The Grinch that Stole Christmas – Trump & The GOP

by with No Comment FeaturedPolitics

2020… over 300,000 deaths and over 19 million cases of COVID-19. A year has been taken away from millions of Americans because of poor leadership. Trump and the GOP’s bad leadership is not the cause of COVID-19, but there is no doubt that bad leadership (and the lack of good leadership) has been the cause of the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Businesses have shut down, hotels, tourism, and restaurants have lost revenue. A stimulus relief bill was passed by the Democratic House of Representatives… in May 2020, but GOP refused to help American families. Late spring, Congress passed a one-time $1,200 stimulus and never released another stimulus. I’m honestly not sure if the GOP cares about people’s long-term finances, and their mental and physical health as well. Americans (who needed it) quickly went through that $1200. There is no way $1200 would have survived the remaining of the year. You do not need an Economic Class to know that the longer the debt, the bigger the debt, and Americans are hurting.

GOP math seems to believe that if you give people a one-time $1200 or $600 stimulus, despite most American’s living check to check, it’ll be enough to make ends meet. The President ironically put a halt on the relief bill, claiming all of sudden he is for a $2000 stimulus relief payment instead of $600. Meanwhile, millions are unemployed and that number increases by nearly 1 million jobless Americans a month. Americans are still being told to stay indoors and socially distance if or when they leave the house, avoid non-immediate family, and be safe. Some are nervous about becoming homeless, losing their cars, and how they’ll eat every day. But on Christmas Day, South Carolina’s Republican Senator Lindsey Graham was golfing with President Trump. Meanwhile, by the end of the day on Saturday, December 26, 2020, millions were faced with losing their unemployment benefits, and on Dec 31, millions will lose eviction protection and the Government shuts down if not funded. 

Over 26 friends of President Trump were pardoned by the President. Many who have pleaded guilty and even murders were pardoned and the GOP is silent. Russia hacked in the government departments and GOP is silent. Trump used Georgia’s Run-Off election for personal financial gain with zero amount going to Georgia Republican candidates… and GOP is silent. In December 2020, the GOP voted to defund the state Police Departments after they campaign just the opposite. We’re constantly seeing that the GOP never has the interest of the everyday American at heart, instead, their personal benefits, which includes the wealthy. GOP has failed the American people in almost every area… healthcare, wages, infrastructure, funding for schools, hospitals, small businesses, homes, immigration, Civil Rights, and more, and as a result, this Holiday Season has probably been more stressful and tense for Americans than ever before. A time of the year usually meant for peace, celebration and cheer, has been literally stolen by the GOP. The Grinch that stole Christmas… that’s the GOP.

Similar Read: Trump and Smokers

Navigating the Workforce in COVID-19

by with No Comment FeaturedGen ZSocial Issues

I am privileged to say that this pandemic did not change my life much at all. The quarantine didn’t either. I was and still am employed. When the curfew was instituted in the Spring, I didn’t have to abide by it because I was deemed an “essential worker.” I lost maybe five hours a week while conversely, others lost several hours or was put on furlough. 

Because of my job, I was still able to go outside and go about my life. On my days off I immediately got cabin fever, and so I can’t possibly begin to understand how people who had completely locked themselves indoors might feel.

Unlike most of my peers, I was able to have my graduation. I was able to walk across the stage at Temple‘s Performing Arts Center, one I’ve performed on during my undergraduate study. I was able to walk across the stage in front of my peers, my family, and shake my dean’s hand. This is an opportunity that was snatched away from my peers who are more than deserving of this glorious time. It was snatched away from graduating students at every academic level.

The pandemic had finally gotten to me though a few months ago. Listening to the body count on the news. Delivering to people’s homes and they aren’t wearing masks. Being afraid to handle cash transactions. Thinking about my weakened immune system. Thinking about my family and the strain that it’s put on us. 

I was looking for a second job right before the quarantine was placed in effect. It was difficult then because I was being picky about what I wanted to do. However, it is difficult now because employers are being extremely picky about who they hire. Retail stores and grocery stores alike, gave me the “you don’t have the experience we’re looking for” spiel. Meanwhile, these are entry-level positions that claim applicants don’t need any prior experience.

I was able to get an interview a month ago and it was very disorienting to not begin with the all-telling handshake. The mask made me realize how much I relied on my face to convey my charisma and I think I overcompensated with confident words that probably sounded more cocky instead.

I am blessed to not need another job right now. The job market post-quarantine is treacherous. So many people are without jobs altogether or without jobs that completely cover their costs of living. All positions of all kinds are now highly competitive.

I believe that once social distancing is no longer in effect, more job opportunities will appear and thus give way for more people to join or rejoin the workforce.

Similar Read: School in September?

Don’t Steal My Dreams

by with No Comment FeaturedPolitics

A few nights ago I had a conversation with a family whose history is as complex and colorful as many of ours. Their parents came to this country with nothing to their names and built a life that allowed their children to achieve more than their parents could ever imagine. So as I sat in their lovely living room drinking a glass of wine discussing my own history and learning about theirs, the topic of DACA came up, most specifically, the decision that was made by the Supreme court on June 18th, 2020.

Before diving into the decision that was made on June 18th, let us understand how did this program become a focal point of divide between the Democrats and Republicans, and what exactly is DACA and who are the Dreamers.

When did this battle for the dreamers take place

On September 5, 2017, President Trump ordered an end to the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. This program protected a percentage of young undocumented immigrants —who usually arrived at a very young age in situations and circumstances beyond their control—from deportation. Going back even further, In 2012, President Obama issued the DACA executive order after the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act failed to pass in Congress continually. The young people impacted by DACA and the DREAM Act are often referred to as “Dreamers.”

In making the announcement, the then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions proclaimed that the Trump administration was ending the DACA program. This decision meant that over a period of time, 800,000 young adults brought to the U.S. as children who qualified for the program, would become eligible for deportation and lose access to education and work visas. 

Attorney General Jeff Sessions argued that “the executive branch, through DACA, deliberately pursued to achieve what the legislative branch specifically refused to authorize on multiple occasions. His logic stated that such an open-ended circumvention of immigration laws was an unconstitutional exercise of authority by the Executive Branch.”

After the Trump administration ordered an end to DACA in 2017, a large number of lawsuits were filed against the termination of DACA. At this time, two federal appellate courts ruled against the administration, allowing previous DACA recipients to renew their deferred action, and the Supreme Court agreed to review the legal challenges.

What is DACA and who are the Dreamers?

DACA or Deferred Action on Child Arrivals is a program that allows young people who may have been born here by illegal parents or came here to the United States under illegal means to remain here and grow up as Americans without the fear of being sent back to a country they hold no allegiance to. These are individuals who have grown up American, speak English, and have no memory of any other place besides the United States. 

Many of these individuals do not even know they were unauthorized immigrants until they were teenagers… Usually when they cannot get a driver’s license or receive financial aid because they do not have Social Security numbers. The dream act is meant to provide these individuals with a pathway to U.S. citizenship who are or wish to go to college or the military and have a clean record. 

Just to be clear, the program is by no stretch of the imagination easy to get into or to be accepted. DACA enables certain people who came to the U.S. as children and are successful in meeting several key guidelines to request consideration for deferred action. It allows non-U.S. citizens who qualify to remain in the country for two years, which is then subject to renewal. When accepted, recipients are eligible for work authorization and other benefits and are shielded from deportation. The fee to request DACA is $495 every two years.

What happened on June 18th, 2020?

On June 18, 2020, the Supreme Court blocked Trump’s administration’s attempt to end DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) in a 5-4 ruling. The ruling stabilizes the program and allows DACA recipients to renew membership, which offers them work authorization and temporary protection from deportation. Unfortunately, the ruling creates the possibility that the Administration could still remove DACA in the future if they provide a more comprehensive justification.

Statistics on DACA as it stands

  • Since its inception, DACA has approved 787,580 individuals for its program
  • 91% of DACA recipients are employed
  • The average hourly wage for a DACA recipient is $17.46
  • 45% of DACA recipients are currently enrolled in school
  • 72% of those recipients who are enrolled in school are currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree. 
  • The average age of a DACA recipient is 24 years old

In conclusion

For a recipient who is a dreamer, all they have ever known is what surrounds them in this country. They are American through and through, and their allegiance lies in the very environment that has raised them and cultivated their mindsets and characteristics. 

Isn’t that what this nation was founded on? A place where you can leave the old paradigms behind and reinvent yourself? To follow what gives you purpose, what makes you successful, safe, and happy? At the end of it all, isn’t that exactly what we all are trying to pursue? Purpose and contentment? Why can’t we provide those liberties to all and not just a select group of the privileged? 

The moment we start to believe that our freedom and right to pursue our dreams is unique to only a select few is the day we stop being American.

Similar Read: [2017 In Review] Reactionary Policy Kills Dreams (DACA)

Do You Remember 2020?

by with One Comment CultureFeatured

Kobe Bryant died on January 26, 2020. That was just 5 months ago, but it seems like 5 years ago. Who knew his tragic demise would be the beginning of such a tumultuous year. Within weeks, you’d start hearing about COVID-19. What Trump once tried to dismiss soon turned into a global pandemic and the US quickly took the spotlight from Italy. At the time of this article being published, the US has more than 2.3 million cases and 123,000 deaths.

Before you knew it, unemployment skyrocketed to nearly 15% in April as 40 million people filed for unemployment over a 10-week period. The government passed trillions of dollars in stimulus relief; yet, very little of it made it to the people who needed it the most, those in poverty and small business owners. Instead, you had billion-dollar organizations like the LA Lakers giving the money back, which was intended for real small businesses.

If that wasn’t enough, the country witnessed Ahmaud Arbery, who was simply jogging in his Georgia neighborhood, being chased down and murdered in cold blood. The Breonna Taylor murder in Louisville, Kentucky began to get attention, and then on May 25th… for 8 minutes and 46 seconds the world witnessed the murder of George Floyd, and that moment was like the straw that broke the camels back. Angry citizens took to the streets. Protests and riots ensued, and they’ve been protesting ever since in just about every major city in the country. The senseless murder of Rashard Brooks has added more even tension and pain.

Now, experts are warning that a second wave of COVID-19 is damn near inevitable due to states reopening too fast, a lack of social distancing, and people flat out refusing to wear a mask.

It’s not even July yet.

Will states be forced to shut down again? Will schools open in the fall? And we can’t forget the presidential election in November, arguably one of the biggest elections of our time.

One thing for sure, in 10 – 20 – 30 years from now, people will ask do you remember 2020. Let’s hope the second half of the year is better than the first. Considering the human toll of COVID-19, record unemployment, and civil unrest which has spread throughout the world, I’m not sure we can sustain another 6 months like the 6 we just experienced.

Similar Read: Should Biden’s VP be a Black Woman?

“You My Opposer”

by with One Comment CultureFeaturedRace Relations

[New Contributor]

“You my opposer when I want freedom.” Words uttered by the late great boxing legend and social justice hero, Muhammad Ali, during an exit from a Supreme courtroom hearing in 1971. These sentiments remain ingrained in the fabric of Black America, “Opposer.” Blacks in this country still bare the sour taste of fruits force-fed by past oppressors, and our voice has been silenced and muted for generations thereafter.

Economic, judicial, and inhumane freedom discrepancies, replay over and over. Families and communities left broken and dysfunctional, the residual pain, fogs pathways for clear solutions and answers.

Now in 2020, a 5-year-old black girl stops her father before he leaves their Bronx home and hands her Father a dollar, that he gave to her earlier that day. She tells him, take this dollar for if and when the police stop you. Maybe you can use this dollar to buy a policeman an ice cream so that he will like you…

You My Opposer.

Thee opposer stands before you like a massive brick wall. Impending progress at will. Before it was slaves and chains transitioning to cotton fields and enforced self-hate to police dogs and segregation. Many moons later we feel and face displacement, mistrust, incarceration, and still self-hate. Your opposer is the banker who denies you again for the business loan or that administrator who won’t accept your child in the better private school where you live. Simply you want the opposition to treat you fair. Treat you as an equal; we look and watch other groups and communities have forged themselves ahead. When a judge hits the gavel for others it’s a slap on the wrist, for us it may be the biggest mistake of ones life, and generations involved may never recover.

My opposer makes the air feel thick soliciting trying times. Could my American Dream be others nightmares? Your opposer will hand you a fixed deck asking you to play the game, daring you to win. Thee opposer begins applying pressure. You now scream for help, fairness, justices, compassion, respect, love. But the air is thick now, it slowly becomes thicker more and more. How so you may ask? My opposer’s knee is on my neck. 

You My Opposer. 

“You my opposer when I want freedom. You my opposer when I want justice. You my opposer when I want equality. You won’t even stand up for me in America, you won’t even stand up for me here at home.” -Muhammad Ali

Similar Read: Black Man in America

Reflections on Paul Volcker’s Memoir: Keeping At It

by with No Comment FeaturedPolitics

I used my travel time over the holidays to finally get through Paul Volcker’s memoirs, pushed to the top of my list by his passing.  I suppose I’m happy for the window into how he positioned his career, but it affirms him as one of my longtime least-revered great influencers of the past 50 years.

Growing up as a country kid in the worst of the farm crisis, my family farm was collateral damage of his battle against inflation.  I read his book looking for better understanding and condolence and found none.

His annoyance at Congress for formalizing the dual mandate of the Fed to manage unemployment as well as inflation… his distrust of econometrics… his willingness to label any alternative views or level of appropriate inflation as harmful or outright corrupt in its intent- down to saying one of the reasons he left Princeton was “the unfortunate modern practice of allowing students to rate their professors.”  Throughout his career, there was no ability in him to humanize those in the real world or to consider the reality that everything on earth doesn’t fit neatly into little boxes and charts, and that sometimes one can be in need of others’ views.

There was an important role for discipline- for fighting corruption in the financial system and globally, and for that he was useful to the country; but he did his best work for the UN, the IMF and the World Bank where he was able to sort and investigate, but unable to subject the world to his myopic worldview unabated.

There’s a need for someone as he says, “to take the punchbowl away just as the party gets going,” but he didn’t need to revel in it so completely, and should have been more thoughtful – if only in hindsight- to the possibility that the economy could have recovered with less damage had he been able to see better down from his great tower.

NP

2019 State of the Union Address: Fact or Fiction

by with No Comment FeaturedGen ZPolitics

Various news organizations and media outlets analyzed the SOTU transcript. 

According to the U.S. Constitution, The President “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”

President Donald Trump gave this address to a polarized Congress on Feb. 5, 2019, after a 35-day partial government shutdown – the longest in U.S. history. Topics covered included his continued call for immigration reform to the strong economy to the record number of women serving in Congress. 

Starting off his agenda, Trump states he wants to “reduce the price of health care and prescription drugs, to create an immigration system that is safe, lawful, modern and secure, and to pursue a foreign policy that puts America’s interests first.” According to POLITICO, the Trump administration has indeed lowered those costs, particularly on prescription drug prices.

Immigration reporter Ted Hesson confirmed Trump’s claim that in two years he has launched an “unprecedented economic boom.” The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported the U.S. gross domestic product has increased 4.2 percent in the second quarter of 2018, but Hesson added former President Barack Obama surpassed that level four times during his presidency.

We get into a sticky situation when Trump says unemployment has reached the lowest rate in over half a century. Politico staff counter this with links to articles that say in September, unemployment fell to 3.7 percent, the lowest it has been since December 1969. Last month, the unemployment rate was 4 percent.

Trump used his usual rhetoric towards illegal immigration from Mexico, “As we speak, large, organized caravans are on the march to the United States.” The Atlantic criticized President Trump for not devoting more time to speaking on Afghanistan, trade with China, or Venezuela. They reported he “devoted 463 words to immigration and 180 to the wall—a total of 643 words on a subject where he is bound to lose.”

Looming over the State of the Union address was the approaching Feb. 15 deadline to avoid another government shutdown. PBS Newshour reported Democrats have refused to accept Trump’s demands for a border wall, Republicans are increasingly unwilling to shut down the government, and the GOP does not support his plan to declare a national emergency if Congress won’t fund the wall. 

Trump continued by stating, “Year after year, countless Americans are murdered by criminal illegal aliens.” He brought Deborah Bissell, a woman whose parents were burglarized and shot to death in their home by “an illegal alien.” The couples granddaughter Heather and great-granddaughter Madison were also present. Politifact reported there is no quantitative proof specifically documenting how many U.S. citizens have been killed. This is because we do not have a national database on murders committed by immigrants in the country illegally. 

A striking display of applause from female Democrats dressed in white in solidarity for the suffrage movement came after Trump’s comment that women have filled 58% of the new jobs created in the last year. “You were not supposed to do that. Thank you very much,” Trump joked after the freshman congresswoman erupted in applause.

The internet more specifically erupted at the manner in which Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi clapped. Pelosi, who remained seated for a majority of the address, rose to her feet and clapped at President Donald Trump’s call to end the “politics of revenge.”

Although the Washington Post said Pelosi’s clap wasn’t sarcastic, it still made for some fantastic memes amidst the 82-minute speech.

A detailed fact check of the entire State of the Union address can be found at POLITICO.

Trump’s Profound Effect on the Presidency of the United States

by with No Comment Gen Z

For better or worse, Donald Trump has had a profound effect on the Presidency of the United States – possibly more drastic and long lasting than any other President in modern history. After years of Republicans nominating nice guys for president (Ford, Reagan, both Bushes, McCain & Romney), they got weary of the nice guy’s finish last scenario the last couple of elections and nominated a fiery & crass bulldog in Trump. He is also the first POTUS in modern history to actually keep all his campaign promises, much to the delight of his supporters and dismay of his detractors. Instead of running hard to the right or left during the primaries and then pivoting back to the center for the general election like most Republicans and Democrats do, he ran to the far right and stayed there for the general election and then kept a hard right line throughout his young Presidency. This has caused a massive polarization in this country as he has the highest support from his party in the history of the Republican party, as well as the highest disapproval from the opposing party. This has caused a deep divide in our country that hasn’t been experienced since the Civil Rights era. 

Trump is doing a fantastic job and everyone should be happy, but there are many on the other side of the political spectrum that dislike him immensely because they can’t get past his brash and crass narcissistic demeanor. It turns them off and they feel it is below the dignity of the Presidency for Trump to act the way he does and say the terrible things he says. His supporters argue back that it is the only way to get results in the “swamp of Washington DC.” 

Love him or hate him, it is hard to argue with the results of his Make America Great Again campaign. Too many to list here, but his Tax Cuts, Deregulation, Exporting Energy, Renegotiating NAFTA and the South Korean Trade Agreement, getting us out of TPP, etc… has unleashed an economy like this country has never experienced. The manufacturing industry created over 300,000 jobs and 337,000 construction jobs have been created since President Trump took office. Fourteen states reached record low unemployment rates. The African-American unemployment rate reached its lowest ever recorded. Job openings have reached 6.6 million, the highest level recorded. Jobless claims reached the lowest level in 45 years (1973). The number of people dependent on food stamps has fallen by 2.6 million or 6.2% since January 2017. The number of people receiving unemployment benefits is running at the lowest level in 45 years. Average 3% growth in the last three quarters – under President Obama, annual growth averaged 1.9%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit record highs more than 80 times under President Trump, including closing higher than 26,000 points for the first time in its history. Since President Trump’s election, more than $5 trillion in wealth has been created for the U.S. economy. 

Economic confidence rebounded to record highs under President Trump because his pro-growth policies have and continue to put American workers and businesses first. The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index rose in November 2017 to a 17-year high of 129.5. The National Association of Manufacturers’ Outlook Index had the highest annual average in its history.  Small business optimism has sustained record-high levels under President Trump according to the National Federation of Independent Business. The Longest Consecutive Positive Monthly Job Growth on Record – Total payroll employment grew by 213,000 in June 2018 (18,000 over forecasts) led by gains in professional and business services, education and health services, and, once again, manufacturing.  This is the longest consecutive, positive monthly job growth period on record (93 months). Unemployment remains historically low, as the number of Americans filing for unemployment hit its lowest point since 1969. 

As good as all this economic news is, it means nothing if we can’t all come together and heal the divides in this country. All the jobs and money in the world won’t matter one bit if we can’t all get along and have a peaceful America.

Trump has done a great job with the Business End of America. Now he needs to turn inward and do the same with the Emotional End of America, or his Presidency will be a disaster. President Trump – Make America Care & Love Again!  #MACLA 

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Questions From Helsinki

by with No Comment FeaturedPolitics

President Trump’s enormous misstep in Helsinki, heaping praise onto Putin was a strange misstep that casts doubt on what had seemed like a brilliant few months of politicking.  While the President has been repeatedly vilified in the news, his string of accomplishments had been growing, and it seemed in many cases that he was almost goading many of his opponents into vilifying him while positive results continued to stack up.

Tax reform has produced the lowest unemployment in the history of unemployment tracking.  His general style of creating chaos merely to create a trading chit has proved largely effective as a bargaining chip, while serving to simultaneously rally his base.  The trade war with China may yet yield results, and the short-term negative economic effects are largely offsetting (and probably keeping inflation in check while the market absorbs the cash influx of reduced tax burdens).  While they continue to look (unsuccessfully) for opportunities to create chaos and flexibility, North Korea is moving faster and harder than they ever have toward denuclearization having already dismantled several sites.

Related: Korean Reunification Will Never Work, And Here’s Why

The political fallout from child separation was neutralized (and perhaps made a political win) when he capitulated, causing Democrats to move the goalposts from “stop separations” to “abolish ICE” – leading to the massive primary upset of Joe Crowley by an incredibly talented (but incredibly socialist) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, which distracted the party and dragged them horribly out of the mainstream.  His press secretary’s (Sarah Sanders) ejection from a DC area restaurant prompted calls for harassment of his entire administration – shaking America’s confidence in one of the few reprieves they had to offer the American people – an end to all the unsettling chaos of our current political discourse.

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Crime Pays

by with One Comment CultureFeaturedPolitics

More than half of Detroit Public Schools have been closed as a result of “low performance.”  Meanwhile, business is booming for MDOC (Michigan Department of Corrections).  Let me explain. School closings lead to overcrowding and unemployment. Overcrowding and unemployment lead to crime and depression. Crime and depression lead to a steady influx of new prisoners for Michigan’s Department of Corrections, which some might argue is the state’s goal.

We must end this school-to-prison pipeline! The powers that be have implemented a strategy that’s proven worthy of mass destruction!

“Prisoners are the new slaves” is a popular phrase echoed throughout Michigan’s prisons. Most inmates are earning a little more than $1 per day, while others may earn a few dimes more. This is practically free labor for the state’s facilities, maintenance, and other operations. (Prisoners are paid monthly). Inmates are compelled to work while incarcerated or otherwise face sanctions. These consequences are referred to as a loss of privileges, top-lock, or lock-down, which is commonly known as the hole.

Loss of privileges – allows the prisoner(s) to stay in general population (within the prison) without the privileges of possessing electronics, purchasing food products from the commissary, or participating in any recreational activities.

Top-lock – restricts prisoner(s) from circulating with the general population (confined to their individual cell), no phone calls, and limited commissary (commissary restrictions are the same as “Loss of privileges”).

Lock-down – prisoners are stripped of all their properties and transported to stricter confinement, also known as the hole.  All visits are non-contact and held in an isolated section of the facility.

These penalties range from minor to major offenses. Punishments can be enforced from a couple days to indefinitely. Conveniently, Michigan’s Department of Corrections is basically securing their savings account via the school-to-prison pipeline. To make things worse, they primarily receive taxpayer dollars and other funding to house their prisoners. In fact, it costs more than 30k annually per prisoner; yet, the System continues to strive towards future success by fishing for fresh product and making sure the school-to-prison pipeline is running its course.

Abrupt school closings throughout the city of Detroit almost guarantees higher incarceration rates, or at worst maintaining them. Our young people struggle in poor communities with bad schools systems. Resources are limited, and the current System creates obstacles at every turn, which makes it’s nearly impossible for young people to stay out of trouble. Ultimately, our leaders are encouraged to educate and provide for themselves with little concern for the disadvantaged youth that needs their help the most. The System and their leaders prosper while the young people and their communities suffer. Business as usual for Michigan Department of Corrections! 

Similar Read: Dancing with the Devil… a Brooklyn Perspective on Gun Violence