So folks, I should start by saying I am not Zack Bunker. Zack is on vacation, chilling or doing what cool guys like Zack do, so this week you are stuck with me. I know, I know…but hey, this is not a picnic for me either. In order to write this recap, I had to get off the Reality TV Boycott I had begun in the wake of the travesty that recently occurred on SYTYCD. Side Note: Dear Nigel, Sasha was robbed, period! Okay, now that I have gotten that off my chest let’s get down to business. First, you know this is a recap and that means spoilers…so if you did not get to watch Project Runway last night and it is still languishing in your DVR…walk away and come back later. As the show opens we see some exhausted designers struggling to get their butts out of bed and then the camera pans to small stacks of clothing with name tags on each pile. I look more closely and a pit forms in my stomach for the poor designers…the clothing is actually t-shirts, shorts and sneakers. This, my friends, is the dreaded sportswear challenge. A small note accompanying the clothes directs the designers to meet Heidi and Tim at the New Balance Track & Field Center at the Armory in Washington Heights. As the designers scramble to get ready….we see poor Cecilia – clearly still reeling from her stint in the bottom three – depressed and refusing to get out of bed. Cecilia is apparently angry that the judges sent Julie home instead of her (though come on dude this was Julie’s third straight week in the bottom three…the clock was ticking on her). If I was her I would be more...

I chose this article because even looking back on it I am surprised that is spawned such a heartfelt, deep and thought-provoking discussion on race and identity both here and on Facebook.   It also made me think further about how, if at all, parents should try to shape their child’s racial identity.  I have every intention of trying to shape our children’s racial identity but the discussion threads really made me think about how careful I need to be. Originally published 02/15/11 When I was in college there was this young biracial (half black and half white) woman.  I remember her so vividly, which is funny since she went out of her way to avoid talking to me even though we lived in the same house.  Truthfully, it was not just me – lets call her “Jessica” – avoided most black people particularly those that were extremely vocal about race and racial politics.  She did not attend BRIDGE – the pre-orientation program for women of color at Smith.  She refused to join the Black Student’s Association.  A friend of mind would often remark how “confused” she was because she was adopted and raised by white parents.  Our junior year she started an organization on campus called MISC or “Multi-Ethnic Inter-Racial Smith College.”  By that time I was dating a really awesome guy, who happened to be white, and it was becoming abundantly clear that we were headed down the aisle.  So Jessica scared the hell out of me!  All I kept thinking was what if I have a daughter like her who intentionally alienates herself from women who resemble her mother or father? Fast forward nearly 14 years later – indeed I did marry that awesome guy, who happened to be white.  And...

I was recently offered a new job.  It is an amazing opportunity and I am honored to have been offered the position.  Plus I have been incredibly unhappy in my current position for some time.  So it took everything in my power not to just leap at the idea of taking the position when it was first offered at the generous salary that was being offered.  I mean no brainer right?  Amazing job + generous salary = “I’ll take it!”  But I did not take it, I countered. Why?  Because of Linda Babcock. Linda Babcock is a professor of Economics at the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University, where I went to graduate school.  Professor Babcock is the founder and faculty director of the Program for Research and Outreach on Gender Equity in Society (PROGRESS) at CMU.  Her research focus is in the area of negotiations and dispute resolution.  She is also the co-author of a book that literally changed my life. Women Don’t Ask – The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation – and Positive Strategies for Change was written by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever, a widely published writer and editor.  The book asks a central question, “Are women really less likely than men to ask for what they want?”  According to a book synopsis on Gary-Tomlinson.Com, Babcock and Laschever “discovered that by neglecting to negotiate the starting salary for her first job, a woman may sacrifice over half a million dollars in earnings by the end of her career. The damage continues as even highly accomplished professional women often fail to negotiate for salaries, perks, and key assignments that they deserve at work – not to mention asking for help at home.” In fact, WomenDontAsk.Com notes that “In surveys, 2.5 times more...

Kindergarten is a German word that literally means “children’s garden.”  According to Wikipedia, kindergarten “is a form of education for young children that serves as a transition from home to the commencement of more formal schooling.  Another definition, which overlaps with early childhood education and preschool, is education for pre- and emergent-literate children before the age of six or seven. Children are taught to develop basic skills and knowledge through creative play and social interaction, as well as sometimes formal lessons.” I went to kindergarten.  My husband went to kindergarten.  My mom went to kindergarten.  I just assumed that my kids would too.  I had no idea that kindergarten was not mandatory.  So when my husband and I were touring pre-schools for our son (we recently learned that our pre-school will be closing in three months) and the executive director mentioned that kindergarten was not mandatory in NJ I thought she was joking.  And then we she insisted that she was not, I thought NJ had lost it’s mind. But upon further research I found that NJ was far from alone.  According to a petition, entitled “Help Children Succeed: Make Kindergarten Mandatory in All 50 States” posted on Change.Org, “in all but 14 states, kindergarten is not mandatory for children.”  Yup, kids are only required to go to kindergarten in AR, CT, DE, LA, MD, NV, NM, OH, OK, RI, SC, TN, VA and WV. Even though kindergarten is not mandatory in most states, it is offered.  The majority of school districts around the country offer free, full or half day kindergarten for children.  According to Faqs.Com, “about four million children in the United States attend kindergarten, over three million of those in public schools.”  But that may be about to change. As states...

So Harold Camping was wrong…or partially wrong. Harold Camping is an American Christian radio broadcaster and he is president of Family Radio, a California-based, multi-million dollar radio station that spans more than 150 markets in the United States and boasts hundreds of thousands of listeners. Several thousands of these listeners quit their jobs, emptied out their retirement funds, cleared out their kids’ college funds, etc. in preparation for the rapture.  Some donated to Camping’s $100 million marketing campaign to spread the word about the Rapture.  According to Catholic Online.Com, “Camping’s group posted 2,000 billboards around the country warning of the rapture, while Camping, an uncertified fundamentalist minister spread the word on his radio program, Family Radio.”  Others spent their money traveling around the country as missionaries trying to save souls as May 21st approached. The impending (and now non-manifesting) rapture dominated the mainstream media and social media sites over the past few weeks as we all counted down to the “end.”  Jokes were rampant on Facebook and elsewhere on the Internet. Then it was six o’clock on Saturday. No rapture. It’s not exactly the end of the world as we know it, at least not for most Americans.  But for many of Harold Camping’s followers this is the end of the world as they know it.  Or at least the end of a life of financial solvency, employment and/or savings. According to The Huffington Post, “Some dipped into their retirement funds, like Robert Fitzpatrick, who spent $140,000 to post billboards advertising for the Day across the nation. Some, like Keith Bauer, drove their families across country in pursuit of devout faith.”  The Examiner.Com, interviewed Adrienne Martinez, a follower of Camping:  Martinez and her husband quit their jobs and spent every last penny in their...

A little over a year ago, I went to see Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.  The film, loosely based on the Lightning Thief a novel by Rick Riordan, is about a kid who discovers that he is a half-blood or a child of a human and a Greek god. After a summer training session with other demigods and Chiron the centaur, he sets off on a cross-country quest to LA with his friend Grover the faun and Annabeth, a child of Athena, to recover Zeus’ lost thunderbolt and stop a war between the gods.  There is this one scene in which Percy and his friends are at the Parthenon in Nashville searching for one of three pearls that will give them access to the Underworld.  They find the pearl in a statue of Athena but are then confronted by the Hydra.  According to Wikipedia, “in Greek mythology the Hydra was an ancient nameless serpent-like chthonic water beast that possessed many heads…and for each head cut off it grew two more.”  Naturally, Percy tries to slay the Hydra by chopping off one of its heads. The head, which is one of five (in a later scene 10), falls off but two heads grow back in its place.  Percy had no idea what he was doing when he swung his sword at the Hydra.  And perhaps neither did we when our military forces raided a compound in Pakistan and killed Osama Bin Laden. According to the Los Angeles Times, there were celebrations of Bin Laden’s death in New York, in front of the White House, in Lawrence, Kansas, and in towns and cities across America.  “And the death of Osama bin Laden [was celebrated] in a place that didn’t exist when the 9/11 attacks...

When I was growing up I got spankings (or beatings as the older black women in my family called them).  I am not sure when I got my first spanking, but I know that spankings were regularly used as a form of punishment in our household.  My mom used a belt and my very southern Nana Mary preferred a “switch” that she would pluck off a tree.  Spankings were the main form of punishment until I was well into Junior High.  Then I began to have things (e.g., television and a phone in my bedroom) and I began to go out with friends.  So my mom moved away from spankings and started taking away my things and grounding me. As someone who received spankings as the primary form of discipline throughout much of my life, the constant debate and new studies around whether or not to spank your child fascinates me. According to a new study published in Pediatrics, “researchers at Tulane University provide the strongest evidence yet that children’s short-term response to spanking may make them act out more in the long run. Of the nearly 2,500 youngsters in the study, those who were spanked more frequently at age 3 were much more likely to be aggressive by age 5.”  The researchers found that children who had been spanked were 50% more likely to be aggressive.  These 5 years olds “were more likely than the nonspanked to be defiant, demand immediate satisfaction of their wants and needs, become frustrated easily, have temper tantrums and lash out physically against other people or animals.” And Judith Graham, a researcher at the University of Maine argues that the effects of spanking last well into adulthood.  “The long-term adult effects show up as higher frequencies of crime,...

So I am driving into work last week and I am listening to some pop station.  The disc jockey is going on and on about The Black Eyed Peas recent performance of their new single, “Just Can’t Get Enough” on American Idol. But it wasn’t the song that he was droning one about, it was Fergie.  Specifically, how he believed that she’d had “work done.”  This rampant speculation went on for over for a better part of five minutes and all I could think was who cares! But apparently lots of people do. I googled “fergie plastic surgery” in prep for this article and there were 1,240,000 results.  And when I googled “fergie bad plastic surgery” there were 2,290,000 results. According to DimeWars.Com, “The net was buzzing immediately after the performance referencing Fergie’s ‘different’ face…something seemed different.  Many speculated that Fergie went under the knife and was healing from her procedure.”  Apparently this has become such an issue that Fergie’s husband, Josh Duhamel, denied that his wife had plastic surgery in an interview with Ryan Seacrest. I just don’t understand what all the hubbub is about.  Maybe Fergie had plastic surgery and maybe she didn’t.  Either way, it is her business.   And if she did, I can relate. My 34th birthday is fast approaching and I am not aging graciously.  Between the natural aging process and two kids, my body just is not what it used to be.  I have been considering plastic surgery – specifically breast augmentation and a tummy tuck – since my son was born.  Okay, that is not exactly true.  If I had cash on hand that did not go to my kids college fund, I would have the procedures today. And like the folks who were dying to know...

My heart is heavy as I watch events unfold in Japan. According to the Los Angeles Times, “more than 1,000 bodies wash[ed] ashore in Miyagi prefecture, the northeastern area hardest hit by the magnitude 8.9 quake that struck offshore on Friday and the devastating tsunami it triggered.  [Moreover], the Japanese fear “that the death toll from the devastating earthquake in Japan could top 10,000.  And the fate of tens of thousands of residents of the worst hit areas remains unknown.” The devastation is unimaginable. But do you know what is even scarier? It could have been worse. Decades of dealing with disasters has Japan more and more vigilant over the years.  And apparently that vigilance saved lives.  “Japan’s earthquake monitoring and tsunami warning system is one of the most sophisticated — and costliest — in the world, befitting an economically developed, seismically cursed nation that, on average, experiences a quake every five minutes (Reuters Africa).”  The monitoring system has been in place since 1952, but has been repeatedly upgraded over the past several decades, particularly after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 1993 that triggered a tsunami that was almost 100 feet high and devastated the coast of Hokkaido.  A warning had been issued after the earthquake, but it was too late and hundreds of people were killed. So today, “the tsunami warning service, which has at least six regional centers, currently sends signals from 180 seismic stations across Japan and about 80 water-borne sensors are monitored 24 hours a day by a computerized Earthquake and Tsunami Observation System (ETOS).  To get warnings out quickly, the Japan Meteorological Agency and [the] media have developed a system to superimpose alerts on TV screens as soon as they are issued (Reuters Africa).”  And the warnings are sent to...

So since my last blogumn on racial identity seemed to strike some nerves on both sides of the issue, this week I decided to choose a less controversial topic – unions.  Yeah right! Back in February 2009 I wrote a blogumn for Fierce and Nerdy entitled, “Political Physics: The Jigsaw Approach to Dealing with the Economic Crisis.”  My basic premise was that given the current economic crisis, we all needed to “spread the pain.”  My specific focus was on unions in NJ.  I asserted that union employees in NJ should have agreed to an 18-month wage freeze.  I argued that if the unions agreed to the freeze, then furloughs for both union and non-union members could have been avoided.  Now it is important to note that almost all non-union employees, like myself, in state government have not had any increase (e.g., cost of living, raise, etc.) in years.  So I felt the compromise was fair and it would also mean that we avoided furloughs, which would have resulted in a 5 – 10% reduction in our annual salaries.  In the end, the unions refused to take the freeze and we all ended up taking 10 furlough days in 2009 at a cost of about 5% of our salaries.  Of course it was more complicated than that, the furloughs helped avoid layoffs so we still avoided the worst-case scenario, but after that I struggled with my opinion of unions. Until I moved back to NJ almost five years ago, I was a staunch advocate of unions.  For me unions were social justice and civil rights organizations.  In some ways, no different in philosophy from a NAACP, expect their “protected class” was the worker.  Today, according to Wikipedia, “the most prominent unions are among public sector...

When my brother was in the fourth grade his teacher told my mother that he had some type of learning disability and that she needed to think about putting him in a “special class.”  My mother was outraged!  It was not my brother’s fault that he had a learning disability, right?  And the school should be able to accommodate him, right?  Wrong.  So that is when we moved to a neighboring suburb, which has a program in the local elementary school that put a name to my brother’s disability – Attention Deficit Disorder – and put him in a program where he was able to flourish academically.  But we were poor and moving to Ewing was expensive.  So in order to be able to pay the rent for a small, ranch house, my mother, stepfather, grandmother, grandfather, brother and I all moved in together.  It was crowded (the dining room was converted into a bedroom for my grandparents), but everyone agreed to make it work so that my brother could get the education that he deserved. Fast-forward almost ten years later.  My brother was about to start his senior year of high school.  Both my grandfather and stepfather lost their jobs and my family had to move back to the city.  But my mother was adamant that my brother would graduate from the high school where he was now taking mainstream classes and thriving academically.  So she talked to my brother’s best friend’s mom and she allowed my brother to use her address so that he could finish his senior year at the suburban high school. My mother made the same choice that Kelley Williams-Bolar made.  However, unlike Williams-Bolar my mother was not caught and forced to serve nine days in jail on a...

Sarah Palin might not be smarter than the average bear, but she is definitely more dangerous.  And besides, ignorance does not necessarily equate to stupidity.  In fact, in all seriousness, I don’t think Sarah Palin is stupid at all.  Is she ignorant to world affairs?  Yes.  Is she lacking racial sensitivity?  Yes.  Is she homophobic?  Yes.  Is she a bit crazy and not very good at geography?  Yes.  But not stupid. I mean let’s give her credit.  She was the youngest person and the first woman elected Governor of Alaska.  And she was chosen by John McCain to be his running mate making her the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party, as well as the first female vice-presidential nominee of the Republican Party.  Then sensing that she could parlay what should have been fifteen minutes of fame into something much greater, she resigned her position as Governor and turned herself into a major political player/pundit/author/television sensation.  According to Wikipedia.Com, “In November 2009, her autobiography Going Rogue: An American Life was released and it quickly became a best-seller, selling more than two million copies.  In January 2010, [she] began providing political commentary to the Fox News Channel under a multi-year contract.”  Her show, “Sarah Palin’s Alaska,” had 4.96 million viewers when it premiered and her second book, America by Heart, was released in November 2010.  And to top it all off, in April 2010, Sarah Palin was selected as one of TIME’s “100 World’s Most Influential People.” No, Sarah Palin is no fool.  She reminds me of Jessica Simpson.  While we are all laughing at how stupid they are, they are laughing all the way to the bank.  But unlike Jessica Simpson, Sarah Palin’s antics are also dangerous and it is...

I am what some political scientists would call a “leaning” or “weak” Democrat.  This means that although I typically vote along party lines, I do not always vote along party lines.  For me it is not so much about party affiliation as it is about the issues.  Generally I do not discuss my political affiliation, but given today’s blog topic, I thought it was important in the interest of full disclosure.  So, I am a “weak” Democrat. This past November however I voted along party lines and cast my vote for Congressman Rush Holt.  However, my vote notwithstanding, the Democrats lost the control of the House of Representatives.  Democrats lost 60 seats in the House and 6 seats in the Senate.  According to Tutor2U.Net, this loss marks “one of the largest House shake-ups of the last 50 years.”  Republicans and Tea Party members could be heard cheering around the nation. The voters had sent President Obama a clear message that they were unhappy, he had failed to meet his campaign promises and this would surely be the nail in his coffin of potential reelection. Or would it? I have repeatedly argued that the Democratic Party was the biggest impediment to a successful Obama Presidency.  Why?  Because people have high expectations when the same party controls both the executive office and the legislature.  We have the votes, so voters expect that campaign promises should be easily carried out.  But the fact is that has not been the case for President Obama. As Richard Albert noted in his article, “Why the President Wins If the Democrats Lose,” on the HuffingtonPost.Com “historically, presidents have been at their strongest when their party has controlled the Congress. But not so for the current President. He might as well have...

Everywhere you turn cities around the country are facing multimillion deficits.  Truthfully, nowadays it appears that no level of government is immune to financial instability.  But I would argue that financial crisis at the local level (e.g., municipal, borough, town, etc.) is often more difficult to solve, particularly in urban areas.  Why?  Well, cities only have one major source of revenue – property taxes – and cities tend to have a lot less flexibility in terms of expenditures that can be cut and/or reduced. Trenton, the city I currently call home, is one of those cities.  We are facing a $60 million deficit and even with massive layoffs planned the amount only shrinks by about $20 million.  So after already raising taxes two years in a row and a $40 million deficit looming, most of us taxpayers are ready to jump ship.  And Trenton is not alone…in NJ almost every major city (e.g., Newark, Jersey City, Camden, etc.) across the state is facing a million or multimillion dollar deficit. In times of extreme crisis like these, leadership becomes critical.  Yet the gap between the significant problems facing urban cities like Trenton and the skill set and preparedness of city leadership is sizable. Watching these melodramas unfold around the country as cities try to “right the ship” has me wondering if perhaps some people are just not qualified to hold public office and maybe there needs to be prerequisites (e.g., other than things like age, national origin, residency, etc.). I am not sure what the “right” set of prerequisites should be, but off the top of my head I am thinking college education, prior experience in public administration, public policy, business administration, etc. and management experience.  I would also recommend that like most civil servant candidates...

. a favorite blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Monique says: I chose that article for two reasons. One: with my mother’s recent hospitalizations and the death of my grandfather in the ER, as well as my own impending stay in the maternity ward right around the corner; health care reform has been on my mind lately. Both my mother and I (one of us well-insured and one of us under-insured) are fighting separate battles with doctors, insurance companies, etc.. It has become glaringly clear to me that the current system is so very broken. And though I remain optimistic about “Obama-Care,” I am not sure if our health care system can truly be fixed. So it will be nice to see if people, including myself, feel differently about health care reform now that it is “here.” From March 23, 2010 Last night as I watched the historic health care vote come to a triumphant end. I thought to myself that the President and Vice President Biden should have played Kool Moe Dee’s “How You Like Me Now,” over the loud speaker as he walked into the press conference. I can just picture President Obama, decked out in a black kango hat, black shades and black leather jacket… “…I’m no phony, I’m the only real micaroni…” Kool Moe Dee and Ted Kennedy would have been proud. I know I was! In a vote of 219 to 212, the Democrats passed a major health care reform package that would start phasing in expanded coverage, consumer protections, business tax credits, and aid to the elderly as early as this calendar year. About 32 million people without insurance would get coverage in the first 10 years (about half of them through Medicaid) and more reasonably-priced insurance options for individuals...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland As fiscal crisis becomes commonplace at every level of government and people become more and more dissatisfied with career politicians, alternative options to the everyday candidate are emerging in the political arena.  One such option is the former CEO.  It started with Bloomberg in New York and Daniels in Indiana and now we have Whitman and Fiorina in California.  The question is, does the ability to be able to run a business mean you can also run a city or a state? When Jon Corzine ran for Governor of New Jersey – both the first and second time around – people lauded his business acumen as the key differentiator between him and his Republican opponent.  After all, Corzine was the former Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs.  And he took the helm of Goldman Sachs during a difficult period in which the firm had experienced significant losses. Through a series of tough calls, strategic initiatives, risk diversification, and long-term planning, Corzine was credited with reestablishing Goldman as the leader in investment banking, ultimately taking the company public and creating substantial value for shareholders and employees. I remember when I was considering returning to New Jersey, I found the notion of bringing the “private sector” to government very appealing.  I mean who better to run a state facing substantial financial challenges then a guy who has turned around a Fortune 500 Company.  And we would not be stuck dealing with politics as usual, right?  We would run government like a business – much more efficiently and effectively. Or at least that is what I thought. Now don’t get my wrong, I applaud the significant achievements that Jon Corzine made during his term as Governor of New Jersey and I...

About three months ago, I pondered the question of whether or not the Tea Party was just another organized hate group masked under the legitimate veil of a political party. Back then; I concluded that even though there were clearly racist actions taken by the party that did not mean that the Tea Party itself was racist.  However, as I noted back then, “there are hate groups and extremist organizations (not to mention several radical members of the Republic Party) that are using the movement to spread a message of hate and extremism in effect silencing the true anti-tax message of the movement.  And there is leadership within the Tea Party that is well aware of what is happening and is turning a blind eye.” Today, I am wondering if I gave the Tea Party too much credit. A friend, Roland Laird, wrote a great article for TheLoop21.Com entitled “NAACP Needs an Overhaul to Keep from Embarrassing Itself.”  In the article, Roland asserts that the NAACP needs to move away from spending time condemning the Tea Party and the like for racist remarks.  Roland writes, “As a lifetime member of the NAACP, I’m a believer in its mission of combating racism but last week’s denunciation of the Tea Party and the related recent denunciation of, then apology to USDA employee Shirley Sherrod, are clear examples why the NAACP needs to change its ways.”  Roland suggests that the NACP should spend more time focusing on the economic issues that continue to plague the black community. I agree with Roland that the NAACP and the black community as a whole could serve from shifting its focus to chronicling, strategizing and addressing the myriad economic issues facing the black community.  However, I also believe that the NAACP’s efforts to...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland If you have not missed Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, I’d suggest catching the episodes as they are rerun or picking up the DVD when it is released.  And then pick up a copy of Jamie’s Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals. Jamie Oliver is a celebrity chef and health campaigner in the United Kingdom.  During the series, which first aired in March on ABC, Oliver pushed a grassroots approach to curbing obesity in the United States by focusing on a small town in West Virginia called Huntington.  In 2008, the Associated Press named Huntington “America’s Fattest City,” “citing unmatched rates of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.”  Moreover, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released a morbidity and mortality report released in February 2010 that found that “32.9% of the populace surveyed in an area that included Huntington and nearby Ashland, Kentucky, is obese.” In one scene from the show, Oliver takes a Huntington family to the doctors and the doctor notes that their 12-year-old son is showing signs of a potential onset of diabetes due to his weight.  I was in tears…the boy is twelve years old!  Thank God, the boy ended up not having diabetes but the scare motivated his parents to commit to making some significant changes to improve their son’s health.  And in another scene, Oliver challenges a group of 1st graders to identify fruits and vegetables, and they are unable to.  What!?! It was eye opening and extremely sad all at the same time. Now critics of the show, particularly the citizens of Huntington, West Virginia, argue that the show “exaggerated” the problems in Huntington.  But even if you take Huntington out of the equation, the problem of obesity...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland A May 27th article in USA Today reads, “The hurricane that drowned New Orleans and cast George W. Bush as out-of-touch swept across the Gulf Coast nearly five years ago. Now, as oil laps ashore in the very same region, local officials are asking: Is there another government-Gulf Coast disconnect? Is BP’s oil spill becoming this president’s Katrina?” In the same article entitled, “Is BP’s oil spill becoming this president’s Katrina?” the author noted that “Frustrated Gulf Coast residents say they understand that only BP can plug the leak. But they want to know why the federal government didn’t act faster to stop the oil from reaching shore, why BP hasn’t been forced to skim more oil from the surface and why their request hasn’t been approved to build new barrier islands to help keep the oil at bay.” They are not the first to post the question.  For weeks now, both the broadcast news and print media have been a flutter, questioning whether the recent oil spill has rendered President Obama as ineffective today as President Bush was then.  A recent USA TODAY/Gallup Poll found that “six out of 10 adults say the federal government is doing a ‘poor’ or very poor’ job handling the spill.  [And] a majority — 53% — say the same about Obama.” Indeed 11 men died on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig when the explosion ruptured the well on April 20th.  And some scientists are estimating that the oil spill in the Gulf has already surpassed the 11 million gallon 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska as the worst in U.S, History.  Moreover, the adverse ecological impacts will be felt for decades and it will take just as long for the economy (e.g., fishing,...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland When I was a little girl we were working poor – meaning my mom worked one, two and sometimes three jobs to take care of my brother and me, but we still lived fairly below the poverty line for a family of three.  I remember going to school and everyday in homeroom I would get a small, white ticket.  It was white and a little bit bigger than a quarter.  I took that ticket with me to the lunchroom and handed it to the lunch lady along with fifty cents and she gave me my lunch.  At the time I did not really understand that I was getting “reduced” or “subsidized” lunch.  Nor did I realize that I was one of millions of kids around the country who carried small, white breakfast and/or lunch tickets everyday. The National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program are federally assisted meal programs that operate in more than 101,000 and 87,000 public and non-profit private schools and residential care facilities across the country respectively.  According to the program’s website, the school lunch programs serves more than 30.5 million children and the school breakfast program serves more than 10.6 million children everyday. In order to qualify for both programs, children must be from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level for free meals and between 130 percent and 185 percent of the poverty level for reduced-price meals.”  To give you an example, according to the U.S Department of Agriculture, “130 percent of the poverty level is $28,665 for a family of four and 185 percent of the poverty level is $40,793 for a family of four.”  And there are no shortage of families who met this criteria...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland All around the country – from California to New Jersey to North Carolina to Pennsylvania – public transportation is coming under attack.  As states seek to find ways to fill looming budget gaps, riders of public transportation are becoming victims. Facing difficult choices as they attempt to close their budget shortfalls, Governors across the country are reducing the subsidy the state provides to their respective transit agencies.  According to American Public Transportation Association President William Millar, “Public transportation is experiencing a funding crisis and it is negatively impacting the millions of riders who depend on public transportation every day…as many public transportation systems are facing large budget shortfalls due to declining state and local revenues.” According to a survey done by the American Public Transportation Association, “the severity of the funding situation is evident with seven out of ten public transit systems (69 percent) projecting budget shortfalls in their next fiscal year. According to the report, public transit systems have taken significant personnel actions to reduce spending. A total of 68 percent of public transportation systems have eliminated positions or are considering doing so in the future. Nearly half (47 percent) of public transit systems have laid off employees or are considering layoffs in the future.” With more than 80% of public transit systems facing flat or decreased funding from local, regional and state sources, nine out of 10 transit systems (89%) were forced to raise fares or cut service. In New Jersey, Governor Christie cut the funding for NJ Transit by more than $100 million forcing the agenda to consider increasing fares by nearly 25%.  And in San Francisco, the San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transportation District raised fares by 6% in July, but is now considering...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, nonprofit civil rights organization that monitors hate groups and racial extremists, the number of organized hate groups in the United States is on the rise.  “Currently there are 932 known hate groups operating across the country, including neo-Nazis, Klansman, white nationalists, neo-Confederates, racist skinheads, black separatists, border vigilantes and others.”  And since 2000, the number of hate groups in this country has increased by 54 percent. The Southern Poverty Law Center notes that the “surge has been fueled by fears of Latino immigration and, more recently, by the election of the country’s first African-American president and the economic crisis.” As the year-long (truly decades-long) debate on health care drew to a dramatic close, Tea Party protesters rallied outside of the Capitol.  According to the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, Representative John Lewis, D-Georgia, and Andre Carson, D-Indiana, both members of the Congressional Black Caucus, said that Capitol Hill protesters fighting healthcare reform hurled racial slurs and another lawmaker said somebody spit on him. But do random acts of bigotry by select members of the group point to a larger movement within the Tea Party?  According to party leadership, the answer is no. Terri Linnell, Director of the San Diego Patriots, said, “the Tea Party believes in three basic things.  Fiscal responsibility, we just simply can’t continue a tax, borrow and spend agenda that’s going on, and we believe in a constitutionally limited government.”  Linnell contends that assertions that their group is racist or a hate group is absurd. Richard Rider, Chair of the San Diego Tax Fighters, noted, “the Tea Party movement is a political movement. That’s the core issue here. Is this a group that is a threat to people? Are there...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Last night as I watched the historic health care vote come to a triumphant end.  I thought to myself that the President and Vice President Biden should have played Kool Moe Dee’s “How You Like Me Now,” over the loud speaker as he walked into the press conference. I can just picture President Obama, decked out in a black kango hat, black shades and black leather jacket… “…I’m no phony, I’m the only real micaroni…” Kool Moe Dee and Ted Kennedy would have been proud.  I know I was! In a vote of 219 to 212, the Democrats passed a major health care reform package that would start phasing in expanded coverage, consumer protections, business tax credits, and aid to the elderly as early as this calendar year.  About 32 million people without insurance would get coverage in the first 10 years (about half of them through Medicaid) and more reasonably-priced insurance options for individuals and small businesses would become available in 2014. And most importantly, lower income people would receive subsidies to make coverage affordable. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) pegs the cost of the bill at $940 billion over ten years, however they assert that the bill will not add to the already staggering federal deficit.  In fact, the CBO contends that the bill will reduce the deficit by $138 billion in the first 10 years and by $1.2 trillion in its second decade. According to PoliticsDaily.Com, “Democrats are paying for the bill with higher payroll taxes on the wealthy, an excise tax on very expensive health plans starting in 2018, savings in hospital and drug costs under Medicare, elimination of subsidies to private Medicare Advantage plans that are more expensive than regular Medicare, and...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland One of the continuous arguments that we heard against Sarah Palin during the recent presidential campaign was that she was not qualified to be Vice President let alone President.  The real fear being that if something happened to John McCain, Would Palin have effectively run the country.  In fact when asked the question in a 2008 PBS.Org poll, 95% of respondents answered “No.”  Moreover, according to a CNN/Opinion Research poll conducted in October 2009, 71% of respondents “did not think she was qualified to sit in the Oval Office.” At the end of the day, that is a real issue.  Whoever sits in the “Number 2” chair can end up becoming “Number 1.”  The second string, if you will, needs to be up to the job.  So this begs the question, what were the Democrats thinking when Paterson was selected by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer as his running mate for the Governor’s office in 2006? I mean don’t get me wrong, Paterson had a strong political heritage and background. The son of Basil Paterson, who was the first non-white secretary of state of New York, the first African-American vice-chair of the national Democratic Party, the first African-American NYC Deputy Mayor and the first African-American to run for statewide office in New York, Paterson was destined to be a rising star in New York politics.  And he quickly followed in his father’s footsteps. According to Wikipedia, “in 1985 Paterson won a highly competitive New York (Manhattan) County Democratic party Committee selection process to serve the rest of the term of longtime state Senator Leon Bogues, who had died.  The following year, he won the seat for his first full term, representing the 29th District in the New...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland A friend of mine, Katrina, tagged me in a post on Facebook about a recent study entitled, “A Year After Obama’s Election Blacks Upbeat about Black Progress, Prospects,” by the Pew Research Center.  Pew conducted a national survey of 2,884 adults, including 812 African Americans, via telephone between October 28th and November 30th. According to the overview of the study, “Despite the bad economy, blacks’ assessments about the state of black progress in America have improved more dramatically during the past two years than at any time in the past quarter century…Barack Obama’s election as the nation’s first black president appears to be the spur for this sharp rise in optimism among African Americans. It may also be reflected in an upbeat set of black views on a range of other matters, including race relations, local community satisfaction and expectations for future black progress.  In each of these realms, the perceptions of blacks have changed for the better over the past two years, despite a deep recession and jobless recovery that have hit blacks especially hard.” Even in the midst of a recession, “nearly twice as many blacks now (39%) as in 2007 (20%) say that the ‘situation of black people in this country’ is better than it was five years earlier [and] more than half (53%) say that life for blacks in the future will be better than it is now, while just 10% say it will be worse. In 2007, 44% said things would be better for blacks in the future, while 21% said they would be worse.” My best friend Ernessa, also tagged in the post, commented that she had not read the study yet, “but yes, I’m pretty optimistic about black progress as well....

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland A colleague and I were having a discussion a few weeks ago about feminism.  The catalyst for the discussion was that I had called myself a feminist.  This prompted my colleague to ask if I considered myself a feminist.  Now, if she had asked me this question when I was stomping around campus in my Smithie days, I would have told her of course and then promptly admonished her for not considering herself a feminist.  But more than ten years later and what seems like worlds away from Smith, I paused before I answered and thought about it.  “No, I don’t,” I answered.  “I do not believe the feminist movement has a true place for women of color…so I consider myself a womanist, meaning I believe in equity in every sense of the word for women but cannot identify with a movement that would have me subjugate my race to my gender” In Webster’s Online Dictionary, feminism is defined first as “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.”  Wiki states that “the term feminism can be used to describe a political, cultural or economic movement aimed at establishing equal rights and legal protection for women. In an article entitled “Who Said the Feminist Movement Is Dead?” Elinor Miller Greenberg describes the origins of the feminist movement.  “We usually recognize the first women’s movement as having taken place over the more than 70-year-period between the Women’s Suffrage Convention in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848 and the passage of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920, which gave women the right to vote in every state.  Most historians acknowledge that the second women’s movement took place in the United States from about...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland In the interest of full disclosure I should start by saying that I absolutely adored Avatar.  And when I say adored, I mean just that.  From the “loving couple,” to the beautiful cinematography, to the special effects and the story.  I love the movie. So of course I did what most of us do nowadays, I professed my love on Facebook and then I did not think much of it. Spoiler Alert for anyone who has not seen the movie: A few days later I was checking my News Feed on Facebook and I came across this quote from a friend of mine, “[she] thinks Avatar is crap: white guy “goes Native” to destroy indigenous people; has change of heart about selling out natives; falls in love with tribal female leader and disrupts standing social order; becomes more native than the natives; saves the natives and earns the badge of a race traitor. It was a CGI Dances With Wolves …” After reading her quote, I must admit that I felt like shit, but for all intents and purposes, her recap was absolutely spot on. Since the film premiered, there has been a lot of debate, particularly in cyberspace, about whether or not Avatar is racist.  And James Cameron is being criticized for creating just another “white savior” movie. In an article entitled, “Is Avatar Racist,” Jesse Washington of the Associated Press notes that “a small but vocal group of people who allege it contains racist themes — the white hero once again saving the primitive natives.  Since the film opened to widespread critical acclaim three weeks ago, hundreds of blog posts, newspaper articles, tweets and YouTube videos have said things such as the film is ‘a fantasy...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland As you may or may not know, I am the proud (and extremely tired) mother of a beautiful little boy named Sekou.  Sekou is almost 20 months old and is quite a handful.  You know people tell you lots of things before, during and after your pregnancy.  I thought I was prepared for everything – getting up in the middle of the night, fighting to get him to eat his dinner, tantrums that last only minutes but seem to last hours.  Yup, I thought I was prepared.  But no one could have prepared me for the greatest of horrors…..Nick Jr. That is right; I said it, Nick Jr. For you lucky individuals who don’t know it, Nick Jr. is the name of a cable network in the United States. The channel was known as Noggin up until September 28, 2009.  It is a 24 hour channel (e.g., no commercials) that is targeted towards pre-school age children.  Their slogan is “It’s Like Preschool on TV” and the programming is designed to simulate a preschool class environment and promote social and thinking skills through interactive play. And then there is PBS Kids, which is one of the PBS brands, that is also a 24 hour children’s programming channel. My son feels the need to watch it every time the TV is turned on.  I spend a great deal of my life watching kids programming lately, which is a bit like being trapped in the midst of a psychedelic haze! But in the midst of the haze, I have found something very interesting. Nick Jr. and PBS Kids have some of the most positive and assorted portrayals of race and “color.” I mean I am not a specialist in early childhood...

a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Last week Tyler Perry made NAACP history when he donated $1 million to the organization – the largest gift to date by an individual in the history of the civil rights organization.  In a press release Tyler Perry said, “he made the gift to honor the group for its 100th Anniversary.” If you have been living in a cave somewhere and do not know, Tyler Perry is the hugely successful actor, screenwriter, director, producer and author of such films as Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Madea Goes to Jail and Why Did I Get Married?. Perry’s life is often described as a “rags to riches” epic.  At one point he was a homeless, high school drop out.  Fast-forward more than twenty years later and he is a multi-millionaire.  According to CBS News, Perry “has had five movies open number one at the box office in the last four years and his eight films have grossed more than $418 million, one of the highest average grosses per firm in the industry.” Perry started out writing, directing and producing small gospel plays.  But in 2005 his first movie Diary of a Mad Black Woman, became a surprise hit.  He spent $5.5 million producing the movie and it eventually grossed $50.6 million.  Even though critics panned the movie, a star was born.  Demetrius D. Walker said it best in his blog DWalkerSpeaking; “Nobody in Hollywood can hold a candle to Tyler Perry’s meteoric rise to stardom in the last decade.  From niche market gospel plays to Black blockbuster bravado, Perry is the American Dream realized — a rags to riches phenomenon.” Perry’s formula is unprecedented – he owns 100 percent of his movies (though distributed by Lionsgate) and his TBS television...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland The day before yesterday I was having a conversation with my mother about what I should write about this week for Political Physics.  I was contemplating complaining about how unfair it is that I may be in danger of losing my job because Governor Corzine recently lost his reelection bid in the State of New Jersey.  However, after rising from my abyss of self-pity, I actually started to listen to the conversation that my mother had been engaged in with me for the last twenty minutes. “Where has all the love gone…that is what you should write about?  Why is everybody hating on President Obama now when we were all in love with him a minute ago!” she said.   My mom is not the first person I have heard lamenting the treatment of President Obama lately by a variety of people (e.g., Republicans, Democrats, FOX News, etc.).  But are things really that bad? Is American really ready to send the President a “Dear John” letter? According to Keith Richburg of the Washington Post, President Obama’s opponents are gaining momentum and their voices are growing louder.  In a recent editorial in the Observer Report Richburg said, “His critics on the far right – who never really bought into ‘Obamamania’ but felt silenced by his popularity – are increasingly strident in their attacks. And his supporters on the far left, once breathlessly trading YouTube links of every Obama campaign speech, find themselves disillusioned that he was not the populist champion who would immediately bring American troops home and create universal health care.”  Richburg points to several polls that indicate that the President’s approval rating has declined – a Washington Post poll found that the President’s approval rating dropped from 79%...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland The American Civil Liberties Union in Louisiana and the Center for Constitutional Rights and Justice are calling for the resignation of Keith Bardwell, a justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish in southeastern Louisiana.  Bardwell, who is Caucasian, refused to issue a license to or preside over the nuptials for an interracial couple – Beth Humphrey, who is Caucasian, and Terence McKay, of Hammond, La., who is African-American (pictured).  In a Monday morning interview on CBS News, Bardwell explained that “he had seen countless interracial couples where the children were rejected by family members, and he didn’t want to see that happen again.”  Bardwell also noted that be did not prevent the couple from getting married, he just refused to perform the nuptials himself. According to the Associated Press, Bardwell said, “he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society…therefore those children suffer and I won’t help put them through it.” On the Early Show Saturday Edition CBS News legal analyst Lisa Bloom called for Bardwell to be “canned,” saying that “Bardwell’s actions are blatantly illegal.”  Bloom is not alone.  She joins the Louisiana ACLU, the Center for Constitutional Rights and Justice, the NAACP and Tangipahoa Parish President Gordon Burgess (aka their equivalent of a mayor) in calling for Bardwell to quit. Now I could talk about the fact that according to a Gallup Poll “77% of Americans say they approve of marriages between blacks and whites.”  Or the fact that there is no statistical evidence that supports Bardwell claims that biracial children suffer more because they are biracial. ...

So last week my mom called and she was pissed.  You know that kind of pissed where she starts talking as soon as you answer the phone as if you should just know what the heck she is talking about.  Here is a recap: My Mom:  I cannot believe that….how could she just give the baby back…..if it were a white baby she would not have just given the baby back.  This is ridiculous! Me (my mom is still talking in the background):  What baby?!? Mom, I have no idea what you are talking about. My Mom (more annoyed):  Do you EVER check Facebook? Me:  Yes, but apparently not as much as you do. My Mom (in a huff): I’ll email you the article!  You really need to check Facebook more often! My mom was referring to Anita Tedaldi, a writer who originally told the story of her decision to adopt the child on The New York Times’ Motherlode blog. Tedaldi, already a mother of five, adopted the boy (referred to as “D”) who was found abandoned by the side of a road in South America.  The child had a few health issues, including a flattened head from lying down for too long in the same position, and coprophagia, which involves the child eating his own feces, a condition rare in humans. Tedaldi wrote that the real issue was that the child “wasn’t attaching” to his new family, and that she herself was not quite bonding with the adopted child. I must admit that my first reaction was much like my mother’s.  Especially after I read Lisa Belkin’s blog on The New York Times’ Motherlode entitled “Terminating an Adoption” where Anita Tedaldi talked about how the issues with D were affecting her marriage.  Huh?...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland As I mentioned two weeks ago in Political Physics: Is It Socialism to Care About “The Least of These?” I was talking to my friend Latoya last week about the challenge she is having with some of her Christian friends.  She is pro-health care and has found herself in intense debates with some of her friends who are firmly against a public health care option.  So I posed a question, staying on the topic of “the least of these,” how does the Republican Party reconcile their Christian conservative values, which includes helping the “least of these,” with the anti-government-intervention idea of “pulling yourself up by your own boot straps?” DebraB commented that “[she didn’t] think it’s fair to equate being anti-public healthcare with being anti-Christian. People make that same argument for people who are pro-choice.” I noted that I was not equating anti-public health care with being anti-Christian. I was simply posing a question. Isn’t there some inherent contradiction between believing in taking care of “the least of these” and the doctrine of non-reliance on government assistance? According to a report from the Pew Forum, the Washington, DC-based religious research center, indicated that their “2004 exit poll showed that a whopping 78% of white evangelicals voted for President Bush and that they comprised 23% of the overall electorate, making them by far the single most potent voting block in the electorate.”  Moreover, an additional 9 million voters, 7 million of which identified as Catholics, voted for Bush.  The Christian Right is often credited with helping to secure George Bush’s victory in the 2004 election. However, I believe that they were just as instrumental in McCain’s downfall in 2008.  And I am not alone. In an article entitled, “The...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland A question has been plaguing me lately that I’d like to pose to the Fierce and Nerdy audience.  Why is it socialist to care about others?  Now this article may be a bit of a cross between Political Physics and Philosophical Physics, but this has really been on my mind and I think this is the right audience to explore the thought further. Around this country, conversations around health care have hit a fevered pitch and conservatives are arguing that President Obama is a leftist who is trying to bring socialism to the United States.  The debate has even reached Facebook. The other day I, like many others, posted this statement as my status: Monique thinks that no one should die because they cannot afford health care and no one should go broke because they get sick. If you agree, post this as your status for the rest of the day. In the interest of full disclosure, neither my mother nor brother has health insurance.  And my brother, who had a brain tumor removed years ago, now suffers from seizures and debilitating migraines, and is buried under insurmountable medical debt.  So you can guess where I stand on public health care.  But anyway, my cousin-in-law Lee who has a great sense of humor posted the following as his status on Facebook the very next day: Lee believes that no one should die because of zombies if they cannot afford a shotgun, or even just a machete. And, no one should be turned into a vampire if they get bit by one, or a werewolf for that matter. If you agree, post this as your status for the rest of the day. Now I tried to be mad, because...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Dear Mr. Diack – As President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), I appreciate your acknowledgement that the situation with South African runner Caster Semenya “could have been treated with more sensitivity.  I admit that we are unhappy; we could have done better.  But this is definitely not a case of racism.” However, that might just be a bit of an understatement. By publicly announcing the IAAF’s intention to gender-test Semenya on the eve of her participation in the 800-meter final, your organization set in motion a humiliating ordeal that could have life-long impacts on an 18-year-old girl.  You in effect sent her into her race the next day under a cloud of suspicion, which only gave credibility to those who questioned her win and transformed her into an international media spectacle. You took away any of the “shine” of sense of accomplishment she may have felt before she even took to the track to win her gold medal. As you know, last week Semenya began the gender testing process, which will take weeks to complete, require a physical medical evaluation, and include reports from a gynecologist, endocrinologist, psychologist, an internal medicine specialist and an expert on gender.  Semenya will basically be undressed physically and mentally as the IAAF attempts to ascertain if she is (a) XX, (b) XY or (c) something in between. According to the Intersex Society of North America, “1% of live births exhibit some degree of sexual ambiguity.  Between 0.1% and 0.2% of live births are ambiguous enough to become the subject of specialist medical attention, including surgery to disguise their sexual ambiguity.”  Intersexuality is a “general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland In June 2009 Tamrah Leonard, a 13 year old girl, was killed by a stray bullet during a gang-related driveby shooting at a neighborhood block party in Trenton. At least twenty shots were fired from an automatic gun into the crowd of about 100 people, according to police, and Tamrah Leonard was the only person hit. Her memory was invoked by the Mayor of the City of Trenton at a bill signing last week where the Governor of the State of New Jersey, Jon Corzine, signed legislation that limits handgun purchases in the state to one per month. Before signing it, Governor Corzine said he expected the ban on bulk handgun sales to reduce the number of weapons used in street crimes. “Allowing people to purchase fewer handguns means reduced profits for gun traffickers,” he said. “Nothing is more dangerous than to have the vast proliferation of guns in the hands of individuals who want to perpetuate violence in our communities,” Corzine said. Corzine is absolutely right; a gun in the hands of a violent individual is dangerous. And often children like Tamrah get caught in the crossfire. This was clear even before young Tamrah lost her life. This was clear even before three college-bound friends were gunned down on a Newark schoolyard in August 2007. It was clear before Virginia Tech and even Columbine. According to a Center for Disease Control National Center for Health Statistics 2009 Mortality Report, “in 2006, incidents of gun murders, gun suicides, and unintentional shootings nationwide killed 3,218 American children and teens ages 19 and under, an increase of 6.3% from the nationwide 2005 total of 3,027. This means that in the U.S. an average of 9 young people are killed each...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Way back when, you know in January, I posed a question in Political Physics: The Unexpected Democratic Snag, “Is the Democratic Party the Biggest Threat to a Successful Obama Presidency?”  At the time I was discussing Obama’s economic stimulus proposal, but as I sit on the sidelines and watch the health care discussion I think the question remains relevant. During his presidential campaign, Obama made health-care reform a central theme and according to CNN Politics.Com, “promised not only to achieve universal health care in his first term, but also to cut the average family’s health care health-care costs by $2,500.” In his speech last Tuesday, Obama said, “an estimated 45.7 million Americans are uninsured, and for those with coverage, health care costs have been rising four times faster than wages.” According to a 2009 Institute on Medicine Report, the average cost of family health-care coverage more than doubled from 1999 to 2008, from $1,543 annually to $3,354 annually. But even with rising costs, do Americans really want universal health care? A recent poll by CNN found that 72% of respondents favor increasing the federal government’s influence over the country’s health care system in an attempt to lower costs and provide health care coverage for more Americans. In addition, 6 in 10 believe that the government should provide health insurance or take responsibility for providing health care for all Americans. Moreover, in an extensive ABC News/Washington Post poll, Americans by a 2 to 1 margin, 62 to 32%, prefer a universal health insurance program over the current employer-based system. The Business Roundtable issued a recent report entitled “the Health Care Value Comparability Study.” The author of the report noted, “In many important respects, the American health care system is...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Photo Credit: Jason Rowland A controversy is swirling in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania due to the Valley Swim Club (a private swim club) which refused admittance to 65 black and Hispanic kids at the Creative Steps Day Camp, even though the camp had paid the club over $1,950 by in advance to let its campers use the pool.  Their neighborhood pool was closed because of the City of Philadelphia’s budget crisis, so the camp founder Alethea Wright worked out an arrangement with two different organizations for the kids to go swimming during the week.  The Jewish Community Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the Valley Swim Club on Mondays.  Through fundraising efforts and payments from parents, the camp was able to pay for the necessary fees from both organizations for the 65 campers to use the pool.    But according to Philly.Com, “on June 29, [when the] black and Hispanic children from the city camp Creative Steps Inc. made their first visit to the Montgomery County club they heard some members make racial remarks and escort their own children away from the pool.  The children were confronted with comments like, “uh, what are all these black kids doing here?” “They didn’t like the color of my skin. It makes me feel mad. And sad,” said camper Jabriel Brown. Immediately following the incident, the Valley Swim Club refunded the $1,950 to the Creative Steps Day Camp and terminated the agreement allowing the children to use the club’s pool.  According to a statement on the Club’s website, the issue had nothing to do with race.  “The day campers were turned away because they overwhelmed the 110,000 gallon pool.  We quickly learned that we underestimated the capacity of our facilities, and realized that...

So last Wednesday, my husband and I went to see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Now this may not seem like a big deal to most people, but as relatively new parents (our son is 14 months old) getting out to see a summer blockbuster is definitely not as easy as it used to be. But seeing Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was totally worth it. Although, I have been told that I view movies from the perspective of a 13-year-old boy, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I loved the movie. But I was not surprised when I read that folks were up in arms about two of the characters in the film – Skids and Mudflap. As a matter of fact, I posted an update on Facebook on the following Thursday that read, “Monique feels she must put a disclaimer on her love of Transformers…. the plot was crazy, the writing wasn’t great and the offensive transformers with gold teeth talking about ‘busting a cap in someone’s ass’ were ridiculous…. but I still loved the film!” According to The Huffington Post, “the buzz over the summer blockbuster Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen only grew Wednesday as some said two jive-talking Chevy characters were racial caricatures. Skids and Mudflap, twin robots disguised as compact hatchbacks, constantly brawl and bicker in rap-inspired street slang. They’re forced to acknowledge that they can’t read. One has a gold tooth.” Marc Ecko from Complex.Com was outraged. He put together a list of reasons why Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen might be racist — like how “Skids” and “Mudflap” sound suspiciously like “skid-marks” and “mud people.” And Manohla Dargis, film critic for The New York Times, notes that the “Transformers characters were given conspicuously...

Father’s Day is always a hard day for me. I guess you could say that I am “estranged” from my father. He and my mother separated when I was two years old. I cannot say that I don’t “know” him. I mean that while I have spent time with him over the years and I know where he lives, he has not been much of a father. Mostly because he suffers from addiction issues and has found himself in and out of prison since as long as I can remember. So he has spent much of his life and mine stealing from and hurting the people around him, including me, my mother, my grandmother, my brother, his other children, etc. So I guess “estranged” is probably the best description of our relationship. Now Father’s Day has begun to take on a whole new meaning for me since the birth of my son. I think I always knew that my husband, Brian, would be a good father. It is one of the reasons I married him. Words cannot express how much I love watching him interact with our son. So now I celebrate my husband on Father’s Day… but there is still a bit of longing in my heart. So it was that longing on Sunday that got me to thinking about how many other children might currently be experiencing that longing and what is the potential impact of not having a father in your life. I mean beyond the emotional issues which I am all too familiar with. According to Answers.Com, “one out of every two children in the US will live in a single-parent family at some time before they reach age 18.” And, according the United States Census Bureau, in 2002 about...

  . a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland So over the weekend my BFF sent me a link to an op-ed piece in the NY Times entitled “Hate in a Cocoon of Silence” by Charles Blow.  In the piece, Blow references the hotly debated report released by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis entitled, “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,” that said, “Lone wolves and small terrorist cells embracing violent rightwing extremist ideology are the most dangerous domestic terrorism threat in the United States.” According to Blow, the report was a warning and we should have heeded it. Last week’s shooting death of a security guard at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington was proof positive for Blow.  James von Brunn, self-declared racist, white supremacist, conspiracy theorist and hardcore anti-Semite, walked into the museum and opened fire. Blow notes, “Just as disturbing as the incidents themselves are the lineups of family, friends and neighbors who emerged to talk about the vitriol they heard and the warning signs they saw.  I always want the interviewer to stop and ask them this simple question: And when he said or did that, how did you respond?”  Blow talks about the necessity for people to speak up and take action when their family, friends and/or acquaintances are spouting hatred and warn someone if you think they are about to blow. The notion that the US, not just people of color or gay people, have something to fear from violent rightwing extremist ideology is not new.  But the sharp rise in hate crimes around the US is. At a human rights conference in Geneva just five days before the shooting at the Holocaust Museum, Wade Henderson, President &...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland In my May 5th Political Physics Blog entitled “Adding My Two Cents to the Supreme Court Fray,” I gave President Obama some advice on the selection of a candidate to replace Supreme Court Justice David Souter.  I believed then – as I do now – that the right candidate could fundamentally alter the makeup of the court.  And with issues like gay marriage, minority rights, stem cell research, abortion, immigration, privacy rights, etc. it is clear how critical these choices will be. So I suggested that President Obama: 1. Appoint women and people of color. 2. Appoint younger Justices. 3. Appoint justices with liberal or moderate legal outlooks. So to recap: women, people of color, young with liberal or moderate legal outlooks. Well, on May 26th President Obama nominated US Appellate Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor. According to Wikipedia, US Appellate Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor is of “Puerto Rican descent, and was born in the Bronx.  Sotomayor graduated with an A.B., summa cum laude, from Princeton University in 1976, and received her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1979, where she was an editor at the Yale Law Journal.  She worked as an Assistant District Attorney in New York for five years before entering private practice in 1984. She played an active role on the boards of directors for the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, the State of New York Mortgage Agency, and the New York City Campaign Finance Board. Sotomayor was nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by President George H. W. Bush in 1991 and confirmed in 1992.” If confirmed, she would be the court’s first Latina justice and third female justice. Women?  Check.  Person of color?  Check....

  Image Upload Credit: Kok Leng Yeo Last week I posed a not so simple question. In so many words, is war with North Korea inevitable? Tensions had come to a head last Monday when reports surfaced that North Korea had conducted another underground nuclear test that caused a seismic tremor in the northeastern part around the town of Kilju. According to US Geological Survey “a 4.7-magnitude quake was detected at 0054 GMT, 10 kilometers underground.” President Obama condemned the tests and argued that both the pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles flies in the face of the UN Security Council. He said, “The danger posed by North Korea’s threatening activities warrants action by the international community.” Back then (you know all of a week ago), I wondered if we were headed for war because I was not sure that “action by the international community” would work any better than the myriad of sanctions that had already been employed. When I posed my question back then, only one person responded. CH believed that the North was just grandstanding and that they were not really looking for fight. He said, “I have spoken to few South Koreans about the North and they equate it to paying protection to the Mob. They don’t think the North would attack them but it’s better just to give them the money instead of taking the chance that they might actual attack.” I should also note that a friend of mine commented offline that my question was invalid because given that since the US was never a party to the 1953 Korean War Armistice Agreement (though the UN was), we are still at war with North Korea as we speak. But that was all before this past Friday when...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Image Upload Credit: Kok Leng Yeo In March 2009 in the midst of discussions about their planned launch of a long range missile, which they argued was carrying a satellite, North Korea issued a statement that read, “If the enemies recklessly opt for intercepting our satellite, our revolutionary armed forces will launch without hesitation a just retaliatory strike operation not only against all the interceptor means involved but against the strongholds of the U.S. and Japanese aggressors.” The U.S. and North Korea have been at odds over the nuclear proliferation issue since North Korea conducted its first underground nuclear test in October 2006.  And history tells us that the tension between the two countries runs even deeper. That tension is coming to a head as reports surfaced Monday that North Korea had conducted another underground nuclear test that caused a seismic tremor in the northeastern part around the town of Kilju.  According to US Geological Survey “a 4.7-magnitude quake was detected at 0054 GMT, 10 kilometers underground.” North Korea is arguing that they have every right to conduct these tests and that they “safeguard the sovereignty of the country and the nation and socialism.” They cite the recent U.S. and South Korea military exercises as an example of a continued military threat that the nation must be prepared to defend itself against.  However, President Obama condemned the tests and argued that both the pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles flies in the face of the UN Security Council. He said, “The danger posed by North Korea’s threatening activities warrants action by the international community.” But the question becomes, what is “action by the international community?” Today, the UN Security Council emerged from a emergency meeting condemning North...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Photo by Sarah Macmillan Recently I was corresponding with an old friend that I had not talked to in years and I was asking whether or not he had any children. He replied that he did indeed have children, but that he felt “guilty for bringing them in to this fucked up world.” Then today I was at five-hour interview session with a group of colleagues and two of us were discussing our children. A third colleague mumbled under his breath something about not understanding how anyone could have children “these days.” As a relatively new mom, I cannot seem to turn off the loud echoing of these two statements over and over in my brain. Nor can I escape a sense of guilt as I ponder whether or not I made a responsible choice when my husband and I proactively decided to have a baby a little over two years ago (and as we are in the process of trying to have another child right now). We are in the midst of an economic downturn that economists say may rival or even surpass the Great Depression. Our country is fighting two wars. The US “threat level” is yellow or elevated, meaning we are at “significant risk of terrorist attack.” And a few weeks ago North Korea stopped dangerously short of formally declaring war on the United States. And I haven’t even mentioned wars outside of out boundaries, increases in HIV/AIDS rates, famine, violence and other issues across the globe. According to Micronutra.Com “these are tough times. The words war, recession, terrorism, and downturn are popping up way too often in conversation, and the negativity is beginning to show. With the increase of job loss and home foreclosure,...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Since last week’s announcement that Supreme Court Justice David Souter would be retiring, there has been rampant speculation about President Obama’s choice to replace him. The Wall Street Journal quoted the President as saying that he would seek a nominee with “a record of excellence and integrity…who understands that justice isn’t about some abstract legal theory or footnote in a case book and someone attuned to the daily realities of people’s lives” — a sentiment conservatives have seized upon as a prescription for what they consider to be unwarranted judicial activism. On FOX News, Senator Arlen Specter said that Obama needed to pick someone with “diversity…not white. Not male. Not a career judge.”   According to the AP, “Democratic and Republican senators said Sunday they hope President Barack Obama looks beyond the federal bench as he considers a replacement for retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter.”  And in an op-ed in the New York Times Jeffrey Rosen, a law professor at George Washington University, wrote, “In choosing a successor to Justice Souter, President Obama, who seems to have done his best to do the opposite of what President George W. Bush would have done in the same circumstances, should now emulate his predecessor and pick not the most experienced or demographically appealing candidate, but the one whose views and intellectual ability are clearest, and whose judicial philosophy and temperament suggest the greatest potential for liberal leadership on and off the court.” Everyone is developing their shortlists of candidates.  Most of those lists include (in various orders) US Appeals Court Judges Sonia Sotomayor, Diane Wood and Kim Wardlaw; Obama regulatory czar, Cass Sunstein, U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan; Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano; and Stanford University law Prof. Kathleen Sullivan....

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Photo by Tony Case My first semester of college was my worst semester ever at Smith. I had the lowest grade point average of my entire collegiate career, I was so overwhelmed by my coursework that I barely left my room, I got into a physical altercation with my roommate and I ran for class president and lost.  My first semester at Smith was an absolute disaster. Fast forward nearly three and a half years later.  I graduated from Smith with highest honors.  I was class president, president of my house and president of the house presidents association.  I sat on the student government board for two years.   I interned at the White House.  I was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and obtained a full ride to graduate school. That first semester at Smith was in no way an indicator of my potential.  And if I had been judged on that semester they might have given me my walking papers. I cannot imagine what would have happened if my entire collegiate career had been judged by just that first semester – a little over 100 days. So this whole notion of “scoring” a president on the progress that they have made during their first 100 days seems so shortsighted to me. FDR took office in the midst of thousands of banks collapsing across the US, the stock market had lost 90% of its value, farmers were being forced off their land as commodity prices dropped to new lows after a decade of recession, and the unemployment rate had skyrocketed from 4% to 25%. In the 103 days that followed his inauguration, FDR enacted a whirlwind of legislation – from a bank stabilization bill to farm support to unemployment benefits. ...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland The United States has been waging a “war on drugs” for several decades, even before Nancy Reagan coined the term “Just Say No!”  The weapons of choice for this particular war were several pieces of legislation and policies aimed at reducing the illegal drug trade creating harsher penalties thereby discouraging the production, distribution and consumption of targeted substances. In the mid-80’s Congress felt that we were still not “winning the war.”  So in 1986 Congress enacted mandatory minimum sentencing laws, which forced judges to deliver fixed sentences to individuals convicted of a crime, regardless of culpability or other mitigating factors. Federal mandatory drug sentences are determined based on three factors: the type of drug, weight of the drug mixture and the number of prior convictions. Fast forward more than thirty years later.  Is the war over? In 2002 around 14 million Americans were using illegal drugs on a regular basis.  In the same year, Americans spent about $64 billion on illegal drugs.  According to the US Department of Health & Human Services about 2.5% of Americans used cocaine at least once in 2006, the same percentage as in 2002.  In addition, while seizures are up, so are shipments.  1,421 metric tons of cocaine were shipped to the US and Europe last year.  This is 39% more than in 2006.  And the United Nations estimates that the area devoted to growing coca leaf in the Andes expanded 16 percent last year.  In December 2007 article in Rolling Stones, Ben Wallace-Wells notes, “after thirty-five years and $500 billion, drugs are as cheap and plentiful as ever.” So, is the war over or are we winning the war on drugs?  I do not think so, but more importantly I am not...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland (Disclaimer: Today’s blogumn is a rant and will be the last time I mention bailout this century) When Ernessa asked to me write a blogumn for Fierce & Nerdy she was very clear that she wanted a blogumn that was thesis based with data as opposed to just me ranting (which I also do very well).  Up until now I have really felt like I have stuck to the formula as promised.  Oh, but today I must digress. Warning!  Again, I plan to launch into a very short rant inspired by a series of events over the past seven days, so if you are looking for my normal “Political Physics” please discontinue reading and check back next week. Last Wednesday, my husband Brian was bursting with excitement as he shared that our retirement fund has gained a few thousand dollars during this quarter.  I remember when we started saving in our twenties our investment guy was so impressed.  He kept talking about how when you put money to work for you sooner, you let the power of compounding make a bigger contribution to your retirement investments.  A few thousand dollars is a lot of money, so do not get me wrong.  But, since last year the fund has dropped more than 50% and I am not sure it has leveled out yet. As I mentioned previously in my February 22nd blogumn entitled “The Jigsaw Approach to Dealing with the Economic Crisis,” state workers in NJ are being forced to take one furlough day a month for fourteen months (the remaining two months of this fiscal year and all of next fiscal year).  On Friday, we received the official notice of what days we will be taking off (e.g., May 22nd,...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Last week I posed a question, can the Obama Administration afford another bail out? This week I’m thinking that perhaps I asked the wrong question. In the 1970s and early 1980s, the steel industry in Pittsburgh collapsed – ripping the economic heart out of the city.  Almost 40% of the local economy and 10% of the jobs disappeared overnight.  What followed was swift population decline, significant decreases in property values, etc.  From 1974, a peak year for steel employment, to 2002, the industry hemorrhaged more than 75,000 jobs and the city shrank to 334,000 residents, from 520,000. It was devastating. Fast forward, nearly three decades later. According to the New York Times, “de-industrialization in Pittsburgh was a protracted and painful experience.  Yet it set the stage for an economy that is the envy of many recession-plagued communities, particularly those where the automobile industry is struggling for its life.” In the 1980’s, nearly 15% of the workers in the Pittsburgh region were steelworkers.  Today, less than 1% of the workforce today is employed in that industry.  And Pittsburgh’s steelmaking capacity now accounts for less than 4% of the country’s total capacity compared with nearly 12% in 1980’s (TradingMarkets.Com). Pittsburgh has reinvented itself, shifting from an industrial economy to one based on technology, healthcare, education, and finance. According to Pittsburgh Future, “the retail and tourism sectors are also strong.  The largest employer in the region is The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center with approximately 27,000 employees.  Some of the fastest growth in the Pittsburgh Region has been in high-paying, technology-oriented jobs – science, engineering, and health occupations increased by over 12% in the Pittsburgh Region between 1999 and 2004, nearly 70% faster than the 7% growth in the U.S. as...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland A few weeks ago I was pondering why in the hell American International Group (AIG) was allowed to give $165 million in bonuses given that they received $173 billion in bailout funds.  I argued that the response to the AIG bonus situation and how President Obama will move to ensure these types of things do not happen in the future would be a critical indicator of success for the Obama Administration. Fast forward two weeks later. G.M. and Chrysler have almost exhausted the combined $17.4 billion in federal aid they have received since December. G.M. has asked for up to $16.6 billion more, and Chrysler has requested another $5 billion. The New York Times reported today that President Obama gave the auto industry a “do-or-die ultimatum, laying out strict standards that the carmakers must meet to get more government aid and declaring that the industry must survive because it is like no other, an emblem of the American spirit.”  Obama has given the companies a limited amount of time to continue to work with creditors, unions, etc. to produce a restructuring plan that would “justify an investment of additional tax dollars and give the American people confidence in their long-term prospects for success.” But can you blame Obama for acquiescing to the pressure for another bailout of the auto industry?  The NY Times estimates that “10 percent of American jobs – a total of roughly 14 million jobs could evaporate if the Detroit Three are allowed to fail.”  Now to be accurate, that number is extremely high because it includes direct jobs, indirect jobs, wholesalers, suppliers, parts, etc.  But even if we were only talking about the million plus employed directly by the industry, the pressure to save...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland I grew up in Trenton, NJ in a low-income, predominantly black neighborhood in the East Ward called Wilbur Section (affectionately referred to as “The Section”).  The far edge of the section was bordered by Hamilton Avenue.  On the other side of Hamilton Avenue was Chambersburg, an old, working class Italian enclave.  Hamilton Avenue was the dividing line.  We did not go into their neighborhood and they did not come into ours. But there used to be this Italian restaurant on Hamilton Avenue (on The Section side).  The name escapes me, but they served the most amazing cheesecakes.  And my mom loved (still does) cheesecake.  So every once in a while she’d order a cheesecake and she’d send my brother and I over to pick it up.  I used to hate it, because the teenagers from Chambersburg would sit across the street and yell racial slurs and other nasty names at my brother and me. In a study entitled, “Racial and Ethnic Residential Segregation in the United States: 1980-2000,” the U.S. Census Bureau used five distinct dimensions: evenness, exposure, clustering, concentration and centralization.  Of the five dimensions, the most commonly used is evenness and evenness is measured using a dissimilarity index. According to CensusScope.Org, “the dissimilarity index is the most commonly used measure of segregation between two groups, reflecting their relative distributions across neighborhoods within a city or metropolitan area. It can range in value from 0, indicating complete integration, to 100, indicating complete segregation. In most cities and metro areas, however, the values are somewhere between those extremes.” Trenton is the 3rd most segregated cities in NJ following Newark (#1) and Kearny (#2). Its White/Black dissimilarity index is 69.3 – remember 100 indicates complete segregation.  This means that...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Are you kidding me?  How in the hell is it that American International Group (AIG) was allowed to give $165 million in bonuses! AIG has received $173 billion in U.S. bailout funds, making it the largest single recipient.  AIG reported this month that it had lost $61.7 billion for the fourth quarter of last year – the largest corporate loss in history. ??Also adding to the political complications for the Obama Administration is the revelation last week that billions of taxpayer dollars used to bailout AIG was actually funneled to Goldman Sachs and some of the some of the largest foreign banks in the world (e.g., banks, such as Societe Generale in France and Deutsche Bank of Germany, which got nearly $12 billion each). ?? In an interview on 60 Minutes, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said, “Of all the events and all of the things we’ve done in the last 18 months, the single one that makes me the angriest, that gives me the most angst, is the intervention with AIG.”  Bernanke continued, “Here was a company that made all kinds of unconscionable bets and then, when those bets went wrong, we had a situation where the failure of that company would have brought down the financial system.  I slammed the phone more than a few times on discussing AIG.  I understand why the American people are angry.” Angry?  I am way beyond angry!  And I am not alone! According to the Seattle Times, “The disclosure that AIG, which has received $170 billion in federal assistance to remain afloat and avert a cascade of failures in the financial system, is paying bonuses to its executives is the latest in a series of episodes that Obama’s aides said...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland I watched Bobby Jindal on 60 Minutes late week and he seemed like a relatively intelligent guy.  So I was even more baffled by his recent remarks about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and his assertion that he would refuse to accept Louisiana’s portion of the stimulus package Even though his state has rising unemployment rates, structural budget deficits in the billions, and hundreds of business – both small and large – closing their doors; Jindal stood with five of his fellow Republican Governors that are publicly considering rejecting the federal stimulus money approved by Congress.  Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, Texas Governor Rick Perry, Idaho Governor Butch Otter, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, and Jindal have all come out against the package, and say they that may return the funds to Washington, D.C. Shortly after the ARRA was approved by both houses, these six Governors (including Jindal) held a press conference to express their outrage about the plan, which they declared was nothing more than an extremely bloated, spending bill that would cost states more than it helped.  Jindal in particular focused his objection on a component of the bill that dealt with expanding state unemployment insurance coverage.  According to The Washington Post, Jindal said that “accepting the money would have required a change in state law and, after federal money runs out in three years, [it] would have led to a $12 million increase in taxes on his state’s businesses to keep funding the benefit.”  He asserted that taking an action that would mean increasing taxes down the road was not stimulating the economy. I am sure this is not about political grandstanding right?  Just because the rumor is that Jindal,...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Last week I got into a heated debate with a colleague about whether or not the City of Trenton needed anymore affordable housing.  My colleague was arguing that given the high cost of housing in Mercer County (Trenton is located in Mercer County) and the State of New Jersey, the City of Trenton needed more affordable housing.  I argued that Trenton had enough affordable housing and that all new housing built in the City should be market rate.  My colleague rolled her eyes.  I continued by explaining that the average rental rate in the State of New Jersey is $804 and the average housing value is $358,400.  The Mercer County numbers are pretty comparable to the State, with an average rental rate of $770 per month and an average housing value is $304,600.  But the City of Trenton is much lower with an average rental rate of $544 per month and an average housing value of $120,000.  In comparison to Mercer County and the State, the entire City is affordable.  Trenton is devalued enough. My colleague then said that she was disappointed because she could not believe I was advocating for the gentrification of the City. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines gentrification as “the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents.” Gentrification is a dirty word and the mere use of the word can spawn heated arguments with folks on both sides of the issue.  There have been hundreds of articles, studies, reports and books on the subject.  People point to Harlem in NYC, Park Slope in Brooklyn, Hoboken in New Jersey and Mill Hill right here in the City of Trenton.  I do not...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Last week I wrote about the fact that we are facing significant financial troubles at every level of government – local, state and federal – in the US. I also said that I have grave concerns about the magnitude of that debt and the implications of who owns it.  I posed some questions about our country’s ability to get its fiscal house in order.  Ernessa commented that she, too, was frustrated with the economic crisis and wondered if I or anyone else had any suggestions about what we can do on a grassroots level to help with this economic crisis? I’ve been thinking about that question all week. Then on last Tuesday, I found myself at home sick and watching Saw V (please do not ask, it’s a long story).  For those of you who might actually want to see this movie, this is my official spoiler alert: stop reading now, because I intend to give away a significant plot point.  Okay, with that said, midway into the film we are introduced to five people who wake up in a trap in which collars are locked around their necks, strung on a cable connected to a set of guillotine blades mounted on the wall behind them.  They’re told by Jigsaw’s puppet that “Five will become one, with the common goal of survival.” He states “while your lifelong instincts will tell you to react one way, I implore you to do the opposite.” The first part of their test involves pulling against a cable to get a key at the end of the room to release themselves. The consequence for not completing the trap is to be beheaded.  Of course they ignore Jigsaw’s warning. One of them jumps the...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Today President Obama is scheduled to sign into law the American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Obama hopes that the $787 billion act would create or save as many as 3.5 million jobs in the next two years. As many as 3.6 million people have lost jobs since the recession began in December 2007. More than half of them have been rendered unemployed in the last three months, which economic analysts say is unprecedented in decades. Some Americans are breathing a sigh of relief, I feel as if I should be too but… I was following the coverage of the California budget crisis on NPR all last week.  California is facing a $42 billion budget deficit and that has me worried for my friends who live in the Golden State.  But what worries me more is that California is not alone. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, in 2006 (pre-economic recession that we are currently facing) there were 10 states in the United States where the debt exceeded $500 per person.  I know you’re thinking $500 bucks is not a lot, right?  Well let’s take a look.  The ten states are:     Per capita debt Population in 2006 State Debt Estimate in 2006 California 1,500 36,457,549 $54,686,323,500 New York 2,500 19,306,183 $48,265,457,500 Illinois 2,000 12,831,970 $25,663,940,000 Florida 1,000 18,089,888 $18,089,888,000 Ohio 1,000 11,478,006 $11,478,006,000 Georgia 1,000 9,363,941 $9,363,941,000 Pennsylvania 900 12,440,621 $11,196,558,900 Michigan 800 10,095,643 $8,076,514,400 North Carolina 800 8,856,505 $7,085,204,000 Texas 500 23,507,783 $11,753,891,500   In 2006, $500 per person is a state as large as Texas meant that Texas was $11 billion in debt.  It seems a lot more significant.  Especially when you look at the general funds for most states.  The state’s...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Over the last few weeks, I have found myself in several debates with friends and colleagues about what Obama means when he says that he is going to attempt to run his White House in a “post-partisan” fashion.   If you listen to some members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, “post-partisan” is directly equivalent to Obama’s ability to drum up support for his economic stimulus bill.  And if that is the measure, then judging by the Republican response in the House, his grade so far is an “F.” During the presidential campaign, Obama presented himself as a “post-partisan” figure. He promised to bridge barriers — not just barriers of race and culture, but also ideology and party.  It wasn’t exactly clear then what Obama’s postpartisanship would mean in practice, but a picture is now emerging. Obama spent an entire day on Capitol Hill discussing his proposed economic stimulus bill with Senate and House Republicans.  Yet, not a single House Republican voted in favor of the bill. And according to the American Enterprise Institute’s Norman Ornstein, who has spent his career analyzing the corrosive effects of partisanship in Washington, the promise of “post-partisanship,” is nothing new and failure is not surprising.  “There was Richard Nixon, whose slogan was ‘bring us together.’ Gerald Ford promised an era of ‘compromise, conciliation and cooperation.’ George H.W. Bush was ‘kinder and gentler,’ and George W. Bush wanted to ‘change the tone.’ But nothing really changed in Washington.” Today as Senate began consideration of the economic recovery legislation, Republicans are renewing their opposition to the legislation in its current form. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made it very clear that Republicans believe several changes are needed.  McConnell said, “We look forward to offering amendments...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Shortly before the Inauguration, Colin Powell was being interviewed about the Obamas arrival in Washington.  “I mean, the Huxtables have come to town,” he said just hours before the inauguration, referring to the beloved African-American family from Bill Cosby’s popular sitcom, The Cosby Show.  Powell gushed, “Look at his family, solid family, accomplished wife, two beautiful little girls, even a mother-in-law moving into the White House.”  Then I turn on The View the morning after the Inauguration and there was Barbara Walters talking about how she thinks the Obama’s will debunk certain stereotypes that some white people may have about black people, comparing Obama’s election to what The Cosby Show did a few decades earlier. Over the past few weeks I have been bombarded by this comparison between the Huxtables and the Obamas.  The media has been continuously posing this question; will the perceptions of the typical African-American family change because we will get to know in a way, a very personal way, this new first family? The short answer is yes, but here’s the thing: The Huxtable’s were not real.  They were characters on a television show.  Did they have an impact on the perception of Black America, yes indeed.  But instead of comparing the Obama’s to them, why not compare the Obama’s to the hundreds of thousands of other middle and upper-middle class black families in America. There has been a Black middle class in America since before emancipation from slavery.  Although they were more accepted they were still segregated from whites and were also isolated and even scorned by the rest of the Black community.  They developed their own institutions, businesses, and places of worship. Today, 40% of or 2 million African American households are...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland and Brian Viehland Polamalu & Obama – Two Men Who Can Turn the Game Around My husband and I woke up Monday morning, basking in the glory of our victorious Pittsburgh Steelers who clinched the AFC Championship last night and now have a shot at claiming their sixth Super Bowl victory. Yes, this was MLK Day and the day before the Obama Inauguration, but all else paled in comparison to the need to begin preparations for our “Black & Gold” Super Bowl Party. About 5pm or so, reality set in that I had flittered the entire day away in “Steeler Bliss” and had yet to identify what this week’s blog would be about. Then Brian (my brilliant husband) suggested the convergence of two of our favorite things – the Steelers and Obama. God I love him. 1st Quarter – The Clinton Years Twice before, the Pittsburgh Steelers had held AFC championship games at Heinz Field and twice they’d walked off the field watching their opposition celebrate a trip to the Super Bowl. But within the first few minutes of the game it was clear that this was different. The Steelers had a 13-point lead for the entire first quarter of the game. It was a glorious time and it felt as if it would go on forever. During the eight years of the Clinton Presidency, if you look at the typical economic indicators, it too was a glorious time and it felt as if it would go on forever. According to the Progressive Policy Institute, on average annually during the Clinton Administration: jobs increased by 2.38%, jobs with higher than average income increased 4.7%, per capita gross domestic product increased 2.42%, median household income increased 1.65%, the number...

. a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Is the Democratic Party the Biggest Threat to a Successful Obama Presidency? A recently released government report found that unemployment in the US hit a 16-year high of 7.2 percent in December, an estimated 11 million Americans are out of work and the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the federal budget deficit will soar at least to a record $1.2 trillion this year.  It stands to reason that any self-respecting President-Elect would be working hard on a place to deal with our nation’s economic crisis. So I wasn’t surprised when Obama presented his economic plan last week.  The foundation of the plan is a $775 billion economic stimulus package that would create new jobs by: *Building roads, bridges and other needed infrastructure; *Doubling alternative energy production over three years; *Modernizing 75% of federal buildings and improving the energy efficiency of 2 million homes; *Putting American medical records online within five years; *Equipping schools, community colleges and public universities with modern classrooms and libraries; *Expanding broadband Internet access across the USA; and *Investing in science, research and technology. Obama estimates that his plan would create 3.5 million new jobs and boost the US economy. But this plan has critics, and the major ones may not be whom you’d expect.  Congressional Republicans, for the most part, have been strangely silent about the plan except for the obvious argument about more government spending when we are already facing a $1.2 trillion deficit. No the major criticism of the Obama Economic Plan have come from Obama’s fellow Democrats. According to the Associated Press, “many Democrats aren’t thrilled with Obama’s business tax cut plans and are griping that there’s not enough money in the measure for traditional infrastructure projects like road construction and...

. A blogumn by Monique King-Viehland In honor of the impending end of 2008, I thought it made sense to blog about some sort of “political year end review.”  But then I scanned the Internet and saw that several other people already had that covered.  There was the funniest political moments of 2008, the most influential politicians of 2008, the most significant political books of 2008, etc.  So I gave that one up, shoot no need to reinvent the wheel. So instead I decided to blog about someone I think was one of the most influential (and overlooked) figures in this year’s campaign – Colin Powell.  I know, you’re thinking what?  There were way more influential people you could focus on that drove this year’s campaign. The obvious would be the candidates like Barack Obama, John McCain, Sarah Palin, etc.  Or the folks behind the candidates like David Plouffe, Pete Rouse, etc.  But no, my choice is Colin Powell.  Why? Colin Powell’s endorsement of Barack Obama was a “tipping point” during the 2008 campaign for the US Presidency.  Powell, a retired U.S. general and a Republican, served as Secretary of State under President Bush from 2001 to 2005 and was once seen as a possible presidential candidate himself.  BBC North America editor Justin Webb said that Powell’s endorsement marked “an important moment in the campaign.” During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” in October, Powell said, “I think [Barack Obama] is a transformational figure, he is a new generation coming onto the world stage, onto the American stage, and for that reason I’ll be voting for Senator Barack Obama.”  He added, “I think that Sen. Obama brings a fresh set of eyes, a fresh set of ideas to the table. I think that...

. A blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Obama, Rick Warren & The Purpose Driven Inauguration I should start by saying that I have a copy of A Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren.  I think my mother gave it to me.   I did not like it, so I’d suggest taking whatever I say with a grain of salt. Even before the talking points were leaked to the press, Barack Obama’s selection of mega preacher Rick Warren to give his inaugural invocation continues to spark controversy among gay rights advocates and pro-abortion groups.  Warren is known for his staunch anti-abortion stance and was ardent supporter or Proposition 8 in California.  That is why his selection has baffled Obama supporters, particularly since the candidate is pro-choice and supports equal rights for gay and lesbian couples. The reaction among many Obama supporters – gay and straight – has been swift, angry and bitter.  The president of Human Rights Campaign, Joe Solomonese, sent Obama a letter that read, “Your invitation to Reverend Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at your inauguration is a genuine blow to LGBT Americans….[w]e feel a deep level of disrespect when one of the architects and promoters of an anti-gay agenda is given the prominence and the pulpit of your historic nomination.”  In the Los Angeles Times, longtime celebrity publicist and gay activist Howard Bragman noted, “Obama didn’t realize, after all the support he got from the gay and lesbian community, we feel betrayed right now.” And then there are the host of celebrities who poured their support and money into the Obama Campaign, who spent almost as much money working to stop the tide of Proposition 8 who are also feeling betrayed. In response to the backlash the Obama camp issued a statement that read:...

. A blogumn by Monique King-Viehland A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how Obama was being criticized because of his Cabinet picks.  In US News & World Report, Bonnie Erbe stated that women who voted for Obama were “destined for disappointment” the two female top choices for Obama cabinet positions, Penny Pritzker at Commerce and Janet Napolitano at Justice, did not indicated any progress for women given that both positions had been held by women in the past.  And other critics were up in arms about a perceived lack of diversity among the selected candidates and the rumored contenders. Today I’d hope that at least some of those critics have admitted their concerns were unwarranted.  Thus far, Obama’s choices have been as balanced as I think someone in his position could be – mix of ethnicities, gender and political affiliation.  But I do not want to debate all of the different picks today; I just want to applaud him for one particular choice – Lisa Jackson as his nominee for Commission of the Environmental Protection Agency. Lisa Jackson, currently Chief of Staff for New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, is Obama’s Choice to lead the Department of Environmental Protection.  Lisa Jackson is also the real deal.  Should she be confirmed Lisa would be the first African American woman to head the EPA.  Now I know what you’re thinking, the last time a NJ woman headed up the EPA was not a shining moment (former Governor Christine Todd Whitman headed the EPA for 2 ½ years during President George W. Bush’s first term).  First, we apologize for Governor Whitman and second, there is a key difference between Lisa and Christie – Lisa actually has the experience and knowledge to successfully lead the EPA. Lisa,...

A blogumn by Monique King-Viehland A Post Racial America – Myth or Reality? Continued…. So last week we were discussing the term “post-racial,” and I posed a series of questions…does the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States mean that we are now in a “post-racial” America? Is “post-racialism” a myth?  What does an Obama presidency mean for race in America? And I asked for your thoughts, insights, etc. As always, this crowd never disappoints and we received some very interesting comments (thanks to everyone who commented).  I think the funniest comment by far was Redheaded Stepchild who said the “whole I don’t see color thing is bullwharkey” or a “bunch of hooey.”  But seriously, every single person who commented on the blog or emailed me personally believes that the notion of a “post-racial” America was a myth.  Moreover, some people added that they did not believe that America could ever get beyond race. When people use the term “post-racial” America, whether they are referring to a world where no one thinks about race any more or where racial differences are becoming less important, I think the notion of a “post-racial” America is an illusion.  For me a major indicator of the fallacy of “post-racialism” is persistent racial disparities. Disparities in homeownership, three-fourths of white households own their homes in, compared with 46 percent of black households and 48 percent of Latino households.  Disparities in income, the median income for white households is $50,622 last year, compared to $30,939 for black households and $36,278 for Hispanic households.  Disparities in poverty rates, the poverty rate for white is 8.3 percent, compared to 24.9 percent for African Americans and 21.8 percent for Latinos.  Disparities in health care, about 30 percent of Hispanic and...

. A blogumn by Monique King-Viehland A Post Racial America – Myth or Reality? Over the weekend I was surfing the Internet trying to decide what I would write about this week on Fierce & Nerdy.  I came across two things that got my attention.  The first was an article in our local newspaper the Trenton Times about a recent book signing by Cornel West in Princeton. At the signing, for his latest book, “Hope on a Tightrope,” a collection of his quotations, speech excerpts, letters, philosophy and photographs, Dr. West scolded the media for their “truncated imagination: in coming up with the category “post-racial.”  He argued that “Black folk have been voting for white candidates based on qualification rather than pigmentation for decades. When white brothers and sisters do it, you need a new category.  It’s not post-racial, it’s just less racist. That’s a beautiful thing, but you don’t need a new category.”  The second was an editorial in the Washington Post by Krissah Williams Thompson entitled, “I’m Not Post-Racial,” in which she tries to pick apart the notion of post-racialism, contemplates its existence and wonders if it is a good thing. After reading both articles, I couldn’t stop thinking about this notion of “port-racial” or “post-racialism.”  There is no hard and fast definition for post-racial.  One could argue that presumably a post-racial America would be one in which no one thinks about race any more, an America in which we all just see each other as individuals.  If you did not want to go that far, you could take the position that Dr. Sandra Lopez-Rocha took during a speech at the Humanities Conference of 2006.  Dr. Lopez-Rocha said that “if we consider that racial differences are becoming less important we are arguing...

. A blogumn by Monique King-Viehland EVEN before a single candidate was selected (or the infamous “flow chart” was leaked), Obama was under fire for rumored candidates.  Women’s groups protested the possible appointment of Harvard University economist Lawrence Summers as Treasury secretary, recalling comments he made as Harvard president that innate characteristics may prevent women from achieving more prominence in science. Now with only 11 choices made of his 28 Cabinet positions, Obama is already taking a lot of heat for his choices thus far.  He’s being accused of being a hypocrite for selecting many veterans of the Clinton administration and other governmental veterans. Maureen Dowd chastised Obama in her New York Times column, noting “the man who vowed to deliver us from 28 years of Bushes and Clintons has been stocking up on Clintonites.”  Then there are the voices out there up in arms about the lack of diversity among the selected candidates and the rumored contenders.    In US News & World Report, Bonnie Erbe stated that women who voted for Obama were “destined for disappointment” the two female top choices for Obama cabinet positions, Penny Pritzker at Commerce and Janet Napolitano at Justice, did not indicate any progress for women given that both positions had been held by women in the past. Okay, people.  The man has only selected 11 candidates out of 28.  Yes, I know, technically that represents nearly 40% of the Cabinet, but give him a chance.  During the campaign, Obama pledged that as he considered Cabinet appointments he would balance post-partisanship with the needs of the groups that helped deliver his victory.  I think he is trying to honor that pledge.  Even if you just look at the 11 choices that he has made thus far, there are...

. A blogumn by Monique King-Viehland It Wasn’t Just Because Obama is the Man Last Tuesday night at 11 pm EST I sat awestruck as I watched CNN declare Barack Obama President Elect of the United States.  I voted for Obama, I had faith, I watched the returns and still I was not prepared when that announcement was made.  My mother called shouting and crying, but I sat still and quiet…..tempted to wake up my son (even though he is only 6 ½ months old and would not understand what was going on).  A week later, the awe has given way to jubilation.  And I could write about that jubilation and how wonderful Barack Obama is, but I want to take time to acknowledge some folks who truly deserve a round of applause.  A group of people whose names we will never hear chanted – the hardworking men and women behind the Obama Campaign. I suspect that over the next couple of years, PhD students at several of the nation’s colleges and universities will write dissertations on how the Elect Obama effort changed the face of campaigning in this country.  It was simply one of the best – if not the best – election campaigns of all time and did indeed set a standard for future presidential campaigns. There are some who would argue that although the campaign was good, it was not what put Obama over the top.  The Weekly Standard argued that it was the media’s biased coverage of the candidates, “there was the breathtaking media bias – liberal bias – in favor of Obama and against McCain.”  And they argued that the economic crisis was a strong environmental factor and even though neither McCain nor Obama was responsible for the collapse,...

. A blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Just Vote! We’ve discussed a lot of different things over the past few weeks from Sarah Palin to the Gas Tax Plan to Michelle Obama to The Bailout Plan.  But you know what? None of that matters as much as what happens next Tuesday.  Whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican doesn’t matter.  Whether you’re a conservative or a liberal doesn’t matter.  Whether your anti-abortion or pro-gay marriage, it just does not matter.  All that matters next week is that you vote! If you have gleaned anything from the topics that we have discussed over the last few weeks, I hope the most important thing is that no matter what side of the fence you’re on; your vote is critical. Last week our political leaders – on both sides of the aisle – were in such a rush to solve our country’s financial crisis that rhyme and reason went out the window in lieu of quick action and they passed a bailout bill that could have significant negative long-term impacts on our economy. Our political leaders – on both sides of the aisle – are considering a plan to suspend the gas tax that has proven ineffective when tried at the state level and that according to the American Society of Civil Engineers could cost the federal government billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs. In the 2004 Presidential Election, 122,295,345 voted out of the 215,694,000 eligible voters.  So, only 56.70% of eligible US voters exercised their right to vote in 2004. These bills, plans and proposals will have significant impact on each and every one of us – even when only 50% of us show up at the polls.  So I am asking everyone to...

. A blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Bail Out Plan – Good, Bad or Ugly, Part II? As I mentioned last week, President Bush signed into law the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (aka “the bailout bill”).  The 451-page law authorizes the United States Secretary of the Treasury to spend up to $700 billion to purchase distressed assets, especially mortgage-backed securities, from the nation’s banks.  Supporters of the plan argued that unprecedented market intervention was critical to prevent further erosion of confidence in the credit markets and that failure to act could have lead to an economic depression.  However, opponents objected to the massive cost of the plan, the speed with which the bill passed and claimed that better alternatives were not considered. So, I asked you all what you thought about the bailout bill?  Here’s what you said:  80% of you felt that the bail out bill was a bad idea; 64% of you felt that the bail out bill would not have an impact on the economy and 100% of you felt that it was not worth the $700 billion bucks. Okay, you all are too smart and my job here is done, right?  Well, since less than 20 people would probably not be considered a representative sample by most statisticians, I guess I should actually tell you what I think and back it up with some additional data to help bolster your very smart opinions. The goal of the bailout bill was to jumpstart the frozen credit market by basically buying up devalued mortgages thereby freeing up cash for struggling financial institutions.   Interestingly enough, several economists agree with you (and me).  In an open letter to Congress sent on September 24th, over 100 university economists expressed great concern over the proposed...

. A blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Bailout Plan – Good, Bad or Ugly? On Friday, October 3rd, President Bush signed into law the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (aka “the bailout bill”).  The 451-page law authorizes the United States Secretary of the Treasury to spend up to $700 billion to purchase distressed assets, especially mortgage-backed securities, from the nation’s banks.  Supporters of the plan argued that unprecedented market intervention was critical to prevent further erosion of confidence in the credit markets and that failure to act could have lead to an economic depression.  However, opponents objected to the massive cost of the plan, the speed with which the bill passed and claimed that better alternatives were not considered. I’m sure we’ve all been following the talk about the plan – willingly or unwillingly – since you cannot turn on a TV without hearing about it.  So I thought I’d add my two cents to the discussion, but first I’d like to know what you think? . [poll id=”3″] . [poll id=”4″] . [poll id=”5″] . I’d love to get your responses to the poll questions above and feel free to provide additional explanations, opinions, etc. in the comments. Next week I plan to share my thoughts on the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and I will incorporate the results of the poll and your comments. See you next...

. A blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Michelle Obama – Is she hurting Barack’s campaign? In June, Time magazine posed this question on its front cover: “Will Michelle Obama hurt Barack’s chances in November?” I’ve read a lot of articles these past nine months about Michelle Obama…most of which have not been very flattering. It appears that the media’s love for Barack Obama (post Democratic National Convention that is) is only rivaled by their disdain for Michelle Obama. The media claim was that she was unpatriotic because of her “For the first time in my adult life…” comment. And the contention was that was she was racist because of the senior thesis she wrote at Princeton, entitled “Princeton-Educated Blacks and the Black Community” in 1985 or the outrage over her failure to attend 9/11 ceremonies because she did not want to miss her daughter’s first week of school. And who could forget the infamous New Yorker cover depicting Michelle as a gun-toting terrorist. And this negative coverage has had an impact. According to a recent Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey, 78% of Americans have heard at least a little about Michelle Obama. By contrast, just 54% have heard at least a little about Cindy McCain, including only 9% who have heard a lot about her. And though their opinions of Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain are largely favorable, Michelle Obama (at 22%) got slightly higher negative ratings than does Cindy McCain (at 16%). Today, Zimbio Online is running a survey on their site asking, “Does Michelle Obama help or hurt Barack Obama’s campaign?” Currently, 53% of respondents say Michelle Obama is helping the campaign and 47% of respondents say she is hurting the campaign. Now that still means more people...

. A blogumn by Monique King-Viehland Chris Rock Says, “Vote for the guy with one house!” Chris Rock, an avid supporter of Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama, spoke with CNN’s Larry King last Thursday.  He said that Obama was more grounded with your average American — not somebody like McCain with “12 houses.” “The other guy [McCain] can lose five houses,” Rock said.  “I’ll go with the guy with one house. The guy with one house is scared about losing his house.” In June 2008, the United States Department of Labor reported that American employers axed 49,000 jobs in May, the fifth straight month of job losses.  The unemployment rate rose from 5.7 to 6.1 percent in August and non-farm payroll employment continued to trend down (-84,000).  According to Newsweek, auto sales (the largest retailing sector in the U.S.) dropped by 10.7 percent in May from the year before.  And housing? Nationwide, according to the Case-Shiller Index, home prices in the first quarter fell 14 percent. And on Monday when word leaked that the “bailout” legislation failed to pass the House, the Dow Jones industrials dropped nearly 7 percent.  The almost 780-point decline was the largest one-day point drop ever for the index. So, are you one of those folks questioning whether or not we’re in a recession?  Well, I’ll do you one better, we’re verging on a depression. So the economic policies of the next President of the United States are critical for you and me.  And yes I know it sounds cliché, but also for my son, 5 ½ month old Sekou.  That is why I agree with Chris Rock, “Vote for the guy with one house!” I think the Center for American Progress Action Fund said it best: The impact of...