I’m Not The Only One

One thing I kept hearing back when I was working in New York for Democrats on their election campaigns was, “No, no, no.  That’s just a political promise,” followed by a chuckle.  The issue at hand was residential zoning.  Homeowners who had been in the community for three or four decades wanted things just the way it had always been for them, and wanted the New York City Council to reform the zoning codes to restrict the development of multiple-household dwellings to be built in the neighborhood or for large homes to be subdivided into three or four apartments.

Newcomers to the neighborhood, especially recent immigrants wanted the zoning codes to remain as they were, allowing developers and property owners to continue to build multiple dwellings and subdivide existing structures to accommodate the ever-increasing demand for housing in New York City.  Dividing existing structures also made the individual apartments within the structure more affordable for people who otherwise could not have afforded to buy an entire home.  Of course, my candidate, who was the puppet of a very influential and well-connected politician, promised to fight for both affordable housing and neighborhood preservation, while in reality having no intention to assist either side.  Two political promises had been made. (more…)

It’s nice to see President Obama pretend to do something right for a change.  He recently petitioned Congress to end tax breaks for U.S. companies that hire workers overseas, in an effort to encourage businesses to hire workers domestically. As to whether this will result in more jobs for Americans is iffy at best.  After all, Obama is asking Congress not to create incentives for businesses to hire workers domestically, he’s simply asking Congress to take away the rewards Washington gives to U.S. companies who hire abroad. He certainly is not creating incentives for foreign corporations to set up shop in the U.S. and hire Americans. (more…)

California might actually be on its way to legalizing marijuana, at least up to an ounce.

Three Tuesdays from now, Californians will be going to the polls to decide on, among other things, Proposition 19, a.k.a. the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannibis Act of 2010.

For those unfamiliar with the proposal, Prop 19  mandates that people 21 and older can:

• possess up to one ounce of marijuana for personal consumption.
• use marijuana in a non-public place such as a residence or a public establishment licensed for on-site marijuana consumption.
• grow marijuana at a private residence in a space of up to 25 square feet for personal use. (more…)

For those of you whose eyes have drifted towards the header of this website, one of the large links reads “Barack Obama Research Paper“.  It was a research paper I wrote in my final semester of college.  As is the case with most aspects of liberal academia, students are strongly obligated to write left-leaning papers and complete other types of assignments that promote liberal values.

At the time, (fall of 2007) no living person was more popular than Barack Obama, especially in a public university in New York City.  I figured writing about Obama would make for an easy A, and I was right.  Later on, I came up with the idea of posting the text of that research paper on this site so I could pick up extra visitors consisting of people looking for research papers about Barack Obama.  More visitors mean more ad revenue.  Figured if I at least sell out I should have some cash in the end. As you can imagine, the number of visits skyrocket near the end of the school semester. (more…)

So President Obama is asking black people to “guard the change” come November (translation: vote for liberals only), I suppose, to avoid a changing of the guard.

Well, he didn’t actually approach the black community; he addressed the Congressional Black Caucus (I’ve actually heard one black conservative refer to them as the Congressional Black Caucasians!), who obviously represent all people of African descent in America.  I mean, duh, they’ve got the word “black” in their name! (more…)

You know what really sucks about all this?

Universal health care has only been embraced by one state-Massachusetts.  If it’s so great, why has only one state out of 50 adopted it?

Meanwhile, 15 states (Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington) have already legalized marijuana for medical purposes (not including Maryland, which won’t bust you for possession if you can prove your marijuana use is for medical purposes), meaning this healthcare policy is at least 15 times as widely accepted than universal healthcare.

But which healthcare plan do the Obama Administration and the Democratic leadership want to implement on a national level?

Sad.

Also, since the Democrats want to emulate Canada so badly, how about adopting their nationwide medical marijuana policy?

Silly me, I was actually expecting a black President, even if he is only half black, to legalize it.  If black and brown people are still going to federal prison for marijuana-related charges by 2012, I’m voting for the next white guy I see.

When the Man is looking for a terrorist, not a drug dealer or robber.

In America, blacks and Latinos are often guilty until proven innocent when the police are looking for a drug suspect.  As politically incorrect as it may sound, it makes perfect sense for police to use racial profiling against blacks and Latinos when looking for suspects of drug-related crimes.  Even though statistics suggest that white Americans are the largest consumers of illicit substances it is almost always people of color involved in the production, distributions and sale of these illegal narcotics and are most often targeted in the War on Drugs.  I’ve always said that the only way to completely put an end to racial profiling against blacks and Latinos by law enforcement is to decriminalize drugs.

That said,  I don’t believe racial profiling makes any sense when protecting Americans from terrorism.  Those Americans who support racial profiling as a counter terrorist measure are probably the same idiots who think Africa is a country and Mexico is a continent.  Why doesn’t racial profiling work to sniff out would-be terrorists?  Because the terrorists in question are of the Muslim faith, and like Christianity, Islam is a religion, not a race.  Muslims come in all colors.  Since 9/11 we have encountered white American Islamic terrorists, a Hispanic Islamic terrorist, Chinese Muslims and an array of Islamic terrorists of African descent and/or origin.  In terms of numbers, Islam in the U.S. has been the fastest growing faith, but by blacks and Latinos, not by immigration from the Arabian peninsula.  The country with the largest Islamic population in the world is Indonesia, nowhere near near Arabia but in the south Pacific.  The majority of black people worldwide are Muslim, not Christian. (more…)

It was definitely an interesting election this year.  Nationwide, Obama’s dropping approval rating has hurt Democrats in local elections.   That is certainly the case in New York and especially in nearby New Jersey, where proverbial fat cat Dem John Corzine (who deserved to lose for poking fun at his Republican opponent’s weight problem in his campaign literature) lost to the literally fat Republican Chris Christie, who oddly resembles a Sopranos cast member. (more…)

I didn’t realize how controversial the whole Notre Dame’s issue (granting President Barack Obama an honorary degree and inviting him to give their 2009 commencement speech) was until I logged on to YouTube the other day and saw the featured video was of Notre Dame students and members of the Roman Catholic community sounding off on the issue.  I was made even more aware when I learned of notredamescandal.com.

Honestly, I think people made a much bigger deal out of it than it really was.  I think the real scandal was that President Obama was offered an “honorary” degree in the first place.  Besides the fact that it is a slap in the face to all the students who paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition and spent years earning their degrees, an honorary degree, which is usually a Masters or Doctorate, is nothing more than a cheap fundraising gimmick. (more…)

By now everyone must be aware of the recent editorial cartoon which ran in the New York Post.  In the cartoon a chimpanzee has been shot dead by police officers who say to each other, “Now they will have to find someone else to write the stimulus bill.”

Is the cartoon inherently racist?  Not really, if you consider the New York Post is a publication with a conservative slant and highly critical of any Democrat, especially our new Democrat President.  The cartoon was drawn as a reference to the recent shooting by police of a chimpanzee who mauled a woman in Connecticut.  But the cartoon’s message (my interpretation of it) was that the stimulus bill was so stupid, a primate could have written it.

In all fairness, liberals have repeatedly and viciously compared former President George W. Bush to a monkey for the last eight years when they weren’t comparing him to Adolf Hitler.  Obviously there are some people who think Obama is as big an idiot as some people regard his predecessor, as demonstrated in the recent HBO documentary “Right America Feeling Wronged.” Perhaps liberals have set a dangerous precedent in comparing a President to a monkey over and over.  But President Obama’s partial black ancestry makes the comparison extremely taboo as black people have historically been compared to monkeys, ape and other primates, especially in the U.S. (more…)

Star power and connections can get you a lot of things, even jobs you’re barely qualified for.

Right now, President-elect Barack Obama is deciding whether to appoint either Governor Bill Richardson or Senator Hillary Clinton as his Secretary of State.

Bill Richardson’s massive foreign policy and diplomacy experience is critical in a time when America needs to mend many fences among the international community.  During the Clinton administration, Richardson was appointed as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.  Even as Congressman in his home state of New Mexico, Richardson was tapped by President Clinton to lead various diplomatic missions. (more…)

Never in my lifetime did I imagine I’d ever see a U.S. President of color.  Though I voted for Barack, my sense of cynicism kept whispering to me that the powers that be would never allow such a thing to happen.  I reminded myself constantly of the fiasco of the 2000 Presidential election and braced myself for a repeat in this election, but was shocked to see that Obama was far in the lead in both electoral and popular votes.

In this multiracial, multicultural nation which treats its minorities better than any other nation I could think of (and the Obama Presidency is proof!), I cannot think of a better representative for the United States than this biracial son of a white American woman and a Kenyan man.  It does annoy me a bit when Obama is referred to in the media as “African-American” because I do agree with Debra J. Dickerson’s claim that Barack Obama is not African-American or black.  As a person of mixed race myself, I look up to Obama, who is by no means the stereotypical “tragic mulatto” but rather an American who rarely considers himself anything beyond that. His genetic makeup alone is an inspiration for Americans to acknowledge our nation’s original motto, “E Pluribus Unum” (Latin for “Out of Many, One) and put our differences aside as we pick up the pieces of our divided nation shattered by partisan squabbling. (more…)

Okay, I just took an online quiz from the Chicago Tribune testing my knowledge of Senators Barack Obama and John McCain.

I scored 35% on Obama and 50% on McCain. I took both quizzes for fun, expecting I’d know more about Obama than about McCain. But according to this quiz, it is John McCain with whom I am more familiar.

How should I interpret these test results? Does knowing less about the candidate I’m supporting make me a less informed voter, or does knowing more about the candidate I’m not supporting make me a more informed voter?

Personally, I was expecting to score at least 75% on both candidates. Guess I’m not as informed as I thought I was. Although, I’m fairly certain most voters, regardless of who they support, would’ve gotten a lower score than myself.

In case you’ve already clicked on the links above and have just finished both tests, the parts of the tests I got right were their campaign platforms. The parts I failed were the questions regarding the Senators’ personal histories, although I found I knew much more about John McCain’s personal history than that of Obama’s. Still, I was expecting to score much higher than I actually did.

If you’ve gotten to the end of this entry without taking the tests, go do so now, and please share the results with the rest of the class.

If elected, Barack Obama might just get shot.

Chalk it up to my paranoia, my distrust of government or even my sneaking suspicion that from the inception of this country the ruling elite has waged class warfare in a battle so subtle the middle and lower classes of this nation don’t even realize they’ve been on the losing side.

Whatever the reason, I’m not the only one nor am I the first to express a lingering fear that the first black President may be assassinated. There are people who even think there might have already been assassination attempts on Obama during the campaign (besides character assassination) that were thwarted by the Secret Service.

I even have some mean-spirited acquaintances who are deliberately voting for Obama just so they can watch him get shot.

Senator Barack Obama is still mulling over who to select as his running mate. I have some advice for him if he wants to reduce his chances of being shot.

DON’T PICK A WHITE MALE.

A lot of people are speculating that Obama may choose a white male to placate white Democrats and even a few swing voters who are keen on voting for Senator John McCain. But if Obama’s Vice President is in fact a white male and he is elected to office, all the white supremacist whackos will say to each other, “All we have to do is kill Obama and we’ll have a white man back in the White House!”

In his stand up routine, comedian Dave Chappelle talks about his aspirations of one day being President, just not the first black President, and that if he is elected President, he’ll make a Mexican Vice President just for insurance. “You can go ahead and shoot me,” he jokes. “You’ll just be opening up the borders. Just let Vice President Santiago and myself to our own devices.”

Here’s a few alternatives to white male candidates for Obama’s VP, and why I think they would make a good running mate. Note that included in this list are some Republicans. I think a Republican or at least a conservative running mate for a Democratic Presidential candidate would provide a good balance for a nation which has been torn apart by partisan politics.

Black VP: Possible choices: Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell.

Picking a black Vice President would solidify the stereotype that black elected officials appoint primarily black administrations. I don’t see the big deal; white Presidents have been picking white VPs for centuries. There are some people who might think that a black President and Vice President is too black too soon for America. Obama could pick Condoleezza Rice and sweep up the Hillary supporters (at least the female ones anyway). Her upbringing in Jim Crow-era Birmingham, Alabama will provide Obama with the African-American socio-political context he very much lacks.

Like Rice, Colin Powell has high ranking Presidential administration experience (at least I think Secretary of State and National Security Advisor are higher on the totem pole than First Lady) and Powell’s military background could woo all those vets considering supporting McCain. I think choosing conservatives like Rice and Powell would be a good ideological balance. While they may have played key roles in the Bush Administration, they are by no means cronies, as Powell and Rice (as Secretaries of State) have both made significant reform in America’s foreign policy in ways that almost contradict the attitudes of their boss, George W. Bush.

White VP: Possible choices: Hillary Clinton, Rep. Barney Frank, Michael Bloomberg and Nancy Pelosi.

Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi are the two most powerful figures (of either gender) within the national Democratic Party. This would definitely snap up the white Democrat vote. Besides, Pelosi looks like she wants it.

While still white males, Michael Bloomberg’s Jewishness and Barney Frank being both Jewish and openly gay would seem, at least to anyone who would not want a black President, just as bad as or worse than being black.

When New York City was still reeling from eight oppressive years under Rudy Ghouliani in 2001 and badly needed real leadership. Michael Bloomberg was that leader. He completely tore apart and rebuilt a public school system that has been allowed to wallow in inefficiency and corruption for two decades. From day one, the billionaire served as Mayor for only $1 a year, something he might also do as Vice President. He is also a supporter of gay marriage as well as immigrants’ rights and supports amnesty for illegal workers. He once said,

“It is as if we expect border control agents to do what a century of communism could not: Defeat the natural forces of supply and demand and defeat the natural human instinct for freedom and opportunity. You might as well sit on the beach and tell the tide not to come in.”

Barney Frank makes me laugh. He is very funny, and as a comedy duo, Obama’s serious will play a good straight man (no pun intended) to Franks’ witty and insightful quips. He is also a strong supporter of civil liberties, advocating fiercely for medical marijuana, to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana and has fought against Congressional attempts to regulate online gambling. He also opposed legislation prohibiting anti-war protesters from demonstrating outside of the funerals of fallen soldiers, citing the Constitution’s right to free assembly. Lets not forget the Frank Rule!

Latino VP: Possible choices: Bill Richardson, Linda Chavez, Antonio Villaraigosa and Rosa Clemente.

Even I admit I didn’t know Bill Richardson was Hispanic the first time I heard his name. But upon learning more about him, he quickly became my first choice for Presidential Democratic nominee before he dropped out of the race. I’ve already discussed my reasons for supporting him here and here. Here’s the short(er) version:

Being half non-Hispanic white (his Anglo family can trace their lineage back to the Mayflower) will win over some of the white Democratic vote and maybe some of the swing votes leaning towards McCain. His massive foreign policy and diplomacy experience is much needed in a time when America needs to mend a few fences among the international community. As a Congressman, Richardson has negotiated with the likes of Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro and North Korea dictator Kim Jong Il to release American hostages. In 2007, he brokered a 60-day cease-fire in war-torn Darfur.

The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, regards Richardson as the most fiscally responsible Governor in the U.S., a quality this country could use after eight years of rabid Bush spending. He is a supporter of gay rights and of medical marijuana and has fought attempts at eminent domain in his own state.

Like Richardson, Linda Chavez is also half non-Hispanic white, which should ease white voters. Like Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell, she is no stranger to high-ranking positions in Presidential administrations. She was the highest ranking woman in the Reagan Administration, and was nominated to Secretary of Labor by George W. Bush in 2001, becoming the first Latina to ever be nominated to a Cabinet position. Ronald Reagan also appointed Chavez to Staff Director on the U.S. Commission for Civil Rights, and George H.W. Bush appointed her to be the Chairwoman on the National Commission on Migrant Education. The UN Human Rights Commission appointed her U.S. Expert to the UN Sub-commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities.

Antonio Villaraigosa is like a Latino Obama. Young, good looking and charismatic, Antonio is sure to win over female voters regardless of race. He is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since Cristobal Aguilar in 1872, so like Obama, he is no stranger to breaking racial barriers. Like Michael Bloomberg, one of Villaraigosa first acts as Mayor was to fix Los Angeles’ failing public school system.

Rosa Clemente, a Puerto Rican from the Bronx, has an academic background and is an avid writer, just like Obama. She has a background in grassroots community organizing in urban communities, just like Obama. She has led workshops on everything from hip-hop activism to feminism to black-Latino intercultural relations. The only problem? She’s already running as VP on the Green Party ticket alongside Cynthia McKinney.

Who are your VP picks for Obama? Also, if you disagree with any of my VP suggestions, please, fire away.

From a New York Times article covering the Primary race in Puerto Rico.

As in other recent primaries, race may also end up playing a role in determining how people vote. But here, Mr. Obama’s biracial identity is perceived as working to his advantage.

“On the mainland, Obama is black, but not in Puerto Rico,” said Juan Manuel García Passalacqua, a political commentator. “Here he is a mulatto, and this is a mulatto society. People here are perfectly prepared to vote for someone who looks like them for president of the United States.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself.