Mitch, You know that the left can't think that far in advance. There are a variety of more plausible reasons the left will not address illegitimacy in any population.

First, if you say anything that is bad about a minority it is a hate crime, regardless if it is true.

Second, the real solutions to out of wedlock births involves a religious term, marriage. No one in the left can even imagine any solution that would even tangentially involve religion.

Also, to say that 83% of Indians and 78% of blacks are doing something wrong is judgement and unsupportive of their culture. It's us whites that don't understand that illegitimate births is just a cultural issue.

Mitch:"I've always wondered why unwed parenthood - an economic and social drag on all of society, but especially the hispanic, black, and (above all) Native American communities, is so "hands-off" to the left and the media?

I've wondered why the right can't offer any solution other than mariage (along with its fantastic 50% sucess rate amongst the non-economically impoverished) to what you rightfully refer to as a serious economic problem. Not to mention many/most on the right feel it would be wrong to address this issue by doing more comprehensive sex-ed or providing contraceptives even though this would attempt to address the problem at an earlier point in these people's lives.

I think marriage can be a good solution for some but it is not the silver bullet (especially given the arrest rates among many poor males in some demographic groups). Nor is there one. People on both sides need to be more comprehensive and pragmatic in general when discussing racial discrepancies.

"First, if you say anything that is bad about a minority it is a hate crime, regardless if it is true."

I'll bite. Would you care to illustrate with an actual argument that people make. For example stating that blacks statistically have more out of wedlock births is valid. However that is substantially different than stating that those statistical results exist DUE TO race. That type of argument implies racial based moral, social, etc. deficiencies that simply don't exist when you control for income, family structure, etc. That latter is the type of sloppy argument that the left is and should be critical of.

"Also, to say that 83% of Indians and 78% of blacks are doing something wrong is judgement and unsupportive of their culture. "

There are likely better variables to study. Especially if you want to avoid useless statements like "78% of blacks are doing something wrong" (useless in the sense that they are not presciptive, nor are they precisely representing the statistics or facts) Much of the discrepency may be a function of birthrates amongst people (all races) in different socio-economic categories such as income or educational attainment. We would need more information.

Tracy-you've got it right. Nick, you're spooning out the same old crap. WHY?!

Blacks in the early through mid-twentieth century had much lower rates of unmarried births than nowadays. They got married and had children much like whites did. What happened? Welfare.

Two things have conspired to produce the horrific (and it is) rate of illegitimacy. Falling moral values and state support in the form of welfare. That sex-ed canard is so frickin' old it's enough to make me scream. The more education "the children" have gotten the worse it's become. Can you deny that?! You open your mouth and the liberal crap just flows. Blah, blah, blah blah blah.

And I do think there is a cultural angle to all this...at one time minorities aspired to be more like the mainstream culture. They have been convinced that their "native culture" is probably better for them (more noble, more grounded with the earth or whatever) and where has that gotten them? Unemployment, alcholism, beautiful, wonderful little children born with fetal alcohol syndrome and neglect. And the blacks seem to want to emulate what their African ancestors had going for them (well, many still do...): lots of young wives and lots of sex. It sounds racist, but I think it's true. Look flashy, sport your wealth on your body (or teeth) and get laid plenty. Who cares who takes care of the resultant pregnancies...

Colleen,

Wow, what a way to maintain a high level of discourse! I'm not even sure you were arguing against what I wrote or what you imagined I wrote.

Let's just assume for a moment you are right and the problem is moral values and welfare. What exactly are you proposing to do about it? Start a government program to promote marriage or moral values? Change the welfare rules? If so how would you avoid even graver consequences for the children whose parents are ill equipped for a drastic change? I'm not arguing we/society/government need to make everything fair just that the outcome of drastic changes often have unforseen consequences.

Colleen,

Wow, what a way to maintain a high level of discourse! I'm not even sure you were arguing against what I wrote or what you imagined I wrote.

Let's just assume for a moment you are right and the problem is moral values and welfare. What exactly are you proposing to do about it? Start a government program to promote marriage or moral values? Change the welfare rules? If so how would you avoid even graver consequences for the children whose parents are ill equipped for a drastic change? I'm not arguing we/society/government need to make everything fair just that the outcome of drastic changes often have unforseen consequences.

I'm sure you won't like these suggestions Nick, but: How about we quit glorifying sex to children? Oops...that's censorship in some way I'm sure. How about we sterilize women who have say, three kids already that have either been removed from custody numerous times...or killed by the mother...or the mother's boyfriends have killed them...or they witness or are victims of physical and sexual abuse by drunken visitors, etc. etc. etc. No that would be mean...to the "mothers". No more babies. Now you work like the rest of civilization to support yourself. You don't get free college, free apartment, etc. JUST BECAUSE you had sex and a baby resulted. The bad things that happen to the children in these circumstances are happening despite governmental "help", so I think that when the "parent" finds that no one is going to make life for her or her kids "easier" she might think a little bit harder about acting somewhat responsible. Or take the kids away immediately and adopt them out. Or orphanages. Not foster care...that apparently is many times a money-making scheme as well with poor care or more abuse thrown in. Liberals have turned this country into a big mess with all this. Please admit it has NOT GONE WELL since the Great Society was begun.

Colleen - Sounds like you are suggesting some extremely intrusive governmental intervention to say the least.

If these problems were easily solved they wouldn't exist.