There are many gaps between African Americans and other groups. But did you know...

• 72% of whites say that they are happy with their lives, compared with only 56% of blacks! [1]

Huh? In this land of opportunity—unique in human history for its prosperity, its class-mobility, and its overall freedom—why is it that just slightly more than half of 40 million people can claim satisfaction with their lives?

Is it that the nation still suffers from a general, person-to-person racism? Or, are there policies in place that have a negative effect on the lives of African Americans? And if there are such policies, who made them?

• Only 50% of blacks say that school makes them happy, compared to 80% of whites. [2]

• Even after controlling for socioeconomic and single-parent home factors, African-Americans are outscored in public school testing on every single grade level. [3]

But when these same African-American kids are placed into private schools, the gap narrows significantly. [4]

It is clear from these data that the public schools are failing to do right by black children. And yet, certain forces are doing everything they can to make sure that no one can escape these failing schools.

Without a good education, it is hard to get a good job to sustain a family and a healthy, happy, middle-class lifestyle. This makes it more likely for people to turn to drugs and crime, for money or for comfort. It also creates an income gap. According to the Boston Globe...

• In 2004, a typical black family had an income 58 percent of a typical white family's. In 1974, median black incomes were 63 percent of those of whites. [5]

Actually, everyone's incomes have been rising in America, but the income of blacks has been rising slower over the last 30 years. Think about that for a moment: In the decades since segregation ended, the income gap between blacks and whites has actually grown. How could something like that happen? Shouldn't things be getting better?

For 40 years, African Americans have given the Democratic Party their trust and their votes. Most big city mayors are Democrats. So are most city councils. Democrats have disproportionate power over black lives.

—The teachers unions give almost all of their political donations to the Democrats. In return, the Democrats continue to block school choice initiatives that would let black parents take their kids out of failing schools.

—Instead of rooting drugs out of the community, Democrats argue for lighter sentencing for crack dealers.

—Four decades of Democrat-created welfare policies have replaced black fathers with Uncle Sam, wreaking havoc on the black family and driving an ever-growing wedge between black men and women.

This is what four decades of political allegiance brings?

Maybe it's time to ask if there's another way...

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