Is President Obama Addressing the Black Unemployment Crisis? by Roger Caldwell

African-Americans in June 2011 have the highest rate of unemployment of any ethnic group in America. The most recent numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics report that black unemployment is 16.1%, and the total unemployment in the country is at 9%. While white unemployment has decreased since May of last year to 8%, our numbers are increasing.

The unemployment numbers for Hispanics is 11.8%, and the rate for Asians is at 6.4%. There are a variety of reasons for the disparity in the numbers, but we all can agree that there is a crisis and a state of emergency in the African-American community. To Reverend Jesse Jackson, the high numbers of unemployed black is a

Rev. Jesse Jackson

“cry for help” due to systematic racism and a failure to enforce the law.

I would agree with Rev Jackson, but I think the problem of black unemployment is far more complex, and a portion of our problem is the state of our family and community. A lack of education is pervasive in our community, and a small percentage in the black community is prepared for present jobs and jobs in the future.

The problems with unemployment in the black community must be attacked on many fronts. African-American politicians, the black business community, black leaders and community organizers must petition and put pressure on President Obama and his administration. We should not be satisfied with a generic workforce conference, but what we need is a jobs conference focused on the black community.

In 2011, it is not politically correct or expedient for our president to talk about or focus on the problems in the black community. But when we analyze the unemployment numbers, blacks are hurting the most. We have the worst numbers in the country and there is no plan to alleviate the suffering.

Dr. Boyce Watkins

“Like a festering and infested wound that remains untreated, President Obama’s support within the black community is threatened by the fact that the people who love him most are suffering unlike anything our nation has seen over the last 50 years,” says Dr. Boyce Watkins. Since the beginning of 2008, some 375,000 government jobs have been eliminated, and blacks make up 21% of the government workforce. Many blacks who had excellent government salaries have lost a paycheck, and the same is happening in the private sector.

Many Blacks in blue collar positions and lower class jobs are losing their jobs to many in the Hispanic community. Restaurant workers and the agricultural industry are now controlled by immigrants, who make sure that their family is the first hired. With global outsourcing, many of the office jobs and manufacturing jobs no longer exist.

There are no simple answers to the Black unemployment crisis. The question must be raised is, Just how high does the black unemployment rate have to be before the Obama Administration and Congress consider it a crisis? Maybe the Congressional Black Caucus can initiate a study on black unemployment in their districts and spearhead a movement to develop a plan to eliminate and improve black unemployment.

As the black unemployment numbers continue to deteriorate, it is time for African-Americans to use their political clout. If the automobile industry, housing industry, financial industry, and construction industry can get billions in bailouts, there is no reason why the black community should not get their portion of bailouts.

In many of these depressed communities, the target market is 75% to 85% African-American. Everyone in the country must be held accountable for this crisis. The solution must start with the apathetic attitude in the black community, and should also be addressed in the White House and the halls of Congress. African-Americans must attack unemployment on all the fronts, and our community must be mobilized with an organized plan.

Is The Birthers’ Conspiracy Against President Obama Racist? by Roger Caldwell

Billboard asking about Obama's birthplace

Last week President Obama released his long-form birth certificate, and he hopes there are no more questions about the legitimacy of his presidency. Even though the governor of Hawaii and independent investigations by news outlets has confirmed that President Obama was born there, there is a movement to discredit the information.

In the Republican Party, 45% are sure the President was born outside of the United States, and 22% are not sure where he was born. With the Independents, 46% are not sure where the President was born and some believe he was born outside of the country. Now with the White House release, there are still birthers’ who don’t believe the certified records and facts.

Michael Tomasky, reporter from British paper, The Guardian

Michael Tomasky, reporter from The Guardian, wrote in his column, “The birthers’ conspiracy had to be the only explanation for how this black man got to the White House. If you think race isn’t what this is about at its core, ask yourself if there would be a birther conspiracy if Barack Obama were white and named Bart Oberstar.”

This movement or conspiracy is silly and makes no sense, but the leader, Orly Taitz, has filed many unsuccessful lawsuits and questioning the new document’s authenticity. With the release of the president’s birth certificate, the only explanation for the movement is white supremacy and racism. Many of the birthers are angry with having a Black man as the head of the country.

Many were under the impression when an African American became president that mentally our country had reached a milestone spiritually and psychologically. America was finally practicing what it preached, and all men were created equal. Any person born in America had an opportunity to become president or start a company and make millions.

Barack Obama as a baby with his mom

But instead of the country moving forward, there are millions that have deep seated hostilities about race. These millions want to turn back the clock and live in a world where the white race makes the rules, and every other race is expected to follow. Even though they are delusional, and racism is a sickness, it is still very prevalent in every system in our society and world.

Political candidate and business conglomerate, Donald Trump

The birthers’ controversy is not going away, as much as we hoped it would just disappear. The reality of a Black man running the country does not sit well with millions of Americans. Donald Trump is taking credit for the publication of the document. He is honored and proud of his accomplishment.

Obama's actual birth certificate

Here is a man who is worth millions, and could be making a significant contribution to the poor and disenfranchised in the country. Instead, he would rather worry about the birth of our president, as opposed to making a difference in someone’s life.

As the country gets closer to the 2012 election, the attacks against the President will get more vicious. Legally, many “birthers” know that they can’t be overt with their racism so they will have to use code words and symbols. Many of the birthers believe that President Obama is less American and a socialist.

With the pervasiveness of the media, the racist elements against our president will start a new silly conspiracy soon. The birthers will have to evolve into another side-show. With the campaign beginning, everyone is looking for dirt to thrown at President Obama. The “birther” conspiracy did not stick, but it did get media coverage, and a public discourse.

Racism is based on ignorance and the “birther” movement fits the model. It is time for the president to debate legitimate issues with organizations that are based on truth and knowledge. It is my hope that the release of the long-form birth certificate has closed the foolish chapter of the birther movement.      

Why Can’t President Obama Get His Budget Passed? by Roger Caldwell

Senate Leader Harry Reid

In Washington, there is political theatrics controlling the Congress, and every politician wants to be on the news. Everyone is playing games and they know that they are not doing their job. The President ran on a platform of change and the expectation level in the country was incredible.

America was ready for fundamental changes in Washington, and President Obama initially was a politician that progressive citizens could believe. He started his term with a majority of Democrats in the Senate and the Congress, and he got passed over 60 bills. He was able to get the Healthcare Reform Bill passed that other presidents had tried but failed.

President Obama’s polls approval rating initially was in the high sixties into low seventies. Minority communities’ approval rating for the president was in the nineties. But as the euphoric honeymoon began to dissipate into reality, we found many of the problems with the Obama administration were the same as other administrations.

The political fights between the Republicans and the Democrats were the same, but in President Obama’s administration they were a little meaner and nastier. With the emergence of the Tea Party, a new ideology was initiated that wanted a smaller federal government and were extremely conservative.

President Obama and the Democratic Party underestimated the influence and the political clout of

Tea Party

 the power of the Tea party movement. It is a loosely organized nationalized movement, which is the mobilized radical arm of the Republican Party. They are dissatisfied with the direction the country is going and they are angry.

With the country $14 trillion in debt, and every state treasury in debt, the Tea Party is correct when they say the Congress needs to balance its books and control spending. The problem with the Tea Party is they want to go backward as opposed to forward. Much of their ideology is based on state’s rights, American supremacy, and the good old-boy’s system.

Nevertheless, without a doubt the Tea Party members are a major impediment, and they make it harder to get the federal budget passed. They are a divisive force, and with the election of 2010, the new 85 Republican House members are connected to the Tea Party.

But all the blame for not getting the 2010 budget passed can be blamed on the Republicans and the Tea Party. When the Democrats had a majority in both Houses, they still could not get the budget passed. Somewhere there appears to be a problem with leadership, or planning in the party. If the Speaker of the House and the leader of the Senate are both Democrats, they should be able to agree on a budget, and get it passed.

This week the government shutdown was averted with a late night deal right before the deadline. Even though the shutdown was avoided this fight was over peanuts, because the debate over the 2011 budget will soon start. With a divided Congress, who doesn’t like each other, there will probably be a major fight within the parties, and against each party.

John Boehner, Speaker of the House and Harry Reid, Senator Leader met President Obama four times in one week to finally come up with a deal. John Boehner says, “The president is not leading. He didn’t lead on last year’s budget, and he clearly is not leading on this year’s budget.”

President Obama meets with his aides

At times President Obama is not engaged and he leaves certain projects and initiatives in the hands of his administrators. It appears the president’s strategy is to remain behind the scenes and let his aides do the negotiating. No longer can the president let his aides do the negotiating.

The president must be engaged from the very beginning and be the leader of his team. Our government needs the president to get vocal, get serious, and demand results.