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The Joe Biden “Cabinet” Is Well Balanced, Diverse, And Talented!

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Joe Biden promised diversity in his “cabinet”, both the official Cabinet members, but also others, and he has shown he means business!

At this point, still incomplete, Biden has appointed a group of talented people that includes:

45 percent whites
27.5 percent black
12.5 percent Asian
10 percent Latino
5 percent Native American
50 percent men
50 percent women
5 percent gay

Only three House of Representatives members are in this group, and no US Senators as of yet, and only one rival of Joe Biden during the Presidential campaign, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Hopefully, the positions left open at this point, including Attorney General, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Labor, and Secretary of Education will be filled soon, with lots of speculation about who might be under consideration!

The Supreme Court Has Gone Too Far!

Ronald 7 Comments

The majority Republican Supreme Court, an unelected body that acts often as if they are outside of any concern about public opinion, has simply gone too far, in ruling that a corporation is not only a person, and therefore unlimited corporate donations are permitted, but also a corporation can limit access to birth control and contraception on its health care plan, based on the “Christian” values of its owners!

Also, the Court has worked to weaken public labor unions, and set out to undermine voting rights in the South and Midwest, leading to mass violations of voting rights, and new voter limitations for poor people.

This Court has gone amuck, demonstrating that it is involved in a war on woman, labor, blacks, and immigrants, all while being extremely pro corporation and pro religion, when we have separation of church and state as part of our basic constitutional beliefs!

The Court majority is promoting a religious oligarchy of powerful, wealthy corporate leaders, and this will motivate women, workers, blacks, immigrant groups, environmentalists and people of both genders who care about social justice and equality to become politically active and vote in November!

If the people do not react, they will get what they deserve–a government of, by and for the top one percent!

The Senate must remain Democratic for future Court appointments, and the Presidency must stay in the hands of the Democrats, in order to prevent conservative activist nominees in the future, such as Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito represent.

It is likely there will be three to four nominees for the high Court by 2020, so Democrats must have control, but to do that, the people must react to these outrages of the Supreme Court!

Barack Obama On Race, Football, And Marijuana

Ronald 2 Comments

Barack Obama has been very cautious and careful about speaking out on controversial issues, but now, as the fifth anniversary of his accession to the Presidency takes place, he is becoming more open, and it is very refreshing, and really, about time to do so!

Sarah Palin and other right wingers can claim all along that Obama plays the “race card”, when he has never done so in reality. They would love him to play the role of the “angry black man”, so they can further condemn him, and denounce him in the worst possible language!

Instead, Obama frustrates them by his refusal to talk much about race until now, and to reject being the “angry black man.” Rather, he has been dignified, classy, judicious, and respectful toward people he should have long ago rejected in no uncertain terms, and should have denounced them in strong language!

This author would not have the patience and ability to ignore insults that our 44th President has had, and even now, when he starts to speak up openly, he is still graceful and gentlemanly in his language.

So he tells us that he knows some people (actually a lot) dislike him because he is black, and that others like him because he is black! This makes total sense, and there is no debate about that!

He also tells us that if he had a son, he would not let him play tackle football, as too dangerous to the head and neck, and leading to concussions. In this, the author agrees, as no sport is worth one’s health being affected long term. Football may be a popular sport, but it is a vicious, dangerous sport due to the aggressiveness of tackles and other football players, for whom victory is all that matters, and the helmets that are used encourage larger and heavier players to do harm to others, rather than be good sports while playing.

The sad part is how some fans do not give a damn, as long as they can see blood and gore on the field, which pleases their lust for violence. It is as if this is ancient Rome and the gladiators, where spectators did not give a damn about the health, safety, and lives of the participants.

And the fact that the vast majority of players are black, sadly, also promotes a lack of concern by some fans who want the players to be there for entertainment, but no real concern about their long range health and safety long term. If the majority were still white, as decades ago, there would be a greater uproar by fans, and also by team owners and coaches about this health and safety issues, but heck, who seems to care about players of the race that some fans would still not allow in their homes for dinner or social interaction! Face the facts, this is the truth, whether some are willing to say so or not openly!

And Obama speaking up on the effects of marijuana as compared to tobacco and alcohol, that it is far less dangerous than those two drugs, is certainly true, as there is no record of the kind of long range damage of marijuana as compared to tobacco and alcohol. This is not an endorsement of anyone using marijuana, but simply the truth, as Obama makes clear, and ideally, no young person should feel a need to use marijuana, anymore than tobacco or alcohol, as it is not good for one’s health.

Let this author make it clear that he has never used tobacco or marijuana, and rarely drinks alcohol, and has never been drunk, as he prefers to face reality, and does not wish to be under the influence of any of these drugs. It is best for anyone to avoid these different drugs!

But certainly, to have people in prison for marijuana leads to many more blacks than whites, and that is wrong, and reform of sentencing, and release of those in prison for marijuana possession or sale, needs reform immediately!

It was wonderful that Obama opened up on these issues, and it allowed this author to state how he feels about these matters as well, and hopefully, Obama will feel liberated and speak more openly about how he feels, and the critics be damned!

College Graduates Now One Third Of Those Ages 25-29: The Highest Percentage Ever

Ronald 37 Comments

Higher education has reached more and more Americans over time, and now among those 25-29, one third have at least a four year undergraduate degree.

More Americans have started and graduated college in recent years, spurred on by the Great Recession, and the recognition that unemployment levels among college graduates is 3.3 percent for those ages 25-34, compared to 11.8 percent for high school graduates.

Still, too many students fail to finish a four year, or even a two year degree, and in many states, the graduation rate is much lower than in others, with the trend being that the “Blue” states have higher graduation rates than the “Red” states, another indication of two Americas in our midst, one in the 21st century, and the other moving back socially to the 19th century in many ways, sadly!

And low income American families still see only about one out of ten of their children going on to college and graduating in a six year period, while high income families see seven out of ten children gaining a college degree.

And women are graduating at higher rates than men, another disturbing issue regarding the emotional maturity of young men, many seeing just having any job as enough, making more women more highly educated than men, and in many cases, choosing not to marry someone of lesser educational attainment.

And Asian Americans continue to have higher percentages of college degrees, followed by whites, blacks and Hispanics, respectively.

The road to the future in a technology based and digital economy is higher education, so those not attaining that goal are at a long range disadvantage in the American economy of the future.

Mitt Romney And His Mormon Church: Disturbing Realities

Ronald 4 Comments

With Mitt Romney seemingly the likely Republican Presidential nominee, focus turns to his religious beliefs, as he would be the first Mormon President if he won.

The Mormons, a much persecuted religion in its less than 200 year history, is seen by mainstream Christians of all denominations as a cult, rather than a Christian sect, even though Mormons claim to be Christian. There is discontent about its polygamous past, and the fact that a radical separatist sect still practices polygamy in areas of Texas, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming. Its decision to get involved often in politics, rather than promote separation of church and state, also disturbs many.

But there are other more important issues.

The Mormon Church forbids any non Mormon from entering its temple in Salt Lake City, Utah.

When Mitt Romney was married to Ann, his wife, she needed to be converted, but her parents were not allowed in the Mormon Temple for her marriage, and had to stay outside.

When Ann Romney’s father died in more recent times, he was converted to the Mormon faith after death without his permission, and despite the fact that he was a religious skeptic, in actuality a declared atheist.

This tendency to convert dead people has included Jews who died in the Holocaust, who unknown to their families, have been converted.

The Mormons keep detailed genealogical records on many millions of people around the world, useful in studying ancestry and family connections, but disturbing to many as intrusion, and wonderment about why they are gathering so much personal information on non Mormons.

The Mormon Church never allowed blacks in the church until suddenly in 1978, from on high in church leadership, and under a federal lawsuit on civil rights, magically they were finally allowed into the church as equals.

The Mormons, like all other religious groups, treat women as second class citizens in the church, and promote the traditional family role as a norm for women, who are not allowed leadership in the church and are expected to obey their husbands, and spend their life pleasing them in all possible ways.

Mormon women are encouraged to have large families and avoid using birth control of any kind.

The Mormon Church will disown any member who is homosexual, and the norm in most Mormon families is to do so, and the names of such people are officially banned from the Mormon Church records as if they never existed. The church led the fight against gay marriage and Proposition 8 in California in 2008, financing the attack openly.

While the Mormon Church has tended to support immigrants and work to promote citizenship for illegal immigrants, it is seen primarily as a practical matter, due to the widespread missionary movement of the church in Latin America.

The Mormon Church has been strongly anti labor oriented, in regards to union organization and workers rights, even before the recent anti labor crusade by conservative Republicans.

The Mormon Church takes a very conservative view on most issues, and most of its political arm are Republicans. although there are major exceptions such as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Senator Mark Udall of Colorado, and his cousin, Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico.

These realities stated above are not pointed out to promote bias or discrimination, but to make the general public aware of the growing influence of the church in American life, much of its practices and agenda highly disturbing!

Defense Of Liberalism And Progressivism: All Major Reforms Brought About By The Political Left!

Ronald 2 Comments

Lawrence O’Donnell on THE LAST WORD on MSNBC this evening utilized an episode of the old series, THE WEST WING, to defend liberalism and progressivism, demonstrating what all people of those persuasions know, but sometimes forget to use in defense against conservatives: that ALL major reforms in this country have come about due to those defined as on the political left!

Liberals and Progressives, (interchangeable names) brought about the following, whether Democrats or Republicans:

Anti Slavery Movement
Woman Suffrage
Social Justice Reforms
Labor Reforms
Voting Rights
Civil Rights Laws
Social Security
Medicare and Medicaid
Environmental Reforms
Consumer Reforms
Women’s Rights Movement
Gay Rights Movement
Disability Rights Movement
Immigration Reform
Anti Vietnam War Movement

What can conservatives claim, except to help the rich get richer; help corporations monopolize; undermine labor; exploit and condemn the poor; support religious groups that wish to restrict human rights; work against consumer rights and environmental regulation; deny voting rights; support slavery and segregation of blacks; deny woman equality in all ways; exploit immigrants and deny them equality; deny the “safety net”; work against equal rights for gays and the disabled; and support military adventures overseas that enrich corporations.

Would any conservative wish to deny the above? If so, write and comment on this post!