David Webb: How conservative solutions can help a community rebuild #Ferguson

What happened in Ferguson, Mo., was a criminal event hijacked into a race narrative. 

When the grand jury verdict in the Michael Brown shooting was announced and the riots that followed subsided, the police went back to their eight-hour shifts and the cleanup of the burned and looted businesses began. 

These businesses, as one owner stated to me, were killed, just not buried. Sadly, some may never be rebuilt. 

{mosads}It’s not just the cleanup of racially divisive reaction and rhetoric that is needed but cleanup and rebuilding needed in Ferguson as a community. In a town of more than 21,000, several hundred bad actors and outright criminals allowed outside agitators — from anarchists, socialists, pro-Palestine groups and union-backed entities to race and poverty pimps like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrakhan et al. — to hijack a lawful shooting by a law enforcement officer for a bigger progressive and anti-American purpose. 

Conservatism can guide the community in the aftermath of this tragedy. 

Conservatism is a political philosophy based on tradition, social stability and established institutions, and one that prefers gradual development over abrupt change. Conservatives believe in lower taxes, not no taxes; in limited government regulation, not no government regulation of business; in a strong national defense, not isolationism; and in individual financial responsibility. Conservatism is a dominant factor in why America is a successful nation. Many may choose to reject the label “conservative or conservatism,” but cannot reject the results of solid conservative ideas. History has proven this. 

There are three areas where conservative principles can be applied to provide solutions post-Ferguson.

Family: The single-parent birth rate is an American epidemic, a fast track to poverty that has created a failed generation. To fix this, the family structure must be rebuilt and reinforced in every possible positive way. Strong mentors and blended families are needed where the stable two-parent dynamic does not exist. This in turn helps better the chance for a good education for every child. 

Education: Without an education, every American’s future is in doubt, especially when added to the existing bad economy. In 2007, Ferguson had an unemployment rate of around 5 percent. Now, with the added loss of businesses and jobs, it sits closer to 12 percent — as a conservative estimate. In the black community, youth unemployment is at 40 percent on average. In the adult black community, official unemployment sits at 11.1 percent. In a town that is 64 percent black, this is a tragedy, and these are people, not numbers. 

Fixing broken schools requires choice, not just failed public schools. I saw a private school less than a mile from W. Florissant, the scene of the original crime by Brown and the riots. Imagine the choice of a child who has the talent to get into that private school. There are a plethora of choice alternatives to be used. 

Economic redevelopment: As a fiscal conservative, I recognize the value of short-term public investment to spark a community’s resurgence. This can be done with short-term subsidies, tax breaks and public-private partnerships. Done responsibly by the city of St. Louis and the state of Missouri, this approach can help looted, burned, economically harmed businesses in Ferguson rebuild. This can reinvigorate economic participation, especially for the many who are bound to their local community for a variety of reasons, and will help rebuild the tax base going forward. Careful oversight is needed. This is taxpayer money being used. 

I was there, in Ferguson. After the news satellite trucks had left the now well-known Target parking lot there, I went back with the Hannity team from Fox News. I stood there amid the tear gas and gunshots during the rioting post-verdict, sparked in part by the statement by Brown’s stepfather, Louis Head — “If I get up there, I’m gonna start a riot” — and subsequent shouts of “burn this shit down” and “burn this bitch down.” We covered this fairly, and I am very proud of our body of work. We didn’t choose a side or try to predetermine an outcome. We took politics out of it as much as possible, while recognizing that we cannot ignore it altogether. 

Was Ferguson sacrificed? This is a good question for Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon. We may never know for sure, but that the question exists should trouble us all. 

Webb is host of “The David Webb Show” on SiriusXM Patriot 125, a Fox News contributor and has appeared frequently on television as a commentator. Webb co-founded TeaParty365 in New York City, and is a spokesman for the National Tea Party Federation. His column will appear twice a month in The Hill.