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Author Topic:   the new and improved obama thread
macaroniandcheese 
Suspended Member (Idle past 3928 days)
Posts: 4258
Joined: 05-24-2004


Message 31 of 237 (446392)
01-06-2008 2:00 AM
Reply to: Message 30 by Hyroglyphx
01-06-2008 12:35 AM


Re: Bashing Huckabee
It sounds more like you are bashing black people, speaking about them as if they were inferior beings who need pampering.
when you don't have a response, call me a racist. good job.
Is underclass wage issues a uniquely "black issue?" Is education access a uniquely "black" issue? Is an urban development problem a uniquely "black" issue?
no. underclass issues are underclass issues. but when the underclass isn't hugely black, then discuss racism with me.
Holy cow, why don't you just come out and say that black people are stupid, why don't you, who will only make it in society if you walk them through life?
what i'm suggesting is that they have been systematically disadvantaged by society. why don't you do some reading. read this book and then talk to me about handholding.
Does Huckabee need to cater specifically to a demographic
no, but what does he have that will actually benefit underclass people? are you aware of the extent of poverty in black america? lets look at this.
http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/p60-229.pdf
page 12
per capita income in 2004 in dollars for whites
234,077
median income in 2004 in dollars for whites
23,848
per capita income in 2004 in dollars for blacks
36,546
median income in 2004 in dollars for blacks
16,035
the poverty lines for 2004 are listed here
Computations for the 2004 Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines for the 48 Contiguous States and the District of Columbia | ASPE
1 person
$9,310
2
12,490
3
15,670
4
18,850
here's the reality. people are still actively discriminating against blacks. in south florida, there is a systematic policy of "urban beautification". that is, forcing black people out of the homes they've owned for years, tearing them down, and building fancy, expensive condos and shopping centers for rich white people.
the reality is that people are suffering because of things that are being done to them on purpose. the solutions have to be just as purposeful. it's not nice to think about, but unless you've spent much time on the other side of the tracks, you really can't understand it. it's not about pampering, it's about providing real opportunity. do you have any idea how underfunded inner-city schools are? do you have any idea how hard it is to find good teachers willing to work there? do you even begin to comprehend how hard it is to stay in school and get a sufficient education when your family needs you to work because they can't afford the transportation to get a good job outside the ghetto? do you even begin to comprehend what happens when your girlfriend gets pregnant because she can't afford and doesn't have access to health care and you can't afford the abortion and no one would adopt the baby while you've had to drop out of school to work for your family? it's not pampering. it's about real opportunity. these people don't have access to healthcare. they don't have access to good jobs. they don't have access to good education. they don't have access to safe housing. they don't have access to the law.
yes, there are rich black people. yes, there are middle class black people. but do you see that median income? you know what median means? all the rich black people and all the middle class black people don't get the median income out of the range of poverty.
Edited by brennakimi, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 30 by Hyroglyphx, posted 01-06-2008 12:35 AM Hyroglyphx has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 32 by arachnophilia, posted 01-06-2008 2:04 AM macaroniandcheese has replied
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arachnophilia
Member (Idle past 1344 days)
Posts: 9069
From: god's waiting room
Joined: 05-21-2004


Message 32 of 237 (446394)
01-06-2008 2:04 AM
Reply to: Message 31 by macaroniandcheese
01-06-2008 2:00 AM


Re: Bashing Huckabee
here's the reality. people are still actively discriminating against blacks. in south florida, there is a systematic policy of "urban beautification". that is, forcing black people out of the homes they've owned for years, tearing them down, and building fancy, expensive condos and shopping centers for rich white people.
the race issue is kind of accidental there, more a product of the above figures than direct racism. and it's slowing WAY down now that the bubble has burst.


This message is a reply to:
 Message 31 by macaroniandcheese, posted 01-06-2008 2:00 AM macaroniandcheese has replied

Replies to this message:
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macaroniandcheese 
Suspended Member (Idle past 3928 days)
Posts: 4258
Joined: 05-24-2004


Message 33 of 237 (446395)
01-06-2008 2:12 AM
Reply to: Message 32 by arachnophilia
01-06-2008 2:04 AM


Re: Bashing Huckabee
generally. but that doesn't change the fact that these people are being systematically victimized. downtown delray beach has been a historically black area since 1884. now it's the home of preppy white leeches with no jobs living on their parents wealth.

This message is a reply to:
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arachnophilia
Member (Idle past 1344 days)
Posts: 9069
From: god's waiting room
Joined: 05-21-2004


Message 34 of 237 (446397)
01-06-2008 2:17 AM
Reply to: Message 33 by macaroniandcheese
01-06-2008 2:12 AM


Re: Bashing Huckabee
indeed.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 33 by macaroniandcheese, posted 01-06-2008 2:12 AM macaroniandcheese has not replied

  
Hyroglyphx
Inactive Member


Message 35 of 237 (446477)
01-06-2008 1:07 PM
Reply to: Message 31 by macaroniandcheese
01-06-2008 2:00 AM


Re: Bashing Huckabee
when you don't have a response, call me a racist.
A response to what? You said that Huckabee doesn't have a specific plan for blacks, and therefore, is obviously a racist. You then proceeded to categorically demean all black people without even realizing it.
underclass issues are underclass issues. but when the underclass isn't hugely black, then discuss racism with me.
Rather than suppose a massive conspiracy oppression so pervasive that it would require almost everyone to be "in on it," why not realize that it is culturally driven, when that so obviously is the case?
what i'm suggesting is that they have been systematically disadvantaged by society. why don't you do some reading. read this book and then talk to me about handholding.
You know, I've read many books on the subject, from black scholars no less, that carefully outline the destructive liberal attitude, that while well-meaning, completely keeps a large number of blacks shackled to the very ghetto they aspire to escape from. Its a cultural problem.
what does he have that will actually benefit underclass people?
I don't know what he would specifically do. Then again, there are a lot of issues that I have no idea about what he would specifically do because I wasn't around at the time he spoke about it.
Since this is an Obama thread, and you seem to think that handing black folk money will help them in the long term, perhaps you can outline Obama's goals for the black community.
here's the reality. people are still actively discriminating against blacks.
Yes, I know. I saw it while back home a few months ago. Of course, that goes in both directions.
in south florida, there is a systematic policy of "urban beautification". that is, forcing black people out of the homes they've owned for years, tearing them down, and building fancy, expensive condos and shopping centers for rich white people.
I am aware of the urban beautification plan, but they aren't "forcing" people out of their homes. They offer them a sum larger than what their home is worth. Its a legal transaction.
it's not about pampering, it's about providing real opportunity. do you have any idea how underfunded inner-city schools are?
Brenna, there is a misnomer that exists that if you just give people money, it will fix their problems. But the stark reality is that people of other colors coming from other cultures, living in the same conditions, do well in school. Its also been noted that blacks coming from places like Ghana, Jamaica, countries in Africa, etc, have done exceptionally well when moving to the States.
So what does that mean? That means the problem is with culture, not race, not money, not poverty, not anything else, since culture is clearly driving these forces.
do you have any idea how hard it is to find good teachers willing to work there? do you even begin to comprehend how hard it is to stay in school and get a sufficient education when your family needs you to work because they can't afford the transportation to get a good job outside the ghetto?
Then explain why people in other countries living in similar or worse conditions excel? Explain how it is that Cubans, coming from nothing, ended up wildly successful in South Florida.
Its not a racial issue. Its an issue of culture that drives these "norms" within a racial group.
You saying they live in abject failure only reinforces the helplessness they are supposed to feel. That's crap. And that's condescending.

“First dentistry was painless, then bicycles were chainless, and carriages were horseless, and many laws enforceless. Next cookery was fireless, telegraphy was wireless, cigars were nicotineless, and coffee caffeineless. Soon oranges were seedless, the putting green was weedless, the college boy was hatless, the proper diet -- fatless. New motor roads are dustless, the latest steel is rustless, our tennis courts are sodless, our new religion -- Godless” -Arthur Guiterman

This message is a reply to:
 Message 31 by macaroniandcheese, posted 01-06-2008 2:00 AM macaroniandcheese has replied

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Modulous
Member
Posts: 7801
From: Manchester, UK
Joined: 05-01-2005


Message 36 of 237 (446507)
01-06-2008 2:34 PM
Reply to: Message 35 by Hyroglyphx
01-06-2008 1:07 PM


Race policies
You said that Huckabee doesn't have a specific plan for blacks, and therefore, is obviously a racist.
I missed the 'therefore, is obviously a racist' part. Where was that?
You then proceeded to categorically demean all black people without even realizing it.
It is white people who she demeaned - they are the ones who put the black people in the position they are now in.
Rather than suppose a massive conspiracy oppression so pervasive that it would require almost everyone to be "in on it,"
Maybe my American history is a bit rusty, but wasn't there was a conspiracy of oppression in which almost everyone was 'in on it' only a couple of generations ago? Do you think that a race of people can overcome centuries of oppression within a few generations? I'm reminded of a cartoon:
Since this is an Obama thread, and you seem to think that handing black folk money will help them in the long term, perhaps you can outline Obama's goals for the black community.
From here:
quote:
Obama will work to overturn the Supreme Court's recent ruling that curtails racial minorities' and women's ability to challenge pay discrimination. Obama will also pass the Fair Pay Act to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work.
...
Obama will ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies and provide federal incentives to state and local police departments to prohibit the practice.
...
Obama believes the disparity between sentencing crack and powder-based cocaine is wrong and should be completely eliminated.
...
Obama has worked to promote civil rights and fairness in the criminal justice system throughout his career. As a community organizer, Obama helped 150,000 African Americans register to vote. As a civil rights lawyer, Obama litigated employment discrimination, housing discrimination, and voting rights cases. As a State Senator, Obama passed one of the country's first racial profiling law and helped reform a broken death penalty system. And in the U.S. Senate, Obama has been a leading advocate for protecting the right to vote, helping to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act and leading the opposition against discriminatory barriers to voting.
further reading can be found here
quote:
Explain how it is that Cubans, coming from nothing, ended up wildly successful in South Florida.
Massive government aid?
quote:
The major source of the economic stimulus for this activity came from the federal government. In 1960, the fiscally conservative Republicans contributed four million dollars in benefits to the refugees, but by 1961, under the Kennedy administration, expenditures on Cuban refugees increased to $2.4 million a month. By 1976 from this source alone (Cuban Refugee Program) over 1.6 Billion dollars were injected into the Cuban community. In addition, traditional disbursement sources such as the Small Business Association, began targeting the Latins also. As Professor Raymond Mohl has pointed out, of the one hundred million distributed by the SBA in Miami in the early 1970's over half went to Latins.
Probably didn't hurt.
Edited by Modulous, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
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jar
Member (Idle past 394 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 37 of 237 (446510)
01-06-2008 2:41 PM
Reply to: Message 36 by Modulous
01-06-2008 2:34 PM


Re: Race policies
test

Immigration has been a problem Since 1607!

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macaroniandcheese 
Suspended Member (Idle past 3928 days)
Posts: 4258
Joined: 05-24-2004


Message 38 of 237 (446512)
01-06-2008 2:43 PM
Reply to: Message 35 by Hyroglyphx
01-06-2008 1:07 PM


Re: Bashing Huckabee
You said that Huckabee doesn't have a specific plan for blacks, and therefore, is obviously a racist.
i didn't say he was a racist, i just said he had nothing to benefit black people, so why would they vote for him. you inserted any defamation yourself.
You then proceeded to categorically demean all black people without even realizing it.
says you.
Rather than suppose a massive conspiracy oppression so pervasive that it would require almost everyone to be "in on it," why not realize that it is culturally driven, when that so obviously is the case?
read the book. the residential segregation is systematic and purposeful. and yes, it's culturally driven. does that mean it's okay? no. we enact policy to combat the cultural ills that we have. it's what we've always done. do you think we enacted the first amendment because the cultural norm was for the state to not establish a religion?
You know, I've read many books on the subject, from black scholars no less, that carefully outline the destructive liberal attitude, that while well-meaning, completely keeps a large number of blacks shackled to the very ghetto they aspire to escape from. Its a cultural problem.
stop labeling me and listen to what i have to say, jerk. labeling me and then brushing me off as "just another liberal" isn't going to solve anything. when there's no funding for inner-city schools, how are these individuals going to get a sufficient education? how are people to empower themselves without a sufficient education? the funding for our education system is dependent on local municipal funding. if the municipality can't afford the programs necessary, is that "cultural" or political? if the municipality can't afford the programs because black people have been systematically, purposely precluded from the benefits of integrated residential areas (social mobility is directly proportional to the level of integration regardless of the base class of the neighborhood.) then is that cultural or conspiratorial? if the real estate industry has admitted to purposely segregating neighborhoods (they did in that book) then is that cultural or conspiratorial?
I don't know what he would specifically do. Then again, there are a lot of issues that I have no idea about what he would specifically do because I wasn't around at the time he spoke about it.
then why are you talking to me?
handing black folk money will help them in the long term
did i say that?
pay attention.
education has to be funded. communities need to be integrated. there needs to be a real source of decent, safe, sanitary, affordable housing for everyone. there needs to be a consistent policy of urban renewal that actually benefits the people who live there instead of pushing them out to make way for rich, white leeches. and voting needs to be accessible. are you aware of the restrictions that have been put on voting recently? this attempt to institute a identification card (do you know how expensive those are)? the voter registration card is sent verified by social security number to the verfied address of residence. if the government were to provide a free photo identification, that's one thing. but a state issued id costs money currently, and that amounts to a poll tax, and THAT is unconstitutional. also, precincts have been purposely placed out of the way of public transportation routes. having to walk a mile to a polling place because i don't own a car and can't find a ride is absolutely restrictive and an unreasonable burden. polling places must be located on public transportation routes.
perhaps you can outline Obama's goals for the black community.
The Office of Barack and Michelle Obama
Strengthen Civil Rights Enforcement
Obama will reverse the politicization that has occurred in the Bush Administration's Department of Justice. He will put an end to the ideological litmus tests used to fill positions within the Civil Rights Division.
Combat Employment Discrimination
Obama will work to overturn the Supreme Court's recent ruling that curtails racial minorities' and women's ability to challenge pay discrimination. Obama will also pass the Fair Pay Act to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work.
Expand Hate Crimes Statutes
Obama will strengthen federal hate crimes legislation and reinvigorate enforcement at the Department of Justice's Criminal Section.
End Deceptive Voting Practices
Obama will sign into law his legislation that establishes harsh penalties for those who have engaged in voter fraud and provides voters who have been misinformed with accurate and full information so they can vote.
End Racial Profiling
Obama will ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies and provide federal incentives to state and local police departments to prohibit the practice.
Reduce Crime Recidivism by Providing Ex-Offender Support
Obama will provide job training, substance abuse and mental health counseling to ex-offenders, so that they are successfully re-integrated into society. Obama will also create a prison-to-work incentive program to improve ex-offender employment and job retention rates.
Eliminate Sentencing Disparities
Obama believes the disparity between sentencing crack and powder-based cocaine is wrong and should be completely eliminated.
Expand Use of Drug Courts
Obama will give first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior.
Barack Obama's Record
Record of Advocacy: Obama has worked to promote civil rights and fairness in the criminal justice system throughout his career. As a community organizer, Obama helped 150,000 African Americans register to vote. As a civil rights lawyer, Obama litigated employment discrimination, housing discrimination, and voting rights cases. As a State Senator, Obama passed one of the country's first racial profiling law and helped reform a broken death penalty system. And in the U.S. Senate, Obama has been a leading advocate for protecting the right to vote, helping to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act and leading the opposition against discriminatory barriers to voting.
there's a longer pdf.
The Office of Barack and Michelle Obama
Early Childhood Education
* Zero to Five Plan: Obama's comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan will provide critical support to young children and their parents. Unlike other early childhood education plans, Obama's plan places key emphasis at early care and education for infants, which is essential for children to be ready to enter kindergarten. Obama will create Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state "zero to five" efforts and help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school.
* Expand Early Head Start and Head Start: Obama will quadruple Early Head Start, increase Head Start funding and improve quality for both.
* Affordable, High-Quality Child Care: Obama will also provide affordable and high-quality child care to ease the burden on working families.
K-12
...
# Address the Dropout Crisis: Obama will address the dropout crisis by passing his legislation to provide funding to school districts to invest in intervention strategies in middle school strategies such as personal academic plans, teaching teams, parent involvement, mentoring, intensive reading and math instruction, and extended learning time.
# Expand High-Quality Afterschool Opportunities: Obama will double funding for the main federal support for afterschool programs, the 21st Century Learning Centers program, to serve one million more children.
# Expand Summer Learning Opportunities: Obama's "STEP UP" plan addresses the achievement gap by supporting summer learning opportunities for disadvantaged children through partnerships between local schools and community organizations.
# Support College Outreach Programs: Obama supports outreach programs like GEAR UP, TRIO and Upward Bound to encourage more young people from low-income families to consider and prepare for college.
Higher Education
* Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit: Obama will make college affordable for all Americans by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This universal and fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans, and will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students. Obama will also ensure that the tax credit is available to families at the time of enrollment by using prior year's tax data to deliver the credit when tuition is due.
* Simplify the Application Process for Financial Aid: Obama will streamline the financial aid process by eliminating the current federal financial aid application and enabling families to apply simply by checking a box on their tax form, authorizing their tax information to be used, and eliminating the need for a separate application.
Record of Advocacy: Obama has been a leader on educational issues throughout his career. In the Illinois State Senate, Obama was a leader on early childhood education, helping create the state's Early Learning Council. In the U.S. Senate, Obama has been a leader in working to make college more affordable. His very first bill sought to increase the maximum Pell Grant award to $5,100. As a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee, Obama helped pass legislation to achieve that goal in the recent improvements to the Higher Education Act. Obama has also introduced legislation to create Teacher Residency Programs and to increase federal support for summer learning opportunities.
The Office of Barack and Michelle Obama
Promote Responsible Fatherhood
Since 1960, the number of American children without fathers has quadrupled, from 6 million to more than 24 million. A healthy relationship between children and their fathers is important to good development. Children without fathers in their lives are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime, nine times more likely to drop out of school, and 20 times more likely to end up in prison. Senator Obama introduced the Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act with Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) to remove some of the government penalties on married families and support fathers already trying to do the right thing, while also cracking down on men trying to avoid their parental responsibilities. The bill provides fathers with an expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit. It also would increase child support enforcement and strengthen domestic violence prevention services.
Help Low-Income Workers Climb the Job Market
Transitional jobs are a promising way to help chronically unemployed people break into the workplace. This approach places participants into temporary, subsidized wage-paying jobs. It also offers mentoring and social services designed to address work-blocking problems like personal and family conflicts. Once they find entry-level work, low-income workers often are unable to break into middle-class jobs. Bridge programs can help by partnering the federal government with employers and community-based organizations to identify job opportunities, develop customized training programs, and place low-income employees in better jobs. Senator Obama introduced legislation to devote $50 million for transitional and bridge employment programs for hard-to-employ groups like homeless veterans, children aging out of foster care, and people returning to communities after a time in prison.
Support Low-Income Families
The Child Tax Credit allows parents to receive $1,000 per child and has been an important financial resource for working families. Unfortunately, the credit is skewed so that many families who need it the most cannot get it. Because of artificially high income limits that are indexed to inflation every year, parents that work full time at minimum wage are not eligible for the credit. As a result, nearly 17 million low-income children get less than the full credit. Senator Obama worked with Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) to introduce legislation lowering the income limit so that 600,000 more families can benefit. Senator Obama also introduced legislation to temporarily expand the Child Tax Credit for low-income parents affected by Hurricane Katrina. Senator Obama succeeded in passing legislation to extend tax credits for military families by allowing service members deployed to war zones to apply their non-taxable combat pay toward the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Fight Mortgage Fraud
The FBI is predicting that mortgage fraud may become a criminal epidemic. In these elaborate schemes, criminals use identity theft or face-to-face scams to gain control of victims' homes. The offenders then apply for hefty mortgage loans, take the cash, then disappear, robbing homeowners of their property and threatening the financial health of the most vulnerable members of society. Senator Obama introduced the first federal bill to combat mortgage fraud. The STOP FRAUD Act criminalizes mortgage fraud, authorizes $10 million more for anti-mortgage fraud programs and requires the FBI to update bankers on fraudulent activity in a formal, systematic way. The bill also would authorize increased federal funding for mortgage counseling.
The Office of Barack and Michelle Obama
Quality, Affordable and Portable Coverage for All
* Obama's Plan to Cover Uninsured Americans: Obama will make available a new national health plan to all Americans, including the self-employed and small businesses, to buy affordable health coverage that is similar to the plan available to members of Congress. The Obama plan will have the following features:
1. Guaranteed eligibility. No American will be turned away from any insurance plan because of illness or pre-existing conditions.
2. Comprehensive benefits. The benefit package will be similar to that offered through Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), the plan members of Congress have. The plan will cover all essential medical services, including preventive, maternity and mental health care.
3. Affordable premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
4. Subsidies. Individuals and families who do not qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP but still need financial assistance will receive an income-related federal subsidy to buy into the new public plan or purchase a private health care plan.
5. Simplified paperwork and reined in health costs.
6. Easy enrollment. The new public plan will be simple to enroll in and provide ready access to coverage.
7. Portability and choice. Participants in the new public plan and the National Health Insurance Exchange (see below) will be able to move from job to job without changing or jeopardizing their health care coverage.
8. Quality and efficiency. Participating insurance companies in the new public program will be required to report data to ensure that standards for quality, health information technology and administration are being met.
* National Health Insurance Exchange: The Obama plan will create a National Health Insurance Exchange to help individuals who wish to purchase a private insurance plan. The Exchange will act as a watchdog group and help reform the private insurance market by creating rules and standards for participating insurance plans to ensure fairness and to make individual coverage more affordable and accessible. Insurers would have to issue every applicant a policy, and charge fair and stable premiums that will not depend upon health status. The Exchange will require that all the plans offered are at least as generous as the new public plan and have the same standards for quality and efficiency. The Exchange would evaluate plans and make the differences among the plans, including cost of services, public.
# Mandatory Coverage of Children: Obama will require that all children have health care coverage. Obama will expand the number of options for young adults to get coverage, including allowing young people up to age 25 to continue coverage through their parents' plans.
# Expansion Of Medicaid and SCHIP: Obama will expand eligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP programs and ensure that these programs continue to serve their critical safety net function.
# Flexibility for State Plans: Due to federal inaction, some states have taken the lead in health care reform. The Obama plan builds on these efforts and does not replace what states are doing. States can continue to experiment, provided they meet the minimum standards of the national plan.
Fight AIDS Worldwide. There are 40 million people across the planet infected with HIV/AIDS. As president, Obama will continue to be a global leader in the fight against AIDS. Obama believes in working across party lines to combat this epidemic and recently joined Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) at a large California evangelical church to promote greater investment in the global AIDS battle.
# Improve Mental Health Care. Mental illness affects approximately one in five American families. The National Alliance on Mental Illness estimates that untreated mental illnesses cost the U.S. more than $100 billion per year. As president, Obama will support mental health parity so that coverage for serious mental illnesses are provided on the same terms and conditions as other illnesses and diseases.
# Protect Our Children from Lead Poisoning. More than 430,000 American children have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood. Lead can cause irreversible brain damage, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and, at very high levels, seizures, coma and death. As president, Obama will protect children from lead poisoning by requiring that child care facilities be lead-safe within five years.
# Reduce Risks of Mercury Pollution. More than five million women of childbearing age have high levels of toxic mercury in their blood, and approximately 630,000 newborns are born at risk every year. Barack Obama has a plan to significantly reduce the amount of mercury that is deposited in oceans, lakes, and rivers, which in turn would reduce the amount of mercury in fish.
* Health Insurance: In 2003, Barack Obama sponsored and passed legislation that expanded health care coverage to 70,000 kids and 84,000 adults. In the U.S. Senate, Obama cosponsored the Healthy Kids Act of 2007 and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2007 to ensure that more American children have affordable health care coverage.
* Women's Health: Obama worked to pass a number of laws in Illinois and Washington to improve the health of women. His accomplishments include creating a task force on cervical cancer, providing greater access to breast and cervical cancer screenings, and helping improve prenatal and premature birth services.
The Office of Barack and Michelle Obama
Expand Access to Jobs
* Help Americans Grab a Hold of and Climb the Job Ladder: Obama will invest $1 billion over five years in transitional jobs and career pathway programs that implement proven methods of helping low-income Americans succeed in the workforce.
* Create a Green Jobs Corps: Obama will create a program to directly engage disadvantaged youth in energy efficiency opportunities to strengthen their communities, while also providing them with practical skills in this important high-growth career field.
* Improve Transportation Access to Jobs: As president, Obama will work to ensure that low-income Americans have transportation access to jobs. Obama will double the federal Jobs Access and Reverse Commute program to ensure that additional federal public transportation dollars flow to the highest-need communities and that urban planning initiatives take this aspect of transportation policy into account.
* Reduce Crime Recidivism by Providing Ex-Offender Supports: Obama will work to ensure that ex-offenders have access to job training, substance abuse and mental health counseling, and employment opportunities. Obama will also create a prison-to-work incentive program and reduce barriers to employment.
Make Work Pay for All Americans
* Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit: Obama will increase the number of working parents eligible for EITC benefits, increase the benefits available to parents who support their children through child support payments, increase benefits for families with three or more children, and reduce the EITC marriage penalty, which hurts low-income families.
* Create a Living Wage: Obama will raise the minimum wage and index it to inflation to make sure that full-time workers can earn a living wage that allows them to raise their families and pay for basic needs such as food, transportation, and housing.
* Provide Tax Relief: Obama will provide all low and middle-income workers a $500 Making Work Pay tax credit to offset the payroll tax those workers pay in every paycheck. Obama will also eliminate taxes for seniors making under $50,000 per year.
Strengthen Families
* Promote Responsible Fatherhood: Obama will sign into law his Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act to remove some of the government penalties on married families, crack down on men avoiding child support payments, and ensure that payments go to families instead of state bureaucracies.
* Support Parents with Young Children: Obama will expand the highly-successful Nurse-Family Partnership to all 570,000 low-income, first-time mothers each year. The Nurse-Family Partnership provides home visits by trained registered nurses to low-income expectant mothers and their families.
* Expand Paid Sick Days: Today, three-out-of-four low-wage workers have no paid sick days. Obama supports guaranteeing workers seven paid sick days per year.
Increase the Supply of Affordable Housing
* Create an Affordable Housing Trust Fund: Obama will create an Affordable Housing Trust Fund to develop affordable housing in mixed-income neighborhoods.
* Fully Fund the Community Development Block Grant: Obama will fully fund the Community Development Block Grant program and engage with urban leaders across the country to increase resources to the highest-need Americans.
Tackle Concentrated Poverty
* Establish 20 Promise Neighborhoods: Obama will create 20 Promise Neighborhoods in areas that have high levels of poverty and crime and low levels of student academic achievement in cities across the nation. The Promise Neighborhoods will be modeled after the Harlem Children's Zone, which provides a full network of services, including early childhood education, youth violence prevention efforts and after-school activities, to an entire neighborhood from birth to college.
* Ensure Community-Based Investment Resources in Every Urban Community: Obama will work with community and business leaders to identify and address the unique economic development barriers of every major metropolitan area. Obama will provide additional resources to the federal Community Development Financial Institution Fund, the Small Business Administration and other federal agencies, especially to their local branch offices, to address community needs.
* Invest in Rural Areas: Obama will invest in rural small businesses and fight to expand high-speed Internet access. He will improve rural schools and attract more doctors to rural areas.
Barack Obama's Record
* Tax Relief for Low-Income Working Families: Obama created the Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income working families in 2000 and successfully sponsored a measure to make the credit permanent in 2003. The law offered about $105 million in tax relief over three years.
* Housing: In the Illinois State Senate, Obama championed multiple pieces of legislation to help low-income families find adequate affordable housing.
black issues aren't ONLY black issues. but there they are.
Yes, I know. I saw it while back home a few months ago. Of course, that goes in both directions.
oh please tell me the last time you saw a white person being discriminated against in such a way that it crippled his social or economic mobility. please.
I am aware of the urban beautification plan, but they aren't "forcing" people out of their homes. They offer them a sum larger than what their home is worth. Its a legal transaction.
i doubt they're offering them sums larger than the land is worth. just because the families have a fixed homestead cost, doesn't mean the land isn't worth more. and just because it's a legal transaction doesn't mean that it's not discriminatory. kicking poor people out of an area to a place where there is limited public transportation is unseemly. it's not about legal, it's about socially responsible. the solution to ugly, poor inner-cities is to empower the people living there, not transplant them to somewhere you don't have to see them.
Brenna, there is a misnomer that exists that if you just give people money, it will fix their problems.
i'm not talking about giving people money. fucking read what i'm saying.
That means the problem is with culture, not race, not money, not poverty, not anything else, since culture is clearly driving these forces.
what is it you mean by culture? the culture of discrimination we have in this country which must be corrected by responsible policy, or the culture you think they have that makes them incapable of advancing economically? and by that, do you mean the culture glorified by rich white record and movie and clothing executives which encourage commodity spending and irresponsible social behavior?
Then explain why people in other countries living in similar or worse conditions excel? Explain how it is that Cubans, coming from nothing, ended up wildly successful in South Florida.
because they have friends and relatives here who've already gotten a place in the system. oh and cubans are white. they're almost exclusively of spanish origin.
Its not a racial issue. Its an issue of culture that drives these "norms" within a racial group.
oh so it is the malfunctioning culture argument. yeah. blame the people who've been prevented from getting jobs for 200 years. that's reasonable.
You saying they live in abject failure only reinforces the helplessness they are supposed to feel. That's crap. And that's condescending.
i'm not saying they live in abject failure. i'm saying that the system around them rebuffs them at every turn. we have instituted a glamorized culture of "the thug". we, white people. we have instituted systematic segregation within the real estate industry. we, white people. we have instituted systems that reduce funding for schools based on those segregated residential areas and the taxes those areas produce. we, white people. combine these inherent disadvantages with the individual discrimination faced by people of minority backgrounds (people with "ethnic" names are less likely to get interviews. Page not found - Voice Online Forbidden Can a Black-Sounding Name Hurt Your Career Prospects? [Archive] - GreekChat.com Forums), and you have systemic disadvantage. it's not condescending, it's reality. it's not racist to say that racist people have created disadvantages for minorities.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 35 by Hyroglyphx, posted 01-06-2008 1:07 PM Hyroglyphx has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 51 by Hyroglyphx, posted 01-07-2008 8:21 PM macaroniandcheese has replied

  
nator
Member (Idle past 2170 days)
Posts: 12961
From: Ann Arbor
Joined: 12-09-2001


Message 39 of 237 (446513)
01-06-2008 2:45 PM
Reply to: Message 15 by Buzsaw
01-04-2008 10:01 PM


quote:
There's a whole lot more out there which could be cited relative to Obama's connections to black racists and anti Semites with documentation.
Sure, and there's a lot out there to be cited about how George W. Bush is the literal Antichrist. Does that mean that we should believe it?
Quality, Buz. Think of providing reliable, scholarly, quality sources, not just sources that tell you what you want to hear...
...if and when you actually do manage to provide any sources, that is.

This message is a reply to:
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macaroniandcheese 
Suspended Member (Idle past 3928 days)
Posts: 4258
Joined: 05-24-2004


Message 40 of 237 (446514)
01-06-2008 2:48 PM
Reply to: Message 36 by Modulous
01-06-2008 2:34 PM


Re: Race policies
that cartoon is great.
thanks for the help. it took me a while to make that post, and then the evc ate it and i had to repost it. yurgh.

This message is a reply to:
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macaroniandcheese 
Suspended Member (Idle past 3928 days)
Posts: 4258
Joined: 05-24-2004


Message 41 of 237 (446515)
01-06-2008 2:49 PM
Reply to: Message 37 by jar
01-06-2008 2:41 PM


Re: Race policies
sorry, i think my giant post of anguish threw a monkey in the works.

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nator
Member (Idle past 2170 days)
Posts: 12961
From: Ann Arbor
Joined: 12-09-2001


Message 42 of 237 (446516)
01-06-2008 2:50 PM
Reply to: Message 29 by DrJones*
01-05-2008 9:39 PM


Re: Bashing Huckabee
quote:
Buz seems to be under the impression that the President is a king who rules by decree.
Over the last 8 years, that has become more and more true.

This message is a reply to:
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nator
Member (Idle past 2170 days)
Posts: 12961
From: Ann Arbor
Joined: 12-09-2001


Message 43 of 237 (446519)
01-06-2008 2:55 PM
Reply to: Message 30 by Hyroglyphx
01-06-2008 12:35 AM


Re: Bashing Huckabee
quote:
It sounds more like you are bashing black people, speaking about them as if they were inferior beings who need pampering.
Saying that a group is discriminated against and oppressed in no way implies that the people in that group are inferior.
Since when is pushing for equal access to education without reference to a person's skin color "pampering"?
quote:
Is underclass wage issues a uniquely "black issue?" Is education access a uniquely "black" issue? Is an urban development problem a uniquely "black" issue?
No, but those are issues that disproportionately affect black people more than other groups in America.
quote:
Does Huckabee need to cater specifically to a demographic, or is catering to a demographic ultimately devisive, by compartmentalizing people in to quaint little categories.
You mean like he caters to the anti-science, Authoritarian wacko Christians?

This message is a reply to:
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Hyroglyphx
Inactive Member


Message 44 of 237 (446667)
01-06-2008 9:37 PM
Reply to: Message 36 by Modulous
01-06-2008 2:34 PM


Re: Race policies
I missed the 'therefore, is obviously a racist' part. Where was that?
Isn't that the obvious implication she sought? Huckabee has no plan for black people, therefore he must be a racist who doesn't care about black people.
It is white people who she demeaned
Yes, of course she meant to demean white people. Its the in-thing to do to blame the world's ills on the white plague of death. I'm specifically talking about she inadvertently demeans black people, tacitly suggesting that unless someone gives them a handout, they will be stuck in limbo.
Maybe my American history is a bit rusty, but wasn't there was a conspiracy of oppression in which almost everyone was 'in on it' only a couple of generations ago? Do you think that a race of people can overcome centuries of oppression within a few generations?
Clearly, yes, because its already happening in the UK and the US! I'd say its going swimmingly, if only there were those who would stop bringing it up and causing more dissension.
Obama will ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies and provide federal incentives to state and local police departments to prohibit the practice.
Its funny how every man, woman, and child profiles from an early age by learning the psychology of others. For some odd reason that is not encouraged when it comes to law enforcement. Of course, it did say "racial" profiling. What I would be looking for is things like demeanor.
Obama has worked to promote civil rights and fairness in the criminal justice system throughout his career. As a community organizer, Obama helped 150,000 African Americans register to vote.
A wise move on his part.
quote:
Explain how it is that Cubans, coming from nothing, ended up wildly successful in South Florida.
Massive government aid?
Actually its this really strange thing, foreign to many people now or days, called, "hard work."
Of course a Socialist would say government aid.
The major source of the economic stimulus for this activity came from the federal government. In 1960, the fiscally conservative Republicans contributed four million dollars in benefits to the refugees, but by 1961, under the Kennedy administration, expenditures on Cuban refugees increased to $2.4 million a month. By 1976 from this source alone (Cuban Refugee Program) over 1.6 Billion dollars were injected into the Cuban community. In addition, traditional disbursement sources such as the Small Business Association, began targeting the Latins also.
Considering the bulk of Cubans living in South Florida are the product of the Mariel Boat Lift, I see these figures as being totally erroneous. Because what we soon learn is that you can't throw money at a problem and expect it to fix itself.

“First dentistry was painless, then bicycles were chainless, and carriages were horseless, and many laws enforceless. Next cookery was fireless, telegraphy was wireless, cigars were nicotineless, and coffee caffeineless. Soon oranges were seedless, the putting green was weedless, the college boy was hatless, the proper diet -- fatless. New motor roads are dustless, the latest steel is rustless, our tennis courts are sodless, our new religion -- Godless” -Arthur Guiterman

This message is a reply to:
 Message 36 by Modulous, posted 01-06-2008 2:34 PM Modulous has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 45 by Modulous, posted 01-07-2008 7:27 AM Hyroglyphx has replied
 Message 46 by macaroniandcheese, posted 01-07-2008 10:33 AM Hyroglyphx has replied
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Modulous
Member
Posts: 7801
From: Manchester, UK
Joined: 05-01-2005


Message 45 of 237 (446775)
01-07-2008 7:27 AM
Reply to: Message 44 by Hyroglyphx
01-06-2008 9:37 PM


Re: Race policies
Isn't that the obvious implication she sought? Huckabee has no plan for black people, therefore he must be a racist who doesn't care about black people.
In context it looked like the implication was that Huckabee has no specific plan for black people so why would they vote for him over someone who does?
Yes, of course she meant to demean white people. Its the in-thing to do to blame the world's ills on the white plague of death.
Well, in fairness, I was only talking about US residents in which the white people did do the majority of wrongs. However, in Africa, there were many blacks that were prospering from the slave trade and they too must share some blame.
I'm specifically talking about she inadvertently demeans black people, tacitly suggesting that unless someone gives them a handout, they will be stuck in limbo.
How is it demeaning to point out that a certain race of people is disproportionally disadvantaged and might require specific attention?
Clearly, yes, because its already happening in the UK and the US! I'd say its going swimmingly, if only there were those who would stop bringing it up and causing more dissension.
Clearly it is beginning to happen, but clearly the transition is not total since clearly black people are still disproportionally disadvantaged in the US.
Its funny how every man, woman, and child profiles from an early age by learning the psychology of others. For some odd reason that is not encouraged when it comes to law enforcement. Of course, it did say "racial" profiling. What I would be looking for is things like demeanor.
The wisdom (or lack thereof) of racial profiling is one thing, but this is an example of something Obama is doing to win the minority vote, maybe not everybody will accept it - but I imagine plenty will.
Actually its this really strange thing, foreign to many people now or days, called, "hard work."
Yes, hard work was obviously involved. Large early investment into businesses and a localised concentration of them seems to have mad ea big difference. However, if you feel that blacks are simply lazy and that centuries of oppression and neglect are irrelevant, I can't stop you.
There are other differences highlighted in the article I posted such as:
quote:
[T]he immediate gratification of large amounts of federal money prevented reflection on long term implications for the future of the city. The great infusion of federal dollars, along with the millions of Cuba dollars lying dormant in Miami since the forties, combined with vigorous new Cuban middle class, to set off an explosion of entrepreneurial activity in this city such as has never been seen anywhere. Almost overnight businesses sprang up everywhere. There were at least a dozen Cuban newspapers printed in 1960 and they recorded the swift Cuban economic development.
Considering the bulk of Cubans living in South Florida are the product of the Mariel Boat Lift, I see these figures as being totally erroneous. Because what we soon learn is that you can't throw money at a problem and expect it to fix itself.
There is a difference between throwing money at a problem and investing money in a solution. As you finding these numbers 'erroneous', I am afraid I will have to trust the professor of History from St Thomas University Miami when it comes to the history of Miami. I hope you'll understand.
quote:
Dr. Francis J. Sicius - Ph.D., Loyola University , Chicago, M.A., B.A., Florida State University . He is a Professor of History. Dr. Sicius joined St. Thomas University in 1979.He has been one of the university’s most popular professors for over twenty five years. His academic interests are U.S. Social and Intellectual History, History of the American Catholic Church and Florida History. Rather than simply discussing history, Dr. Sicius is known for putting his students directly in touch with it. His Florida Studies classes have taken students on excursions to Miami Beach, Coconut Grove, Key West, St. Augustine and Tallahassee Florida, and as Director of the Spain Program he has taken students to study abroad in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid . Students who have participated in this program recall it as the most significant event in their university career. In addition to his numerous recognitions for excellence in teaching, Dr. Sicius is a prolific and national award-winning author, and recognized as a national authority on Catholic Worker history. Among his work is a biography of Catholic thinker Peter Maurin and a History of American Life, 1900-1940.
The Federal Government had a massive motivation to help the Cubans - they were considered part of the battlefield of the Cold War. If they could show how wonderful life was to those that had left communist countries, they hoped to crush communism. Many of the earliest Cubans that came over were educated and had some wealth and they were not oppressed and prevented from opening businesses so they were able to jump straight into it.
Unfortunately this didn't happen for black people, and it has taken them some 2 or 3 generations to get where they are since the openly murderous racism of the first half of the 20th Century. Obviously throwing money at the issue won't make it go away: it is probably much too late for that now.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 44 by Hyroglyphx, posted 01-06-2008 9:37 PM Hyroglyphx has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 47 by macaroniandcheese, posted 01-07-2008 10:37 AM Modulous has not replied
 Message 56 by Hyroglyphx, posted 01-08-2008 12:57 AM Modulous has replied

  
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