PrinceMax wrote:
I don't agree that the deck is stacked against anyone in the U.S. People make horrible decisions and then compound them by making even worse decisions. If you graduate high school, don't have a baby until you're an adult and don't commit criminal acts your chances of living in poverty are extremely slim. There are plenty of non white groups doing exceedingly well in this country. East Indian, Asian etc. So it's not skin color that's holding people back.
Since I started this thread with an example of state constitutionally mandated form of racial discrimination (arguably one example of deck stacking) and 40% of a ballot supporting this position 17 years ago, would you accept that some might not believe repeal of this specific instance removed the last piece of institutional bias against minorities (chose your flavor) from our books and that we're not yet to the place where "just work harder" will rise everyone out of poverty? I'm not asking you to agree with that position, but just acknowledge how a logical personal might not be able to automatically agree with yours?.
Edit (add): Pulling back the stick to the poverty piece (regardless of color), my wife and I were discussing this as I made her lunch this morning. She immediately brought up the fact that a lot of her clients on Section 8 housing (government subsidized) have wanted to go to college (think local community / vocational training, not big nationally recognized state schools) but won't because they would lose their Section 8 eligibility. Don't want to dis-rail the conversation on the pro/cons of that particular policy (both sides of the argument I can see merit in), but it is another example of a how some of her clients feel they have to decide between housing and education (upward mobility) re: institutional bias potentially deterring improvements in the life of poverty populations.