God, I got caught up in the beginning of one of those things when I was in Philly. I was in a mall, and all of a sudden there's this wall of kids running all in the same direction. I stepped into a shop so I wouldn't get knocked over (I was pregnant) and watched them run by. It didn't get wild until they'd left the area I was in. It was one of the milder ones... pushing, shoving, knocking over displays and racks, but even that didn't happen right where I was. I was lucky.

But even just seeing the wall of running people was a little freaky.

Is parenting something that can be taught to teens and adults? If you don't have good parent role models when you're little, how likely is it that you can develop the skills when you're older? If your "normal" is of a totally messed-up family, could parenting classes help in middle school or high school or whenever you get pregnant? Or is the brain circuitry just not there?

I don't think Mayor Nutter scolding the parents of Philly is going to do much. What's the solution?

And if anyone comes on and says, "The solution is for every parent to suddenly start acting like a good parent"... yeah. OK. -REALISTICALLY- how can that happen? What would need to be done?

Great question NicoleK. My parents were horrible but my brother is a great dad. I think your family being poor and staying poor for generations plays a big part. Also while my parents were bad, they were clean, educated and responsible with their jobs. They made sure to pay the rent. My mom also fed me really healthy meals and I know food in kids affects behavior (IQ points for example).

A lot of these parents just don't understand these basic foundations i.e. you have to feed your kids vegetables, pay rent, move up financially etc.

Am I a horrible person to think that if a white mayor had given this speech, he'd be blasted for being "racist", regardless of whether or not it's true?

I am also of the opinion that even though I find they Mayors speech to be more than true, it's not going to do much good. Unfortinately, it's this same government that he's a part of that created this sense of entitlement and laziness that runs rampant in these communities. You can't undo that damage overnight with some passionate words. Only drastic measures will force change but no one in these positions has the guts to do it. So, I won't hold my breathe on this one.

Deer Mayor Nutter,

How have the policies you and your party champion affected the lower-class black family?

Fifty years ago, this wasn't an issue. Big Daddy Government has displaced the father, who no longer sees upside in marriage or commitment mostly because he just can't compete.

It is a little late to be complaining about fathers failing to act like fathers after you bumped them out so long ago.

Awesome speech. Too bad it's too little, too late.

But one of the big problems is what IRA Darth Aggie said, Big Daddy Government. When AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children, basically welfare) started in the, what was it, early/mid/late 60s?, it was supposed to be temporary help families get back on their feet. Then people discovered they could game the system and not ever have to go back to work, as long as they kept pumping out babies, and not naming the father. There's obviously more to it than just that, and the whole AFDC thing could have been a good idea, except that its purpose was corrupted by the very people it was supposed to help. THAT is what needs to be fixed.

Nutter has his decent moments, but I'm surprised that the City Journal article downplayed his anti-first amendment antics.

I have to agree with Sabrina, a white mayor would be crucified, by th pc police.Even this has been said many ims. I think I liked Bill Cosbys speech the best. He got flack on it for it being heard by white America. Because it might be used to end the free stuff train. Even Nutter will get some flack for it, too much idea of never blame the 'victim' even if it is the victims fault.

However, not much will get done it is still a very PC speech. Tons of blame on men and Fathers and barely a whisper on mothers being responsible. Yelling at the men won't change things if it is the way women want it or like it.

The solution is two fold.

End welfare

Make interfering with visitation subject to the same penalties as not paying child support

My mom has this story she likes to tell.

She left my dad when I was about 5 and my sister was 3, took us from Salt Lake City to her sisters place in Costa Mesa, CA via greyhound. Within 3 days had a job working nights cleaning an LA high rise medical plaza. She worked nights while we slept at her sisters house, was home to see us off to school, and left just after dinner to go to work.

On her first night at work durring her lunch break someone was watching Donahue, he was interviewing a woman who was complaining that the welfare she was being given wasnt nearly enough, and cheap as the drive thru was she never had enough money to reach the end of the month.

Asked why she didnt get a job she explained she had to be home to care for her babies. Her babies being a 19yr old and a 17yr old about to graduate high school and turn 18.

This was thirty years ago.

Things have only gotten worse. And yes she was black

@Sabrina: No, because what you say is exactly true. If anyone but a black dares to criticize the black community, they are immediately branded "racist". It doesn't matter whether or not their criticisms are correct.

@NicoleK: That is, indeed, the question. How do you fix a deeply embedded cultural problem? Before trying to address this, do note that any possible solution will require generations. There can be no quick fix.

Now, how to do it: Any possible solution requires motivation of the people whose behavior you want to change. How do you motivate them? One of the easiest and most obvious ways is through money.

Here's a possible suggestion. The problem is biggest in the poor, urban regions, where a lot of the population is on welfare. So: no increment in welfare for children where both biological parents are not contributing to the child's welfare.

Typical situation: The kid is living with the mother, and the baby-daddy is long gone. In order to get welfare for the child, the father must be identified, and must pay child-support. If the mother doesn't know who the father is, or if he refuses to pay support, tough: perhaps she should have thought harder about having a child with him.

If someone doesn't like my suggestion, fine, then come up with a better one. The only requirement is that it *must* provide a real, direct incentive to move in the direction of fathers taking a role in raising their children.

a_random_guy: It seems your solution would encourage women to name anyone just to have a name to give, whether or not she actually believes him to be the father. Then either the state (i.e., the taxpayers) or the hapless man would be on the hook for the cost of the DNA test required to prove otherwise.

We're missing the point by trying to solve the problem through the welfare system itself. People aren't on welfare because it offers fabulous riches. They're on welfare due to a variety of cultural reasons that aren't strictly related to more-kids-more-dollars. We'd do better to go after those causes.

You don't see educated women with career potential having lots of children with deadbeat baby daddies. And when they do make that mistake, they can generally care for those kids themselves, at least financially. If there are any changes at all to be made in welfare, it should be in encouraging job training and the use of birth control. Making desperate people even more desperate isn't going to end well. We need to help people acquire marketable skills.

Twenty percent of the people on welfare are on it for more than 5 years. We need to be targeting that 20 percent.

The comments at that article seem more telling than the article itself.

Twenty percent of the people on welfare are on it for more than 5 years. We need to be targeting that 20 percent. -- MonicaP at May 23, 2013 12:15 PM

I agree with that sentiment.

I personally think that a person on welfare should be required to show up at a combination community center/work hall/job center 95% of the time they are receiving benefits. If there are that are pre-school age the come too. So you make the welfare parents job getting to the community center. The community center has free child care and takes money off the food stamp/EBT cards for all meals served. The staff of the kitchen and day care comes from the welfare recipients.

Essentially, you make the welfare recipient's job to be responsible. There will always be some exceptions, but you can give the mentally disabled a bus pass and get them to show up at 9AM every day to sort baubles. Why shouldn't an adult be held to that minimum standard?