Project 21: New Visions

  Inequality Within by B.B. Robinson, Ph.D. (bio) An Obama presidency does not expunge the issue of inequality in America. Whether one is concerned with issues such as income or wealth inequality, the differences between white and black Americans as groups remains stark. For example, a November 2007 report by the Brookings Institution noted that, while incomes of both black and white families rose over the past few decades, the rise has been less for blacks.  This continuing income disparity, it was charged, is made worse by the large number of black single-parent households and other factors that can create ...
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  Obama Can Protect or Destroy Marriage by Niger Innis (bio) President Barack Obama's personal triumph over the generational legacy of black broken homes has the power - by virtue of example - to heal and strengthen marriage in America. But the nation's first black president could allow great harm to be inflicted upon the future of marriage by aligning himself with those who falsely invoke the legacy of "civil rights" to radically redefine marriage. An emboldened, radical congressional leadership and its allies in the media are pushing President Obama to help repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) ...
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Lifestyles of the Spendthrift and Infamous by Ak'Bar A. Shabazz (bio) In 1996, Bill Clinton declared an end to big government.  He was premature. Our nation is now recklessly casting aside personal responsibility, limited government and a free market that has not failed us throughout our history.  And there's no reason why our current economic woes should cause us to cast them aside. A philosophy, however, is emerging that government exists to either strengthen one's position or pay for one's mishaps. Ronald Reagan, our nation's last great president, saw a direct correlation between government expansion and a loss of liberty.  ...
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  Eric Holder is the Coward - And an Embarrassment by Lisa Fritsch (bio) Here we go again. Another black liberal elitist - this time, Attorney General Eric Holder - is telling Americans they aren't living up to his standards. What's the problem this time?  "[W]e, average Americans," Holder said at a recent Black History Month lecture, "simply do not talk enough with each other about race."  Holder, who is black, calls America "a nation of cowards" on racial matters. Excuse me, but aren't Holder's concerns a bit misplaced? For a black man who just became the nation's top legal ...
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  True Peace in the Middle East by Ak'Bar A. Shabazz (bio) It seems the longer hostilities between Israel and Hamas militants controlling the Gaza Strip drag on, the more public opinion will turn against Israel.  Too many Palestinian civilians are hurt and dead. Shock and awe over civilian casualties is exactly what Hamas wants, which unfairly penalizes Israel for actions for which both sides deserve blame.  Hamas seems to find the propaganda value of civilian deaths as strategically important as their supply of rockets and bullets. While Europeans gets lathered up over Middle East unrest, Americans tend to yawn.  ...
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Obama's Wrong Way of Doing Things Right by Mychal Massie (bio) During his campaign, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama cast then-President George W. Bush as doing everything wrong.  So, what will President Obama do right? If his first steps are any indication - not much.  A successful presidency does not come from taking classroom theory on failed political systems and saying "I can make it work." On his second day in office, for example, Obama called for Israel to open its border with Gaza.  He wants a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians.  A noble idea, albeit Pollyanna.  He seems ...
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White House Health Care Reform: It's a Matter of Trust by Murdock "Doc" Gibbs (bio) The following is my reply to an unsolicited e-mail I received from David Alexrod, President Obama's senior advisor.  Axelrod's letter, which was recently received - unsolicited - by many Americans, asked me to help promote the President's health care agenda: Dear Mr. Axelrod, Thank you for your letter encouraging me to support President Obama's plan to fundamentally restructure the way Americans obtain their health care. Because you and President Obama seem to have no qualms whatsoever about building yet another big government bureaucracy and increasing ...
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Throughout the Bible, there are passages suggesting that much is expected from those to whom much is given. One of the greatest gifts God has given his people on earth is the gift of good health.  Like all gifts, however, competent stewardship is required. Stewardship of health is normally one's own responsibility.  In the case of the aged, that responsibility often falls to others.  Grown sons and daughters are finding themselves in a role-reversal as they are required to make medical and other decisions for their elderly parents. Until recently, old age was synonymous with chronic illnesses and infirmity.  Today, ...
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In the summer of 2008, police in Washington, D.C. set up military-style checkpoints to stop vehicles without a "legitimate purpose" from entering the city's Trinidad neighborhood.  It was a bold attempt to stop the murders and violent crimes plaguing the area. During next year's inauguration of Barack Obama, that same police force is already warning it will not be able to provide adequate protection to revelers taking advantage of extended drinking hours at bars and nightclubs throughout the city. In 2002, when Shelley Parker discovered the Capitol Hill home she had recently bought was located on a block where men ...
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As the year ends, so will the seasons of most high school football teams.  Both the victorious and vanquished will move on to other things. For many senior players, it is likely to be the last time they play organized sports.  According to the NCAA, just over five percent of high school football players will play in college, and even fewer will end up playing professionally. What happens to those kids who didn't prepare for this reality?  What is the fate of the countless young men and women who will never play sports again?  How can they be kept from ...
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In bailing out American automakers, Congress is essentially using taxpayer money to cover for bad business decisions. After years of mediocrity in the industry that seemed to come to a head in a recent series of angry congressional hearings, executives say they have seen the light and will mend their ways. Initial bailout money is slated to come from the Department of Energy.  Congressional Democrats want the money to come from the $700 billion previously allocated to save American financial institutions.  The White House wants separate bailouts. Why not merge the bailouts?  As is common in mergers, aspects of both ...
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National rules for bankruptcy were overhauled by federal legislation in 2005. The new law means that bankruptcy is no longer a guaranteed path to a fresh start and relief from heavy financial burdens.  To declare bankruptcy, one must now meet more rigorous standards to prove one's inability to deal with debt and wipe one's slate clean.  There are even stricter guidelines covering confirmed victims of identity theft.  This reform was widely recognized as a victory for banks, credit card companies and even vehicle manufacturers (who often finance what they sell) because it guaranteed lenders a far greater return because debtors ...
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As the nation waits with great anticipation for President-Elect Barack Obama to begin unveiling his policies for rescuing our economy and managing our two wars, the real indicator of his presidential success may be how well he handles his most ardent supporters. While Americans may have voted for "change," the Pandora's Box of extreme political interests supporting Obama's candidacy could end up shocking many of his supporters. In 2004, Eli Pariser of the leftist MoveOn.org said of the Democratic Party: "Now it's our party.  We bought it, we own it and we're going to take it back."  Obama's rise to ...
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Barack Obama's election is a capstone on black Americans' struggle for equality. While isolated racial intolerance can be expected to continue, Obama's electoral landslide and victory in majority-white states such as Iowa and southern states such as Virginia put to rest concerns about a so-called "Bradley effect," in which whites allegedly publicly support - but secretly vote against - black candidates. President-elect Obama's life story is also a tribute to our nation's greatness and endless opportunity.  In few other nations could a fatherless, racial minority of modest means rise to the most powerful position in the world. There is a ...
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It was around 11:30 pm on election night - after electoral vote counting put Senator Barack Obama over the top and guaranteed him the presidency - when I received a phone call from a dear friend. Normally one of the most stoic people I know, my friend was obviously in tears and seemed to be quivering with excitement about the Obama victory.  While not a registered Democrat, she kept telling me: "We won.  I can't believe we won." As a black conservative who did not simply vote my race and who never supported the Obama candidacy, I went to bed ...
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Failing schools, crime and single-parent households are just a few of the challenges facing urban communities.  Now, thanks to "Club Green" - radical environmentalists and their supporters - soaring energy prices join the list. Club Green fights against oil exploration in Alaska and off our coasts.  A moratorium on offshore drilling was removed from a temporary spending bill, ending a 26-year ban on new leases at the end of September.  While a hit to Club Green, House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-WI) points out this boon to domestic energy production could be fleeting.  Obey told reporters, "This next election ...
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Anyone believing "you can't have it both ways" doesn't know Reverend Jesse Jackson. Jackson has flip-flopped on important issues, finding alleged civil rights justifications on both sides.  While politically advantageous to Jackson, the practice leaves him with a troubling legacy Before he developed presidential ambitions, the pro-life movement had an ally in Jackson.  In 1977, Jackson wrote in Right to Life News: "The question of 'life' is The Question of the 20th century."  He further wrote that "life is the highest human good because life is sacred," asserting that abortion is fundamentally immoral. In that same article, Jackson pointed out ...
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This legendary black congressman suffered from allegations about misusing his position as a powerful committee chairman.  Questions arose about his travel habits and a seaside property.  His displays of wealth ill-represented his poor Harlem constituency. Is it Charles Rangel, the embattled current chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee?  No, but it's close.  It's Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. - the man Rangel defeated in 1970. Four decades later, Rangel is experiencing uncanny parallels to situations that destroyed Powell's congressional career.  Despite the ignominious circumstances of Powell's forced retirement, he remains fondly remembered for his civil rights work and his ...
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Isn't it rich when something that was drilled into your head when you were a child starts making perfect sense? For me, it was Proverbs 4:7 - "Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting, get understanding." During the current economic crisis, this advice is especially relevant. Black Americans appear to have been disproportionately affected by the subprime loan crisis.  Consider that,  according to a study by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, subprime mortgage loans were more prevalent than prime loans among blacks in 98.5 percent of 331 metropolitan areas surveyed in 2003. Why were ...
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Take out a coin and flip it in the air five times. Unless it's a trick coin, there will be an uneven number of heads or tails.  Is the coin - and the government that minted it - biased? Of course they aren't.  It's a game of chance.      In Buffalo, however, there are charges that the New York Lottery is cheating the poor and minorities.  Those making the charges are not concerned about gambling, but that the most popular games aren't paying enough. Rather than condemning gambling, complainers want the games to be more enticing to make things right. Like ...
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