I can't tell you why some Americans ... some of whom were African Americans ... fell sway to the siren song of the welfare state ... any more than I can tell you why some Americans still believe in leftist political nostrums ... and listen to leftist proselytisers ... despite the fact that leftism has been proven a resounding and devastating failure throughout the world.

You may not be old enough to remember ... but the War On Poverty began as an effort ... ultimately a disatrous one ... to help the alleged poor starving masses of "Appalachia" ... once known as hillbillies ... of the states from Virginia to Tennessee ... nearly all of whom were "white" ...

... and spread thereafter to a more national and urban clientele.

In any case ... the entire welfare state ... from handouts to housing to "jobs" programs to the abject surrender of personal liberty ... was ... and still is ... a complete disaster for anyone who partook of it. The Americans who shunned it ... became much more suuccessful and prosperous than the ones who embraced it.

Now here's another question for you ... do you share my anti-war sentiments ... that is ... anit-war on poverty and anti-war on drugs? And if not .. can you explain what the "exit strategy" is for these two "wars"?