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| Wait a minute, you really think this is my fault? |
I am not going to go into detail about the US losing its AAA credit rating with S&P. Although the fact that it happened on a Black President's watch is pretty darn funny, in the funniest unfunny way that I can approach it. (Insert random Black person and credit joke here.) When President Obama was elected I told a close friend that this was the only time in history that a Black man could get the job. The country was losing trillions on wars abroad, the home loan industry, which had become the backbone of the economy since the 90s was in the dumps and the crisis America faced/faces was paramount to walking in front of a firing range at Marine base Camp Pendleton. In other words, the country was literally going to hell in a handbasket with the devils singing Brittany Spears (Ooops I did it again) and eating copious amounts of gas inducing beans, blasting a stench that would linger for at least 4 years into the next presidency. In other words, if there was anytime to let a Black man take the fall for a country that has been falling for 30 years, why not now?
With that said let's get to my primary point for writing this short post: Obama and Black People. Just a quick thought on Obama's presidency:
Has any president ever made good on his campaign promises?
Has any president in the last 40 years placed an emphasis on improving the quality of life for Blacks?
Okay, I'll wait while you search the internet for facts that show how Presidents have tackled the Black agenda... I'm waiting. Nothing huh? Let's think about it: President Reagan was on watch when crack and cocaine literally destroyed the area around the White House and the rest of the country. His foreign policy literally opened the flood gates for the drug trade to blossom. Who did that hurt? Black people. The first Black President, Bill Clinton, ended educational programs in prison that increased the recidivism rate of Black men who were already being imprisoned at a higher rate than their counterparts who had drugs like cocaine and heroin. The drug laws, three strikes, etc. targeted Black men; let's not act as if they didn't. Clinton removed the education programs that could have brought some balance to men who had been institionalized. Clinton also oversaw a government that actually created many of the tax breaks and regulation issues that President Bush increased during his presidency.
In short, there really hasn't ever been a President that has placed the Black agenda at the forefront. Our President is now expected to act on behalf of the lower-middle class, just because he is Black? Talking heads all over the place are calling for the President to remain true to his Campaign promises. By my count the President said he would try to fight for universal health care. He did that, while it won't ever really be implemented, he did that. Under his watch Gay Americans are now being married and it has yet to be repealed, kind of... He did that. Drawing down of troops has been taking place, although he has taken the country into another war. Let's be serious though... Had he not sent troops to Afghanistan, or assisted with Khadafi, he would have been considered a coward President who was afraid of confrontation. The President has continued to bail out big business, and extended the tax cuts. Alright he could have done a better job of this, but when has the President ever had the ability to pass legislation? That belongs to the House and Senate which is controlled by? The most important thing that this President did is prevent a complete crash of the economy.
But simply because the President is Black, Black folks are doing what we have grown accustomed to doing in the last 40 years, asking for a hook-up. Prior to the Civil Rights movement these are things that were better for Blacks:
1. More Black men were enrolled in college than were in jail.
2. More Black families existed
3. Blacks showed the greatest growth for any race in the country as far as improving their status in life.
4. There were more Black owned businesses
5. Neighborhoods existed where people didn't have to fear for their life from other Blacks.
In other words Blacks have never required assistance from the government or the President to make themselves better people. President Obama is being held to a completely different standard than any President has. White people hate whoever is in office, so their mistreatment of the President is status quo. Sorry White people. Black people though, if you are going to complain about this President because he hasn't given you a hook up, take a few minutes to write the people who can actually make a difference in your life: Your local councilperson, your local government, your mayor and state reps. Those are the people who will have to get the President's ear. I really don't want to end this post with something that sounds so simple, but I will: Ask not what your President can do for you, ask what you can do for your own damn self.
That is all.
First of all the civil right did not happen in a vacuum, the way you phrased the civil rights portion of your article make it seem that Black were doing famously well, however we had no rights and were not protected by the government. Back Wall Street in Tulsa is a perfect example, middle class black community doing well economically, then jealous white come in and destroy the community. What I want from President Obama is to govern as a Democrat, not as a moderate Republican. He had an opportunity to really turn this country around, by using the full weight of his elected office, but he tried to make nice with republican ax murders that were and are trying to destroy him. By effectively enforcing the rules and laws of this great nation Black America will thrive.
ReplyDeleteThis is a blog not an article Latrey, therefore I didn't resort to historical research in creating this discussion. Everyone knows what happened with Black Wall Street (Not the Game's BWS for the young people reading the blog). Everyone understands Rosewood and the countless foundations of the ghetto in America (Unions in the north and how Blacks were admitted into Unions eventually) if I wanted to go in depth as a history lesson I would have. For the sake of brevity, I chose to condense the discussion on Black America to the 5 points I made. Address those and explain to me why Blacks were able to accomplish so much when the government didn't work for them? Explain that and then maybe I will listen to what you are saying. Then explain to me which President stayed true to their campaign promises. Then explain why everyone is expecting President Obama to be any different especially with the situation he assumed. That's all I want. In regard to your last comment that by enforcing the laws of this nation Black America will thrive, I say this: Black America will thrive when Blacks begin supporting each other like other races do; when Blacks begin contributing to a Black GDP, when Blacks begin to remove the need to kill each other over Blue and Red, Stars and Pitchforks, then we will get somewhere. The goverment and the laws have never been in favor of Black America, yet Blacks made it. If Blacks get their ish together like they did from slavery to 1968 then, just like in the 60s, the government won't have a choice but to listen. Don't you agree.
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