Victims. Yes. I believe thatths is a big part they have been at it for somee time. To plate paid to blacks primarily as victims defined by their victimization first and foremost and that we have a government with the Great Society was that a success . If you look at the actual track record and the goals and what was stated at the time its a failure. And by that i mean the black war. If they have not significantly improved. But you talk about historically black colleges who was mason and why is he important in terms of trying to merge historically black colleges and use of diversities that were forced out quex. Since the Civil Rights Act and more integration because black students had options from the 20th century with those historically black colleges. So schools are struggling our stay viable economically and with higher of education and those and this has been resisted by some to maintain their independence. So mason was pushing. Are they still relevant if they are producing the results they should maintain that. And they are kept afloat primarily through federal dollars. And if a school is failing then it should close it doesnt matter if its all lack and the value added in recent decades is where they do an excellent job to educate kids in engineering with a preponderance so i do think they do so with that vital purpose with Higher Education but thats not to say all of them are performing that duty at the same level. This is a cover story and one of those headlines calling the longest war your reaction . There is a tendency to view black history at large in america is a history of what whites have done to the blacks. There are various reasons why various groups once to keep that alive but i dont know any reasonable person who would say otherwise and to see america vanquished. But i do think black history is more than that and the more relevant question what can be done in the face in the past in the face of racism. That is the relevant story to tell today and my fear is that by perpetuating the notion itsua all about racism it sends the wrong message to the next generation. And the police are out to get you. And with that set of message are not helping that child. I have experienced racism i have been called names i have been pulled over by police for no reason that i couldes understand. What happened washington dc and where were you quex. I was doing an internship in the early nineties interning at usa today and i was on the sports desk we didnt leave work so it was quite late at night and i was driving to and from my uncles house where i was staying in usa today headquarters in my car had new york plates that i was driving in dc and driving home after midnight i see sirens blaring in the police pull mee over and order me out of the car at gunpoint and they said i fit the description of somebody they were after. What were you thinking . I was terrified. I remember getting back into the car after i left because they were gone as quickly as they came after they realized i wasnt the right person and just sitting in my car shaking. I rememberr i couldnt get it out of gear because my hand wasi shaking. It was terrifying. Three black men 16 years old 36 years ago convicted of a murder they did not commit they were just released from jail. What does that tell you about americas criminal Justice System . You would be hardpressed to find a black person of my age who has not experienced. I think the criminal Justice System is an improvement that may be my father or grandfather experience in this country. But its still not perfect. But to take these examples with these exceptions to say the reason criminal Justice System has evolved. I dont have the evidence for that and often times we had discussions with prisons and jails but we dont talk about the racial makeup of people who perpetrate crime. And to have one discussion without the other. As imperfect as the system is. I still think there are behavioral differences that lead to some being over representative and others underrepresented. Host one title is please stop helping us. That was a look back at the Great Society program put in place under Linda Johnson expanded under nixon. I wanted to say what is the track record . These were put in place to help the black poor in particular. Welfare, housing, expansion of minimum wage. What has worked and what hasnt and why. That is what i was attempting to do with the book my second book the false black power book is about the track record using political power that essentially is the strategy of the Civil Rights Movement with economics we need to get her own people in place but if we look back by the early eighties we have major cities and those that have black mayors. In addition black police chief and School Superintendents look at the track record of area barry or the 19 nineties under these black regimes there even more impoverished. So thats a very good one. Did so to engage in the political process and the white police chief and congressmen but to say that connection we were told it is essential between black political power that is not proven to be as strong as people hoped it would be. Have they helped or hurt africanamericans quex. By a large they hurt it away what the underprivileged need of any Staff Development that has to occur its not a political solution they are cultural changes that need to take place they are referred to as Human Capital that inhabit the need to develop in america. And to the extent a Government Program it does more harm than good. And then to interfere with that selfdevelopment. Etperson or a groups work ethic will not improve if they think the government will take care of them you cannot replace the father in the home without government check if you have a system in place if you have an additional child we will send you more money. You can imagine the perverse perverse incentives we corrected some of this in the 19 nineties but not entirely. A regular contributor from the wall street journal. That was a book written about immigration. And the person at the paper got a new position and asked if i wanted to take ove the beat. Im not the child of immigrants but and studying history is fascinating and as you write about it for so long. And writing editorials for the newspaper i expand on the arguments the editorial page has made about immigration over the deck grades is very pro immigration editorial page which sometimes upsets conservatives in particular but its interesting what happened with that debate because the immigration view on the right in the trump era is very different from what it used to be. We always had the isolationist protectionist strain on the right going back to the view of the 19 nineties. But the dominant view on the right reagan was extremely pro immigrant emplaced amnesty in fact george w. Bush and his daughter were very pro immigrant and the republican nominees like mccain or robbie were still far more pro immigrant than you had and donald trump. This is a newhi development on the right with faction and has never been dominance over in a new era. Should the rules be any different for immigrant versus refugee quex. Yes. There are two different groups traditionally have been taught and considered these day they are more conflated but the people generally will tell you somebody was forced out of their country and would rather be back home and will behave someone that willingly leaves to start a new life in a new place. So what im writing primarily are economic immigrants and not book and the case that i make we would do better to put them in guest worker programs orth other programs with supply and demand to determine the level of immigration right now made by politicians or policymakers who try to think of the needs of the economy will fill this demand but that just doesnt work soviet style Central Planning thats with document fraud Illegal Immigrants that are in the country i think we would be better to put in place Market Mechanisms to allow us to regulate. Your current book quex. And intellectual biography thomas it was based at the Hoover Institution i have known a little bit over the years and whose books and writing had a huge impact on me in college its a project im looking forward to. How do you define your ideology . I guess i define myself as a freemarket individual somebody that believes Smaller Government is the waygo to go. Someone that believes in individual freedom. The silver Rights Movement has become an industry by who . In name . Th for everyone from individuals like al sharpton and Jesse Jackson to like the naacp may have effectively monetized blacked one black victimization in different groups have done it for Different Reasons. I thank you are a Civil Rights Organization like the naacp its not in your interest to acknowledge things have improved for black i people and that what youre trying to do is youre trying to stay relevant if youre an organization like black lives matter you want to raise money so you will play up certain aspects of whats going on out there on the racial front whether or not they are relevant you will play that up because its in your interest to do so. We were talking earlier about the victimization that democrats in black democrats in particular used to be reelected. So there are different incentives but its part of an industry. Because again that does not serve their purpose they want to stay relevant or raise reelected so they will keep ray stand victimization front and center debate whether or not its relevant. Where do you do most of your thinking and writing quex. At home. I have a home office. Are you selfdiscipline to do that quex. Disciplined enough ive been in office for more than two decades it took a little adjustment but i find it more productive now. J said miley book tv in depth but first lets ask about your father your parents separated when you were young but your father was in your life as a child. Yes. It made a big difference he was a role model my mother was very religious and we attended church two or three times a week and the congregation was full of black men who took care of their families and dressed a certain way and spoken behave a certainbe way. I was very fortunate. I grew up around solid role models and it made a big difference. Today part of the problem the noblack underclass faces that stability of the lack of role models in the community or the home given the high illegitimacy rates its a problem. Born and raised in buffalo. And from yonkers new york welcome to book tv. Hello. S,e republicans especially black republicans why have a failed history politically . So what do democrats think . Actually with voter suppression. May be 60 million blacks but no we dont have power to the black. You should have me on the radio discussing this. So im asking you to go through history because when i ran for the house in florida as a republican when Jackie Robinson was my hero for Martin Luther king and we are called racist especially me. Thats terrible. In fact i asked them what democrat help the schools in the south. But one of the first objections i could go on forever and thats what you should be teaching. Thank you. I would agreeth with the caller there is a lot black history that doesnt get a lot of attention from Civil Rights Organizations of black politicians because again it doesnt serve their personal interest what has to do with whats going on in the black community in between the end of slavery and the beginning of the modern day Civil Rights Movement in the fifties and sixties the progress is remarkable with widespread racism in this country. And these are the days of jim crow look at the rates leaving poverty and educating themselves this is a period of tremendous progress that actually slowed after the civil rights legislation passed the decades that followed the that legislation we saw many trends either slow down or stall or even reverse course. It doesnt get a lot of intention right that poor blacks especially in the absence of government was schemes of affirmative action. Why scheme quex. Its half a century now we have a lot of naturalists that we can look back on and see if in fact these programs were effective. Back in 1996 the university of california system ander did racebased affirmative action with admissions throughout the entire system and what we saw after that took place is the number of black graduates from the university off california go up by 50 percent hispanics increased by more than 50 percent so programs put in place to help increase and expand the rights in practice was resulting in fewer black doctors or lawyers or architects or social workers in the absence of the policy. We dont have to guess or speculate we can look at the track record of these programs that have been in place over thee years. Welcome to the conversation. Good afternoon im a big fan of yours i have been reading human the new york post. I agree with everything you say but it doesnt make a adifference when you have the mentality to be the victim or you are comfortable with the victim the Democratic Party their favorite word is racist or racism too many people are attracted to that it is about feelings and emotions and thats what the Democratic Party is banking on. They say fax dont give a damn about your feelings no matter what you say or what i believe no matter what. I didnt vote for trump but i will 2020. Im starting to see it but when you have been told you have been told. We dont need that. Chgeit will never change the Democratic Party thats that they are banking on. I promise you. Police shootings or something likeg that in black folks will get their feelings and emotions up and vote democrat i didnt vote for trump but im voting for him now because like youia said what if you got to lose . Look at the facts of unemployment and employment but it doesnt make a difference. You know what im talking about. Is not going to change. I appreciate the call. I think he makes a lot of excellent points the strategy of the democrats and hes right. It is a tough road to hoe. At the democrats have been very effective at pushing victim mentality and Government Programs as a solution. In so it is very difficult to change minds out there. The caller but he does make excellent points. So if the restriction list misist they will hear but to take care of the magnetic program so why do they talked disproportionately to benefits of the poor quex. Thats one question i often ask my friends on thehe right who see immigration as a problem. The idea that immigrants arelf coming here is just not borne out by the facts. But we can look at the situation we have today. We have 15 Million People in the country but yet you have unemployment rates at a 50 year low. The wall street journalil reported one. 2 million more Jobs Available for people looking for work. We have a labor shortage in this country notwithstanding the fact we have 15 Million People herewe illegally. So again the other argument is they put downward pressure on wages but i cannot tell you how often others that say jason as a black person you should be especially wary of these folks coming because they are going after jobs that are held by a lot of blacks. And again what does that situation say we are at generational lows and wages have been rising for the people at the low end of the pay scale more than management immigrants are coming here and stealing jobs wheres the evidence. You write about Jesse Jackson that 50 years ago he was fighting jim crow today your fighting relevance. G absolutely. The civil rights what you see now is a search for relevance even among the activist groups with their pushing for or where they want the emphasis placed within the black community is at odds with the reality its hard to know where toto begin of the previous callers mentioned Police Shootings any shooting is tragic whether happening by police or anyone else but is at the problem today . We are here in new york one of the few places that is kept detailed records of Police Shootings going all the way back to the earlyly seventies and in 1971 the police in new york had 300 people the most recent stats from a couple years ago show that is down to around a dozen. Thats a 90 percent reduction in Police Shooting fatalities and we havent activist movement out there based on some sort of academic one epidemic of Police Shootings new york is not the outlier. It can make up 2 percent going on there are bad cops root them out to somebody breaks the law to hold that position of authority they should face the penalty but the idea thats what we should be emphasizing folks responsible for 2 percent of the shootings it is completely ridiculous. So you write we must begin that blacks are responsible for astonishingly disproportionate number of crimes the past halfcentury. Blacks are responsible with over 12 or 13 percent of the population that we have to speak honestly about. And to have the racial makeup of the prison system these have nothing to do with one another. And if we want to reduce the number of people we have to do something but that we need an honest conversation we dont have that. Look at the poverty rate what of those are africanamericans quex. They are three times higher but i will say among married blacks they are in the Single Digits and have been 25 years so the idea again the poverty rate again is at odds with the facts. Nobody will notot discriminate against you if you are black because youre married so look at the totality of the situation is that a function of ra