Thirty Six to One (Blacks are Asleep at the Wheel)

No, it's not a lopsided sports score. It's not odds in Las Vegas. It's the number of people shot on Father's Day weekend in Chicago. Seven were killed and 12 were wounded Sunday night. At least three were killed by police. This is significant because this upcoming week is also the start of the George Zimmerman trial, the man accused of murdering Trayvon Martin. Now I don't know how many of those people shot were Black or how many of the shooters were Black because those statistics aren't available yet. However, knowing history as I do, I can assume that a good number of them were. The point I'm making is this, Why as Black people are we not as outraged when that many of us are killed on a given weekend as we are with the one person killed by George Zimmerman? Don't misunderstand, what he did to Martin was wrong, and we should be outraged; however, we should not take the casual killing of Black people by Black people as being just yesterday's news. I say we are asleep at the wheel because as Black people we have a lot to be concerned about. Unemployment among Black people is twice the national average. Blacks lost most of their wealth during the real estate crisis, our neighborhoods are not recovering like those in other areas,and even though there is a Black President, we have less representation in Washington, not to mention the gutting of the Voting Rights Act by reversing Section 4. It seems the Supreme Court is more concerned with gay marriage than the voting rights of Black people. We are rapidly moving forward to the past. As the older Blacks struggle, our young people can't seem to see past rap music and the culture depicted on BET. Guess what? other groups are pushing their political agendas while we stand still. Look around. The gays are now a political force. The Mexicans (who now outnumber Blacks in America have an agenda. Washington isn't pushing immigration because they want to. They see Mexicans as a voting block to be courted and they know they can make a difference. Mexicans also have the jobs that Blacks used to have. Forget about what Paula Dean is saying because we're all being called the n word by someone, some place, sometime. As I watched the 50th anniversary of the march on Washington, I can't help but think that as we struggle for jobs, equal employment, voting rights, and other legislation for the benefit of Black people, we must must also learn to tame the enemy within. Believe me, this is what will ultimately destroy us.

Bankruptcy Works Only When They Want it To "It's the Law"

Be careful when you file for bankruptcy. Many times the creditors wait for you to complete the program and then they come after you again. Case in point: I filed and included some personal property taxes and supposedly they were written off. As soon as I completed my chapter 13 and tried to go and get tags for my car, they said hold on you still owe five years of back taxes. If you live in Kansas City, Mo and have ever dealt with any of the city personnel you know rude the women are in the assessors office. They treat you like dirt and they enjoy it. Anyway, I was sent to a women's desk in the back who proceeded to tell me that "You still owe these back taxes." I tried to explain that I had taken care of them in my Chapter 13. She got up, gave me a dirty look, and then disappeared into the back. After 20 minutes she reappeared and said, "You still owe these taxes! and if you have any questions contact our attorney." After that, she made it clear that she didn't have anything more to say to me or in other words get out! So I called the attorney and asked why I still owed the taxes. She said "You didn't file the declarations on time for the years in question, so they aren't eligible to be discharged in your chapter 13." I promptly said, "Yes I did." To which she replied "Well prove it to me." I told her I would contact my attorney to which she replied,"That's fine they know the law." If you've ever sent in your declaration, you know you just mark the vehicles you own and send it back. I don't ever remember getting a receipt or acknowledgement saying that they had received it. Have you? Knowing that I had actually sent in the declarations. I contacted my attorney, who acted as if he had never met me before, and was told, "If you didn't file them, there's nothing we can do for you." When my wife said, but that's not right! she answered, "Well, there's right, there's wrong, and then there's what's legal it's your word against hers, who do think the judge will believe?" Then we were promptly shown the door again. I thought it was very obvious that only the declarations missing were the ones concerning the years in question. Also, that it was just that simple for her to say "you didn't file on time" She knows that no one can prove something like that. I believe she just waited for me to be discharged to come after me for the taxes in question. I was told once before by my attorney that people didn't like to see a "person like me" beat the system. So basically they knew all along that this could happen, hence the cold shoulder when I went to them for help. So now I got back taxes to pay and I'm wondering who else will come after me with some legal way of making me pay for bills that were supposedly discharged. I was going to say, if and when you ever decide to file bankruptcy, find an attorney you can trust. Since there is no such thing, do as much research as you can concerning the process, the bills you include, what can happen after you complete the plan, and everything else you can think of. Believe me, you have no friends downtown. They all they all know each other and they all work together. They could care less about you. If you happen to be a Black person, you know it's an "Obama thing." All the people in power in this city hate him. They can't get to him, but they will get us. I've known many white people who file for bankruptcy and the plan include millions of dollars. But a Black person won't be getting away with anything. I know that no one cares about this, after all I'm not some conservative political group who hates the President and feels I've been abused by the IRS. What I am saying is the fact that we have a Black President (who by the way hasn't done a damn thing for any Black people) is the reason so many of us are being abused by State and local powers in the mid west. This includes police officers who issue "Obama tickets" to the companies that won't hire Blacks which adds to our unemployment rate being double the national rate. I'm saying this to say, be diligent in everything because there is hate every where out there.

The Right to Work "For Less"

Republican Missouri legislators are continuing the assault on the middle class. The Missouri General Assembly recently introduced legislation to cap the state’s minimum wage. The House gave preliminary approval to a measure preventing the state’s minimum wage from exceeding the federal minimum. Currently, the state minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is tied to the cost of living, so that it increases along with rising consumer prices. Also, a Republican Senator is pushing a bill to make Missouri a “Right to Work” state. They say the legislation is about jobs. They feel that these laws are needed because without them, some corporations will hesitate to move to Missouri. These businesses want nothing to do with a state where employees have unions and bargaining power and where they would be required to pay a sustainable living wage and offer some benefits for employees. This conservative majority in states like Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin are determined to balance their state’s budget by taking more from middle class workers.. After all, someone has to pay for those fat tax breaks they gave the wealthy. Thankfully, Missouri has a Democratic Governor who has said he would veto such a measure.

Actually the term “Right to Work” is misleading. It is intended to imply that an individual has the right to work without participating in a union, thereby able to cross picket lines, not pay union dues, and not be bound by any bargaining unit. It also implies that having a job is a fundamental right and that nothing should be able to interfere with an individual’s right to earn a living and support his or her family. Well, that sounds good however; in reality, it is the employers who have the rights. For instance, they have the right to work you for less pay. They can terminate you at will with no recourse. They have the right to pay little or nothing towards an employee’s health insurance, and with the right administration at the helm, the right to disregard regulations concerning safety and the environment, and if all else fails, the right to ship jobs overseas so they can get their goods produced at a fraction of the cost that an American worker will want.

The Right to Bargain

The right for employees to bargain is just as important now as it was when unions were first formed. These rights protect employees from abuse by companies that put their profits above anything. Before labor unions were formed, employers literally owned their workers. They could be made to work as many hours a week as the company demanded. They might get paid, they might not. They could be forced to work in any type of conditions with no benefits at all. When they were paid, it was certainly a wage that barely provided a living.



When Bargaining Rights are Taken Away

When you look at countries like India and China, where workers have no rights, there will always be two classes, the rich and the poor. There is no middle class. The union busting law that was recently enacted in Wisconsin is seeking to balance the state’s budget on the backs of its middle class citizens. It’s still unknown just how much the elimination of the collective bargaining of state employees will save Wisconsin. The fact is, if Wisconsin’s governor had not given corporations and the wealthy tax breaks, that states budget probably would not be in crisis mode. Ironically, Wisconsin was the first state to grant collective bargaining to government workers and teachers in 1959.


The Real Cause of Economic Disparity

America is still the richest country in the world so why are we in such dire straits? The answer is greed and the fact that there is no way to rescue the economy when the majority of the money is in the hands of billionaires who run the corporations. That type of power controls not only the economy but governments as well. Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor under President Clinton, came to that conclusion when he addressed the disparity and the true cause of the economic situation in America. He blamed years of tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations including the Bush tax cuts, the revised estate tax, and other breaks for private equity and hedge fund managers including billions for oil companies for the state of the current federal and state budgets.


What the Future Holds

Imagine this. One day, there will be no President or Congress. They won’t be needed because corporations outwardly control society where the average American has just enough income to function. You are barely making a living, your employer has power over you. He determines what you eat, where and how you live, and can make sure you never miss a day of work because you can’t afford to lose the money. You’ll probably go to work sick from time to time because you have no health insurance and can’t afford to buy any. Many of the jobs that have been lost during this recession are not going to return. Employers have learned that if they have ten employees, they can lay off five and make the other five do the same work because it’s an employer’s market. Technology and a global economy have forever changed the job market. Corporations have been sitting on mounds of cash for several months making excuses as to why they can’t hire. The economy, health care, President Obama, and so on. Actually, they were waiting for the Republican majority to get back in power. Now that they have the best government that money can buy, they want to create jobs, but on their own terms, hence the union busting, attacks on minimum wage, and any thing else that concerns the middle class. So let’s stop kidding around with the useless elections every two and four years and bring out the real power brokers so everyone can see who’s really in charge.

Repressive Businesses, You're Next!

Ever one is taking note of the revolution that occurred in Cairo, Egypt last week and several other regimes in the area are worried. Rightly so. When people get fed up there's no turning back, no fear, no more worrying about the consequences. Suddenly what's normal is so far from reality, it's like waking up from a dream and trying to remember what you were so afraid of.

People are fed up not just in the middle east but everywhere. It's not only with just governments that repress but with those businesses that continually take advantage of people. Prices are rising on everything and there's talk about $5.00 a gallon gas coming soon.

My question is, when will the people stand up to these oil companies and say we've had enough! How greedy can one company be? And these wall street speculators who help run the price up so they can continue to get those huge bonuses each year. Are we going to wait until they totally eliminate the middle class in this country and it's too late to say anything? I'm tired of spending close to one hundred dollars a week just to get to work. Before long, our home energy and gasoline costs will consume close to ninety percent of our income. How will we eat then?

Big oil has already spoiled vast tracts of the environment. They have billions and billions of dollars and more power in this country that most people really know. There are excuses galore as to why they continually have to raise the price: there's a war, there's a rumor of war, OPEC, speculation, and the most mentioned one, the shortage. Which is most cases is brought about by an oil spill, as if that is our fault, or a straight out lie. Make no mistake about it, the 20 billion that BP had to give to the people in Louisiana will be paid back by all of us. Our electric and gas companies need new plants (which we pay for) and a rate increase ever year.

So energy companies gauge us at the pump, continually raise our home energy costs, destroy the environment, and they are driving the middle class broke. I wonder how high can gasoline go, 8,9,10 dollars a gallon? What happens when the greed catches up and no one is buying it or able to buy it? For the short term they'll probably raise it to $5 or near that and then lower it to $4 and we are all supposed to think, “what a great deal we're getting” One day people in America will take to the streets and demand that these energy companies stop this robbery. Like the people in Egypt we've taken it for so long it seems normal, something that can't be changed or dealt with. Believe me, it can and should be.

Reading is a Lifeline for Black Students

I was listening the other day about the test scores of children in China. They were higher than anything in America and around the world. People here are worried that Asian kids will dominate the business world in the coming decades and that America's kids won't be able to compete and sustain. I agree with that concensus however; there is more to it than that. What about Black kids? If America is worried that White kids are falling behind and won't be competing on a global scale, what about the kids who are behind now? If Black kids are not reading they certainly are not excelling in the math, science, and technical areas. If you are not smart enough to understand what this scenerio means for the future of our kids, something is wrong.

What the Reading Room is About and Why You Need To Know

The Reading Room is going to deal with the situation surrounding Black children and their reading level. Recent surveys have shown that only 12 percent of Black kids can comprehend reading and math on a level that will enable them to compete in the emerging workplace. Twelve percent. Compare that to 48 percent for Latinos, 80 percent for Whites and 90's for Asians.

If this situation is not dealt with, Black people will be shut out of the future workplace not to mention the emerging technolgical advances. When our kids can repeat every word of some rap song, but our seniors are graduating and can't read on a senior level, someone's priorities are all wrong.

We have to stop blaming the teachers, the schools, the government, and anyone else we can point a finger at. If your child comes home without any school books and you don't question it, who's fault is that? If your child spends all his or her time watching television or listening to music who's fault is that? I think you know.