Do unto others

Nearly seven decades ago, in rural northwestern Pennsylvania, the incidence of African-Americans was rare. Then one day a black family moved into town and several new students appeared in our school. Them being a bit different, and us being a bit confused, we asked our mother about it. Reaching into her Presbyterian grab-bag, she sweetly told us to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Later, after joining the Marine Corps, I encountered a series of black non-coms and officers who demanded and deserved nothing but respect. Staff Sergeant Tolbert, our assistant DI, pummeled black and white recruits equally into the final product: United States Marines. Later, Master Sergeant Sims, a bulky, black, former professional wrestler, with a wonderful sense of humor but a deep knowledge of what was right, kept us in line.

All this in the late 1960s, not long after the Civil Rights movement began. We were taught that there were no black Marines, no white Marines, only green Marines. The Marine Corps was light years ahead.

And back in the civilian world, in later years, there were many black friends, and colleagues, and neighbors. Trusted and respected.

No, not everyone’s experience was like that. There still remain pockets of vicious racism, particularly evident in anonymous comments posted on the internet. (Anonymous posters are oh-so-courageous).

But indeed things are changing.  African Americans are increasingly successful in a wide range of endeavors. It is not at all unusual to see successful black CEOs, politicians, scientists, doctors, astronauts, and entrepreneurs. And generals and airline pilots, and famous actors and entertainers, and sports heroes and judges. We are no longer surprised to see blacks serving in any of society’s roles.

Another important sign – mixed marriages have become common. More importantly, the acceptance of such marriages has skyrocketed. Dr. Elwood Watson, a professor of African-American studies, describes a Gallup poll from 2014. While in 1958 only 4% of white Americans supported interracial marriage, that has now risen to “overwhelmingly supportive at 84 percent.” And for younger folks 18-29 years old, the support is nearly unanimous at 96%.

So with all this good news, what explains the ongoing national uproar concerning blacks and the police?

Are blacks targeted by police? Are they more likely to be shot and killed than whites?

A surprising study by Roland G. Fryer, a black economist at Harvard, finds an unlikely answer. According to the New York Times:

“A new study confirms that black men and women are treated differently in the hands of law enforcement. They are more likely to be touched, handcuffed, pushed to the ground or pepper-sprayed by a police officer, even after accounting for how, where and when they encounter the police.

But when it comes to the most lethal form of force — police shootings — the study finds no racial bias.”

To anyone who has been paying attention these last few years, that is a shocker.  As Dr. Fryer said, “It is the most surprising result of my career.”

We are left with a problem here. The study finds no bias in shootings, but it does find different treatment in less lethal contact. How to square this circle – why are the officers treating blacks differently? Is it purely racism or is there something else at work?

One possible explanation might be found in the FBI crime statistics as reported by the Washington Post. In the years 2004-2013, 930 police officers were killed by black offenders and 1,180 by whites.  While that seems to offer roughly equal odds for a police officer to meet death at the hands of any offender, it must be adjusted for population. After doing so, we find that the officer is nearly 4 times more likely to be killed by an individual black assailant than a white one.

Further, FBI arrest statistics reveal that blacks are arrested for serious felonies at a rate 2.6 times that of whites. While some of those arrests may result from bias, it is indicative of a very serious crime problem in the black community. (We need only read the weekly body count from Chicago to get a sense of that).

A fair reading of the numbers reveals that officers have more to fear from interacting with black subjects, and a much higher opportunity for such interactions. This is an untenable situation.

We as a society have let down our black brothers and sisters horribly. By not addressing the serious crime issue in black urban communities, we have sentenced them to lives of victimhood, stress, fear, and economic deprivation. And, of course, elevated police scrutiny.

Only by understanding root causes can we effect change. And it is a moral imperative to do so.

On taxes and budgets - our social compact

The fundamental responsibility of state government is to provide a social infrastructure for its citizens. This is accomplished by raising funds via taxation and fees and then developing a spending plan to accomplish these goals.

A budget represents the priorities of the citizenry and includes various expenditures such as health and welfare, public education, judiciary and regulation, administration and finance, public safety, and transportation.

(This column is full of numbers and percentages and rankings. But this is what impacts your pocketbook and provides the services you demand. So pour a cup of coffee and settle in).

It is interesting to compare the spending by the various states (FY2015 – last year all data available).

Of the New England states, Vermont finds it necessary to devote over $9,200 per person while New Hampshire gets along fine spending less than half of that.

                                                Per Capita           National

                                                Spending             Rank

Vermont                                  $9,265                  11

Rhode Island                          $8,426                  13

Maine                                     $6,244                   21

Connecticut                            $5,681                   24

Massachusetts                       $5,372                   29

New Hampshire                     $4,284                   44

Rhode Island, while feeling that it can spend less per citizen than Vermont, is still well above the national average of $6,900. Massachusetts, on the other hand, is a decent bargain at 29^th place nationwide.

One of the brilliant features of our system of federated republics is that the states act as a “laboratory of democracy”. We can see what works and what doesn’t, learning from the best and avoiding the worst. (This is why all Federal mandates have a built-in negative consequence – eliminating the competition of ideas in that particular policy arena).

Vermont and New Hampshire have nearly the same area, though New Hampshire has twice the population. Despite the disparity in per capita spending, Vermont and New Hampshire both have high school graduation rates of 91% (excellent, by the way). They both rank moderately high in happiness, 13^th and 16^th respectively. And they both have a high life expectancy of over 80 years.

In terms of total tax burden, Vermont ranks 12^th nationwide with a burden of 11% while New Hampshire comes in 49^th at 8.5%. (Massachusetts is, again, quite frugal at 9.6%, ranking 40^th).

Vermont and New Hampshire, while at opposite ends of the spending spectrum, yield very similar quality of life results. There are likely some lessons to be gleaned here.

Rhode Island is another case. Its per capita spending is very high, ranking 13^th in the nation. It also comes in 6^th in total taxation with a rate of 11.6%. So what are the citizens of Little Rhody getting for their high tax and spend regimen?

Life expectancy is 79.9 years, only a touch below the New England leaders. But the happiness index ranks 41^st nationwide, a poor showing in exchange for profligate spending. The average public wage is $56 thousand, the highest in the region, but the home ownership rate is the lowest at 57%. And worse, the high school graduation rate of 84% is the poorest in New England. It seems that if Rhode Island wants to attract new businesses and skilled employees, they’ve got a bit of work to do.

Finally, in spite of a past legacy and reputation as “Taxachusetts,” Massachusetts is doing a solid job of fiscal management for her citizenry. Taxes are relatively low (as previously noted) and quality of life indicators are good. Life expectancy is over 80 years, happiness ranks 9^th nationwide, and the high school graduation rate is over 89%. While there is always room for improvement, these are respectable results.

What can you do, dear citizen, to determine how your money is spent? Just two things: inform yourself and vote. You would be joining a very small club of those who do both.