(ThyBlackMan.com) Recently, in a well documented piece, we found the federal government through the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has been and still is understating the black unemployment rate. Additionally, the BLS is understating the national unemployment rate as well (go to the following link: https://thyblackman.com/2015/11/12/the-rip-off-of-african-americans-and-the-unemployment-rates/ ). However, the objective of this piece is not to deal with why this is being done, although we have our opinions, but to address “the urgency of advancing a doable solution” that we as a people can coalesce around and push to the forefront of the 24 hour news cycle. Common sense dictates these draconian unemployment rates have to be addressed right now due to the devastating havoc high unemployment is having on African American (AA) communities nationwide, especially in our larger cities!
Any recovering alcoholic or drug addict will tell you doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity and the height of foolishness. Yet, we see our folks, people who look like us, identify themselves as “black leaders” running around the country staging meetings to address the issues of African American people that end with no solutions whatsoever. These people gather folks in the name of the African American cause of black economic empowerment, saying they are working in our interest and come out of these meetings/summits with absolutely nothing that black people can embrace. Unlike black leaders of the past, these folks end these meetings/summits with nothing of any essence to say to the power brokers of this nation, what it is we specifically want and what initiatives the country can embrace legislatively on our behalf that will make the United States and our lives better. Slogans are not solutions!
There was a national meeting held in Cleveland July 24-26 sponsored by the Black Lives Matter campaign. Nothing resulted 
from that meeting of a substantive nature that changed any laws or even put any demands upon the system to reallocate resources in any way that would be beneficial to African Americans. Recently we had the Million Man March Anniversary Rally in Washington, D.C. led by Minister Louis Farrakhan. The usual suspects gathered as speakers in the name of African American empowerment. Minister Farrakhan spoke at length along with several others and nothing of substance resulted from that gathering either that would move African Americans in a practical and pragmatic way to the next level.
There is at this time “another national meeting” being planned and advertised for January 8-10, 2016 in Philadelphia at Temple University; the organizers are asking for donations to pull this gathering off. The organizer is the Black Radical Organizing Collective (BROC) and they are calling for disenfranchised people like ourselves to “reclaim our future.” Here is a direct quote from their mission statement, “Intellectuals, artists, writers, scholars and professionals must join with the people and offer their knowledge and abilities to them. Academic and intellectual snobbishness and class elitism are intolerable and must be rejected. The new leadership must see the people as the ultimate agents of change, while also emphasizing the importance of specific leaders with visionary initiative and mobilizing power.” They can be reached at the following e-mail address: brtconference2016@gmail.com
We have a duty and an obligation to help BROC avoid repeating the insanity of the recent past, as mentioned above, of coming out of yet another national meeting without a solution, since, if you keep reading, such a solution will be presented here. If you are unable to make it to Philadelphia, please take the opportunity to e-mail these folks who are gathering in our name with this solution. See, if we… as their advertising states, can as “intellectuals, artists, writers, scholars and professionals” change the dynamic of no solutions to a challenge to power with a plan that will resolve our economic problems. It is the very least we can do as informed men and women who hold to the truth that the dismal economic status this system has forced upon us is unjust. Our objective in doing this is to get the following doable solution before our people and into mainstream conversations about how best to fix the economy this time. Urge your “face-book friends” to do the same if they are so inclined.
The solution or cure of the 17% black unemployment rate and unemployment in general is to formulate a fiscal plan which will create demand for American services and goods. You see, corporations and small businesses which promote politicians through hefty campaign contributions have benefited the most from legislation passed by Congress and are in good shape financially. They just lack demand for their products and services, which has created this currently slow growth economy. And let’s face it, when you are not profitably selling goods and services, you don’t have a need to hire or bring on additional people to manufacture those goods or provide those services.
To create demand or “prime the pump” of this economy, the federal government has to legitimately provide consumers, who make-up 70% of the economic activity of this economy, with money on a sustained basis in large enough sums. In doing this, the federal government injects money into the economy through consumers, which they will spend on products and services. Businesses, seeing this money flowing into the economy will compete for it. When businesses compete, hiring workers follow.
To provide money to consumers, the federal government can turn to a population within the country known as the Baby Boom generation of which blacks comprise 14%. The federal government can legitimately provide each boomer up to as much as $40,000.00 dollars tax free as they come up for retirement at the age of 66 when they get full benefits from the Social Security program. To do this, the government through changes in the Social Security law can give boomers who are retiring at a rate of 10,000 per day control of up to 13% of the principal standing behind their monthly Social Security check. That leaves 87% of their principal to be received monthly. This example shows you what I mean. Look, let’s say it takes $313,000.00 dollars in principal at 6.9% interest to send me a monthly Social Security check of $1800.00 dollars.
So, I say to Social Security, I would like to have some of my money up front, say $40,000.00 dollars. Now pay me a monthly check on the remainder, which is in this instance $273,000.00 dollars, which amounts to a monthly check to me of $1569.00 dollars. Do the math, $40,000.00 dollars times 10,000 people works out to “$400,000,000.00 million dollars a day” that will be available for businesses to compete for “every day” on average over the next fifteen years thus leading to creating jobs which will lead to the immediate reduction of the 17% black unemployment rate and unemployment in general. (It will take 15 years for boomers to retire because there are 68 to 72 million of them).
It is amazing the darkness that has fallen upon many of us as a people when it comes to our thinking and figuring out simple things, like when a good opportunity is boldly staring us right in the face. This is simple math. “More money mean more money!” This means if there is more money released into our economy, we all will get paid! African Americans are after all, 14% of the retiring boomer population! Baby Boomers are the largest voting block in this country according to the U.S. Census; larger than 25 to 44 year olds and seniors combined. If they are made AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL of this plan (and we can make them aware), Congress will have no other choice but to change the laws or find themselves out of office and that’s no lie.
We as African Americans are suffering because of our timidity in allowing our folks to have these meaningless meetings/summits which we have already said is insane. We must find the courage to act in our best interest and change the outcome of these meetings/summits by banding together in an e-mail intervention campaign to BROC with the above solution. This is not rocket science. The world is emphatically saying to us through its actions; to be successful as a people, we have to “Step-up or be stepped-on!” So I say, Hello Philadelphia!
(For additional information on the financing of this plan, go to this link and read the comments in the comments section. Thank you: https://thyblackman.com/2015/10/15/minister-louis-farrakhans-message-to-blacks-was-no-message-at-the-million-man-march/ )
Staff Writer; James Davis
This talented brother is a graduate of Florida A. and M. University(FAMU), a former stockbroker, and a human rights activist who resides in Sanford, Florida. He was awarded the prestigious Governor Haydon Burns Scholarship to attend FAMU and while at FAMU was awarded the first Martin Luther King Scholarship. He is also author of three books, among them are “The Fix This Time,” Expanding Social Security Benefits to Create Jobs and Spur Demand( http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MI3PD2M ) and “Hey…God’s Talking To You,” The Study Book ( http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GYI3VQW ).
He can be reached through his blog @, (http://www.thefixthistime.com).