Trickle Up Economics

Today I had the wonderful honor of attending the White House Summit on Hispanic Educational Attainment, sponsored by the Boeing Company and the FedEx Corporation. I was waiting for the leading staff to spew the names of other corporations sponsoring the even. I mean, where were Coke and Pepsi? Is the economy so bad that not only has the current administration outsourced the war in Iraq to private companies, but now the U.S. Department of Education doesn’t have enough money to convene a meeting on an initiative begun by the current administration. I mean, it is not like they spent a lot of money on the event. The food sucked, they served home made sandwiches, cookies, soda, and miniature muffins from the supermarket. I was astounded by the how bad the food was, and I am not a foodie. On another note, the event took place at the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education, and not at the White House, like the name would imply. Yup, it appears the recession is trickling upwards as the U.S. Department of Education is clearly going through tough times.

The Angry Left: Can You Feel the Rage?

Watching the RNC has been quite interesting this week.

I am amazed at how a party that has been controlling Washington for 8 years is trying to position itself as not being a part of the establishment. Furthermore, they will "stand-up" to the establishment. This is the party that has brought us the Jack Abramoff and Grover Norquist lobbying scandal; has expanded government (not in a good way); and has made nepotism and cronyism an accepted practice in the nation's capital. What cognitive dissonance! I feel as angry (and disappointed) as the Republicans were when Gustav failed to become a massive hurricane.

Nevertheless, the biggest news at the RNC is that the presidential campaign is no longer a battle between McCain and Obama. Instead, it has become a battle for the souls of "hope" and "change". Who will the angry left side with, and why are they so angry? With whom will the community organizers side? The truth is out there, but not at the convention....

2004: The Birth of "Hope"

After Obama’s acceptance speech last two nights ago, I decided to search for Obama’s speech from the 2004 Democratic Convention and to contrast it to his more recent speech at the 2008 Democratic Convention. I heard Obama trying to figure out what has happened. While acknowledging the incorporation of additional variables into the equation (aka corporate donors) I was bewildered by what happened to Obama when it came to the issue of personal responsibility. In his 2004 speech Obama said,

“Go into any inner-city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can't teach kids to learn.They know that parents have to teach, that children can't achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. They know those things. People don't expect -- people don't expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice.”

I am all for personal responsibility, but only when it applies to everyone, especially the corporate sponsors of his campaign. Over the course of the year, 9 banks have failed, the U.S. has experienced a terrible mortgage crisis, the U.S dollar is sucking, and telecommunication firms were implicated in helping the current administration violate our civil rights by spying on our phone conversations and emails. When is Obama going to point his finger of shame at these entities the way he effortlessly does at poor black people?

No revolution, but at least we have Fat Joe

This particular savage detective was inconsolably waiting for the massive worldwide upheaval that never came, until her newfound love for Fat Joe prompted her to come out of hiding.  

She believes more people should call out sellouts as Fat Joe does here, and she is looking forward to his response when he realizes Obama is not actually proposing anything near national health care. 

More detailed posts will follow.

Steve is Keepin' It Real

My favorite quote this morning comes courtesy of NPR's Morning Edition. Steve, I was thinking the same thing. Thank you for asking...


Juan: Obama struggled to get the support of blue collar workers?
Steve : When you are talking about blue collar workers, do you mean white working class workers?
Juan Williams: You put it so bluntly Steve.

Dominican FINALLY Makes Appearance on Ugly Betty

For real, ya’ll. During the season finale of Ugly Betty, the love interest of Hilda, Betty’s older sister, gave her a necklace with a pendant made of Dominican amber. It was the first time, despite the show’s setting being New York City, that there was any representation of some tangible element of something that is Caribbean Latino on the show. This isn’t to say that cultural elements of the Spanish speaking Caribbean are missing from the show; these elements that are precisely used to emphasize the family’s Latino background. For instance, reggeatón is used between scenes; and somehow, Betty can dance salsa although very few Mexicans I have met in the U.S. can; etc.

However, never in the show do we see people from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and other Caribbean portions of Latin America. If this is NYC, where are these folks? I was hoping the show would help the mainstream public understand the diversity of Latino community in the United States that are highly touted within the community and suddenly swept under the rug when not politically convenient. The fact that Betty’s family is a Mexican family in New York City is itself fodder for other important subjects such as the changing demographic trends of Latinos in NYC (although Betty’s family has been there for almost 30 years). Even in Queens, known for its high concentration of Columbians, Ecuadorians and Dominicans, we are left to search harder for these people than I ever did for Waldo. ¿Dónde está mi gente?

Then again, that may be too much to ask my favorite television. Then again, perhaps groundbreaking doesn’t exactly have the same meaning in TV land.

Popular Memory Watch

 After examining artist Lei Yixin's proposed rendering of Martin Luther King, jr. for a new DC memorial (at left), the US Commission of Fine Arts concluded that the  planned sculpture would be too "confrontational" and that it "reflects a genre of sculpture that has recently been pulled down in other countries." The commission recommended a "softening of Dr. King." 

If you aren't already shaking with rage about this shameless attempt to completely erase the legacy of the civil rights and antiwar movements, read this essay by Ibram Rogers, who was on NPR today patiently explaining Lei Yixin's choice while old white people called in and said things like, "You're too young to remember--he was never confrontational." Also, "People are never just their ideologies," and "Maybe if they raised his chin a little, he would look more peaceful." The callers also helpfully clarified the panel's comments by pointing out that the Chinese artist's sculpture reminded them of Stalin and Mao statues. 

I'm so angry, I can't write anymore.