Good Intentions 1of3 Introduction and Public Schools with Walter Williams

Walter Williams’ PBS documentary Good Intentions based on his book, The State Against Blacks (1982). The documentary was very controversial at the time it was released and led to many animosities and even threats of murder. In Good Intentions, Dr. Williams examines the failure of the war on poverty and the devastating effect of well meaning government policies on blacks asserting that the state harms people in the US more than it helps them. He shows how government anti-poverty programs have often locked people into poverty making the points that: – being forced to attend 3rd rate public schools leave students unprepared for working life – minimum wages prevent young people from obtaining jobs at an early age – licensing and labor laws have had the effect of restricting entrance of blacks into the skilled trades and unions – the welfare system creates perverse incentives for the poor to make bad choices they otherwise would not Dr. Williams presents the following solutions to these problems: Failing Public Schools – Give parents greater control over their children’s education by setting up a tuition tax credit or voucher system to broaden competition in turn revitalizing both public and non-public schools Minimum Wages – Remove the minimum wage from youngsters to give more young people the chance to learn the world of work at an early age instead spending their free time idle an possibly falling into the habits of the street Restrictive Labor Laws, Jobs Programs …