Detrick DeBurr

This is no place for “acting a damn fool”.

2009-09-18T18:34:00Z

Over the past 10 days we have witnessed an unprecedented level of public disrespect from very public figures. Actions by Joe Wilson, Republican congressman from South Carolina and Rapper Kanye West, have been flat out disappointing. Even tennis, usually known for its good sportsmanship, has had a problem with blatant disrespect of authority figures.

What type of message is this sending to young people? Does the freedom of speech mean I can say what I want too, when I want too?

Absolutely not! Freedom of speech is not freedom to disrupt. There are situations that call for civil disobedience and protest. Even in these situations there is a right and wrong way to act.

At the core of this growing problem is a paradigm shift in society that “my words and actions” are my words and actions. They impact me and only me. At a time when we increasingly encourage personal responsibility and accountability it is easy to see how one would come to this conclusion. In a culture where we reward personal achievement and rugged individualism one can easily go overboard and slip into arrogance. Fortunately, we have those around us that support us who can temper our tendency to become arrogant. They have the ability and right to “put us back in our place”.

There was a time when disrespecting an authority figure or “acting a fool in public” meant disrespecting your own. It meant embarrassment to your family, friends, comrades, etc. It was simply unacceptable. Being right was not the issue. Maintaining the code of honor of your family or friends was more important.

But what if you don’t feel you have any family, friends or comrades? What if you feel you don’t have any equals? What if you don’t have any identification with anybody other than yourself? Who is there to “pull your coat tail”?

Joe Wilson embarrassed and let down the Republican Party. Kanye West embarrassed and let down his fans. Serena Williams embarrassed and let down her fans. Roger Federer embarrassed and let down his fans. They let down the people that love and support them. In essence, they let down their families.

They all may have had justifiable reason to protest. I agree with Kanye, Beyonce clearly had a better video… too me. But that’s not the point. The right intent does not justify wrong actions.

They all did eventually offer an apology of some sort. That is not enough though. There needs to be more to make the apology complete. There needs to be acceptance, acknowledgement, reparation and commitment to make the apology sincere and complete.

They all need to accept their outbursts were wrong. They need to say the words “I’m sorry” without all the other psycho-babble they have been giving. Simply say I’m Sorry. No more. No less. It’s very humbling.

Then we must see some acknowledgement. They all need to acknowledge they hurt people. Joe Wilson needs to acknowledge the pain President Obama must have felt from his childish outburst. Kanye needs to acknowledge the pain that Taylor Swift must have endured to be treated the way he treated her. Roger Federer and Serena Williams should acknowledge, publicly, how those officials must have felt being cursed on national TV.

Then there must be reparation. US Open officials fined both Williams and Federer for their behavior. There may have been a double standard in the fine amounts with William’s ($10,500) fine being 10 times the amount of Federer's ($1500) fine. Was she ten times more disrespectful? Either way, it was a small step in the right direction. Relatively speaking, US Open officials fined them an amount equivalent to what they spend in a “night out with friends”. A fine is not reparation though. Reparation is a meaningful effort to correct a wrong. There has been no effort on anyone’s part to even attempt to undo or at least mitigate the effects of their actions.

What should reparations look like? Joe Wilson should come out publicly and campaign for some aspect of the president’s health care plan that he does agree with. Kanye should produce a song on Taylor Swift’s next album… for free. Serena and Federer both should launch and pay for a campaign that touts the need for sportsmanship among athletes. These are just suggestions but I think you get my point. There needs to be reparation. There needs to be a demonstrable action that they all take to show they are truly “sorry”.

To make the apologies complete there must be commitment. They simply have to say that they will never behave this way again. Joe Wilson needs to promise, regardless of whether he is right or not, he won’t publicly ridicule anyone ever again. Kanye needs to promise that he will not use someone else‘s spotlight to make his own personal feelings heard, ever again. The same goes for Williams and Federer.

We all make mistakes. We all get carried away sometimes in the heat of the moment. However, our rights end where the next person’s rights begin. In each case they were violating someone else’s rights.

This country was founded on protest and even defiance of the law. Black people would still be in chains if not for protest and defiance of what some called “their right to own property”. However within the protest there was a protocol. Within civil disobedience there is civility. Where there is action there must be some “act right”. We must respect Authority, even if it is wrong. If we can’t respect the person, respect the position. That’s what makes America different. That’s why we call ourselves civilized.

Anything else is unacceptable. As Americans we can disagree and not be disagreeable. We all can handle someone getting mad, protesting, complaining, even whining and crying. But there is no room, at least here, for “acting a damn fool”.

Just my 20 cents

The best health care plan in the world… a wellness plan

2009-09-11T22:20:00Z

I like many of you watched the President’s speech to Congress on Thursday night. Democrats and the President’s supporters are mad at the Republicans for being disrespectful and playing partisan politics. Republicans, on the other hand, feel like the President is being disingenuous and really doesn’t have a plan at all. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Both are. In this week’s piece, I will outline what is wrong with the president’s health care plan. I will outline where the republicans have it wrong. I will outline what the president’s plan should look like. Most importantly I will share with you what you should be doing in the mean time.

Congress, as usual, has turned this health care issue into a political football. Universal health care has been on the table in this country since the 1930’s. Why is it such a big deal all of sudden? Why is the government calling it a crisis now? The economic stimulus package is not producing the results many said it would. Yes the job losses are slowing down, but that might be because there aren’t many more jobs to lose. It is crucial that the Democrats get a “win” within the first year of Obama’s term. Many members of congress will get on the campaign trail over the next few months and democrats want to be able to say “look at what we’ve done”. Republicans want to be able to say, “See I told they didn’t have a clue”.

Obama’s speech was phenomenal, as usual. He brought the energy and zeal needed to rally the troops. It lacked however, the substance and succinctness to win anyone over. My ears rang when the President admitted that they still had to work out many of the details. That’s been the hold up for the past 70 years. Nobody is against universal health care. Our politicians simply have not been able to iron out the details. They can’t iron out the details because they make everything about politics. That’s the problem!

The president wants to setup a government run insurance exchange to allow people to buy insurance. Bad! Bad! Bad! Another government agency only drives up cost and adds to an already bloated and wasteful health care system. Can you believe that an organization that has yet to run anything efficiently… from the IRS to the Post Office… will all of a sudden efficiently run an insurance exchange? Not to mention the loopholes that insurance companies will eventually find or buy if necessary.

We still don’t know where the money will come from. The president says removing the waste and inefficiencies from the current system will pay for his new plan. If there is waste and inefficiency in a system and we know it, why don’t we simply remove it? Since when do you we need a law to remove inefficiency and waste?

The republicans don’t have a plan either. They simply want to raise hell and make it hard to get anything done. They want to play politics with this deal. The Republican Party has done a masterful job of making this about insurance companies. They know it’s really not. They also know that the insurance lobby will launch a huge assault on the president allowing it to do their dirty work. Their behavior has been non-productive at best and in many cases flat out childish.

Here is what the president’s plan should include.

1. Tort reform – A major hidden cost in providing health care is malpractice insurance. Healthcare costs would go down if the costs of malpractice insurance went down. It costs so much because you can sue a doctor for almost anything. Attorneys are quick to haul a doctor into court. Most insurance companies eventually settle out of court paying the patient and his attorney some crazy amount of money for pain and suffering. A smooth come up for everyone except the doctor whose insurance premiums will rise. Guess who pays that increase… bingo! You!

2. Interstate Health Insurance – Allow insurance companies to sale insurance to persons in other states. This would increase the pool of customers they can go after. It would increase competition among healthcare insurers driving the price down. Critics say it will hurt the elderly and those with poorer health because they are high risk. This is only speculation. It will, however, create an opportunity for companies to create specialized options for high risk people. The losses incurred from covering high risks persons would be offset by the profits from the millions of new low risk persons they would pickup.

3. Cancel free health insurance for government officials – There is really very little incentive for members of congress to develop a plan to achieve affordable health care for all. Elected and appointed government officials receive free health care as a part of their compensation. Let’s take the money paid on health insurance for a congressman, for example, and put it back in his paycheck. The congressman would then have to go out and shop for insurance just like us. They would become just another family with a limited amount of money shopping for health insurance. Now they will have a lot more incentive to solve the health care problem rather than using it for political points.

4. Increase physician supply – Currently any plan on the table is doomed to fail. It would fail because we simply don’t have enough doctors to go around…. especially general care physicians. Giving everyone in America health care without having enough people to provide that health care is a recipe for disaster. (See my rant: Is it Healthcare Reform or the Funeral Industry Recovery Program )

5. Focus on the economy – Most middle class Americans get their medical insurance through their jobs. Most persons that lose medical insurance don’t lose it due to costs. It is due to a job loss.

Most of the above plan requires the government getting out of the way and allowing market forces to work. Government establishes the boundaries. Market forces work within those boundaries.

In the mean time you and I should be reframing the debate. The debate has been about what to do when a person gets sick. The focus should be on doing things to keep from getting sick. Barring pediatric and geriatric care, obesity, poor eating habits and behavior cause most health issues. Getting sick is not the fault of the individual. However, basic lifestyle changes can ward off many long term debilitating health issues like diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Getting upset with the insurance industry because they charge a lot of money to cover your medical bills when you smoke too much, drink too much, eat too much, stress over too much, sleep too little and exercise too little hinges on insanity.

Put your family on the best health care plan in the world… a wellness plan. Exercise and healthy eating cost a little more but it’s much cheaper than cancer.

Just my 20 cents

Is it Healthcare Reform or the Funeral Industry Recovery Program

2009-09-04T17:29:00Z

On purpose I have not kept up with the Healthcare Reform Debate. Healthcare is very complex but the debate must give more focus to increasing the number of minorities in the medical field. The government recognizes that there is a doctor shortage, but they aren’t focusing on shortages in the minority community.

But is this a healthcare issue or an education issue? It should be at the center of the Healthcare debate. Any reform of the healthcare system must begin with increasing the number of black and brown primary care physicians.

The goal is to make health care affordable and accessible to everyone regardless of socioeconomic status. Unfortunately healthcare is big business and a lot of money is at stake. Healthcare reform really comes down to economics 101… supply and demand.

Increasing the physician supply, especially among minorities, must be first and foremost to bringing relief to our ailing healthcare system. A flood of minority general physicians in the market will drive down healthcare costs.

Too many minorities and poor people are underinsured straining the healthcare system. We generally are less likely to seek preventive or primary care. When we do see a doctor it is usually in the emergency room. This is very costly.

Cheap primary care located in minority communities will drive down overall health care costs.

Currently only 6% of active physicians are Latino, African American or Native. We have to get this to at least 12% over the next 20 years.

Imagine every minority neighborhood with at least 1 primary care physician per 1000 people. In San Francisco, there was just one African-American pediatrician in private practice in 2005. Mississippi, largely Black and poor, ranks among the lowest number of physicians per person of any other state in the country. The American Medical Association predicts a shortage of 200,000 doctors by 2020.

Some say this is an education issue. Others say it is a mentoring issue. However, it is a political issue. That is why it should be at the heart of the Healthcare reform debate.

It is political because congress controls the supply of physicians. They control physician supply by controlling the funding of medical residencies – the graduate training required by all doctors. Medicare reimburses hospitals for the costs of training medical residents.

Healthcare Reform must include:

1. Government incentives for recruitment of minorities to already existing state medical school programs.

2. In states with a large minority population, like Mississippi, there should be federal government incentives to establish medical schools at a least one HBCU in that state.

3. Increased Medicare and federal funding for medical residencies

4. Increased Medicare payments specifically to primary care physicians

5. Redirect funds from H1-B visas of foreign born physicians to programs dedicated to increasing early grade and high school medical magnet programs

6. Loan forgiveness for federally backed medical school loans specifically for physicians practicing in rural or low-income areas

The Obama administration has put some of the above issues on the table already and this is great. But if this goes the way of most other issues go in Washington, the healthcare reform will turn into the Funeral Industry Recovery Program. Some things simply can’t be about politics.

Just my 20 cents… Da Heretic

If my clunker breaks down, I’ll catch the bus!

2009-08-28T13:42:00Z

I haven’t shared a rant in some months. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been ranting… just not sharing. But I had to share my thoughts on the Cash for Clunkers program that ended earlier this week. The Cash for Clunkers program basically allowed 700,000 Americans to use American tax dollars to dig themselves deeper into debt buying foreign cars. Wow! I held off sharing “My 20 Cents” on the program earlier because I was hoping I was missing something. And if I am, I’d love for someone to point it out to me.

From my understanding the program had 2 main objectives. (1) To get cleaner operating vehicles on the road (2) To boost sales in the automobile industry to aid in the economic recovery

I try to give credit where credit is due, but I am having a hard time understanding this one.

If cleaner operating vehicles is the objective then shouldn’t the $2.5 billion dollars that went into the
“Cash for Clunkers” program been directed to public/private entities that are already well on their way in developing hi-quality hybrid vehicles. There are several on the market already and many more to come.

GM, Ford and Chrysler, companies that we bailed out twice over the last year, benefited from the program the least. Ford had the only two American-made vehicles in the top 10 models sold in Cash for Clunkers program. Toyota and Honda both had three, while Nissan and Hyundai both had one each.

If we are going to spend US Tax dollars to bail out companies… bad idea… then give US Tax dollars to buy the products of these companies… another bad idea… then can we at least make sure these companies get the lion’s share of the money?

Much of the benefit from the automobile industry comes from its supporting industries. For example, the automobile parts and repair industry. The last thing that these industries need is people buying new cars.

In a down economy the worst thing you can do is take on more personal debt. A new car purchase is probably the worst purchase you will ever make. It’s usually our largest depreciating asset. It has been and always will be a losing proposition unless you’re a cab driver or a chauffeur. Sure you get a bigger, not necessarily better car, but most Americans also get a bigger, definitely not better, car payment. How does helping 700,000 people dig themselves deeper into debt help the US economy?

Under special circumstances, I like the idea of the government taking our collective dollars (taxes) and using them for purposes that benefit us all.

For example, we would have benefited a lot more if a program like this targeted the mortgage industry.

Subprime mortgages have polluted the US economy just like those clunker vehicles. How about allowing 700,000 people to “trade” them in? They can use a government rebate to shop for better performing mortgage products? Government dollars could subsidize the mortgages in the form of insurance. The program could people purchase foreclosed homes.

Credit would be available to buy homes, American’s largest appreciating asset, as opposed to their largest depreciating asset, a car.

What about the automobile industry? What about them? We have bailed them out twice. We have helped people buy their products. There is no amount of money that can save a business where there is a gross lack of innovation and creativity. Entrepreneurship, not government aid, is the only thing that can save the automobile industry.

So Mr. President if you want to help me buy something. Help me buy something of value that will bring tax revenue back to cities. Help me buy something that will get my kids a quality education by funding schools through property taxes. Help me buy something that can hold long term value and appreciate. Help me buy a house. Help me trade my “clunker mortgage” in for a new high performance mortgage... and if my old clunker car breaks down, I’ll catch the bus.

Just my 20 cents

The road to help is paved with correct intentions

2009-01-30T14:22:00Z

President Obama is doing a great job in moving swiftly to fix the weak economy. He deserves a pat on the back for getting his economic stimulus package passed in the House of Representatives. With some minor changes it will pass in the Senate. We should have an economic stimulus plan in place by mid February. This gives the President a huge win within his first few weeks on the job.

Unfortunately, I have a tough time believing the most wasteful group in America, the government, is suddenly going to become frugal and efficient with its money. This is not a critique of President Obama. The US government has never in our history created more value than the market place. If it did, we would be the wealthiest nation on Earth. But instead we are the greatest debtor nation on Earth.

The President’s plan has good intent. FDR brought us out of a depression with big government spending. Obama’s plan is to do the same thing spending on public projects like energy efficient government buildings, laying electric lines and infrastructure. This will create jobs. The problem with this approach is the plan creates jobs geared towards lower skilled workers and machines. This worked in the 1930’s because we had an abundance of people qualified to assume the newly created jobs and technology was limited by today’s standards.

Companies today are cutting knowledge workers like bankers, computer programmers, financial analysts, and engineers. If the President’s plan creates the 4 million jobs proposed over the next two years, which it will, we must ask ourselves will we want these jobs. The plan creates the need for skilled workers like brick layers, construction workers and pipe fitters. Critics say many people will deem themselves not a good fit for these newly created jobs.

We need an economic stimulus plan that creates jobs, but they must be the right kind of jobs. More importantly, the people who are good at creating jobs should be creating the jobs not the government. We need knowledge based jobs created by entrepreneurs.

Let’s put job creation in the hands of entrepreneurs. This is what they do best. Entrepreneurs create new jobs when their businesses grow. So the goal should be business growth fueled with retained earnings instead of debt.

So how can the government stimulate small business growth using retained earnings?

Here’s my plan.

1. Repeal the Regan tax cuts for higher income individuals. Wealthy people know that we pay taxes on income, not wealth. So smart business owners will keep their realized incomes as low as possible leaving more money in their business.

2. Allow a 1% tax credit for businesses. We will base the tax credit on gross revenue. In the case of a $1M business, $10,000 new dollars would drop to the bottom line in retained earnings. However, they can only take this credit if they use it for investment. This could be in the form of re-investment back into the business or investment into a new venture.

3. Suspend “No Child Left Behind” (because they are all behind already) and divert those resources into science, technology, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship education at the grade school level. India made the decision in the 70’s to raise a generation of technology savvy engineers. America should raise a generation of money smart entrepreneurs.

Sadly, I don’t think a plan like this would get much support as it would require a fundamental shift in thinking. It would assume that the people are smarter than the politicians and the market is more efficient than the government.

President Obama’s plan is well intentioned and has a historic precedent. But the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

The road to help is paved with correct intentions.

Just my 20 cents.

The Obama Effect

2008-11-01T17:09:00Z

It is only days from the election. According to a recent Gallup presidential poll of registered voters, Senator Barack Obama has an 8-point lead over Senator John McCain. (51% to 43% w/3% margin of error) Some would say that Obama is home free. He has led by as many as 11 points over the past few weeks.

However, folks who follow these things closely, although the polls suggest Obama will win, still are not too quick to hand it over to Obama. How much ground can McCain realistically make up over the next 3 days. If McCain goes into Election Day trailing by 5 – 6, points he is in good shape according to some experts. They and McCain’s team are factoring in “The Bradley Effect”.

What is “The Bradley Effect”?

“The Bradley Effect”, less commonly called “The Wilder Effect”, is an explanation for differences between voter opinion polls and election results when a white candidate runs against a non-white candidate.

It is named for Former Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley. Bradley, who ran for Governor of California in 1982, lost to Republican George Deukmejian. Ironically, Bradley was ahead in some voter polls by as much as 11 points. He even led in exit polls. Therefore, on election night everything pointed in Bradley’s favor. However, at the end of the day he actually lost.

What happened? It’s Simple. Many white voters lied. They said they would vote for a Black candidate, but in the end, could not overcome their own racial biases. According to experts the Bradley effect can account for as much as a 6% difference in actual results versus what people told pollsters they would do.

Does this mean that Obama should be worried? I guess it depends on whether enough white Americans have overcome their own racial biases. Some say they have. Some say they have not. The question is, "have enough Whites conquered their racial monsters in key battleground state like Ohio, Michigan and Virginia"? I guess we will see on election night.

Critics of the so-called “Bradley Effect”, suggest it existed in the 1980s and 1990s. Since then evidence suggest it no longer exist. Now critics consider it an outdated fear of racism on the part of non-white candidates.

Assuming the Bradley effect really is a thing of the past, Senator Obama is in an excellent position. Assuming it is still in effect I do not think Obama will be affected by it anyway.

Six other Blacks who have run for president before Barack Obama. All brought their own flavor to the scene, but none could overcome the force of “The Bradley effect”. They never really got their campaigns off the ground.

Obama on the other hand has gracefully cleared this hurdle. Whether you believe in the “Bradley Effect” or not you can only conclude one of two things. Either white America has grown enough in its racial tolerance that it can identify with a Black candidate or they do not see Obama as Black.

I would argue that it is the latter of the two. Barack Obama has done a better job than previous Black candidates at neutralizing his race. Whether that is good or bad is open for debate?

Obama’s bi-racial background goes a long way towards supporting his race neutrality. His Kenyan roots lend very little to tie him to a traditional Black American background as many do not mentally link Africans to African Americans.

If there is any truth to this analysis, then the “Bradley effect” will not affect Obama’s bid for the presidency. Assuming it exists, the Bradley affect will only harm minority candidates that have strong ties to their racial group. Senator Obama does not innately have this tie and hence can turn on/off his blackness when deemed appropriate.

Obama is the antidote for the “Bradley effect” that has plagued many Black candidates of the past. If the candidate can build into his/her campaign a form of political albinism and convince enough progressive whites that he/she is sincere then Black politicians have found the recipe for climbing the political ladder.

It will be interesting to see how much influence, if any, the Bradley effect will have on this election and how much the Obama effect will mitigate it.

In the meantime, I will be happy when a candidate is truly measured, positively or negatively, by the content of his competence and his character not the color of his skin.

Just my 20 cents!

Robbing People to Pay Paulson

2008-10-11T18:19:00Z

When we take money from one thing and use it for another. We call it “Robbing Peter to pay Paul”. That sounds a lot like US Treasury Secretary Paulson’s $700 Billion bailout plan.

I was daydreaming the other day about what I would do with $700 Billion if I could simply scare some folks out of it. We call that robbery, incidentally, in most states. If I could scare the country into giving me $700Billion dollars, what would I do with it?

Well for starters, the cost to upgrade the Gulf Coast levee system has run about $250 Billion. I would finish the job. This would ensure that lives are not lost, people have a place to live and an entire American city stays intact.

I would plan a Sudanese invasion. The Iraq war has cost $648 Billion, to date. Yet, we have accomplished very little in the way of protecting American interest. I believe that the crisis in Darfur is a travesty. $700Billion would probably fix the situation militarily and diplomatically, with change left over.

Following mortgage loans and automobile loans, student loans are the largest debts on many Americans’ balance sheets. Outstanding student loan debt is at $550 Billion. I would buy up and renegotiate the student loan debt. This would free up extra cash in people’s pockets. We would really get the economy going. Assuming you have one, imagine how life would be if you did not have a student loan payment. The other $150 Billion would go towards increasing Pell grant funding so folks do not have to borrow so much money in the first place to go to college.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been working on a network for emergency workers. It is a national 911 system so emergency personal can communicate and be dispatched anywhere in the country. Experts say building it could cost $15 Billion. With the change, I would staff, maintain and operate the network for the next 50 years.

Seven hundred billion dollars would cover one year's health care bills for more than 85 million seniors, disabled people, children and low-income Americans enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid. On the other hand, I might opt to add another 10 million children to the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) at $35 billion per year over five years.

According to the Wall Street Journal, half the money Roosevelt spent on his New Deal program to lift the country out of the Depression and banking crisis was for public works projects. For $250 billion, in today's dollars, we could build 8,000 parks, 40,000 public buildings and 72,000 schools.

I’ m not big on universal health care as I don’t like the government telling me I can’t drink, smoke, sky dive or whatever else I choose to do that might hurt me. Nevertheless, if I had $700Billion, I could provide universal health care for six years. That is long enough for me to convince the people that it is an overall bad idea.

Since it is burning a hole in my pocket, I could spend it on a space program. The Apollo mission to the moon cost $164 Billion. I am sure we could go much further than the moon with $700Billion.

We spend approximately $700 Billion per year on foreign oil. This money goes into the pockets of OPEC countries. $700 Billion would go a long way toward fostering alternative fuels and drilling in American territory.

$700 Billion is a lot of money. Nothing suggests, however, we simply have this kind of money just lying around. Assuming we find it, what is going to happen to President Obama’s social spending programs? There will not be any money left to lower taxes on the middle class. There will not be any money left for health care reform. There will be no means for the federal government to run many existing programs.

According to a recent CNN Money poll, 76% of respondents do not believe the bailout package will relieve this credit crisis.

With all the issues we are facing, I could find quite a few good uses for $700 Billion. Rescuing some greedy corporations that have preyed on mostly uninformed borrowers is not one of them.

Are we robbing People to pay Paulson!

That is just my 20 cents!

There's Never a Right Answer to a Wrong Question

2008-10-04T01:08:00Z

I find the debate over the financial bailout plan interesting. Both candidates have been next to silent on it. Yes, both made statements about the plan. Both voted for the plan. Both expressed the need to bring this issue to some resolution. Neither, however, acted boldly presidential and took a leadership role.

Neither candidate rose above the other to resolve this issue. It was dull yet frantic politics as usual from both candidates.

Both claim to be able to handle the grave issues facing the country for the next four question riddled years. Both were in position to open a definable lead on their opponent. They could have deafened their critics and shown the people that:
(1) They had the full support of their party
(2) Had the influence to pull together persons from both parties to get things done
(3) Understand the motivation and desires of the people
(4) Could handle the country in a time of crisis

Neither did….

This makes me ask a bigger question about the top task of carefully choosing a president. Are we, the people, asking the right question? There is no right answer to a wrong question. Since neither candidate has yet to answer our screams for leadership on the economy, maybe we are simply asking the wrong question.

In the primaries, we asked both parties who we should choose as president. The Democratic response was Senator Obama. The Republican response was Senator McCain.

The question is not who should we choose as president, but who will be the best leader of our country over the next four years. Then, we can elect that person. In haste to get rid of G.W., we asked the wrong question. Unfortunately, what it takes be elected president and what it takes to be president are very different skill sets.

What does a person have to do for the people to vote for them? To be elected requires popularity and pandering.

We ask…
(1) Do I know and like this person? (I.e. Popularity)
(2) What will they do for me? (I.e. Pandering)

The candidate that best answers those questions generally is the most electable. McCain clearly has shown that he is electable. At least Republicans thinks so. Obama clearly has shown that he is electable. That is why his party chose him.

Let’s raise our political intellect and change the question, in effect changing the answer. Let’s ask a more basic, meaningful and impactful question. Who would be the best person for the job of president? Let’s ignore who the parties have “In the queue”. Let’s draw up a set of core skills that “this president” needs then identify people with those core skills. The list would depend on what is going on in the world. It would depend on the issues that we are currently facing. It would depend on the foreseeable issues.

We painfully need to change the question of picking a president from “Who should we elect as our next president?” to "Who is the best person to be our next president?" This would get us out of this “lesser of two evils” political process.

George W. Bush was the most electable candidate. However, poll after poll suggest that he has done a miserable job as president. It is not his fault though. Collectively, we chose him. What were we thinking? We did not ask what skills and qualities our next president should have. If so we would have insisted on candidates with experience with terrorism, crisis management, economic efficiency and bi-partisan coalition. George W. Bush has failed miserably on these accounts. But this begs the question, had he ever shown he was competent in these areas.

Are we asking the right question about picking the next president? Have you asked yourself?
(1) What qualities should our next leader have? I would like someone who is trustworthy, has global vision, is accountable and has the ability to work with his/her rivals to get stuff done. Our next leader must have character.

(2) What competencies or skills should our next leader have? Crisis management, fiscal management, global strategy, and military management would be a few good skills to have. Our next leader must be competent in the areas where we have issues.

After insuring that a person has the character and the competence to hold the position of president, then and only then should, we turn our attention to his/her electability.

The Democrats presented Barack Obama as “The Answer”. The Republicans presented John McCain as “The Answer”. Unfortunately, when both had the chance to clearly show their ability to be president (the bail out plan), both failed to show up. The financial quagmire over the last few weeks was the perfect storm for the “Real President” to stand up.

George and his team came up with the horrible idea of bailing out businesses with questionable business practices so we could maintain business as usual on Wall Street. John McCain and Barack Obama followed, despite the outcry of the masses. Neither was the beacon of hope they claim to be. They decided not to cause any waves and voted for the bill, despite overwhelming public disapproval.

Either candidate, depending on the situation, can be elected president. Neither has shown that they can be president. We are asking the wrong question and there can never be a right answer to a wrong question.

Feel free to cast your vote on whether you agree or disagree at Vote

Somebody Tell Me I'm Missing Something... I'll Wait...

2008-09-26T15:04:00Z

Imagine the panic and chaos of a casino, full of patrons, on fire. That iswhat comes to mind when I think about this bailout discussion. I am not a fireman so I need some help understanding this whole bailout plan.

Major investment banks (i.e. Merrill Lynch, WaMu, etc.) have these mortgage backed securities. They have bought and are trying to sale pieces of paper that say (1) A person is buying a piece property. (2)They borrowed money using the property as collateral. (3) They plan to pay back the money they borrowed plus interest. (4) If they do not pay back the money plus interest then the owner of the mortgage can take the property (i.e. foreclose). I got that part.

Investors buy these bundles on the open market. The investors do not want these peoples' houses. No investor wants to be in the foreclosure business. They want the money from the mortgage payments that these people plan to pay for the next 30 years. (Mortgages are lasting longer than marriages... Can you say 'till death do us part'? But that's another topic for another time.)

Because investors are concerned that the mortgage payments may not come in, no one wants to buy these pieces of paper. They have become worthless pieces of paper.

According to these banks' balance sheets, however, these pieces of paper are worth billions of dollars. In reality, they are only worth what investors will pay for them on the open market. Due to the rules, these banks have to mark these assets down... to their market value... pennies on the dollar. (Ouch!)

Banks make their money however lending cash not pieces of paper. Right now, they have a lot of paper, but very little cash. The solution is to turn this paper into cash. I got that part.

They go to their cash source, the investment community. However, the investment community is not buying what they are selling... questionable paper. Where does that leave the banks? Out of cash and essentially out of
business.

I got it up to this point, but I do not see the crisis part. I do not see the need to panic. If nobody wants to buy what you are selling, in this case high-risk promises to pay; you should go out of business.

You might be saying if these banks fail then we will not have access to credit. The economic machine will grind to a halt. This is not necessarily true. Clearly people want be able to borrow as easily as possible, but if
they cannot is that a crisis? Most Americans are already overextended.

I do agree that there needs to be legitimate lending sources available for credible borrowers. Credit worthy borrowing is not the problem here. We are talking about the subprime loans made to people who should not have been borrowing money in the first place.

To make matters worse, Mr. Bush is asking the taxpayer to invest in this worthless paper. Am I missing something?

I can see putting oil in the engine to keep it running smoothly. However, if this deal goes down, we will need Vaseline, not oil. I have no problem with "bending over backwards" to keep the economy working smoothly, but the American people are being asked to "bend over forwards" to the tune of $700Billion.

I believe Americans would be willing to suspend the mark-to-market accounting rule so that banks did not have mark these assets down simply because no one wants to buy them. They bought them so they can just hold
them. Just because it's junk today does not mean investors will not buy these securities sometime in the future. It just may take a while. They need more confidence it them.

The government could however offer some form of mortgage insurance to guarantee the shaky mortgages. Now there is a bottom to the potential losses. This is what we do with student loans. This would build confidence.

Lastly, houses back these mortgages. Common sense says that these houses are not worthless. The buyer may be paying too much for the house but it is not worthless. Hence, this paper could be worth something one day.

It will however make the lending industry think twice of about loaning money to people who are not ready to borrow.

Of course, this is a political season and this is a political football. They will not do something rational. They will simply point fingers across the aisle at the other party. In the meantime, everyone else is panicking like they in a "casino on fire". Half of the people are trying to save their chips and the others are robbing the place. In the meantime, "joe q public" is stuck putting out the fire. I, personally, have no problem with watching
it burn.

In the words of that Great Ghetto Philosopher Katt Williams, "Somebody please tell me I'm missing something... I'll wait..."

Just my 20 cents!

Which Dog Are You?

2008-09-20T18:37:00Z

I know it has been a while since I have put out a rant. You know how it is. Right in the middle of our wonderful plans… life happens. I would like to thank everyone that has supported my family and me during our time of bereavement. God never promised us we would not hurt. He only promised comfort when we are hurting. So thank you all for the comfort.

I just read about a very interesting experiment. The scientists were testing whether you could learn hopelessness. They defined hopelessness as a state of accepted helplessness. If so, how is it learned?

Interestingly presidential candidate Sen. Obama has underwritten his whole campaign with the idea of hope. Former presidential candidate, Jesse Jackson, built his career on “keeping hope alive”.

Where there is hope there is help. We all could use a little help every now and then. Obama has been able to paint a picture in the hearts and minds of the people that the most powerful government in the world is willing and ready to help them. Now that is hope! Who would not vote for that?

I, on the other hand, am skeptical of the government’s willingness and ability, for that matter, to help people in a lasting meaningful way. Hence, I focus on people. What can we, as individuals, do to help ourselves?
What is making Obama’s message of “hope in the government” so popular? Obama’s message resonates with people, who for a long time have lacked hope and over time may have learned to lack help.

I pose this question to myself. Have I learned helplessness? Will I vote for the ticket that potentially represents the most help (hope)? My fear is that many American’s, especially African Americans, may have learned helplessness somewhere along the way.

In the experiment, a caged dog received an electrical shock. It could however push a button that would end the shock and let it out of the cage. At the same time, there was a second dog that received the same level of shock as the first dog. There was nothing, however, it could do to relieve its shock on its own. It had to wait for the first dog to figure out how to stop the shock to get any relief. A third dog received no shock at all.

Here is what the research showed. The first dog very quickly realized that it could do something about its situation. It would do so as soon as it figured out what to do. The third dog who had received no shock learned that it could do something about its situation. It did not take it long to figure out how to stop the shock and free itself from the cage.

The second dog, however, exhibited a very strange behavior. The second dog learned that regardless of what it did, it did not matter. Despite the pain of the shock, it did nothing. It just laid there. It learned that it could not change its own situation so it simply suffered the pain. It yelped from time to time, but did nothing of substance to improve its own situation.

Now I wonder how many of us are like the second dogs. How many of us have yoked ourselves to a presidential candidate? How many of us have decided to endure the pain of the economy, gas prices, unemployment, foreclosures, bank failures or whatever your particular pain is until one of the “Big Dogs” figures out how to stop the shock.?

Sen. McCain believes he can stop the shock and many people are hoping (voting) he can find the “STOP THE SHOCK” button. Sen. Obama believes he can stop the shock and many people are hoping (voting) he can find the “STOP THE SHOCK” button.

We can find our own “STOP THE SHOCK” button. We can help ourselves. We already have hope. We can bring about change in our lives today. We can bring about our own hope.
Regardless of who becomes the president of the United States of America, do for self. Determine what we as individuals can do to change our personal lives so that we can undo our learned helplessness. Regardless of who becomes president… whether it is McCain or Obama, we can affect our personal situation when a shock of life happens. We can do something about it and it does not matter the breed of the first dog Democrat or Republican. Roo!!!!

This is just my 20 cents!!!!

Show Me the Wealth!

2008-04-25T17:22:00Z

A few months ago, I talked about games we play keeping up with the Joneses. Experts refer to it as “Wealth Signals”. I outlined why African Americans were much more willing to live beyond their means.

Although I believe “Wealth Signals” is alive and well, I think there might be a larger issue. If I am correct in my breakdown then it will give context to our approach to politics and public policy.

In America, capitalism is the name of the game. Whether you like it or not, it is what it is! We need to look at any and everything that we do relative to that system.

I feel that we base much of our public policy on income development. For example, the minimum wage is a policy designed to increase income. Pell Grants and government-backed student loans are in place to give the masses a chance at a quality education. Education is a strong stimulant of gainful employment and higher paying jobs. Proponents intend for NAFTA and other trade related policies to help Americans get and keep high paying jobs while keeping the cost of basic goods and services relatively low.

So what is the problem with an income based approach? Well… capitalism, although a factor, is not income based. It is wealth based. It is all about the ownership of private property that a person can use for the benefit of his/her self, family and community.

Income based policies are excellent and clearly needed as the income gap between Whites and Blacks has held steady since 2000, with they typical Black family earning a meager $0.59 cents for every dollar ($1) earned by a mainstream white family. I welcome any effort to address this gap.

Capitalism, however, is about wealth. The wealth gap between the races is sad. The typical Black family holds only $0.10 cents of wealth for every dollar held by the typical white family. This gap has remained steady since the late 1800’s.

For the first time in the history of America many African Americans were starting to make a dent in this generational wealth gap, but due to $71 – 92 Billion wealth that being lost due to foreclosures the gap appears permanent.

Studies suggest that it is going to take more than 594 years to make up the wealth gap brought on by the sub-prime loan fallout. With the foreclosure crises, causing the greatest loss of wealth to people of color in modern US history it is going to take a miracle to close the wealth gap.

Equality is America is not about integrating schools. It is not about living next door to folks of another race. It is not about sitting at the front of the bus or drinking out the same water fountain. These are huge steps towards progress, but they do not equate to equality.

If we were playing basketball on a basketball court but you were playing with a football approach you would not be very successful. You would look up at the scoreboard and with much frustration see that the score was unequal.

In America, we play capitalism where the name of the game is building wealth. Building, developing and growing income is important but it does not translate into points. It leads to points.

We must rethink about income-based approach to leveling the playing field. A much more asset-based approach is what we need, but it is up to those that are losing the game, 90 – 10 as it stands right now, to put this issue on the table and make it a central point of American public policy going forward.

Just my 20 cents!

McCain-Rice Ticket? What Would You Do?

2008-03-14T18:41:00Z

The Republican Party can issue the most whopping blow to the Democrats in the history of the United States with one simple, although not easy, move.

It’s John McCain has finished off his Republican challengers and they have all dropped out of the race. He and the Republican Party now have time to beat up on whoever the Democrats decide upon.

In the general election he will give Obama or Clinton the run of their lives. The big question in Republican circles was never who the presidential nominee will be because McCain appears to have that hands down from the beginning. The million dollar question is who he will pick to be his running mate? Who can John McCain put on his team to give him the best shot to beat Clinton or Obama?

Can you say, “Condoleezza”?

If the Republican Party were able to persuade Condoleezza Rice to join the Republican presidential ticket, they would have one of the best presidential tickets in the history of America.

Many Republicans see McCain as not “Republican enough”. Rice on the other hand has been about as loyal to her boss, George W. Bush, and the Republican Party as anyone in recent history. She has followed them lock, stock and barrel even to her own detriment sometimes.

This ticket could make the issue of national security and the war a non issue. No conceivable Democratic ticket could match up with McCain, a decorated war hero, and Former National Security Advisor Rice.

Rice has testified so much on Capitol Hill that she answers tough questions in her sleep. She would mop the floor with any Democratic Vice Presidential candidate.

Dr. Rice holds a doctorate in International Studies. She has met with heads of state around the world and is highly respected.

With a little bit of looking surely the Democratic Party can find someone with comparable skills to boost the Democratic ticket. The problem is that whoever they find won’t be African American and won’t be a female.

Dr. Rice, a church-going Black woman from Birmingham, Alabama, has risen to the heights of American politics. Can you hear the birds singing? Can you see the heavens open up?

She would be the personification of Obama and Clinton’s campaigns combined. She would clearly be a change, at least on the surface. The Republicans could kill two birds with one stone, squashing Liberalism which is at the root of their existence.

Women would have a hard time voting against her. This weakens Clinton. African Americans would have a hard time voting against her. This weakens Obama. The Republican Party has stumbled across a “trump card” thanks to GW.

The Democratic Party has banked on African American and working class women’s support for the past 70 years. Democrats have been much friendlier to civil rights and women’s rights. In exchange, both have given the party unquestionable support.

But if Rice can be convinced to throw her hat in the ring for Vice President, both of these groups have a dilemma. Do they go with tradition and stick with the Democratic Party or do they cross party lines for the first time since the 30’s to support the Republican Party.

Hmm… What would you do?

Just my 20 cents!

The Greatest Show on Earth!.. The Texas Democractic Circus... I mean Caucus

2008-03-06T16:15:00Z

Move over Ringling Brothers. I think I witnessed one of the greatest shows on earth Tuesday night. It was full of excitement. There were clowns. There was roaring. There were stunts that you couldn’t imagine. There was laughing. And sometimes the air had the stench of elephant droppings… or was that bull I smelled? Unfortunately it was not under the big top. It was the Texas Primary and Caucus meeting that I attended.

I got to the polls about 6:00 p.m. I went into the school and walking down the hall looking for the lines. I expected long lines. I could see cars parked down the street. After walking around the school a minute or two a lady stopped me asking if I was there to vote. I told her yes. She directed me around the corner to the auditorium.

Stop!!! Why the hell weren’t there signs at the door, in the hall or somewhere telling me that I needed to go to the auditorium? There should have been a person at the front to make sure people weren’t wandering around the school. Children were still in the building. Can you say security risks? But I wasn’t tripping.

I found the auditorium. There were two lines. One line was shorter so I got in the shortest line. After about 15 minutes in line, I handed the lady my driver’s license. She asked my address. She said I was in the wrong line. She explained that 2 precincts were voting in this location. I was in the wrong precinct line. I needed to get in other line. It was out the door by now.

Stop!!! Why the hell weren’t there signs (or something) telling us what each line was for? How hard would it have been to put up signs with “Precinct #23 Vote Here” and “Precinct #24 Vote Here”? What about a person there with either a laptop or a cell phone so people could verify which precinct they lived in? Was I, or Am I, asking for too much?

I got in the long line which was backing up in the hallway by now. It took about 30 minutes but I finally got my ballot and stepped to the voting partition. There was no pen or pencil there.

Stop!!! Why the hell couldn’t they have simply tied a string to a pencil or pen so no one could/would walk off with it?

I had a pen, so I wasn’t tripping. I quickly marked my vote and took it to the machine to have it recorded.

The guy at the machine asked, “You didn’t use that pen did you?” I replied, “Yes because there was not a pen or pencil in the voting booth.” He told me I needed to use the felt tip pens that they provided. I should have asked for one.

Stop!!! Why the hell do I have to ask for a pen or pencil? I’m there to vote. You know I need a pencil or a felt tip pen. Either provide one or a least let me know that I need one. He scanned the ballot anyway and the machine accepted it. I had voted so I wasn’t tripping.

Later at in the foyer, waiting for the doors to open for the caucus I heard a lot rumbling about having to stand in line. The air conditioner was off. People were getting hot and cranky. Many had skipped dinner to be there. I thought about trying to be a hero and make a run to go get a few buckets of chicken, but I didn’t want to lose my place in line.

After about 45 minutes waiting we went into the school cafeteria. I gathered that the lady screaming at the top of her lungs was in charge. I wasn’t quite sure though. She wasn’t the only person screaming at the top of their lungs. She was however the loudest. The instructions were nil. I thought, “What the hell is this?”

Nobody knew what to do, including poll workers. Folks were passing around several pieces of paper. I concluded that we should sign our name on the list, write the name of preferred presidential candidate and we could leave. Some people said we should stay so I decided I’d stay just to see the process. I was enjoying the show by now.

This was about as clear as mud to most people. One older black lady next to me kept echoing, “We ain’t ever had to do no caucus before. Why we gotta do one now? I knew them white folks was gonna try to pull something.”

About an hour later there were approximately 40 people left. It was clear that the people in charge were clueless and the voters were even more clueless.

I asked reasonable questions where I could. I got more contradictory answers than I care to share. Finally that same older black lady told me, “You sound like you know what you talking about. I’m jes gonna stick wit you.” I thought to myself - that’s been her game plan during this whole election. Go with the one that sounds like they know what they’re talking about.

They counted the sign in votes. Then they realized 94 people didn’t write a candidate’s name next to their sign – in. The meeting chair asked, “What should we do with those?” We could either throw them out or we could vote on how we wanted those caucus votes to go. It was 9 p.m. and most of these people had left the meeting by now.

The call for a vote went like this, “How many people want to throw those votes out?” Another gentleman and I raised our hands. “Now how many people want those votes to go to Obama?”

Stop!!! What the hell kind of BS is that? We weren’t voting on who should get those votes. We were only voting on what we wanted to do with them. I said that didn’t make any sense. I didn’t want to be held responsible for voting either way on behalf of people who simply misunderstood the instructions.

A few rational heads (Obama Supporters) suggested that they call the attorneys to see what to do. After 15 minutes on the phone, the attorneys suggested we throw those votes out. Did we need an attorney for that? DAMN!

Next we decided to get the vote count, minus the 94 votes. Then someone realized that only 11 people didn’t properly mark the caucus sheet.

Stop!!! Was it 11 or 94? Now I can understand errors in math, but come on. More importantly what if I didn’t press the issue. If this was going down in favor of Clinton it would have been pandemonium.

Basically, it was total chaos… a Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus. I’d argue that many people won’t look forward to participating in the process again.

But how can we avoid this madness in the future? I have a few suggestions:

The party should provide universal signage to every polling place with information like directions, precinct numbers and phone numbers to report issues.
The party should provide a hot-line available, manned by volunteers, to answer questions like: Am I registered to vote? What precinct am I in?
The poll workers should use the built in PA system of the polling facility, if they have one. If there is not one, the party should provide a megaphone. A little ole lady should not have to scream at the top of her lungs to give instructions.
All poll workers should attend at least 8 hours of training. They must pass a test on rules of the primary as well as the caucus. They don’t have to be election experts, but they need to be able to answer basic questions.
The Party should send out caucus rules to all registered voters 10 – 14 days prior to primaries and caucuses. They should also post them in a visible place at the polls.
Print basic primary and caucus instructions on the back of everyone’s voter registration card… where applicable.
Only elect local officials (i.e. council persons/county commissioners) with a strong voter education initiative.

Just my 20 cents!!!

What Time You got, Barack?

2008-03-04T15:23:00Z

He should have knocked her out last week. I said in last week’s rant that I was disappointed that Barack had not put the “death nail” in Clinton’s coffin during the Texas primary debate.

The Clintons are pit bulls and you can rest assure if you toy around with them long enough they will bite you. Clinton is biting and biting hard.

Sen. Clinton was quick to make the press aware of the upcoming trial of a Chicago land developer that has financial dealings with Obama. No one has accused him of any wrong doing but you can bet the media will ask questions. Sources say that the defense may even call Obama to testify. People see him as the answer to “politics as usual”. Most people believe that most politicians are “in the pockets of big money”. Obama presented himself as incorruptible and as one who didn’t play the “votes for money” game. He says it was a “boneheaded mistake”, but mistakes like this get the rumor mill going.

Clinton has also conveniently leaked a memo to the press claiming that Obama was simply pandering to the people of Ohio (and Texas) about his true feelings regarding NAFTA. The memo suggests that he said one thing to the people and something different to the Canadian government.

Although Obama is currently “Wonder Boy” and can do no wrong, his grasp of some voters could slip. In a race this close, you don’t want to get “caught slippin”.

The longer this thing draws out the more it works in Clinton’s favor. She and her husband know how to work the democratic machine. You can rest assure that she will continue to push for the Florida and Michigan delegates to be seated at the convention. If these states counted she’d have the delegate lead today. It’s going to be tough to keep them completely out. Florida is the “poster state” for voter disenfranchisement.

Toss in the super delegates and a few back room deals from Mr. Clinton and Al Gore and you got a Clinton upset. Imagine the disillusionment Obama supporters will feel with the whole process. Obama has done an excellent job in getting people to believe in the political process again. Unfortunately, his defeat would only be another example of the voice of the people really not counting after all.

How do we avoid this potential backlash that would virtually cripple the Democratic Party for the foreseeable future?

We need an indisputable winner. It needs to be decisive and clear. There can’t be a decision in this fight. Anything less than a knock out, will leave too many unanswered questions.

So “Wonder Boy” can save us all a whole lot of second guessing and in-fighting at the Democratic Convention in August if he would simply “take her out”! If he can!

Like Obama, Muhammad Ali had rock star status in his quests for the heavy weight championship. Some hated him. Some loved him. But he said what he was going to do and he did it… convincingly!

It is time for Barack to show us that “one thing” that many of his critics are holding out for. He has to show that he understands Ecclesiastes 3.

Yes, there is a time to heal. This country needs a lot of healing. But there is also a time to kill. There is a time to love. This country needs a lot of love. But there is also a time to hate. There is a time for war, which he has avoided with the Clintons and a time for peace.

Has Barack shown that he knows what time it is?

Just my 20 cents!

Party Like a Barack.... Party Like a Barack Star!!!

2008-02-22T20:07:00Z

Let’s get ready to rumble!!! It looks like we have a battle going on for Heavy Weight Champion of the Democratic Party. Even more exciting it’s coming down to G-W’s old stumping ground… where we do everything big, Texas.

I watched last night’s debate. I did something a little different though. I watched with the volume turned off. I wanted to score the debate/fight on how much damage I saw inflicted.

The debate/fight didn’t live up to all the hype. Most fights don’t. The anointed champion of the Democratic Party (Clinton) tried to throw a few punches but none of them really affected the contender (Obama). On the other hand Obama didn’t throw any at all. I admit I was a little disappointed.

Some may say that Obama didn’t have to throw any punches. I disagree. He has not won the nomination yet. As a matter of fact, Obama could have delivered a crushing blow to Clinton in last night’s debate. She’s been calling for a debate. She got it. He could have whipped her on her own terms once and for all. He didn’t in my view.

I gave the fight/debate to Clinton on a “decision”. She clearly was the aggressor with Obama being the deflector at best. I think she finished with a nice flurry at the end. Obama defended himself to most people’s satisfaction, but this was not what party officials wanted to see from him. He’s campaigning as a consensus maker and one who will not revert to politics as usual.

Unfortunately, I don’t think McCain, the Republican Party or the media will quite see the general election in that light. They will go for blood. Obama must show the rest of his party, especially the super delegates that he can fight. His unwillingness to fight is viewed as a strength in the public, but might be viewed a weakness amongst his fellow Democrats.

In any championship fight, the contender needs to land a decisive victory over the champ. Ideally it needs to be a definitive knock out. Otherwise the judges, who are boxing experts (super delegates), have to decide the winner. The experts are very slow to go against the champ. They see the champ’s ability to remain standing as the mark of a champion. You might be able to hurt the champ but you can’t knock out the champ. They also see the contender’s inability to knock out the champ as a sign that the contender is not ready to be champ. The contender has to clearly and decisively take the title.

Obama is letting Clinton hang around. Her supporters see this as resilience. If he allows her to catch her breath and regain her footing it won’t look good for him.

Clinton is clearly on the ropes. The crowd is on their feet screaming and yelling. He is pounding on her in the primaries. Her financial backers (corner men) are questioning her finances. Many are quietly hinting that they should throw in the towel. Her punches aren’t fazing Obama.

But for some reason he won’t knock her out! Now is the time for Obama to knock her out! But while she was flailing wildly at him trying to make it a fight, he wanted to dance. That scores him Kumbaya points in the public, but keep in mind that the general public doesn’t choose the nominee.

Quiet as it’s kept, many of the super delegates don’t think he can! There in lies Obama’s dilemma.

If Clinton is still in the race in mid-march, John McCain will win hands down and here’s why.

Hillary will win the Democratic nomination. What the hell!!!!!! Settle down and let me explain.

If Obama doesn’t show the judges, the Democratic machine, that he can knock her out as weak as she is now they will doubt his ability to fight and beat McCain. Key party officials are going to ask Obama to take a back seat to Hillary. Hillary knows how to fight "with the gloves off". Bill will be right there to get his licks in too.

In exchange, they will pitch Obama sweet deals to boost up his resume for 2012.

Hillary is going to go head to head with McCain.

McCain wins in the end. Republicans think he’s a kindler gentler Bush. He is not Republican enough, but he’ll do. Many Democrats aren’t going to vote for Hillary because they’ll feel Obama got the shaft.

Expect to see a riff soon between the Democratic hardliners and the rank in file Democrat.

The American public, especially the Democrats, are tired of politics as usual and this is Obama’s selling point. However the hardliners on both sides want to win! To win they understand that they need to be able and willing to fight… politics as usual.

The Democratic hardliners want a liberal thug that they can trust sometimes. They want a person who is liberal enough to institute social change, thuggish enough to do fight with Republicans and trustworthy enough to know they won’t lie to them all the time.

The Democratic public on the other hand wants to party all the way to the White House. We’ll see who wins out. It should be interesting.

In the meantime… Party Like a Barack.... Party Like a Barack Star!!!

That’s my 20 cents!

Challenge to the Obamians... The Real Win!

2008-02-15T21:27:00Z

Obama really has Hillary up against a wall. Many voters were on the “Hillary vs. Obama” fence. It seems, in recent weeks, they are dumping Hillary and jumping on the Obama band wagon in droves. What’s the impact of Obama’s early wins? In my view, it has very little to do with him becoming President.

I have to tip my hit to the brother. I am very proud of him. However, he still has not quite won my vote. Sure he tickles the ear. He sounds good. He’s charismatic. This, however, has very little to do with being Commander-In-Chief of the most powerful country in the world. As the saying goes, “charisma lasts about 15 minutes”… after that you gotta be able to execute. Obama hasn’t, can’t, and won’t, in my opinion, be able to execute.

He is a roll of the dice at best. And I just don’t believe the President of the United States should be a roll of the dice. I want a sure bet. I want to know exactly what I am going to get.

That said; I still might vote for him! Here’s why. I understand Obama’s “real” win!

For starters, Washington politics has very little impact on the day to day lives of most. Of course we could make a case on the contrary, but for the most part, what’s going on in hell… I mean on the Hill… has very little to do with how you are living today.

Local politics, if any, impact your life the most. A local school board, who you have perhaps never met, has direct control over your child’s education. Who cares about the Secretary of Education? The actions and values of your local and state elected officials directly affect crime, jobs and quality of life issues. Your mayor has more control over whether you have a job than the president.

Which would have a greater long term impact on your economy…. this is the only economy you really care about…Bush’s plan to give you back $700 or your local officials devising a plan to reduce your property tax burden.

I do, however, think Obama is really paving the way for cities and states to elect more socially conscious, community-minded people. Obama is helping America come to grips with the fact that it’s OK to vote for a person with brown skin.

Barack’s campaign suggests that America “might” be ready to support black candidates. The “right” black person must step up to the plate, though. Barack is stirring up those sharp young brothers and sisters that just might be the “right” person in certain cases. Young people who have what it takes to be effective at the local and state level are saying “If Obama can run for President, then I can run for mayor, county commissioner, governor, etc”.

My hat is off to Barack for being the point man on this one. It stills does not qualify him to be president. On the other hand, I don’t think most Americans stay awake at night worrying about who is president.

Here’s my challenge to all newly converted “Obamians”.

Do you even know who your mayor, city councilman or governor is? You really want to work for political change? You really want to make an impact? You really want to embrace Obama’s victories? Here’s what you do.

Find out who your city councilman, mayor, school board, county commissioner, state representative, state senator and governor is? If there is a black person running, jump on their band wagon. At least you can hold them accountable for what they say in their speeches. If there isn’t one, create a band wagon and you run!

Just my 20 cents!

Are You Outta Your League?

2008-02-08T20:18:00Z

In 1913 a cartoonist named Arthur R. Momand coined the phrase "Keeping Up with the Joneses" when he created a daily comic strip by the same name. In this rant I share why I think it is still so prevalent today... especially in the black community.

Studies show Blacks disproportionately spend on conspicuous items. In many cases they end up in financial crises more often than their white counter parts.

Economists refer to “Keeping up with the Joneses as playing “Wealth Signals”. Wealth Signals is a game all Americans play. They play to keep score in life. If a person is successful (i.e. doing well financially), they are able to buy more wealth signals. If a person is not doing as well, they don’t have as much disposable income to put on wealth signals.

What I find interesting though, is black and brown people tend to play “Wealth Signals” more fierce than whites. According to the report “Race and Consumption”, Blacks spend as much as 30% more on visible goods like clothes and cars than whites with a comparable income. Blacks are more willing to “break the bank” to win than to simply bow out when the stakes get too high.

It is easier for a poor black family to get “caught up” in the game because they don’t have as far to stretch to stay in the game. A poor white family, on the other hand, would have to stretch much farther to compete. Most simply opt out gracefully.

Imagine you are playing poker. You take a look at your hand. You have a pretty good hand. So you place your bet. You bet an amount you clearly can afford to lose or else you wouldn’t do it. Somebody else at the table has a Royal Flush… a guaranteed winning hand. They have a lot more money than you; hence can stand to bet and lose a lot more. They not only call your bet but raise your bet by 3 times the amount.

Now you have a dilemma. Assume you have the money to match the bet but really can’t afford it. You opt out of the game gracefully because if you lose you are completely out of the game altogether.

Now assume they have the same amount of money as you to bet/lose. They match and raise your bet, but only by a few dollars. You now have no problem matching their bet. It’s more than you can afford, but if you lose it won’t “break you”. More importantly, and here is the issue, you can keep playing!

In the white community the annual median income is $67,000. A white family making $25,000 a year can’t compete on the level of the $67,000 family. On the other hand, the median income for black households is $43,000. A black family bringing in $25,000 a year has a lot stronger pull to keep playing. The $43,000 family is not, “quite” out of their league. They might even be able to appear to win.

The problem is the poorer black family has invested a lot more to stay in the game. They could have used that money to build wealth, educate the kids, etc.

The interesting point is there are fewer leagues in the black community. You have more people competing in a league that they shouldn’t be. For example, in the same Black family there may be a person in jail, a blue collar worker, and a doctor. The family member in jail wants to show that he is as successful as his blue collar brother. He will even aspire in many cases to show that he is as successful as his brother the doctor. When he gets out, he puts $7,000 rims on his car. He pulls up to the stop light with his wheels spinning. Folks look at the car saying "man that dude got it going on!" Side note: You can only see spinning rims can when the car is moving, so clearly the driver is not buying them for himself.

We see wealth leagues in the White community defined a lot more clearly. Also, there are a more of them. Generally a family of doctors live in the same neighborhoods with other white doctors. They hang out with other white doctors. The marry people from families with other white doctors. They generally stay in their same financial peer group. White blue collar workers hang with, go to church with, and associate with other working class people. Poor whites just live in trailer parks...

Until very recently in American history, your "means" dictated what league of the "wealth signals" game you could play in. Access to credit has allowed people to play out of their league.

Are you outta your league?

Just my 20 cents!

You Gotta be Grateful for Some to Get Some!

2008-02-04T20:57:00Z

In last week’s rant I asked us to honor “Windows of Opportunity”. Life presents us with golden opportunities all the time. However, sometimes the timing just ain’t right. We aren’t quite ready for many of them, just yet. My point was its OK to wait for the “window of opportunity” to open again when conditions are better.

Something hit me like a ton of rocks when I re-read my rant a few days later.

In my opinion, we are too focused on accumulation …“getting”. “Something” is missing. So we need to “get something” so that we can do “something”. We would start that business but we don’t have the money. So we need to “get” a loan from the bank to start that business. We would have a better job, but we don’t have a degree. So we need to “get” that degree to have the job that we want. We would have a happy relationship, but the right person hasn’t shown up. So we need to “get” Mr. or Ms. Right to have a happy relationship. We would be happier with our jobs, but we don’t have a high enough position. So we need to “get” that promotion to be happier on our jobs. We would feel comfortable at home, but we don’t live in the “right” neighborhood. So we need to “get” that house in the right neighborhood to feel comfortable. We would feel like a success if we drove the right status symbol, but we drive a “hooptie”. We need to “get” that car to feel some sense of success. You get the idea!

What if, however, we shifted our focus from one of accumulation to one of appreciation?

Just try it!!!!

Think about the thing that is “supposedly” keeping you from taking advantage of “your opportunity”. Then ask yourself this question. Instead of trying to “get” what I need, how can I use what I have already?

This is where appreciation comes in. Instead of trying to “get” that loan appreciate and use the money that you already have. Let’s try launching the business from that mindset.

Instead of trying to “get” that next degree, how can we appreciate and use the education that we do have. Are we really using it to it’s fullest?

Instead of trying to “get” that woman/man in your life, let’s try appreciating the friends that we have in our lives now. You might be surprised what you find.

I am learning that our culture is one “hell bent” on accumulating. Getting stuff… Gaining stuff… Looking for stuff. This implies that we don’t have all that we need, already.

On the other hand appreciation is about valuing what we do have. Let’s use what we do have. Manage the money that you do have. Value the relationships that you do have. Make the best of the job that you do have.

What we appreciate increases in value… making more room in our lives for bigger and better things.

The more we appreciate the more valuable a thing becomes. We take care of what we value. We protect what we value. We respect what we value. We “keep clean” what we value. We don’t “tear up” what we value.

Over the next week let’s shift our focus from accumulation to appreciation. The next time a thought of “getting” something enters your mind. Stop! Then ask yourself how I can show more appreciation for what I currently have. Appreciate more, then watch how much easier it is to “get”.

You gotta be grateful for some... to get some!!!!

Just my 20 cents!

Special Edition: One of my Responses to Obama 2012

2008-01-28T19:06:00Z

I receive passionate responses to my rants all the time. I appreciate the feedback. I normally don't respond because in the end of the issue is not about me. My rants designed to encourage the reader to evaluate his/her views.

I got a lot of passionate feedback on my Obama 2012 rant a few weeks ago (you can read it at http://blog.detrickdeburr.com)

One in particular I've decided to respond to... and I thought I'd share my response with you. I have taken the liberty of pulling out the fundamental arguments for the sake of brevity. It's bound to stimulate debate, but this is good.

Lastly, I am not anti-Obama! Honestly, I support him, but truthfully I have not decided whether or not he will get my vote in the primary.

So here it is..... I can feel the heat now... lol

D!
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Respondent:
I am practically seething with all of the black people, especially so called "intelligent”, "educated", black people giving a million tired excuses of why they won't vote for Barack Obama and will vote for a Hillary Clinton:

1. He's not ready/He's not experienced.
Man please. You have the top 3 Democratic candidates with 1 Senate term under their belt. Hillary as the First Lady as experienced? Not one executive decision is made being as the first lady. That's like Stedman recommending a book, endorsing a candidate, or having his own show...SO WHAT.

My response:
For starters, the election is not about just Obama and Clinton. There are other democratic candidates and there republican, libertarian, etc. candidates that might appeal to Black people. We have to stop blindly jumping on the Democratic band wagon. What have they done for us lately?

I totally disagree with your argument. Obama has not won a race, even as senator, where he had to attract voters from the other side per se... Senate races are based on geography. Generally speaking people in the same geographic boundaries have the same over arching concerns. I would be more impressed had he been elected Mayor. Which in my opinion is much more difficult that being elected as Senator.

First lady's run the country from behind the scenes. (Eleanor Roosevelt had quite a bit to do with Blacks being treated fairly in the military in WWWII. It was these Black soldiers coming home and saying “hell no” that was a spark to much of the civil rights activity that came later.) First ladies have more control over the president than anyone else in the world. The first lady might be most powerful person in the world. Have you ever heard of bedroom politics? Every man has, whether he admits it or not, done something due to the influence of a woman. When we vote for president we vote for the candidate's spouse also. Hence Hillary has been president already for 8 years. To flip it, do you really think that Bill won't have any impact on policy if Hillary is elected?
________________________________________________________________________
Respondent:
2. White America is not ready for a Black president.
Whaaa? Was White America ready for slavery to end? Giving us the right to vote? Desegregation of our society? When did black people ever let white people dictate when and where we were getting our just due, our break? We've always stepped up and demanded what we wanted, o! r we we re either hitting the streets and tearin' up some stuff, escapin', marching, or picketing. White America is ready for a Black President because Barack Obama is the right man for President, PERIOD.
Besides, that never stopped anyone from voting for Jesse Jackson, a man with NO political experience AT ALL from almost snatching the Democratic nomination in 1984, and coming darn close again in 1988 20 YEARS AGO.

My response:
2. Well to be honest... until White America, over 75% of the population, is ready to accept a Black face in the White House it will never happen. Was White America ready for slavery to end? Absolutely... the economic foundation of the country, agriculture, had shifted and Slavery no longer supported the new industrial economy. White America needed that cheap labor up north in the factories. This is what the Civil War was all about.

What makes Obama the right man for the job anyway? Right now the only thing that's really working in his favor is (1) We are sick of the Republican Party (2) We are even sicker of the Clintons. Hence he is the candidate of choice by default, at best. This makes him a roll of the dice, at best! Can you say electile dysfunction?
________________________________________________________________________
Respondent:
3. Barak is half black and half white, so he's not really black anyway.
I should back smack anyone who has ever thought that. Ever heard of the one drop rule? It has not only been a social standard for WHO is black, but it also upheld the constitution in keeping us from suing a white person over personal property. No black person ever refers to another black person as "biracial". You black. You might have another heritage in your lineage, but this country as well as any other sees you as black, PERIOD. Lame excuse people.

My response:
3. I'd argue that Bill Clinton is blacker than Obama on any day!!! Blackness is an experience not a skin color. Whiteness is an experience not a skin color. Blackness and Whiteness only exists in America. Both are used to describe a uniquely American experience. That's why when people come here from other countries they gravitate to becoming either Whiter or Blacker with White meaning that you identify with the white American experience more than you identify with black American experience.

Obama grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia. Bill grew up in Arkansas. Now you tell me, who experienced (saw) the realities of being Black or White in America. The white kid from Arkansas saw racism first hand even if it was to his own benefit. Obama on the other hand was raised by a white mother in Hawaii. Mother's generally shield their sons as much as possible. So how much racism do you really think Obama saw (experienced) living with his white mother in Hawaii and Indonesia?
________________________________________________________________________
Respondent:
4. I don't know what issues Barack ! stands f or.
When the heck has that ever prevented black folk from voting for a black candidate, really? I guess now, but the main people saying that couldn't tell you anything about Hillary's or John Edwards platform either. Please stop fronting.

My response:
4. All the candidates are pandering to the largest audience possible... it's really too early to put their real cards (platform) on the table. So you can only use their past record as an indication of they are really passionate about. Obama’s record is simply shorter than the other candidates’. He’s been using this to his advantage by the way. His slate is the cleanest. But this makes him a roll of the dice… like I said earlier.
________________________________________________________________________
Respondent:
5 . All he did was give that one speech.
How many great people have defined their lives, the scope of human history, and changed the world in a speech? Moses, Jesus, Paul, Martin Luther, Frederick Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Ronald Reagan, Nelson Mandela, Jesse Jackson, and Jim Valvano all have changed the course of history of the world and the hearts of billions of men and women in societies since the beginning of time with a speech.
That is the purpose of a rally. A person speaks, and it prepares all to act in relation to the spirit of what is spoken. That is why we go to church, not to just hear our pastor blather, but to refre! sh God in our hearts and spurn us to take up God's will in our lives.
So save all that ying yang about that speech.

My response:
5. They all may have changed the course of history with a speech but which one of them did we vote for because of their speech. If anything their speech was powerful because they lived the sentiment of the speech in their actions. Hell I give a good speech… you gonna vote for me when I run?
________________________________________________________________________
Respondent:
6. If all of those white people are supporting him, he must be in their back pocket.
Save the conspiracy theory home skillet. He's liked because he comes at a time where a person that looks exactly like them lied to their face (two in a row, if you include Bill Clinton with Monica and of course Bush with Iraq), and flat out said what no politician would admit: We have two Americas, blue and red, black and white. It was not publicly said, and on top of that proposed that we ACTUALLY DO something about it not find more ways to be divided and not come together despite our differences. Noble concept and one to be championed. That's JFK, FDR, and Abe Lincoln material. So they were feeling it, just like I was and you should too. His legislative work has been indicative of this as well, including his Fuel Standard work with President Bush. Check the resume, it sh! ines.

My response:
6. Huh??? Every candidate has a core constituency... In essence the candidate is always in somebody’s back pocket. Just curious, if Obama were to win what in your personal life do you think will really change?

Windows of Opportunity

2008-01-25T18:44:00Z

This rant started last night in a class that I teach for people starting their own businesses. Many of you who have read my rants in the past know that I am strongly against debt. I asked the class, how many of them would not go through with their business idea if they couldn’t get a loan from the bank. About 50% of them said that they wouldn’t move forward without some form of outside funding. I think there were others that felt the same way, but could tell I was about to “hit the roof”.

Your dreams are “your” dreams! No bank, spouse, school or company is responsible for ensuring that you live “your” dreams! I believe that if “your” dreams really are “your” dreams and not someone else’s dreams that you’ve adopted then you have everything that you need. Although, my response to class last night pertained specifically to people starting a business, I think the principle I shared with them can be applied to whatever you are aspiring to do.

I once heard that “The Truth out of season is just as bad as a lie”. Saying the right thing… in this case doing the right thing at the wrong time ultimately is wrong. So I told them about “windows of opportunity”.

NASA launches a shuttle only during a window of opportunity. This is the time when conditions are best, the weather is right, the astronauts are ready and meteorologist forecast the weather conditions for the return flight to be at their best.

Business opportunities are the same way. The market has to be just right. This means that there are enough people in the world demanding your product or service. The financial markets have to be right. This means that financial conditions are favorable to you and the customer for doing business together. Most importantly, “You” have to be right! This means your personal finances, relationships, health, etc. can withstand the impact that launching your new idea will have on you.

These 3 windows of opportunity are constantly opening and closing. The trick is to jump in when all 3 are open at the same time. You remember double-dutch… same principle.

I am writing this today to encourage you to “Do You”! Don’t let anyone or anything stand in the way of “You doing you”! However, and this is a big however, honor and respect the principle of “Windows of Opportunity”.

There is a window of opportunity to buy that house. There is a window of opportunity to marry that man or woman. There is a window of opportunity to start that business. There is a window of opportunity to write that book. There is a window of opportunity to get that degree.

If you find that now is not the time, that’s OK. It’s not at indictment of you. It’s simply a sign that you’re not ready yet. The operative word is yet. If you honor and respect windows of opportunity they will open again.

Take a minute a think about something you’ve done in the past that when you look back on it you realize that you weren’t quite ready. The windows of opportunity weren’t all open. Did it work out like you expected? Probably not! Did all the windows of opportunity eventually open up later?

How would your life be different today if you had only honored the “windows of opportunity”?

Just my 20 cents!