I guess this is as good a place as any to post my question. I recently had a discussion with an african american woman, (im a white guy), regarding the current state of the black community, especially how it's become so crime ridden and desolate. She stated that the welfare system started the decline due to the fact that when welfare came out, it was strictly for mothers and their children, and if there WAS a father involved, he had to "leave" or else welfare wouldnt be granted. In other words, welfare caused the abundance of "welfare queens" , "fathers" being absent, and how this trend still influences todays black youth leaving home at around 18 years old. Now if this is truly fact, I can remotely see how this policy would create the current situation, but everyone tends to see reality differently. Please, I dont want to hear from white power goofs, racists, etc, you can just keep to your sad fantasies. I'm just trying to become a better person and understand the social implications and/or reasons for social circumstances.