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Real Talk True Story

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Welfare Woes

After conservatives have spread so many misconceptions to the American public, it is hard to know what facts really show. I credit conservatives with making the current public view on welfare so well....wrong. The inescapable, underlying conservative theme, regarding government entitlement programs, is that most of those that receive welfare benefits are lazy, refuse to work, and they are poor because of it. Therefore, they do not deserve the benefits they receive. As you all know me, I was unwilling to take this argument as a face-valued, fact. However, I was, at the time, unable to provide factual data to support a counter argument. So, I did some research for myself today consulting FedStats, which is an online compilation of survey, polling, and census data brought to you by Big Brother itself. I found the following data in a matter of minutes. All of these numbers are considering the 16 years and older population. Of those who were unemployed in just the year 2009, 88.6% sought jobs. I think that immediately raises a reasonable question of the integrity of the statement "those receiving unemployment benefits are lazy" Another mainstream misconception is that those lazy recipients are mostly African American. However, the data shows that 94% of unemployed Blacks sought work, while 86.9% of Whites sought jobs. I would say that successfully busts the welfare minority myth.
Additionally, I stumbled upon an article from Wiretap Magazine, in which Nathan Tobin states, "The most ridiculous idea is that welfare recipients simply refuse to work for a living: they are lazy bums taking us all for a ride. Mike Males says: "Of course [welfare] recipients don't 'work.' Two-thirds of its beneficiaries are children... Two-thirds of the parents... are disabled. Thus at most, one-fifth of AFDC beneficiaries are 'able-bodied' non-workers." If you have time to check out all of Nathan's piece, I would highly recommend you take a look at it. Just please keep all of this in mind with current debates about the budget, and whether entitlement programs are necessary.

The True Story of Real Talk

I only think it’s fair to give credit where credit is due. With this being my tenth official post on this blog, it is safe to say, it’s past time for a small tribute about the title. Just to make things clear, this blog was not a first time project. It was something that I knew I wanted to do, but it was also like trying to find a door in a pitch black room, I totally lacked direction. I didn’t even have an objective to accomplish by writing. Ten posts later, I am not sure that I have direction, but I was given my objective. When I first started writing, I went exactly where I always go for my advice, my girlfriend. I could not think of a title that was anywhere close to acceptable, and I had been struggling for weeks about it. Within maybe five minutes, she said, “why don’t you call it Real Talk, True Story?” After letting that absorb for a few minutes I soon realized that she had captured everything I wanted this blog to be in a four letter phrase. She devolved this commonly used phrase from a hip-hop artist by the name of Clifford Harris, more popularly known as the rapper T.I. At first I thought that this won’t work because T.I. isn’t political at all, why does this seem so prefect? That is because T.I. also referred to as Tip, has a life story that he masterfully turns into music, that so accurately portrays what I wanted this blog to identify. Tip, much like me, has seen both sides of the coin. Raised in poverty, on the fierce streets in Atlanta, T.I. was influenced by drugs and gang violence at an early age. While I was not as close to the problems of big city neighborhoods, growing up I saw my share of people literally living in poverty, and not knowing any different. Inspired by the words of this rapper uses when he feels he needs to be heard, I use these words in the same way, because when the true story is hard to face, real talk is necessary.

Overwhelmed

Tonight, I am overcome with feelings. Lost in a sea of imposing emotions, but none of them are quite strong enough to rock my boat. Tonight, I am me and I am good with that. It has been almost a month since my last post, and I am sure that some of you may be thinking, “What does this have to do with politics?” It took me an entire year to realize that I was already becoming what I loathed in politics. For me, it was beginning to be a business. Government has become something that we do not take part in for the betterment of ourselves and others, something that exists only when it must not because we believe in it, and certainly it has become a place where charity, kindness, and the good of people, didn’t exist. Tonight, I realize the criticisms of a naïve college student are less than a piece of enlightenment, and more of an imposition of morality. I had forgotten my roots, a promise I dare never to break again. I forgot what politics truly are, behind the ugly mask of corruption and greed. They are but the emotions of others. Everyone who believes something strong enough to publically support it has a reason. They feel something. Regardless of the emotions nobility, or morality, for I am the judge of neither, this emotion is indeed an emotion. So please, take these words from me and remember that our government is of the people. This happy-ending seeking soul thinks that the people are better than we are treating ourselves right now.

Real Talk :

If

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

                                                                -Rudyard Kipling         

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Busy, Busy...

Well, as I am sure many of you know, the Republican controlled 112th Congress of the United States of America, has been very busy lately. The Repubs passed a plan through the House last Friday that, if it were enacted, would cut the Federal Budget by $5.8 trillion over the next 10 years. Get this, not only does it "cut spending", it cuts taxes too! This is a wonderful plan, if we now assume that running the government of this country and providing services to it's citizens is no longer a necessity. Excuse my sarcasm, but it is in the face of times like these when I can't really help myself. I know it sounds wonderful that this plan puts a "25% cap on individual tax rates", but please...stop and think what we are doing to ourselves. With the current system of progressive taxation that we have in America, relatively none of us will ever reach that cap, 90% of Americans never have to worry about paying more than that limit. This is what that legislation truly does; it provides a tax cut for the extremely wealthy (conservative constituents) that would, in the current system be above that cap. These are those types of people who could pay 25% of their income in taxes and never notice it was gone. This limit protects them, not you. Oh and to add insult to injury, this plan makes major changes to the Medicaid system, turning it into a block grant program. This is just going to put more strain on state government, and in the end limit the ability for those who justly need government medical assistance to get it. 

It's Been Awhile

So yeah, it has been forever since I last posted anything. Sometimes, the life of a college student can be a bit hectic. For now, I have a little extra time, so I want to discuss something. Education. I understand it’s a pretty broad topic. There is just a little something I would like to share though. Before I say this, I want to take the time to cover my back, I completely understand that education funding is a state problem. So, don’t say that I am just trying to make things look bad. Ok so, states look out for their own education system, which is perfectly understandable. So why can’t the feds can’t help out a little more with the bill? While education is the state’s business, it is a national responsibility. Just something to think about…before you go ranting about lowering your taxes…maybe some of us would like our kids to actually have a textbook for class?

REAL TALK: US Department of Defense Budget
- $ 691 billion / year

TRUE STORY: US Department of Education Budget
- $ 46.7 billion / year