Vision Circle

A better argument the GOP could make is that when you only sell your vote to one party, you do not get as much in return. The party that prides itself on free-wheeling capitalism (sort of) should emphasize that competition for a group's votes gives said group much more leverage and a lot fewer Sista Soljah moments.

You're right: Bush is a big-government conservative. Not ideal, but I'll take it over big-government liberalism. At least with mortgage and business loans, you pay them back with interest. That doesn't qualify as a handout, like big-government liberalism.

What's far sillier to me is Kerry talking to a group of middle-class blacks about any of his handout initiatives, as though all blacks are poor and on welfare when 76% ain't poor.

What's far sillier to me is Kerry talking to a group of middle-class blacks about any of his handout initiatives, as though all blacks are poor and on welfare when 76% ain't poor.

Correct.

I read an article yesterday discussing his campaign. He was rightly criticized for doing that.

That doesn't qualify as a handout, like big-government liberalism.

True, but there are good economic reasons to be against federal loans. Some time ago I read a CATO study that showed that everytime the FHA loan limit is raised, the FHA default rate increases. While I think it's best for people to own their homes, so that they have a greater sense of community and responsibility for the community, I have reservations with subsidizing the costs needed to get into a home. Home buying involves more than the mortgage, there's upkeep which is a major expense.

I sold my first home to a family that needed 3 family members on the loan to qualify. I checked the hoursing tax records and they defaulted on their loan after 2 years.

Now my two bits.
First, as to the notion of Blacks being too dependent on government handouts. Isn't the mortgage interest deducted for ownin a home, literally a handout? Are blacks the only ones getting them? Price support/subsidies for farm commoditites. Aren't these "handouts" from the Government? Doesn't this foster noncompetiveness in "global" markets? Quotas limiting foreign steel imports. Is this addressed specifically for Blacks? I mean, why pick on us? There are plenty targets to go around.
Also, Blacks are getting more SBA loans.Reason: Because, I hate to say it, but thanks to the Bush admin changing the criteria for who qualifies to get them resulatantly Blacks maybe getting more loans. Now, one has to document their less than able circumstances for "under representation in getting businessloans" must have occurred here in the US, and not in India, Brazil,or China, as examples.
I guest the point is, why is it so bad for Blacks to feed at the government trough? It, seemingly, is not an issue for everyone else but us.In fact, most seem to relished it.
Hmmmmm?
GDAWG

Like the quarterback on a football team, a President gets the bulk of the credit for positive economic developments and the lion's share of the blame for negative ones. The issue here is identifying specific policies that were targeted for improving economic standards of Blacks by the administration rather than rationalizing ex post facto a halo effect.

The growth trends in home ownership and SBA funding have (at best) a distant correlation to Bush-related policies. Just about every economic indicator for Blacks was trending positive over time prior to his administration. I'm not sure the 2001 tax cut has been a boon to the majority of Blacks as is commonly portrayed. The unemployment rate for Af-Ams has increased slightly into double digits under this administration; the number of bankruptcies has also increased. The Fed's dropping interest rates to all-time lows has done more to facilitate home sales than any initiative advocated by the executive branch. I'm sure the increase in SBA loans is rooted in the same explanation.

The myriad of tax cuts are government subsidies though, designed to placate the general public's sense of income entitlement. A handout's a handout.

Thank you!
GDAWG

Ideally, I wouldn't do any of this mortgage and business loan stuff. If Americans' taxes were lower and many government services shuttled to private charity where they belong, then more Americans could afford to capitalize on their own. What we need is a more libertarian fiscal policy.

Sending government services to private institutions would be akin to funding nasa through bake sales.