(ThyBlackMan.com) There are genuine and sincere men and women of integrity who believe Mr. Obama’s policies have not been affected in lifting blacks out of their dismal economic condition brought on by the 2008 downturn. The facts are on the side of critics in that blacks have not fared well under the Obama Administration. You merely have to look at the unemployment rate of blacks which is at 13.7% which is the highest of any working group in the United States. Blacks who have suffered the longest from double-digit unemployment have seen the results of five years under these conditions drag down both their wealth and housing ownership. Therefore these critics are justified in their critique of Mr. Obama’s Administration when it comes to policies affecting his most loyal constituency. It is widely known that over 90% of black voters supported the re-election of him for a second Presidential term of four years.
To insulate himself and control the criticism directed at his Administration, Mr. Obama has surrounded himself with what I euphemistically call “gatekeepers.” These “gatekeepers,” like selectively placed dams on a river, control what issues flowing from the black community get presidential
attention. Poverty, double-digit black unemployment and their possible resolutions have not been among the issues of discussion that have gotten through. Mr. Obama’s keepers have quietly controlled public debate surrounding these issues. You do not see very much press coverage about high black unemployment, poverty, and the detailed toll they are taking upon Mr. Obama’s greatest supporters. You certainly do not see open public debate in the black community about suggested solutions to these problems.
The gatekeepers, who are primarily Ben Jealous of the NAACP, Al Sharpton, Marc Morial of the National Urban League and the Congressional Black Caucus, have done a good job. The blame for the woes of the economy which have directly contributed to five years of double-digit high unemployment among black people has not been laid at the feet of the president by blacks. Overall, blacks feel it is the fault of the Republicans in Congress. They think the opposition party, whose function in a democracy is to sometime oppose, has obstructed the president’s efforts to get legislation passed that would add jobs to the economy.
Never mind, that any legislation, which has as its objective, the adding of jobs to the economy through salaries paid by the federal government, can not put a dent in the plight of 11-12 million unemployed workers. Many want the federal government to suddenly become a major corporation. To hire half the unemployed, the federal government would have to create two new “departments of defense” in terms of employees. Our defense department which is the largest of any nation in the world employs 3.2 million people. The largest corporate employer in our nation is Walmart with approximately 2.1 million employees. Therefore, hiring and putting people on the federal payroll is not the answer! What is needed is an actual national job creation plan which will create demand which should lead to hiring workers by private enterprises.
Whether they are right or wrong, the gatekeepers have acted, in what they consider the president’s best interest by denouncing his critics. You can also add the defenders of this Administration who as individuals deplore the critics of the president but do not similarly deplore the issue of double-digit black unemployment and the conditions that go with it, such as, increased crime; poverty; the lost of dignity; homes and wealth. For if they did, they too would be dissatisfied with this Administration’s inaction, in moving toward the implementation of a national plan to create jobs.
Mr. Obama’s reaction to black demands regarding the Zimmerman verdict give all of us hope that the system leading to action by the White House is not completely broken. In regard to the Zimmerman verdict, black people made a demand and the black political pressure groups responded. Blacks did for the most part the same things the Hispanic and Gay Movements did. They protested, held rallies and additionally went online letting President Obama know how they felt about that issue. President Obama responded by making a public appearance to directly address their concerns! Sure, the issues surrounding the verdict are important and deserve to be addressed.
However, job creation is also urgently important. None of us, if we are in our right minds, can abide by the status quo in this area. Foolishly, to abide by the status quo would lead to ruination of the black community and ultimately to the failure of anyone who makes a living indirectly or directly from blacks. Thus, the critics who actively block any effort of making high black unemployment and a national job creation plan mainstream issues, are not only insensitive to the problems of the poor and the black unemployed and underemployed, but are short sighted and senseless.
Those who seek change must come to realize the voices which legitimize this Administration’s policies, when it comes to black unemployment and poverty, can not be drown out with criticism, but they can be drown out with solutions. Solutions are the answer to defeat the gatekeepers. It is time for bold solutions! Solutions when presented require men and women to act and take positions. And when we take positions, we can be critiqued. When this occurs, we get to see the true nature and character of everyone including these pretenders of black leadership who say their interest is the economic wellbeing of blacks and the black community.
If Mr. Sharpton and others are pretenders to the title of black leaders, they will be exposed for being politically ineffective if they do not support what the public considers is a doable solution when it comes to resolving the issue of unemployment among blacks people and workers of this nation. Why are the critics of Mr. Obama policies so afraid to present and push the discussion of solutions to the problems which plague us? I have put forth my solution in the form of the Davis Deficit Neutral Job Creation Plan( http://www.sslumpsum.com ). If critics feel there is a better solution, they should come forth and let their plans be aired in the arena of public opinion. A solid plan which promises to transform this economy into a job creation dynamo would be awfully difficult to ignore by either political party. Do the critics of Mr. Obama policies feel inadequate in some way when it comes to offering and debating solutions? Can’t the critics of Mr. Obama see by diverting our energy away from the futility of criticism to the discussion and debate of doable solutions , this will strengthen us and the president in the long run?
Staff Writer; James Davis
More information about JD and his Deficit Neutral Stimulus Plan Can be founded at http://www.sslumpsum.com.
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