www.aframnews.com - Articles - Political

Health Summit or Sham

no@spam.com (Cheryll Bellamy) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:30:00 MST

There were exchanges made in body language and tone of voice by both President Barack Obama and Senator John McCain. One could easily surmise traces of bad blood still resonating between them. President Obama had to remind John McCain they were no longer in campaign mode. The embarrassed John McCain understood the acrimonious comment as he bristled and became red-faced.

UNQUESTIONABLE MOTIVES

no@spam.com (Tuala Williams) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:30:00 MST

When Annise Parker ran for mayor of Houston, she had an agenda. She was driven by personal motives. She says she wanted anyone to be able to look at Houston and know it was a well run city. She wanted to make Houston the best it could possibly be. This was personally important to her.

“I do have an agenda,” she said. “I have an agenda for the city and you can tell what my agenda is by what my transition teams are looking at in this first two months of office. I have actually one big transition team with five subgroups looking at METRO. I have one transition team working at public works and particularly how we do infrastructure projects in the city of Houston. I have a transition team looking at neighborhood protection and how we can do a better job at taking down derelict buildings and removing neighborhood nuisances. I have a transition team looking at permitting and I finally have a large transition team looking at out W/MBE program for the city of Houston. I want to streamline it I want to improve it. I want to push more contracting opportunities out for small and minority businesses. And the second of the really big transition teams has been looking at housing and all aspects of the housing department. I mean that’s my agenda, nuts and bolts, just bread and butter issues.”

African American News&Issues endorses Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee

no@spam.com (Roy Douglas Malonson) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:30:00 MST

The African American News&Issues endorses Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee for re-election to the 18th Congressional District. Jackson Lee has been good for our community for many reasons and we need to return her as our voice in Washington.

Congresswoman Jackson Lee has been at the forefront of bringing jobs and federal funds to her district and the general Houston area. Jackson Lee has won 125 grants totaling $351,000 from the federal stimulus bill for Congressional District 18. This is the fourth-largest amount of funds brought to a district by a Texas Member of Congress.

Hold On...Not So Fast

no@spam.com (Cheryll Bellamy) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 19:12:04 MST

If our Founding Fathers who labored over our Constitution two hundred years ago could see the behavior of our elected officials, their answer for today's politicians would be in one sentence: If they can't stand the heat than it is better for them to leave. Wisdom would define some politicians to be contumacious school children.

Core services are the City of Houston's business

no@spam.com (C.O. Bradford) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:30:00 MST

The City of Houston tends to over regulate. Understandably, the city must regulate from time to time for health and safety reasons.
Even these interventions should be a limited, measured approach with broad substantive input from the citizens and businesses being impacted.

Today, businesses and citizens are strapped with too many taxes, fees, and permitting requirements.
Why is this so? Well, the answer can be found in one word – “spending.” Spending is the single part of the city’s financial equation that is almost exclusively controlled by the city. We try to do a number of wonderful things in our great city which are good.

NAACP launches 2010 census mobilization campaign

no@spam.com (Staff Writer) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:30:00 MST

NAACP Units in 11 states and six metropolitan areas are gearing up to launch the 2010 “Yes We Count” campaign on Feb. 12, a national grassroots movement designed to spread the word about the importance of the 2010 Census and to motivate residents in their communities to complete and return their 2010 Census questionnaire.

Rallying “Rainbow Warriors” to Create a Progressive Third Force

no@spam.com (Ron Daniels) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:30:00 MST

With the “Tea Party Convention” concluding in Nashville with wall to wall coverage by the mainstream media, it is clear that the right continues to outmaneuver the left in terms of capturing the limelight to promote the conservative cause. One has to admit that the concept of having a “Tea Party Express” was a brilliant stroke which rightwing talk show hosts and Fox News could propagandize to the hilt. The cold fact is, for all of the intellectual capital and organizing genius, there has been no equivalent concept or response from a liberal/ left/progressive “movement” that is disgruntled, disjointed, disoriented and ineffective. If a return to power of the conservatives in 2010 is to be blocked, there must be far more innovative thinking, meaningful messaging and creative organizing on the left.

Tea Cups Flying

no@spam.com (Cheryll Bellamy) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:09:03 MST

When one is trying to build a movement based on anger against the established rules of government, ignorant of the substantive issues of what the Constitution can and cannot do, fear mongering, and exclusivity, it will have all the political and social viruses needed to pronounce a prognosis of death. Palin's attack on the existing administration, particularly, President Barack Obama, riveted the Tea Party members to the point of hysteria. Americans should ask themselves if we were watching the future insurrectionists against civil authorities.

And now, a word from the independents: What the Republicans and Democrats should know

no@spam.com (Jackie Salit) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:30:00 MST

The Republican and Democratic Parties have finally found something to agree on. Americans are angry. The Republicans say they know the answer. Just put them in power. The Democrats say they know the answer. Just keep them in power. Isn’t it partisan vanity that made Americans so angry in the first place?

It’s dangerous, psychologically speaking, to be angry but have no productive way to express it. That is the psychological and political bind that most Americans find themselves in. And, it is also the catalyst for so many millions of Americans – 40% in some polls – becoming political independents.

This “breakout” phenomenon has been gathering steam for nearly 20 years. Movements come of age as leaders with diverse, sometimes divergent, visions challenge their movement to follow a particular path.

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing or Outlier?

no@spam.com (Cheryll Bellamy) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:21:36 MST

By Brown's own admission during the campaign, he is that self-described outsider who is not the usual politician in Washington. The political pundits are now drawing comparisons between Brown and Obama. It may be a political game-changer or a ploy initiated by the media. After watching Senator Scott Brown's interview this past week, his sizzle may not hold water when it comes to making effective transformation in the political arena of Capitol Hill.