What About Raising Credit Scores of Working Class as Part of Debt Ceiling Debate

So let me get this right--poor, working, and middle class folk don't pay their bills or are slow paying, they are considered reckless and fiscally irresponsible credit risks therefore their credit scores drop and they aren't able to get any additional credit until they show six to 12 mos of timely payments or pay some thing off; US doesn't pay its bills, continue to show fiscal irresponsibility and the most viable option is to simply raise the debt ceiling. Wow! what a bargain if same strategy could "trickle down" to the masses.

I have an alternative solution to propose if some body could get it to the president and Congress for me that would be great:>) We the American people --those who are in the majority--you know the ones who actually make waaayyyyy less than $250,000/year. What if we give you the green light with our approval of raising the debt ceiling, forget about the issue that has gotten yall's panties in your craw--e.g. cutting the Big 3 (Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security) and protecting the insanely wealthy by offering them more tax breaks. I propose that we keep every thing as is and simply raise every working class and poor person's credit score to 800 (leave all the rules in place in terms of what constitutes a good credit rating); forgive the outstanding mortgage payments of the working class families whom you apparently forgot to come back and bail out after you bailed out wall street--you know the folk on main street. The American people will have more disposable income again, access to credit (and possibly less people will be reliant on Medicaid and social security to make ends meet); restraints will be lifted in terms of making purchases and more money will start moving through out the system and not just aggregated at the top and true economic stimulus will occur. Then the US can pay its bills.

Wait, I am not finished. Since Boehner and the "Repugs" as my girlfriend calls them want to see cuts in the big three while protecting the top 2 percenters--let's still have this debate say starting back around January or February of2012 when the 2012 election cycle is in high gear. Then it will be in its appropriate sphere of discussion and debate. Don't try and dress it up now as if it is truly about demonstrating to the American people that we have fiscally responsible and astute members of Congress in office now--its too late!

WWDKD: What Would Dr. King Do If He Were Alive Today?

Monday, April 4 2011 marked the 43rd anniversary of the assassination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Shot and killed at the age of 39 while standing on a balcony of the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis TN by the infamous James Earl Ray. Dr. King is most often venerated for being the spokesperson for the Montgomery bus boycott (1955), spearheading the Selma-to-Montgomery march (1965) and of course delivering his famous “I Have A Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963 at the historic March on Washington. There is a tendency, however, to keep Dr. King ‘s legacy nicely embalmed between 1955 and 1965 while paying very little attention to his stand against the Vietnam war, his conceptualization of the Poor People’s Campaign, and his support of labor rights and the sanitation workers in Memphis.
Dr. Cornell West describes most of the homage paid to Dr. King on his birth and death dates as “Santa Clausification” or the “sanitization.” In an interview with Tavis Smiley on PBS (January 12, 2007), Dr. West made this provocative statement:
“He [Dr. King] just becomes a nice little old man with a smile with toys in his bag, not a threat to anybody, as if his fundamental commitment to unconditional love and unarmed truth does not bring to bear certain kinds of pressure to a status quo. So the status quo feels so comfortable as though it's a convenient thing to do rather than acknowledge him as to what he was, what the FBI said, ‘The most dangerous man in America.’"
Professor James Cone, author of the book Martin & Malcolm & America articulated it this way:
"By making Dr. King’s birthday a national holiday, everybody claims him, even though they opposed him while he was alive. They have frozen King in 1963 with his 'I Have a Dream' speech. That is the one [speech] that can best be manipulated and misinterpreted.”
Towards the later years of his life, Dr. King’s world-wide public acclamation (remember he won the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 at the age of 35)—had waned to public disdain and contempt. Even those whom Dr. King considered among some of his closest allies began to abandon him and publicly denounce his strategies in the fight for poor people and his stand against the Vietnam War.
I can’t help but wonder—what if Dr. King were alive today? Would his answers to poverty, war, and human rights be the same? Would he have become a political insider or an elitist or would he still stand hand in hand with the “common folk” and still be considered “one of the most dangerous men in America?”
On the issue of America’s involvement in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya and our trigger-happy world leaders who are quick to go to war with very little regard for the innocent victims -- mostly the poor, women and children—I think Dr. King’s answer would be the same as he stated in his “Beyond Vietnam” speech:
“We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent co-annihilation. We must find new ways to speak for peace and justice throughout the developing world, a world that borders on our doors. If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight.”
On the issue of deepening poverty in the US which is now higher than it was in the 1960s when President Johnson declared a war on poverty, I think Dr. King would still say that it is a poverty of spirit that has led us back to this shameful place where many children and our elderly in America go to bed hungry amidst extravagant riches and often undeserved wealth (just ask the top 1 and 10%). Dr. King would probably refer back to a passage from his last book Where Do We Go From Here? Chaos or Community and reiterate:
“We must work passionately and indefatigably to bridge the gulf between our scientific progress and our moral progress. One of the greatest problems of mankind is that we suffer from a poverty of the spirit which stands in glaring contrast to our scientific and technological abundance. The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually.”
And to President Obama, while expressing how proud he is of his great accomplishments and showing that there is hope for his dream becoming a reality, he would also express some discontent and remind the President that his word is his bond to the people who elected him and that people are counting on him not to be the great friend maker on the play ground but a drum major for justice. He would probably remind President Obama that:
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige, and even his life for the welfare of others.”

Election Day 2010 Prediction

It’s Election Day 2010 and the pundits have been buzzing predicting yet another “Republican takeover” similar to that in 1994 under the Newt Gingrich regime. I remember that year oh so well. I had just relocated to the Washington DC area and had the great fortune of landing a job as the campaign press secretary for Congressman Albert R. Wynn from Maryland’s 4th Congressional district. (I initially thought that I would go to DC and eventually work for North Carolina’s Congressman David Price (coincidentally the representative from NC’s 4th Congressional district) but he was a casualty of the Republicans. I earned my first battle scars as a campaign aide working for a US Congressman in a highly volatile political climate; the stakes were high and the Dems fought hard to hold on to their seats and to protect the party’s hero and “rock star” President Bill Clinton from becoming a lame duck.
When it was all said and done and the votes were all counted, 38.8% of the eligible American voters turned out. It was estimated that 108,000,000 eligible Americans failed to turn up at the polls and cast their vote. Lack of enthusiasm was again being blamed like it is today as the grim reaper after a bitter fight for guess what—health care reform. All in all, the Republicans garnered 19.0% of the eligible vote for Congress, exceeding the Democrats (16.6%) for the first time since 1946 (http://archive.fairvote.org/reports/1995/chp3/gans.html). And after the smoke cleared—34 incumbents, all Democrats lost their seats and the Republicans took control of Congress winning 52 seats in the House and 9 seats in the Senate. Needless to say the Democrats were sorely disappointed and shamed as the Republicans launched a massive far-reaching political war, “taking no prisoners.”

The speeches on the campaign trails and rhetoric during this election cycle were probably just as divisive and scary as they were in 1994 however I don’t recall them being nearly as sinister and hate-filled. I think that although President Obama’s level of intelligence and charismatic appeal is similar if not exceeds that of President Clinton, he has several forces working against him: (1) his race (Black man) although few people will openly admit it; (2) the miserable economy and the fact that we are in a recession that has flat lined as far as jobs recovery and growth goes; and (3) the matchless money machine of the right that is fueled by the spoils of Corporate warfare against the working class.

The pundits are predicting we are going to see a replay of 1994 even without a unified Republican Party and an clear republican agenda like the “Contract with America”—and despite the fact that the Republic party is splintered and broken into hostile factions –with the Tea Party on one side and ultra conservative old-guard Republican partiers on the other. They do however share in the enormous money coffers and have all seemed to rally behind one common battle cry—to politically disable and ultimately prevent the reelection in 2012 of President Obama. Case and point, current Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell sent out a rallying cry to the Republican Party admonishing them that their main goal is to “make sure that Barak Obama is a one-term president.”

The Democrats are not so much splintered as they are handicapped by out-dated political strategies and timid, if not spineless, leadership.

While it is 7:33 p.m. as I conclude this first posting on Election Day 2010 and most of the polls in the east have just closed, there is still much uncertainty. Nevertheless, the pundits on MSNBC and CNN are continuing to predict a Republican sweep. Part of their over confidence with their predictions may have served the Democrats well by forcing people to realize the high stakes of this election when they otherwise would have stayed at home.

I am going to take a gamble and predict that the Democrats will still hold on to the House and Senate although by a narrow margin. I am not as positive about the race between Elaine Marshall (Democratic candidate) and Richard Burr (incumbent Republican). My pessimism is largely due to the lack of support it appears that Elaine Marshall received by the NC Democratic Party. Furthermore I am ever so mindful of the fact that North Carolina didn't send the late former Senator Jessie Helms back to Washington over and over again on the votes of Republicans alone.

What is certain is that the nation as a whole is sickened by the lack of real political leadership by both parties and the abysmal lack of protection of everyday, hard working Americans. Both parties have failed to lead with courage, moral conviction and any sign of intelligent public policy making.

I predict that there will be some upsets but I am hopeful that the outcome will not be as dire or devastating as folk who are getting paid a lot more money that I make are prognosticating.

And the tallying of the votes has begun…let’s see if tomorrow we will have a Congress that is hell bent on taking our nation backwards or if we have a Congress that has a renewed commitment and stronger will to move us forward.