Critical Summary

Robert J. Samuelson, a freelance writer for “Newsweek” magazine believes that the present welfare system needs to be abolished for certain age groups, and that as a result, teenage pregnancy is on the rise. Either this writer is desperate or he just does not care what he writes about. I believe that Samuelson’s article displays non conclusive data for his facts, financial flaws, and severe racial issues, but what really infuriate me is that he believes that abolishing welfare is the solution to eliminating teenage pregnancy and “Newsweek” magazine really printed this article.

Samuelson focuses on the black family from the beginning of his article by giving statistics that are non conclusive. He states that “A young black child now has only a one-in-five chance of growing up with two parents.”(43) How does he know this? He is not giving any supporting information on this at all to make me believe that it is accurate and factual information. Nevertheless, in making comparisons, he should have given the chances for whites and supported his research better. I am not saying that this information is incorrect, but what I am implying is that I could have believed it if I would have been able to see it for myself. Samuelson also used information from Leon Dash, a black reporter for the “Washington Post” in his article. First of all, Dash is a black man giving his insight on living in the black community for a year to understand teenage pregnancy. Samuelson is a white man viewing Dash’s conclusion in his own words to make his story look good. This is irrelevant and Samuelson should have gone to live in the black community to do his own research instead of giving his overall conclusion on Dash’s research.

Samuelson believes that financial hardship is basically the problem, but of course I disagree. He states “In 1991, median family income for black married couples was $33,000; for a single mother,

median income was $11,400.”(43) This is another case of not having supporting information as well as non comparisons to white’s income. Yes, you do need money to provide for your family, but does not having a lot of money really mean that your kids will be unsuccessful? No, money does not dictate how successful kids are. Let’s look at my family for example: my mother was a single parent and she did not have a lot of money, but my brother and I are very successful. My brother has graduated from college and owns a business. I am retired from the military, and about to graduate from college. My family is living proof that not having a lot of money does not make kids unsuccessful. Samuelson goes on to say “loss of well paying factory jobs for black men” (43) is also a problem. He is really getting it twisted! What makes him think that the only good jobs that black men have are factory jobs? I believe that he is focusing on what he believes and not what is substantial information. Many black men have their own businesses, good jobs and degrees. If he would have done his research the way he should have, he would not have put that statement in his article, but because he is focusing on the negative issues blacks face he decided