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Wisconsin a tale of things to come in November?

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With a victory win by Governor Walker with his special recall election, could this be a sign that Democrats
are in trouble?  It did not take long for Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairman of the Democratic National Committee
to make comments about the recall election.

On Capital Hill Debbie Wasserman Shultz had this to say:

““While the results of the governor’s race were not what we had hoped for, we were still able to
overcome great challenges to ensure the voices of middle-class families were heard.  Over the past year,
Wisconsin Democrats have taken on the immense challenge of  fighting against government overreach and
ensuring voters have a say about the future of the state”

My comment to Ms. Shultz is that they did have their say with their right to vote.  Is it that surprising to her?

The Census: continuing the racial divide

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Nothing seems to rile my audience more than the Census. Some see it as government intrusion into privacy. Others see it as just one more excuse for a bigger government. Remember they sell it as a way to ensure your community gets its fair share of federal money (social justice), or maybe a guidepost to political payoffs (pork projects).

But perhaps my biggest objection is to the section that asks you to check off your race and, separately, ethnicity. The list is long:

The standards include five minimum categories for data on race:  “American Indian or Alaska Native,” “Asian,” “Black or African American,” “Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander,” and “White.”  There are two minimum categories for data on ethnicity:  “Hispanic or Latino” and “Not Hispanic or Latino.”  The concept of race reflects self-identification by people according to the race or races with which they most closely identify.  Persons who report themselves as Hispanic can be of any race and are identified as such in our data tables.

My personal view is that it’s just another way to divide the nation, or to perpetuate the notion of special classes that need the government to survive. The absurdity of it all is demonstrated perfectly in this report by MSNBC this afternoon … one family, successful as well, with different views about who they are, when who they are, is American.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnyWUHr7_ac

No doubt the government won’t see the absurdity of it all and will add yet another question on race. Why do they do this still? The Census website gives the following explanation

Race is key to implementing any number of federal programs and it is critical for the basic research behind numerous policy decisions. States require race data to meet legislative redistricting requirements. Also, they are needed to monitor compliance with the Voting Rights Act by local jurisdictions.

Federal programs rely on race data in assessing racial disparities in housing, income, education, employment, health, and environmental risks.

The reasoning in 2010 is pathetic. Redistricting because whites, can’t represent latino’s who can’t represent blacks who can’t represent whites, and on and on it goes? Welcome to post racial America. And what of the programs that assess disparities in income et al? To what end? Spread the wealth around, create another government program, reward particular constituencies?

At what point do we begin identifying all as Americans, I do not know. But it seems as if the government continues because, as the Census site explains, it’s good for business, government business.

Tragedy in East Harlem results in media opportunity for Rangel

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Omar Edwards was an off-duty New York police officer who worked for the housing unit when he left work about 10:30 p.m. Thursday night. When he got to his car, he found someone rummaging through his vehicle and tried to stop him. He gave chase – gun drawn – down the street where three plain clothes officers noted Edwards running.

Reports indicate that Edwards did not identify himself and turned towards the three officers with gun in hand when he was ordered to stop. Tragically, Edwards was shot and killed.

The above recap is information the New York Daily News has gathered along with other news outlets.

Mayor Bloomberg, at a press conference at Harlem Hospital, said he expressed his sorrow to Edwards’ wife.

“Nothing that you can ever say will bring back the deceased. He was there protecting the rest of us. We will find out what happened,” Bloomberg said. “This is a tragedy. We’ll see what we can learn from it.”

Cops discovered Edwards was one of them when rescue crews cut open his shirt to treat the bleeding and saw a police academy shirt. They then searched his pockets and found his shield, sources said.

The only word I can think of is  ‘tragic’.

But Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) is never one to let a crisis go to waste. Hat tip to Malkin, leading us to a New York Post article mentioning a sick joke by the dufus representative.

Speaking yesterday at a rally in honor of slain cop Omar Edwards — gunned down by a fellow cop in a case of mistaken identity — the embattled congressman outrageously quipped that President Obama, in town for a date with First Lady Michelle, should watch his back walking around the Big Apple because he is black.

“Make certain he doesn’t run around East Harlem unidentified,” the controversial lawmaker snarked.

“If [he] did not have the Secret Service . . . around him, [city cops] wouldn’t know if he was president of the United States.”

The remark brought raucous cheers and laughter from the crowd of around 100.

Nothing left to say. RIP Officer Edwards.

Does couple’s “buy black” mantra raise a concern?

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John and Maggie Anderson are taking on a challenge they call the Empowerment Experiment. They have publicly committed to buy goods and services from black owned businesses for one year and are encouraging other black families to make the same pledge.

Of course, this challenge is a difficult one since they need to research ownership of stores they shop at and possibly travel longer-than-normal distances to go shopping. The Anderson’s are a five months into the process, and are telling their story – and tracking expenses – on their Web site.

Many understand about giving back to your community, but why does it have to be a color thing? I don’t think it would be interesting to go into the what if a white family did this example, but I do question the message that is being sent.

What if you happen to be a white business owner who recently invested in the community the Anderson’s live in? How would it make you feel if a good percentage of your clientele were shopping elsewhere – even for only a year – because you are white? How about adding the fact that most of your employees may be black?

John Anderson says they are not suggesting that you go out and exclude other businesses owned by other races – and Maggie laughs – but in reality that is exactly what they are doing. It may just be a study or social experiment, but I think this type of initiative may do more harm than good in the long run.

I get that they are trying to move barriers for black business owners (great), change the perception that black business owners have stores with “poor quality, poor service, high prices, [and] no selection” (I did not know), showcase businesses that defy that stereotype, and improve the community they live in – all admirable – but is this the right way to do it?

Here’s an AP story on the Anderson’s efforts, and I’ve included an interview with Neil Cavuto below. You can find more information at their blog.

What say you? Your comments below please.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l82zEawHn9o

Dying while black – blaming health issues on slavery and racism

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This should be interesting. Organized by Professor Vernellia Randall from the University of Dayton School of Law, the program aims to defend the position that a colorblind policy approach will not solve health issues of black males and females in the United States.

I would not argue a discrepancy between the health of blacks and whites in America – and I certainly don’t have an answer – but Randall states individual behavior is not the real problem; social issues including racism is the real issue.

Her seminar suggests a 21st century anti-discrimination law to solve the issue, but no details are available in the e-mail promotion that was distributed to State of Connecticut employees (via the state’s e-mail system), and I could not find anything online in the short time I had available to research. Hat tip to reader CJ. The following is the full e-mail.

I’ve removed the direct link, but you can find it quite easily with an Internet search if you are interested in attending.

Black: Colorblind Policies and Eliminating the Slave Health Deficit

Professor Vernellia Randall announces a free webinar on April 25, 2009 at 2:00pm – 4:30pm Eastern Standard time. Registration available at: [link removed]

This seminar will trace indigenous black American health status to slavery. It will explain why a colorblind policy approach will be ineffective for eliminating the health deficit. The seminar will provide a comprehensive approach focused on improving social determinants of health. Finally, it will detail the components of a comprehensive 21st century anti-discrimination law.

At almost every income level, indigenous Black Americans are sicker than whites and dying at a significantly higher rate. Black men live on average 6 years less than white men. Black men have shorter live spans than men in Chile, Barbados, Bahamas or Jamaica. Black women live on average years 5 less than white women. Black women have shorter live spans than women in Barbados, Panama, Bosnia and the Bahamas. Infant mortality rates are 2 times higher for blacks. Some racist has commented that African Americans should be gratefully for being in the United States, yet, Black Americans have more low-birth weight infants than women in Rwanda, Ghana and Uganda.

Social Determinants of Health, not individual behavior, is primary factor in the health status inequality between Blacks and Whites. Social determinants include: wealth/income, education, physical environment, health care, housing employment, stress and racism/discrimination. In fact, for blacks racism is a primary factor even when you control for economic, blacks have poorer health. That is, middle class blacks have poorer health than whites; middle class blacks have poorer health than middle class whites. The stress of living in a racialized discriminatory society accounts for the racial health disparities.

Racial inequality in health persists in the United States because racial discrimination despite laws against racial discrimination, in significant part because of the inadequacy of ant-discrimination law. In short, civil rights law only prohibits intentional discrimination, and does not address reckless or negligent discrimination. Reckless discrimination occurs when an individual knows that there a high risk of discrimination and the individual proceeds with the behavior. Negligent discrimination occurs when the individual knew or should have known that there behavior would result in discrimination and failed to take appropriate action to prevent or minimize discrimination. Most discrimination of the 21 st century is reckless or negligent discrimination rather than intentional. Eliminating racial discrimination is essential to closing the health gap in America.

Along with teaching at the University of Dayton, Professor Randall wrote the “America’s Whitest Law School” reports in 2004 and 2005.

Coward- Update- Congressman Cummings Responds

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AG Eric Holder speaking to the employees of the Justice Department yesterday called America a nation of “cowards”. I had t listen to this a couple times to actually figure what he was talking about. Could he be talking about a refusal to discuss race relations openly? Surely not that.

Since Obama’s run for the Presidency it is just about all the Democrats for sure and perhaps a majority of the population in general, have been talking about. What’s stunning is the remainder of his remarks where, among other things, he says Americans retreat into the cocoon of our like minded and presumably racially segregated suburbs and communities. Please take the poll.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MWMlFQbDMo

Please read Powerline’s take on this.

Attorney General Holder has called America “a nation of cowards” when it comes to “things racial.” According to Holder, “average Americans” are afraid to “talk enough with each other about race.”

By using the word “cowards,” Holder has gotten himself some attention, at least for today. That’s ironic because his long-winded speech is 99 percent content free.

To add to the irony, in the one place where Holder introduces a little content, he demonstrates that he has no interest in genuine dialogue, and reveals himself to be a “coward” on “things racial.”

Update: Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) addresses the Holder comments this morning on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. He took issue with the Holder comments in so much as they don’t describe the America today … the younger generations. But the kicker comes half way in when Joe asks Cummings whether the government should step in to force us to …. ummm … go to church together? I’m not sure why Joe used the church analogy. At least Cummings saw the folly.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNIrAGn0yBE