, after returning to full employment, will begin to average 2.25% per year. This growth is slower than the average rate of growth of full-employment GDP in the U.S. since 1950. The slower-than-historical long-term growth projections are mainly due to slower projected growth in the labor force and retirement of the baby boomers. In the Altarum analysis, closing the minority income gap was estimated to potentially increase GDP in 2050 by 20%, or about an additional 0.5% growth per year, which would materially raise long-term GDP projections.
In addition to lower long-term economic growth, there are other reasons to be concerned about the growing income inequality in the U.S. over the past four decades,9 including persistent income gaps by race and ethnicity. While the presence of some income inequality is often believed to be associated with economic growth by providing incentives for achievement, it can also be destabilizing. Economists at the International Monetary Fund studying the duration of growth cycles in nations around the world found that greater income inequality is associated with shorter periods of economic growth, even when such other determinants of growth duration as initial income and macroeconomic stability are taken into account.10 History has shown that reducing barriers to opportunity can lead to greater economy-wide growth.
An analysis by economists at the University of Chicago and Stanford University showed that reductions in occupational barriers facing blacks and women between 1960 and 2008 in the U.S. could explain 15% to 20% of the aggregate growth in output per worker over this period.11 Our success today in continuing to reduce barriers to opportunity will help drive the level of economic growth we are able to achieve over the next 50 years.
AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY: CURRENT INEQUITIES AND PROMISING SOLUTIONS
The social and economic forces that influence opportunities for achievement are interconnected and reinforcing. Healthier, better-educated people tend to earn more and live in higher-income neighborhoods, where they experience lower crime rates, less pollution, better quality education and community amenities, and have more resources to stay healthy. The wealth accumulated through homeownership in neighborhoods with increasing home values increases financial stability and allows families to support higher education and make other investments for future generations. The accumulation of wealth and credit associated with homeownership can also provide capital for entrepreneurship and job creation. The forces shaping inequities in these interconnected areas are complex, but they can be influenced with the right incentives, policies, and programs, as highlighted in the sections that follow.
HOUSING AND RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION
Housing inequities are a root cause of disparities in lifetime outcomes for minorities in at least two ways. First, there are significant racial-ethnic differences in rates of homeownership and the value and appreciation of those homes, creating large gaps in wealth accumulation and economic security. Second, segregation has constrained minorities to lower quality residential neighborhoods and amenities, impacting health, wealth, and educational and employment opportunities.
In 2012, 74% of white families owned homes. In contrast, 44% of African American families, 46% of Hispanic families, 51% of American Indian/Aleut/Eskimo families, and 57% of Asian American and Pacific Islander families owned their own home.12 The black/white wealth gap increased from $85,000 in 1984 to $236,500 in 2009, driven primarily by the racial difference in the number of years of homeownership.13
White families buy homes an average of eight years earlier in life than African Americans.14 Whites more often receive financial assistance from their families to support homeownership, allowing them to qualify for lower interest rates and other lending costs.
Even when incomes are comparable, racial and ethnic minorities own homes with lower values than do whites. Houses in neighborhoods with higher percentages of minority residents typically have lower values and appreciate more slowly. A study of homes in Philadelphia found that in areas with higher levels of segregation, the home value gap between blacks and whites was larger.15 The historical experience of African Americans illustrates how both overt and structural racism have led to current housing inequities.
During slavery, blacks were not allowed to own property, and later laws also severely limited the ability of African Americans to acquire property until the late 19th century. When the 1862 Homestead Act was enacted allowing Americans to buy land as the country was expanding to the West, blacks were still not able to purchase land, because they were not considered citizens. During Reconstruction, some attempts were made to allow blacks to purchase land; however, they were quickly overturned by new legal or de-facto forms of discrimination. While housing discrimination in the U.S. was outlawed in the Fair Housing Act of 1968, legal forms of housing discrimination were built into, or sanctioned in, prior federal, state and local laws.
In 1934, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) created the current financial home mortgaging system. The Underwriting Handbook used by the FHA endorsed the practice of “redlining,” which made home purchases in many non-white, largely urban neighborhoods ineligible for FHA-backed mortgages, without consideration of the credit worthiness of the applicant. For the next two decades, most home loans were financed by the FHA, but the vast majority of them went to borrowers in white middle-class neighborhoods, and very few were awarded in minority neighborhoods within central cities, contributing to both racial segregation and inner city decline.
The GI Bill is another example of opportunity for homeownership and advancement being selectively distributed by race. After World War II, thousands of soldiers received loans for homes, businesses, and farms through the GI Bill, but, again, very few were offered to black veterans.
At the local level, the use of racially restrictive covenants emerged in 1917, when the U.S. Supreme Court deemed city segregation ordinances illegal. Unlike segregation ordinances, restrictive neighborhood covenants were private contracts, not municipal ordinances. They usually stated that homes could not be sold to non-white or Jewish buyers even if the seller and buyer agreed to the transaction.16 In 1946, the Supreme Court ruled that such covenants were not legally enforceable but many areas continued to implement them.
The most recent national research study of discrimination in housing showed that in 2012 the most overt forms discrimination, such as refusing to meet with a minority home buyer/renter, have decreased compared with 1977, when the first national study was conducted.17 However, more subtle forms of discrimination persist, and they increase the housing search cost and limit housing choices for minorities, including African Americans, Asians, Native Americans and Latinos. Blacks, Latinos, and Asians looking for rental units were told about fewer available units than comparable whites in 11%, 13%, and 10% of cases, respectively. Minorities were also shown fewer units. Similar results were seen in home sales, with well qualified minority homebuyers told about and shown fewer homes than whites.
During the recent housing crisis, neighborhoods with high proportions of low-income and minority families, coupled with lax housing finance regulations, created a landscape that allowed mortgage companies to geographically target minority neighborhoods for marketing sub-prime (high interest) loans. The rate of subprime loans for Americans of color was twice the rate for the overall population. These targeting practices resulted in disproportionally high rates of foreclosure and diminishing home values. In 2012, Wells Fargo and Countrywide, two of the nation’s largest home mortgage lenders, agreed to multi-million dollar payments to settle accusations that they had discriminated against African American and Hispanic borrowers during the housing boom.
Cutler and Glaeser found a statistically significant relationship between the degree of residential segregation and life outcomes for blacks in the U.S.18 They found that greater segregation was associated with lower high school graduation rates and lower earnings, and that a one-standard-deviation reduction in segregation (13 percent at the time of their study) would eliminate one-third of the gap between whites and blacks in most outcomes.
The significant impact of residential segregation on life outcomes offers hope for affecting multiple areas of disparity through reducing it. Greater residential integration can also lead to greater exposure, tolerance, and understanding between racial and ethnic groups.
There are a number of strategies in use today for dismantling segregation, including mobility programs such as Moving to Opportunity that offer vouchers for tenants of public housing to move to low-poverty areas, and inclusionary zoning techniques that require a percentage of new housing developments to be set aside for low- or moderate-income housing.
EDUCATION
Inequities in education are highly related to inequities in housing. In the U.S., most children attend their neighborhood school, so high levels of housing segregation result in high levels of school segregation, as well as racial disparities in children’s exposure to schools with high concentrations of poor students.
There has been a dramatic re-segregation of blacks and Hispanics in U.S. schools in every region of the U.S. and in every large school district since the mid- 1980s. The average white public school student attends a school that is almost 80% white.19 In contrast, 72% of black and 77% of Hispanic students attend schools where the majority of students are minorities.
Racial segregation is a critical determinant of the concentration of poverty. Half of all black and Hispanic students attend schools where 75% of all students are poor. Only 5% of whites attend such schools. Most schools (three-quarters) where 90% or more of the students are black and Hispanic are high-poverty schools. Although there are more poor white children in the U.S. than poor black or Hispanic children, the majority of poor whites attend schools where most children are middle class, while the majority of poor minorities attend schools where most students are poor and the neighborhood has high rates of violence, crime, and poverty. Students in segregated schools are less likely to be exposed to peers who can have a positive impact on academic learning. Educational offerings and resources are limited, student achievement levels tend to be lower, dropout rates are higher, and there are fewer informal connections to employment and higher education.
Segregation truncates socioeconomic mobility by restricting access to quality elementary and high school education, preparation for higher education, and good employment opportunities. Segregated schools can also be a pipeline to prison. Students struggling with academic performance in elementary and high schools are at markedly elevated risk of high school dropout and incarceration. Long-term studies of the impact of school desegregation in the 1960s through 1980s found that, with accompanying increases in school quality, desegregation was associated with significantly increased educational attainment and adult earnings, reduced probability of incarceration, and improved adult health status for blacks.20
Segregated schools impose grave costs to society. Important benefits critical to the effective functioning of a diverse society are linked to being educated in more racially diverse settings. Students who receive their early education in diverse classrooms have more cross-racial friendships, more racial tolerance, and higher comfort level with members of other racial/ethnic groups.21 They demonstrate an increased sense of civic engagement and greater desire to live and work in multicultural settings. They also have a greater ability to recognize the existence and effects of discrimination and have lower levels of racial prejudice. These skills and attitudes are beneficial to workplace performance in an increasingly global economy.
In addition to strategies targeted directly at residential segregation, a number of strategies are being used within school districts around the U.S. to increase diversity.22 In districts that include a variety of racial and ethnic groups within their borders, purposeful zoning can create more diverse schools. Another strategy is developing magnet programs at particular schools that pull students from throughout the district. Finally, a number of policies within schools can increase the diversity of the educational experience, including encouraging diversity within classrooms and school programs.23 Studies have shown that early interventions can have meaningful impacts on educational performance and other outcomes, providing benefits that accumulate over lifetimes and into future generations.
Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman estimated that the return on quality early childhood education is 7% to 10% per year, compounded over decades. Other researchers find a net return of $3 to $17 for every $1 spent on early childhood education.24 Dr. Heckman states, “Investing early allows us to shape the future and build equity; investing later chains us to fixing the missed opportunities of the past.”
The Perry Preschool Program is an example of an investment in early childhood education that has demonstrated lasting payoffs. A two-year program targeting African American 3- to 4-year olds in public housing included sessions at school and home visits by teachers. Participants at age 27 showed a 44% higher high school graduation rate and 50% fewer teen pregnancies, compared with the control group. At age 40, participants had 36% higher median earnings, were 46% less likely to have served time in jail or prison, were 32% more likely to own their own home, and were 26% less likely to have received government assistance.25
Researchers have demonstrated the power of expectations and internal beliefs on educational achievement. Two experiments with middle-school students studied the effects of a self-affirmation exercise on subsequent academic performance. Students were asked to choose a value that was important to them and to write about it. While there was no measurable effect on the white students, black students who participated maintained a greater trust in academic authorities than non-participant black students and demonstrated higher grades in the target course and other courses, resulting in a 40% reduction in the racial achievement gap. Follow-up studies showed some lasting effects, particularly for previously low-achieving black students.26
HEALTH
Inequities in access to health care, the quality of care received, and, probably most importantly, the social determinants of health–where we live, work, learn, and play–lead to lower lifespans and poorer health for minorities compared with whites in the U.S. The above discussion of housing and education suggests that there are vast inequities in the social determinants of health. Additionally, there are inequities in access to health insurance and health care.
An Institute of Medicine study found that, while the U.S. has above average incomes and spends more on health care than any other nation, it is among the least healthy among its peer countries by most measures of health.27 Among the explanations for the poorer U.S. performance were higher levels of poverty and income inequality and less-effective investment in education and safety net programs to protect against the negative impacts of extensive social disadvantages.
In the U.S., where a person lives can dramatically increase that person’s chance of living a longer, healthier life, in some cases by as much as 22 years.28 PLACE MATTERS is a groundbreaking initiative that seeks to build community-based coalitions to identify and address the social, economic, and environmental conditions that are root causes of health inequities. Teams in 24 jurisdictions across 10 states and the District of Columbia identify community concerns related to health and well-being, work to understand root causes, and build support for solutions.29 The teams represent broad coalitions of public sector, business, academic, and faith-based organizations working within communities and with elected officials to improve opportunities for good health.
Home visiting programs, such as the Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) program, demonstrate the importance of early intervention in health. NFP nurses visit the homes of low-income, first-time mothers during prenatal and early childhood periods. Both parents and children showed improvement in health and in socio-economic status. For the mothers, the program was found to increase workforce participation, decrease smoking rates during pregnancies, and decrease the use of public assistance. Injuries, substance abuse, and crime were reduced for the children.30 The investment in this program has been estimated to generate net present value savings over the long run of $18,000 per family.31
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) included a program for states to establish home visiting models for at-risk women and children. Under the guidance of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, an evaluation of the evidence on home visiting programs was conducted. Nine models, included NFP, Child FIRST, and Early Head Start-Home Visiting were found to meet criteria for an evidence-based model, having quality studies that established favorable impacts of the program on one or more domains.32
As of 2011, 30% of Hispanics, 19.5% of African Americans, and 16.8% of Asians in the U.S. did not have health insurance, compared with 11% of whites. The ACA will increase coverage through expanding state Medicaid programs and offering subsidies for individual and small business policies available through state insurance exchanges. Because a disproportionate percentage of the uninsured are minorities, ACA implementation will likely reduce disparities in insurance coverage, although increasing coverage will depend on the effectiveness of outreach efforts to enroll those who currently do not have coverage. Even under the ACA, many decisions about levels of Medicaid coverage will continue to differ across states, leading to differences in care received and impacting health outcomes.
African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to live in the South and Southwest regions of the country, in states with lower levels of Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance Program funding. Residents in these states are less likely to be covered by the programs at all, and those who are covered receive less generous benefits than Medicaid recipients in other states. The differences in coverage across states will increase starting in 2014 as some states choose not to participate in the Medicaid expansion.
Even when there is financial and geographic access to care, studies by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Institute of Medicine, and others have documented that minorities often receive a lower quality of care for the same conditions.
Improved education and training of medical professionals to adhere to evidence-based guidelines for all patients, as well as recruiting and supporting more minorities to enter health professions, have the potential to improve quality of care provided to people of color. Good communication and trust between the provider and patient, made easier if there are commonalities in language, culture, and background, play an important role in accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and patient compliance.
CRIME AND THE JUSTICE SYSTEM
Reducing crime and the number of people who are incarcerated would produce economic benefits through reducing losses from crimes, reducing prison and related costs, and returning working-age men, who are the majority of the prison population to the workforce, and to their communities and families. Americans of color have disproportionately high rates of involvement with the criminal justice system, being more likely to be incarcerated and to be victims of crime.
Systemic inequity in the administration of justice contributes to high incarceration rates for minorities. African American men are incarcerated at a rate of nearly six times that of white men. According to the Department of Justice, the lifetime chance of going to prison is 32% for black males, 17% for Hispanic males and 6% for white males.33 African American youth represent 17% of their age group within the total population, yet they represent 46% of juvenile arrests, 31% of referrals to juvenile court, and 41% of waivers to adult court. African Americans are more likely to be stopped, questioned, and searched than whites. A range of studies in the 1990s and 2000s showed patterns of police stopping minority drivers and pedestrians at much higher rates than whites.
A two-year study of police traffic stops in a Midwestern city found minority drivers were stopped at a higher rate than whites and were searched during these stops more often.34 Native Americans were searched four times more often than whites, and Hispanics were searched nearly three times more often.
Despite higher number of searches, the police were less likely to find contraband on minority motorists.
There are also racial differences in the punishment for some crimes. Prior to the Civil War, many laws in the United States required more severe punishments for blacks than for whites. Although those laws no longer exist, the administration of justice is still especially harsh to blacks when the victim is white. The Sentencing Project reports that African Americans are 20% more likely to be sentenced to prison and 21% more likely to receive mandatory-minimum sentences than white defendants facing an eligible charge.35
Changes in the country’s approach to drugs in the 1980s contributed to a major increase the number of arrests and in the size of the U.S. prison population. Between 1980 and 2011, the prison population grew by more than 500%, from 350,000 to more than 2.2 million. Drug-related arrests account for most of the change during this time; the rate of violent crimes actually declined.
Minorities made up much of the increase in the prison population. African Americans are about 12% of the U.S. population, yet they represent 34% of drug-related arrests and 37% of state prison inmates serving time for drug offenses.36 African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Other Pacific Islanders have been shown to have lower rates of substance abuse than whites, yet African American youth are ten times more likely to be arrested for drug offenses than whites.
Besides being out of the workforce for the time they are in prison, former inmates face difficulty in finding employment and housing, and the effect is greater for minorities. Total earnings of former inmates are depressed by 9% for African American men, 6% for Hispanic men, and 2% for white men.37 Further, 54% of inmates are parents with minor children, significantly impacting the economic resources and stability of those families, creating a cycle of disadvantage. One in 9 African American children (11.4%), one in 28 Hispanic children (3.5%), and one in 57 white children (1.8%) has an incarcerated parent. The toll of violence on minority youth in the U.S. is also extraordinarily high. Homicide is the leading cause of death for African American male youths, and it is the second leading cause of death for Hispanic male youths.
Addressing the social and economic factors that contribute to crime and eliminating inequities in treatment by the justice system are important strategies for improving opportunity for minorities, especially minority youth. In addition to the human cost, state governments spend nearly $57 billion on prisons and correctional system costs each year. Reducing the need for these services could save billions of dollars, and many related programs would also see large cost reductions.
NOW IS THE TIME TO INVEST IN OUR FUTURE
Communities, states, and nations need the full economic, social, and creative contributions of all their people. As PolicyLink, a national research and action institute states, Achieving equity requires erasing racial disparities in opportunities and outcomes. Equity is not only a matter of social justice or morality: It is an economic necessity. By building the capabilities of those who are the furthest behind, America not only begins to solve its most serious challenges, but also creates the conditions that allow all to flourish.
In the coming decades, it is today’s younger generation who will drive economic growth, whose tax contributions will support social insurance programs for the elderly and other services, whose purchasing power will determine the demand for goods and services, who will serve in our armed forces, and who will act as caregivers to an aging population. The majority of this generation will be children of color, many of whom will face the legacy effects of past racism and ongoing inequities of structural racism and implicit biases touched upon in this brief. The ability of these children to succeed will shape our shared future.
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) has launched the America Healing initiative “to ensure that all children in America have an equitable and promising future.” WKKF recognizes that racially based obstacles to success threaten our nation’s economy and security, and that tackling these obstacles is not only the right thing to do – it is the economically efficient path, as it will be a significant driver of our collective well-being. WKKF is committed to working with partners in business, philanthropy, government, and communities to promote a better understanding of the economic dividends that could be achieved through smart, strategic investments to ensure that all children thrive.
ENDNOTES
1. Roehrig C, “Economic Impact of Closing the Minority Earnings Gap,” Altarum Institute, August 2013.
2. Center for American Progress/PolicyLink, All-in Nation, July 2013.
3. McKinsey & Company, “The Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap in America’s Schools,” April 2009.
4. National Urban League Policy Institute, “State of Urban Health: Eliminating Health Disparities to Save Lives and Cut Costs,” December 2012.
5. Waidmann T, “Estimating the Cost of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities,” Urban Institute,
September 2009.
6. U.S. Department of Commerce, “Minority Purchasing Power: 2000 to 2045,” Sept 2000.
8. Page S, The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies, Princeton University Press, 2007.
9. Piketty T, & Saez E, The Evolution of Top Incomes: A Historical and International Perspective, NBER Working Paper No. 11955, January 2006.
10. International Monetary Fund Research Department, “Inequality and Unsustainable Growth: Two Sides of the Same Coin?” prepared by Andrew G. Berg and Jonathan D. Ostry, April 2011.
11. Hsieh C, Hurst E, Jones C, & Klenow P, “The Allocation of Talent and U.S. Economic Growth,” February 2013. U.S. Census Bureau, Housing Vacancies and Homeownership 2012, from the Current Population Survey.
13. Shapiro T, “The Roots of the Widening Racial Wealth Gap: Explaining the Black-White Economic Divide,” February 2013.
14. Joint Center for Housing Studies analysis of American Housing Survey, 2009, tabulations of
2009 AHS.
15. Rusk D, The “Segregation Tax”: The Cost of Racial Segregation to Black Homeowners, Urban Institute Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy, October 2001.
16. Silva C, “Racial Restrictive Covenants: Enforcing Neighborhood Segregation in Seattle” Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project, depts. washington.edu/civilr/covenants_report.htm.
17. Urban Institute for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Housing Discrimination against Racial and Ethnic Minorities 2012, June 2013.
18. Cutler D & Glaeser E, “Are Ghettos Good or Bad?,” The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 112, No. 3, 1997.
19. Bhargava A, Frankenberg, E, & Le C Q, 2008, Still Looking to the Future: Voluntary K-12 School Integration, New York, NY: The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) The Civil Rights Project.
20. Johnson RC, Long-Run Impacts of School Desegregation & School Quality on Adult Attainments, Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research; 2011. NBER working paper 16664.
21. National Coalition on School Diversity, Research Brief #5, “School Integration and K-12 Educational Outcomes: A Quick Synthesis of Social Science Evidence,” October 2011.
22. Orfield G, Frankenberg, E, & Garces, L M, Statement of American social scientists of research on school desegregation to the U.S. Supreme Court in Parents v. Seattle School District and Meredith v. Jefferson County, Urban Review, 40(1), 96-136, 2008.
23. See the work of the National Coalition on School Diversity at www.school-diveristy.org.
25. Schweinhart L J, The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study Through Age 40: Summary, Conclusions, and Frequently Asked Questions (High/Scope Press 2004).
26. Cohen G L, Garcia J, Apfel N, & Master A, “Reducing the racial achievement gap: A social-psychological intervention,” Science, 313(5791), 1307-1310, 2006.
27. National Research Council, U.S. Health in International Perspective: Shorter Lives, Poorer Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2013.
28. The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and the Cook County PLACE MATTERS Team, “Place Matters for Health in Cook County: Ensuring Opportunities for Good Health for All,” July 2012.
29. The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, PLACE MATTERS: Advancing Health Equity.
30. Olds D, “The Nurse-Family Partnership: An evidence based preventive intervention,” Infant Mental Health Journal, 27(1), 2006. Lee S, Aos S, & Miller M, 2008, Evidence-based programs to prevent children from entering and remaining in the child welfare system: Benefits and costs for Washington. Olympia: Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
32. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness Review: Executive Summary,” study conducted by Mathematica Policy Research, October 2011.
33. U.S. Department of Justice, “Prevalence of Imprisonment in the U.S. Population, 1974-2001,” August 2003.
The last sentence of the piece was truncated. It should have read, 'Other than that they should just shut up and enjoy the blessings of capitalism.' And I meant every word of it. I can only restore my respect when they tell m ... read full comment
The last sentence of the piece was truncated. It should have read, 'Other than that they should just shut up and enjoy the blessings of capitalism.' And I meant every word of it. I can only restore my respect when they tell me that they have moved to North Korea, or any of those godforsaken countries. Thank you
GORGORDUTOR 8 years ago
Fellas please reference my comment on part 4 of PKB INFANTILE VOMIT. IT APPLIES TO THIS LATEST NANTEIBINI
Fellas please reference my comment on part 4 of PKB INFANTILE VOMIT. IT APPLIES TO THIS LATEST NANTEIBINI
francis kwarteng 8 years ago
Dear Gorgortudor,
Hahahaha...infantile indeed.
Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian is as good as the high-school days of Paul Krugman, Thomas Picketty, Noam Chomsky...
One Ghanaweb commentator tells Mr. Oxymoron Civil Li ... read full comment
Dear Gorgortudor,
Hahahaha...infantile indeed.
Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian is as good as the high-school days of Paul Krugman, Thomas Picketty, Noam Chomsky...
One Ghanaweb commentator tells Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian that he has some good "high-school" ideas.
The man wrote about Eli Whitney and his cotton gin and did not know what the cotton gin. In fact he wrote about the opposite of what the gin did...
Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian is a bundle of explosive contradictions, ignorance, fabrications, ignorance...a nanteibini lost in his general ignorance and his little head full of nanteibini!
He sees himself in the same class as Picketty and Krugman with his infantile middle-school data analysis (I have told him once that Krugman's high-school data analysis is way advanced than the one or two numbers he mentions in his poorly written articles and thinks he deserves a Nobel Prize in economics). What a disgrace? It could be delusion...Who knows?
Latest Nanteibini indeed...Hahahahaha
Thanks.
GORGORDUTOR 8 years ago
Egya Kwarteng, akwaanu attempts to "perpetrate" like some great thinkman kruaa don't even pass the "pseudo intellect smell test " wey e dey borda mankind. I cringe for him frankly. But if he is goin to be bringin himself dats ... read full comment
Egya Kwarteng, akwaanu attempts to "perpetrate" like some great thinkman kruaa don't even pass the "pseudo intellect smell test " wey e dey borda mankind. I cringe for him frankly. But if he is goin to be bringin himself dats on him. Check out my current assessment on his mental maladies in the comments on the Part4 of "pkb babble". Looking forward to the flurry of combinations you gonna put on him
MINOR CASE 8 years ago
This Francis Kwarteng parades himself as an intellectual giant spewing garbage for the gullible to consume . He has no originality , all he does is lift the works of others in their entirety and paste them on the net for the ... read full comment
This Francis Kwarteng parades himself as an intellectual giant spewing garbage for the gullible to consume . He has no originality , all he does is lift the works of others in their entirety and paste them on the net for the simpletons . He never dreamt that somebody would come around and make nonsense of his misinformation . The other day he quoted Dr. Molefi. Kete Asante copiously to buttress a point in an article he wrote. Was it not this same Molefi Kete Asante who wrote that the Asantes went to wars to capture the gold others had ? Now Francis Kwarteng has met his superior who rubishes every garbage he writes.
francis kwarteng 8 years ago
MINOR CASE,
Can you name me one "intelligent" and well-informed reader who comes here to support Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian (apart from readers like you)? You have the same disease your Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian h ... read full comment
MINOR CASE,
Can you name me one "intelligent" and well-informed reader who comes here to support Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian (apart from readers like you)? You have the same disease your Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian has.
I have been more than generous on a number of occassions to give you all the citations (and even copied and pasted) what Asante and Gates said (which are still all over the internet, books, minutes of international conferences, radio/television, university websites, and here you are, like your uninformed idol Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian, still spewing the same garbage/misinformation). Don't people like you ever want to learn? Could you go back and read the cut-and-paste I gave you or google and read for yourself?
You are here spewing the same garbage again? When I gave you an answer you ran away and never returned! You did not and still do not know what you are talking.
You don't even know when Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian is lying until you see Andy, Prof. Lungu, Amanfo, Gorgortudor, and other well-informed commentators exposing him! (PLEASE GO BACL TO MY ARTICLES AND HIS ARTICLES AND READ ABOUT ALL THE EXPOSURES).
Please I shall not go over the answers again. Go back to my original answer and redeem yourself. MINOR CASE could not tell the difference between Asante and Gates, just like Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libetarian cannot tell what Eli Whitney's cotton gin did and did not do and so many many many manybasic ideas he gets wrong in every single article he has written.
For instance, Mr.Oxymoron Civil Libertarian does not know that under the watch of his Republicans, nearly 250,000 enslaved African were shipped into America during the Civil War.
He simply does not have the facts and uninformed readers like, who can't tell Gates and Asante apart, are here supporting Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian, a mediocre and uninformed writer. Tell us MINOR CASE one single original thing Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian has said on Ghanaweb apart from distortions and lies? Tell us MINOR CASE one set of original data Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian has cited to discredit the data I have produced from the Department of Justice, Krugman/Picketty, FBI, research institutions/universities across America! NONE.
And as for Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian the less said about him, the better. He says those like me, Gortortudor, Andy K, YAW, and others who have exposed his lies, fabrications, and distortions are desperate.
Readers like Andy K, Gorgortudor, and myself continue to expose Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian for the sake of unsuspecting readers like MINOR CASE.
Now let me ask: What single intelligent data has Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian marshalled to discredit the work of Picketty, Krugman, and the recent article I republished ("The Business Case of Racial Equity") or data from the Department of Justice, FBI, and security servicesresearch insintitutions/universities across America? NONE!
Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian. Read my rejoinder ("Re: Nkrumahism, The Can Of Worms I Opened--Slavery and Racism 5" to this piece to see how uninformed and ignorant your Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian.
What is more, I was hoping to see whether you MINOR CASE could have provided a single factually based argumement (with data/statistics) to discredit any of my arguments or my cut-and-paste articles and here you are saying ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, like your Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian.
Mind you, I will not go back and help you know what Asante said because I have done this on a number of occassions. Usually you ran away when I cut-and-paste for you to read just to make things simple for you. You do this with CY-Andy-K as well.
You will challenge Andy and when he gives you references, you simply ran away. Sometimes he even copies and pastes for you and you still ran away. You only come back when there is a different topic and when Andy is not there or come back under a different moniker.
And as for Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian, one Ghanaweb commentator said he has good "high-school" ideas. You kbow what this means, right? It means your man writes and argues like a high-school student! Ask anyone who is well informed on the subject matters he writes about!
A grandfather like Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian writes and argues like one of his 15-year-old granbdchildren. This is what your "superior" is seen by well-informed readers. And where are you when well-informed readers are on Ghanaweb exposing him? You are always missing in action!
Read my rejoinder to see how I deal with this shoddy article and Part 4 of his article. To sum up, cite just one argument or a set of data provided by Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian that rubbished any of my arguments. Please just cite me one example (neither you nor your "superior" has done that except his rhetorical evasions and infantile diversions).
Also give me one example where Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian comes up with data to discredit the FBI, Department of Justice (DOJ), universities/research insitutions, Picketty, Krugman, etc. Please go back to the citations and cut-and-paste statments (by Gates and Asate) and come back here and tell readers what Asante said.
Don't ran away like your "superior" Oxymoron Civil Libertarian. Go to the New York Times/Harvard University (WEB Du Bois Research Center, the name has since changed) and Asante's website and all the facts are there (this is the little I can do to help you out).
Stop misquoting and mispresenting Asante if you have not read any of his near-80 books, 500 scholarly/newspaper publications, interview transcripts, etc. This is what your "superior" Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian has been doing to deceive readers like you.
COME BACK AND TELL EXACTLY WHAT MOLEFI KETE ASANTE HAS SAID. You cannot rely on Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian's high-school arguments because that won't help. It is why you can't cite a single statistic from his article supporting your claim that he rubbishes my arguments if you can't get a single statement by Asante right.
I am done.
K Duah 8 years ago
Minor case has deflated your ego isn't it. He told you how superior Philip comes out in these your back and forth. Both you and Philip are arrogant, but Case really got under your skin.
Minor case has deflated your ego isn't it. He told you how superior Philip comes out in these your back and forth. Both you and Philip are arrogant, but Case really got under your skin.
francis kwarteng 8 years ago
K Duah,
Tell MINOR CASE I am still waiting for his response on Asante. Hahahahahaha...I said it. He is hiding under moniker rather than answering my questions. Where are my answers?
Also tell me to cite one single set ... read full comment
K Duah,
Tell MINOR CASE I am still waiting for his response on Asante. Hahahahahaha...I said it. He is hiding under moniker rather than answering my questions. Where are my answers?
Also tell me to cite one single set of data Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian to discredit the work of Thomas Picketty, FBI, Kellogg Institute and all the research institutions I mentioned in my articles.
And if you can K Duah, you should help MINOR CASE and Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian come up with you own original data to rubbish Picketty, Krugman, and all the top-notch research institutions/universities I mention in my article.
All you guys do is merely use words and not hard veriable data. K Duah, what do your data say about those of the FBI, Department of Justice, research institutions/universities/think tanks across America? I don't need your hollow comments. They say nothing. Read:
"Minor case has deflated your ego isn't it. He told you how superior Philip comes out in these your back and forth. Both you and Philip are arrogant, but Case really got under your skin."
Your statement above says pracically nothing. No data. No logical reasoning. No rational refutation of facts. It practically says NOTHING.
To sum it, tell Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian to provide his own oroginal data contradicting Picketty's 250-year-old set of data. Once you are done then tell MINOR CASE to tell me me exactly what Asante/Gates said (I have already given him all the references in the world including a cut-and-paste papers on what Asante/Gates actually said).
Finally, K Duah tell MINOR CASE to give us a technical breakdown of what Thomas Picketty said in "Capital of the 21st Century" and what the W.K. Kellogg Foundation/the Altram Institute, Department of Justice, FBI, etc. That is when MINOR CASE and Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian can be takem serious. Until then, it is hollowness.
Lest I don't forget, I hope K Duah is not MINOR CASE. He usually does this when you challenge him to provide certain information and he has nothing to say.
Well, this is going to be my last comment on this bogus essay unless MINOR CASE (gets me the facts on Asante and provides his own original set of data going back to 250 years to criqtique Picketty's book. I will not say much about Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian because, like his unsuspecting readers like MINOR CASE, he has no clue what that 250-year-old set of data say.)
So K Duah or MINOR CASE, please get under my skin with counterfactual arguments agaist Asante/Gates and a technical summary of Picketty's "Capital in the 21st Century."
Otherwise you are beating about the bush as Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian does in his high-school articles. REMEMBER YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO MUCH ON THE ASANTE QUESTIONS. YOU ONLY HAVE TO REPRODUCE ALL THE INFORMATION I HAVE ALREADY GIVEN YOU.
(Don't run away and come back under another moniker. K Duah is enought. JUST PROVIDE THE DATA I HAVE ALREADY GIVEN YOU. AND THEN GIVE ME A TECHNICAL BREAKDOWN OF PICKETTY'S WORK AND YOU WILL KNOW WHERE MR. OXYMORON CIVIL LIBERTARIAN IS LYING).
I AM DONE. REPRODUCE EVERYTHING I HAVE GIVEN YOU ABOUT GATES/ASANTE.
Philip Kobina Baidoo 8 years ago
Somebody is going to lose his mind. K Duah, this is what I will add to your comment.
Somebody is going to lose his mind. K Duah, this is what I will add to your comment.
francis kwarteng 8 years ago
Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian,
Haven't you got help already? Haven't Gorgortudor given you one already? Well, in case you missed it here it is (Tell your gullible poodle MINOR CASE that I am still waiting for him to repro ... read full comment
Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian,
Haven't you got help already? Haven't Gorgortudor given you one already? Well, in case you missed it here it is (Tell your gullible poodle MINOR CASE that I am still waiting for him to reproduce all the information I gave him vis-a-vis Asante-Gates to save himself from disgrace and dogloke sycophancy. I have made his homework easier for him. Also tell him to produce the information under his own name. That is the only way he can get under my thick skin):
Now from Gorgortudor (Hahahaha..how precise he can diagnose your the shallow contents of your little head):
SYMPTOMS: The patient presents with the following: Febrile brain dysfunction, logical displacement, intellectual shallowness, insult as argument and lack of rational amalysis, never mind the profound unwillingness to avail himself of facts and an inability to engage facts and theorems that challenge his world view!!
DIAGNOSIS: Symptoms indicate subject suffers from :SELF ABASEMENT, RACIAL INFERIORITY COMPLEX, NON- INTELLECTUAL HUBRIS, ARGUMENTAE NON-COGENTA, INSULTIS NON-RATIONAE, AFRICANUS SERVILII & sundry other leading indicators of ACQUIRED NEOCOLONIAL INTELLECTUAL DEPENDENCY SYNDROME aka IMPERIALIST RUNNING DOG COMPLEX or in the vernacular: BRAINWASHED WANNABE WHITEMAN DISEASE aka BLACK/BROWN COCONUT.
PROGNOSIS: Subject is beyond intellectual assistance as he is constantly ingesting the mental toxins that have resulted in his current state!!
TREATMENT PROTOCOL: NONE, concerned observers must endeavor to inoculate the general populace as subject is a StageIV victim where subject feels compelled to attempt to spread the syndrome!! Fortunately he is fast approaching terminal stage."
How so accurate!
Philip Kobina Baidoo 8 years ago
You guys are desperate. If I were you I would have stopped reading what you and your ilk perceive as neo-colonialism hogwash. Yet, you can’t have enough of my nonsense, and you keep coming back for more. What an irony! It i ... read full comment
You guys are desperate. If I were you I would have stopped reading what you and your ilk perceive as neo-colonialism hogwash. Yet, you can’t have enough of my nonsense, and you keep coming back for more. What an irony! It is the classic hallmark of a dying faith – Nkrumahism. So long Nkrumahism!!!
francis kwarteng 8 years ago
Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian,
Oh yes, intelligent and well-informed commentators like Gorgortudor have to read in order to straighten you up and to re-educate your unsuspecting readership (eg MINOR CASE. Like you, he has ... read full comment
Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian,
Oh yes, intelligent and well-informed commentators like Gorgortudor have to read in order to straighten you up and to re-educate your unsuspecting readership (eg MINOR CASE. Like you, he has no idea what Thomas Picketty's centuries-old data say and so supports you blindly).
The point is that more knowledgeable and better informed readers like Andy and Gorgortudor need to expose your grandson-like arguments to put your unsuspecting readers like MINOR CASE in a better frame of mind.
For instance, MINOR CASE keeps saying what Molefi Kete Asante has not said. I have given him all the references/citations and everything he needs on this planet (I even gave him a cut-and-paste commentary on the subject matter on anumber of occassions) and this is what happens: He disappeared.
That is, he disappeared whenever he raised that subject matter and I gave him cut-and-paste commentaries, websites (newspaper, tv, radio, etc) reinforcing what Asante has said.
Another example is when you Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian lies and he MINOR CASE comes defending. Once I expose your lies with articles and references he disappears.
He then reappears under a different moniker under the same article where I expose your lies and illogical arguments, but this time, he changes the topic. You see how some of your uninformed readers behave, just like you.
I believe some, like MINOR CASE, don't even read intelligent and globally celebrated economists like Thomas Picketty to that you have no clue what the solid arguments Pickety advances.
Again some, like MINOR CASE, don't have any clue that you don't have your own original data to dsicredit what the Department of Justice, FBI, security agencies/research institutions/universities/think tanks have to say about racism, etc. They don't.
This is why people like us have to read and reducate your unsuspecting readership. If after reading what Asante/Gates (and all the accessible information on what these two have to say) and MINOR CASE still comes back and say what the man has not said, why can't anyone like Gorgortudor, Andy-K, Prof. Lungu, or myself pitty you and your unsuspecting readership.
This is really sad. Look at all your articles and their lies, fabrications, distortions, etc! Look at your groslly misreadings and misqoutings of sources!
Look at the fact that you did not even know what Eli Whitney's cotton gin did to slavery and its role in the Civil War.
Look at your ignorance on scholarship on Somalia, Somalis (ethnogenesis, linguistics, ethnicity, races, etc).
Look at your ignorance when it comes to slavery and its profitability (as compiled by the Treasury Department, see for instance "Monthly Summary of Commerce and Finance of the United States, Issues 1-3". Monthly Summary of Commerce and Finance (U.S. Department of the Treasury). 1895–1896" and on the websites of research instituttions/universities across the West)...yet you still argue as though your 15-year-old grandchildren are the ones writing your articles.
See how Andy-K was when he read your piece on Somalia and Eli Whitney's cotton gin! You are lucky Andy-K is busy (he is one of the most well-informed readers on Ghanaweb on the issues tou write about).
I guess you now know why one of your critics said you have some good high-school ideas. I believe this readers is aware of your general ignorance about basic ideas most of which you get wrong. Is this not sad given your own statement that your are a grandfather? What then do you expect of the younger ones on Ghanaweb?
And so, of course, Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian let more knowledgeable and better informed readers than you read and straighten you up. It is for your good and that of your unsuspecting readership (like MINOR CASE).
Tell MINOR CASE to read Thomas Picketty's "Capital in the 21st Century, "the paper "The Business Case for Racial Equity," and the webistes of the FBI, security agences/research institutions/universities across America since both you and MINOR CASE don't have a clue what these scholars/institutions are saying.
Tell MINOR CASE i am still waiting for his answers on Asante. Remind him I had given all the websites and citations in the world on what Asante said (including a cut-and-paste commentary by Asante on claim MINOR CASE has read and read and read and, like you, he [MINOR CASE] still misrepresents.
Maybe I really don't know what MINOR CASE is talking about. In other words MONOR CASE may be talking about something else, just as you are know for saying the opposite of what most of your sources say, Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian.
In the end let better informed commentators read and straighten you up. It is for your own good and that of your unsuspecting readership. I AM WAITING FOR MINOR CASE. Tell him not to run away or hide under another moniker. Learn to give your unsuspecting readership references so that they can read for themeslves rather than rely on your high-school arguments. You are doing them a disservice with your fabrications.
Thanks.
francis kwarteng 8 years ago
Dear Gorgortudor,
Don't mind Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian. He is merely behaving intellectually just like one of 15-year-old grandsons. We all know he is clueless and intellectually de-centered.
Anyway I just read yo ... read full comment
Dear Gorgortudor,
Don't mind Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian. He is merely behaving intellectually just like one of 15-year-old grandsons. We all know he is clueless and intellectually de-centered.
Anyway I just read your comments (and went back to read the one on Mr. Oxymoron's Part 4. A pretty excellent diagnosis and prognosis if you ask me).
In fact Ghanaweb needs a resident psychiatrists like you to examine the little head of writers like Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian on a daily basis. I wish you could examine him and prescribe a cure for his anarchic civil libertarianism, whatever that is.
Hahahaaha...I think Part 5 of my rebuttal to his intellectual childishness will be published today. I address his general ignorance, though sad and unfortunate, commentaries about slavery, Brazil, the US, and other important matters in that article.
That said, I have asked him to provide his unsuspecting readers references so that they read for themeselves rather than rely on him for his shallow and uninformed articles.
In fact, I have asked some my friends who come to Ghanaweb not to repeat anything Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian says in his articles (in public) unless they have thoroughly researched the subject matter (unless, of course, they want to poke fun at Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian).
For instance, one of my friends was confused as to which people built the Elmina Castle. I asked him to go to Wikipedia (where Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian plays. I remember my Global History professor telling the class not to go to Wikipedia for anything).
But that mistake on Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian was a minor (we all make them. Surprisingly, he always hides behind the word "oversight" when he is caught lying). The question is: What about his major errors and factual fabrications in all his articles (and childish arguments)?
This is why the likes of Prof. Lungu, you (Gorgortudor), Andy-K, myself, etc., read his hollow articles and try to straighten him up. It is for his own good and that of his ubsuspecting readers (like MINOR CASE. I am still waiting for a challenge I threw to MINOR CASE. HE HAS BEEN LYING ABOUT MOLEFI KETE ASANTE THOUGH I HAVE GIVEN HIM ALL THE REFERENCES AND CUT-AND-PASTE COMMENTARIES BY BOTH GATES/ASANTE. TO SAVE HIMSELF FROM FURTHER DISGRACE, I HAVE ASKED MINOR CASE JUST TO REPRODUCE THOSE COMMENTARIES. BUT HE RAN AWAY AND CAME BACK UNDER MONIKER, K DUAH, WITHOUT MY ANSWERS), that we do this.
It is sad what Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian is doing to himslef. Nearly all the examples from human history and contemporary facts are against. He can't get right what American middle- and high-school studens get right on Eli Whitney and his cotton gin.
And this is a man who says Paul Krugman's Nobel Prize in economics should have gone to him, or a man who says the one or two numbers he cites in his uninflormed articles are better than the vigorous data analysis (based on a 250-year-old data) Picketty performs in his best-selling book "Capital in the 21st Century"?
Which of Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian's article is a best-seller on Ghanaweb or Modernghanaweb? Is this man seeking validation on Ghanaweb? We need your diagnosis, Gorgortudor!
Thanks.
francis kwarteng 8 years ago
Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libetarian,
I forgot to mention. None of the articles you have written has anything to do with Nkrumah or Nkrumahism, but everything to do with your serious intellectual lapses and ideological cluelessne ... read full comment
Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libetarian,
I forgot to mention. None of the articles you have written has anything to do with Nkrumah or Nkrumahism, but everything to do with your serious intellectual lapses and ideological cluelessness.
Haven't you realized this already? A number of readers have directly and indirectly pointed this out to. Andy-K said your arguments are elementary. I have said your arguments are clueless and childish. Another has said you have some good high-school ideas...Need I say more?
Your Ghana has survived after your Danquahists tried unsuccessfully tried to destroy it. Your Ghana survives because Nkrumahism and Nkrumah never dies.
Let us see if you are going to outlive the Nkrumah name and legacy! Already you can't even have your basic global history facts right and here you are talking about Nkrumahism!
Shameless Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian. Hahahahaha...Get your high-school facts about Eli Whitney right and come back.
I can tell you all the handfull middle- high-school students I have tutored had the basic facts on what Eli Whitney's cotton gin did to slavery right. You on the other hand got it wrong.
Andy-K has already pointed that out to. You got it wrong when the facts all over the internet. Go back and re-read your high-school textbook on the subject.
Have a great week.
Thanks.
francis kwarteng 8 years ago
From Gorgortudor
I had resolved to not comment on PKB's intellectually shallow write-ups. Any half decent student of history, political economy and current world affairs can refute the infantile irrational non analytical v ... read full comment
From Gorgortudor
I had resolved to not comment on PKB's intellectually shallow write-ups. Any half decent student of history, political economy and current world affairs can refute the infantile irrational non analytical vomit he insists on spewing in this forum without breaking a sweat. Egya Kwarteng & Prof Lungu come to mind in this regard. However his sniveling sense of grievance which manifests in the gratuitous insult that lard his writing compelled my earlier comment. I am working on a satirical commentary on his losing battle with Master Kwarteng which will take the form of a newspaper report on prizefight. Stay tuned! GORGORDUTOR for the PEOPLE will rest till then!!
.......................................................................................................................................................
From Francis
Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian,
Hahahaha...Is that all you can say? I thought you had all the words in the world.
I mean all you can say is "desperate." Your psychiatrist gives you an excellent diagnosis and prognosis and all you can say is "desperate."
Are you in a state of confusion or suffering from intellectual bipolarity? Aren't you desperate yourself since you lost for words? I love Gorgortudor's diagnosis.
And you know he is better informed than you, right? Please go back and read some of his critiques which make your arguments look foolish. Unfortunately you stuck in that mud we call neocolonialism hogwash. Your childish articles are products of a neocolonialism hogwash mindset. Can't you see)
Hahahaha....
Thank him (Gorgortudor).
Samuel. Otchere 8 years ago
A civil libertarian with rather less civil language . Is it a media battle?
A civil libertarian with rather less civil language . Is it a media battle?
Philip Kobina Baidoo 8 years ago
Hello Mr Otchere, I do pride in that, however, I don't turn the other cheek when it comes to those whom I think should know better. I am not going to tolerate their insults and let them go unscathed. Thank you.
Hello Mr Otchere, I do pride in that, however, I don't turn the other cheek when it comes to those whom I think should know better. I am not going to tolerate their insults and let them go unscathed. Thank you.
MARCUS AMPADU 8 years ago
This back & forth between Mr. Baidoo Jr. & Mr Kwarteng and their easy to please acolytes is becoming a distraction to searching for solutions to Ghana's plethora of challenges.
The name calling, the blatant lies & insults, ... read full comment
This back & forth between Mr. Baidoo Jr. & Mr Kwarteng and their easy to please acolytes is becoming a distraction to searching for solutions to Ghana's plethora of challenges.
The name calling, the blatant lies & insults, not to mention the cowardly hijacking of one' monicker must end.
Truthfully, I don't find anything wrong with Capitalism, Socialism, Liberalism, Conservatism and other systematic set of ideas that attempt to guide a groups of people.
It is the people who are fallible, not the ideology per se. So....
Johnson Tunu (johnson.tunu@gmail.com) 8 years ago
Probably people who care for universal human rights should sympathize more with Obama's constrained attempt to bring these rights to more people, rather than buying into Republicans' disdain for any of his initiatives.
Probably people who care for universal human rights should sympathize more with Obama's constrained attempt to bring these rights to more people, rather than buying into Republicans' disdain for any of his initiatives.
Philip Kobina Baidoo 8 years ago
This is what you wrote sometime back,'As John K. Galbraith famously said, " It is a far, far better thing to have a firm anchor in nonsense than to put out on the troubled seas of thought." Mr. Baidoo the utter nonsense you h ... read full comment
This is what you wrote sometime back,'As John K. Galbraith famously said, " It is a far, far better thing to have a firm anchor in nonsense than to put out on the troubled seas of thought." Mr. Baidoo the utter nonsense you have shown by criticizing Rachel Carson, Paul Ehrlich, & John Galbraith have prevented you and your ilk from researching vigorously, and engaging in robust reflection on the works of these world renowned intellectuals.
Don't tell me you did all that to get to Kwarteng, just for disagreeing with his Nkrumahist views.' I repeat again as I have already opined in one of my earlier comments. You are just a hypocrite. And I am throwing the gauntlet again for you to write about your so called sustainability if you think you love Ghana more than I do.
MARCUS AMPADU 8 years ago
You do demean yourself with your constant insults. To tell you the truth: You earn F- for debating.
You do demean yourself with your constant insults. To tell you the truth: You earn F- for debating.
Philip Kobina Baidoo 8 years ago
Your problem is you want me to please you. You have to comprehend the fact that I don’t sit behind my computer to please a hypocrite like you.
Your problem is you want me to please you. You have to comprehend the fact that I don’t sit behind my computer to please a hypocrite like you.
G. K. Berko 8 years ago
What makes Marcus a hypocrite? You have just confirmed his charge that you are resorting to insulting needlessly all who express contrarian views to yours. That undermines your maturity and ostensible enlightenment.
Your ... read full comment
What makes Marcus a hypocrite? You have just confirmed his charge that you are resorting to insulting needlessly all who express contrarian views to yours. That undermines your maturity and ostensible enlightenment.
Your defense of Capitalism has been nothing more than an emotional spillover from your perception of some threat against the System by Kwarteng and others who have been suggesting that we re-assess it to fully understand its ultimate impact on our Society.
There is no pure Capitalist Nation in the World. Neither is there any Nation that is a complete Socialist. Not even Russia, or China or North Korea can make that claim of ideological purity. Many have rejected that Socialism be equated to Communism, and for sensible reasoning. However, for some like Baidoo, no such variation exists between the two. Nevertheless, in North Korea where the 'Animal Farm' concept plays out most, she cannot claim to be practicing Socialism. Political coercion that forces any Economic System on the People is not exclusive to Socialist systems either. Capitalism has its own way of Political imposition to ensure the expected outlook of the ruling class that claim to be its lords are always in effect, even if the interacting and underlying Economics demand different approaches.
The mere claim of such ideologies as part of a Nation's political identity is only a stubborn, in-your-face grand-standing to her obvious, political foes.
While the effects of each dose of Socialism or Capitalism in each Country's Economic System ensures a certain economic outlook with the prevalence of a set of characteristics, the intensity of those characteristics depends on underlying political freedoms.
We should be careful how we make outright claims of being a Capitalist or Socialist Nation. We would be boxing ourselves to a corner, restricted by the rigidity of our own folly to make needed adjustments for the optimum performance of the interacting factors.
So, for the most modern and honest assessment of contemporary effects of the principles of Capitalism or Socialism we employ, devoid of political coercion to force the System produce a preferred outlook, we need to be taking most seriously the Paul Krugmans and Richard Wolfes among us.
Its self-limiting to glue our thinking only to the Karl Marxs and Adam Smiths of the past, without pragmatic consideration of global social and economic vicissitudes.
Baidoo would use emotions to dismiss factually backed exposition of any negative effects of Capitalism on Societies of today, anywhere. That is what I strongly object about him. He must not use insults to intimidate folks from genuine intellectual debates to brainstorm for solutions to our predicament.
Long Live Ghana!!!
Philip Kobina Baidoo 8 years ago
Hello Mr Berko I thank you very much for your comment, and I also take it very seriously because I value your comments. To clear the air I will refer you to some of the post of Mr Ampadu on my Nkrumah series, at least, on ‘ ... read full comment
Hello Mr Berko I thank you very much for your comment, and I also take it very seriously because I value your comments. To clear the air I will refer you to some of the post of Mr Ampadu on my Nkrumah series, at least, on ‘war and capitalism (2) and Kenneth Galbraith’ if you really mean to find the truth. There are also a few ones on Mr Kwarteng’s write ups. My point is I did not just make that statement. And if you care to find further the truth about my strident attitude towards Mr Kwarteng just read his first three rebuttals and his commentaries on the first part of the series. I did start on a very bright note and went to the extent of even offering an olive branch and he threw it in my face. And you know what I don’t turn the other cheek to people that I expect to know better. And if you have been very careful to read my commentaries I do not insult anybody, even those who spill their guts on me. Those that I find them too offensive I just bite my tongue and move on. I have been having very civil exchanges with Mr Ampadu for a very long time since I began the series. However, every now and then he will throw in an incendiary remark, which I do well to swallow, because I know it is part of the occupational hazard. What I find very unprofessional about him is that he tries to be a referee, but he is not. He obviously gravitates towards the other camp then he comes to castigate me for using foul language in a tone that he appears to be playing a fair game. That is why I said he is a hypocrite. I have not used such language for those who even insult me unreservedly. I believe that if want to be hot be hot; don’t try to have it both ways. Thank you Mr Berko.
om 8 years ago
Many blacks are missing on purpose. They are using their merkaba and leaving here because this physical world belongs to whites. Blacks belong in the spiritual world and they're realizing they don't have to live here with e ... read full comment
Many blacks are missing on purpose. They are using their merkaba and leaving here because this physical world belongs to whites. Blacks belong in the spiritual world and they're realizing they don't have to live here with evil racist. Our eu melanin helped to prolong life on this sick planet. If every white person on earth killed every black person on earth they wouldn't survive one day with us gone because eu melanin is the unknown X, the balance regulator, the hormone, the molecule, the protein, the high carbon, the black holes and the dark matter that brings life to all plants, humans, animals and all things everywhere. Biologically, they can't live when we all leave. The soulless can't live in every dimension with us. Blacks are jumping to spiritual dimensions, now.
ra 8 years ago
Many blacks are missing on purpose. They are using their merkaba and leaving here because this physical world belongs to whites. Blacks belong in the spiritual world and they're realizing they don't have to live here with e ... read full comment
Many blacks are missing on purpose. They are using their merkaba and leaving here because this physical world belongs to whites. Blacks belong in the spiritual world and they're realizing they don't have to live here with evil racist. Our eu melanin helped to prolong life on this sick planet. If every white person on earth killed every black person on earth they wouldn't survive one day with us gone because eu melanin is the unknown X, the balance regulator, the hormone, the molecule, the protein, the high carbon, the black holes and the dark matter that brings life to all plants, humans, animals and all things everywhere. Biologically, they can't live when we all leave. The soulless can't live in every dimension with us. Blacks are jumping to spiritual dimensions, now.
Kwarteng is just a socialist dinosaur. I doubt whether he understands what he writes.
Karl Marx said Each according to his deeds, each according to his needs.Where does abuse of welfare come in and freeloading of the system? Crooks exist in both systems PKB write about how we can sort out the decrease incommod ...
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This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
The last sentence of the piece was truncated. It should have read, 'Other than that they should just shut up and enjoy the blessings of capitalism.' And I meant every word of it. I can only restore my respect when they tell m ...
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Philip Kobina Baidoo,
This is Prof Lungu getting to this essay this late.
Just found out about the egregious serial impersonations of our moniker.
That is not us!
Further, if this is Philip Kobina Baidoo of London ...
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This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
This dirty Ewe, Kojo T(amakloe) must shut up he is not better, he can't even write the simple word "understand"
Title: "The Real Welfare Queen is Uneducated, Single and White"
When the United States Department of Agriculture released their latest report on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Programpoverty (SNAP) their numbers we ...
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The paper whose contents we produce is an important document in that, in our opinion, it presents one of the best arguments we have read in a long time regarding the political economy of racism in America. It represents a ser ...
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The last sentence of the piece was truncated. It should have read, 'Other than that they should just shut up and enjoy the blessings of capitalism.' And I meant every word of it. I can only restore my respect when they tell m ...
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Fellas please reference my comment on part 4 of PKB INFANTILE VOMIT. IT APPLIES TO THIS LATEST NANTEIBINI
Dear Gorgortudor,
Hahahaha...infantile indeed.
Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian is as good as the high-school days of Paul Krugman, Thomas Picketty, Noam Chomsky...
One Ghanaweb commentator tells Mr. Oxymoron Civil Li ...
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Egya Kwarteng, akwaanu attempts to "perpetrate" like some great thinkman kruaa don't even pass the "pseudo intellect smell test " wey e dey borda mankind. I cringe for him frankly. But if he is goin to be bringin himself dats ...
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This Francis Kwarteng parades himself as an intellectual giant spewing garbage for the gullible to consume . He has no originality , all he does is lift the works of others in their entirety and paste them on the net for the ...
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MINOR CASE,
Can you name me one "intelligent" and well-informed reader who comes here to support Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian (apart from readers like you)? You have the same disease your Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian h ...
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Minor case has deflated your ego isn't it. He told you how superior Philip comes out in these your back and forth. Both you and Philip are arrogant, but Case really got under your skin.
K Duah,
Tell MINOR CASE I am still waiting for his response on Asante. Hahahahahaha...I said it. He is hiding under moniker rather than answering my questions. Where are my answers?
Also tell me to cite one single set ...
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Somebody is going to lose his mind. K Duah, this is what I will add to your comment.
Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian,
Haven't you got help already? Haven't Gorgortudor given you one already? Well, in case you missed it here it is (Tell your gullible poodle MINOR CASE that I am still waiting for him to repro ...
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You guys are desperate. If I were you I would have stopped reading what you and your ilk perceive as neo-colonialism hogwash. Yet, you can’t have enough of my nonsense, and you keep coming back for more. What an irony! It i ...
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Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian,
Oh yes, intelligent and well-informed commentators like Gorgortudor have to read in order to straighten you up and to re-educate your unsuspecting readership (eg MINOR CASE. Like you, he has ...
read full comment
Dear Gorgortudor,
Don't mind Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libertarian. He is merely behaving intellectually just like one of 15-year-old grandsons. We all know he is clueless and intellectually de-centered.
Anyway I just read yo ...
read full comment
Mr. Oxymoron Civil Libetarian,
I forgot to mention. None of the articles you have written has anything to do with Nkrumah or Nkrumahism, but everything to do with your serious intellectual lapses and ideological cluelessne ...
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From Gorgortudor
I had resolved to not comment on PKB's intellectually shallow write-ups. Any half decent student of history, political economy and current world affairs can refute the infantile irrational non analytical v ...
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A civil libertarian with rather less civil language . Is it a media battle?
Hello Mr Otchere, I do pride in that, however, I don't turn the other cheek when it comes to those whom I think should know better. I am not going to tolerate their insults and let them go unscathed. Thank you.
This back & forth between Mr. Baidoo Jr. & Mr Kwarteng and their easy to please acolytes is becoming a distraction to searching for solutions to Ghana's plethora of challenges.
The name calling, the blatant lies & insults, ...
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Probably people who care for universal human rights should sympathize more with Obama's constrained attempt to bring these rights to more people, rather than buying into Republicans' disdain for any of his initiatives.
This is what you wrote sometime back,'As John K. Galbraith famously said, " It is a far, far better thing to have a firm anchor in nonsense than to put out on the troubled seas of thought." Mr. Baidoo the utter nonsense you h ...
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You do demean yourself with your constant insults. To tell you the truth: You earn F- for debating.
Your problem is you want me to please you. You have to comprehend the fact that I don’t sit behind my computer to please a hypocrite like you.
What makes Marcus a hypocrite? You have just confirmed his charge that you are resorting to insulting needlessly all who express contrarian views to yours. That undermines your maturity and ostensible enlightenment.
Your ...
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Hello Mr Berko I thank you very much for your comment, and I also take it very seriously because I value your comments. To clear the air I will refer you to some of the post of Mr Ampadu on my Nkrumah series, at least, on ‘ ...
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Many blacks are missing on purpose. They are using their merkaba and leaving here because this physical world belongs to whites. Blacks belong in the spiritual world and they're realizing they don't have to live here with e ...
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Many blacks are missing on purpose. They are using their merkaba and leaving here because this physical world belongs to whites. Blacks belong in the spiritual world and they're realizing they don't have to live here with e ...
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