Former International Monetary Fund chief economist Olivier Blanchard of France recently gave this narrative a clear voice. Writing on X, he wondered why California’s wealthiest are spending so heavily to defeat Proposition 40, the supposed one-time 5 percent tax on the net worth of billionaires. Blanchard added that billionaires “typically have not indicated that they are building their wealth to eventually make the world a better place.”

The entire notion misunderstands how fortunes are made. In a market economy, people don’t build great wealth first and redeem it later through good works. They build it by making the world better first.

When I buy an $800 smartphone, it’s because I value the phone more than whatever else I would have bought with the money. The seller values my $800 more than they do the phone. We both walk away richer by our own measure. Neither owes the other anything more.

Repeat this exchange a few hundred million times, and vast fortunes take shape for the people who create amazing technology so abundantly and affordably that we take it for granted. More importantly, though, people hand over every cent of it voluntarily.

As my colleague Arnold Kling aptly explained over the weekend, “Profits are earned within a positive-sum game for society. Profits induce firms to serve consumers and to innovate.” The drive for wealth taxes relies on “the opposite point of view. It regards profits as something that businesses take from the rest of us, as if we can take innovation and efficiency for granted. (It) acts as if we are in a zero-sum environment in which one person’s gain is necessarily another person’s loss.”

And, yes, the gains are divided more fairly than people think. Nobel laureate and Yale University economist William Nordhaus estimated that innovators in the U.S. business sector personally captured, on average, a mere 2.2 percent of the social surplus they created between 1948 and 2001. The other 97.8 percent went to everyone else in the form of lower prices, higher wages, better products and goods, and services that didn’t previously exist.

In short, the world has already been compensated, many times over.

Those urging billionaires to acquiesce also err by blithely assuming that the state that grabs the money will use it well enough to “make the world a better place.” The burden of proof is on them. California’s government already spends roughly $350 billion a year. What will the extra few billion accomplish that the rest hasn’t?

“Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys,” as journalist and satirist P.J. O’Rourke used to say. Maybe California’s billionaires aren’t eager to fund a Merced-to-Bakersfield rail line that the state prices at around $35 billion and its inspector general puts closer to $48 billion. Perhaps they’re hesitant to backfill pension funds like CalPERS, whose staff concedes is unlikely to hit an assumed 6.8 percent return without leaning on private equity.

Prop 40’s revenue is earmarked for healthcare, but money is fungible. In the end, California has one budget. Every earmarked dollar frees another for something else. Some billionaires might simply have concluded that their philanthropy does more good elsewhere, or that their dollars are more beneficial when invested in private enterprises.

The tax also doubles down on California’s worst habit: spend, spend, spend, and then tax, tax, tax. The money is never enough to cover all the spending. A one-time levy spent over five years doesn’t fix that. It funds new commitments with temporary money. Some will want to make the tax permanent, which its intellectual architects clearly prefer and may have made possible. And yet that still won’t be enough.

That’s the commitment problem that Blanchard admits California can’t solve. Billionaires are wise to distrust the “one-time” promise.

What worries me most is the moral framework. When a society convinces itself that the people making life better and less costly are the problem, we eventually stop getting those people.

Contrary to Blanchard’s naive belief, billionaires aren’t lacking in public spirit. Even if we ignore their often massive charitable giving, we can’t forget that the market already collected their contribution and handed a large share of it to the rest of us. We should stop demanding they apologize for the other two cents.

Written by Veronique de Rugy

Official website; http://twitter.com/veroderugy

That mix matters because classroom work is both personal and practical. Teachers explain ideas, read the mood of a group, adjust in real time and keep learning themselves. Grand Canyon University, a private university that offers education programs, is one example of a school where students can explore preparation for that path through a degree in teaching. 

You explain things clearly, even when someone is frustrated 

Strong communication is one of the clearest signs that teaching may suit you. Good teachers do more than talk. They choose examples that fit the learner, ask follow up questions and notice when confusion is building. A student who says “I don’t get it” may need a different explanation, not more volume or more repetition. 

This skill shows up outside classrooms too. If friends come to you because you make hard steps feel simple, that matters. If younger relatives understand your instructions because you break tasks into pieces, that matters too. Teaching relies on clear language, active listening and feedback. The American Psychological Association notes that effective feedback supports student learning, which is one reason communication is more than a nice extra in teaching. See APA guidance on student learning and effective feedback. 

You have patience that looks like consistency 

Patience in teaching is not endless sweetness. Patience is the ability to stay consistent when progress is slow, behavior is uneven or a lesson does not land the first time. Students do not all learn on the same schedule, and even motivated students can have off days. 

A person well suited to teaching usually does not take every setback personally. That person can repeat directions without sarcasm, reteach a concept without acting annoyed and hold boundaries without escalating every conflict. This kind of patience is practical. It helps create a predictable classroom where students know what to expect. 

If you can stay calm while correcting mistakes and still keep expectations high, that is a stronger sign than simply saying you “like helping people.” 

You adapt instead of freezing when the plan changes 

Adaptability is one of the least discussed but most important signs of teaching fit. A lesson can be strong on paper and still need revision once real students are in front of you. Technology can fail. Half the class may already know the material. Another group may need more background first. 

Teachers who adapt well do not see these moments as proof they failed. They treat them as information. The American Psychological Association defines resilience as adapting well in the face of stress or adversity, and that idea fits the daily rhythm of teaching. Classroom work often requires exactly that kind of steady adjustment. APA’s resilience guidance for parents and teachers is useful here because it frames resilience as something people practice, not something a few people magically have. 

If you tend to regroup quickly, try another route and stay engaged after a rough day, teaching may feel demanding but not misaligned. 

You like your subject enough to keep studying it 

Subject knowledge matters, but not in the way many people assume. You do not need to know everything before you begin preparing to teach. You do need genuine interest in the material and the discipline to keep building your knowledge over time. 

Students often ask unexpected questions. Sometimes the right answer is a clear explanation. Sometimes the right answer is, “Let’s check that and come back to it.” A good teacher is not threatened by that. Instead, a good teacher respects accuracy and models curiosity. 

This is why preparation matters. Teacher education often includes both content study and training in instruction, assessment and classroom practice. If you enjoy learning how people understand a subject, not just the subject itself, that is a strong clue. 

You are comfortable working with groups, not just one person at a time 

Some people love tutoring one on one but feel drained when managing a whole group. Teaching usually involves group dynamics, which means attention is split across many needs at once. You may be explaining directions, tracking behavior, checking understanding and watching the clock all in the same moment. 

Being comfortable with groups does not mean being loud or naturally extroverted. Quiet, thoughtful people can become excellent teachers. The better question is whether you can guide a room, set a tone and stay aware of several people at once. Group comfort also includes noticing who is left out, who is dominating discussion and who needs another way to participate. The U.S. Department of Labor’s O*NET profile of elementary school teachers includes teaching students individually and in groups and adapting methods to different needs. That helps show why group awareness matters. 

If leading groups energizes you more than it intimidates you, that is a meaningful sign. 

You care about growth more than instant results 

Teaching is a long game. Some of the most important progress is gradual and easy to miss in the moment. Students build skills over weeks and months. Trust develops over time too. 

People well suited to teaching often value progress over quick proof. They can celebrate a small breakthrough, such as a student asking for help sooner, using better evidence in writing or staying focused for ten more minutes than usual. That mindset helps teachers stay grounded in realistic goals instead of daily perfection. 

How to tell the difference between interest and fit 

If you are unsure, ask yourself a few honest questions. Do you enjoy explaining, or only performing? Can you correct people kindly? Do shifting plans make you curious or angry? Can you work with a group while keeping individuals in mind? Are you willing to keep learning, even after formal training begins? 

If most of those answers are yes, teaching may be more than a passing interest. It may be a career that fits how you think, communicate and lead. 

Staff Writer; Peter Johnson

From 1969 to 1972, the soulful music of two of our greatest songstresses—the late, great Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin—resonated deeply with Black Americans, reminding us that being young, gifted, and Black is not something to overcome, but something to celebrate and embrace. Black excellence has flourished throughout the years, from carrying the cross for Jesus to creating the three-position traffic signal, mobile refrigeration, and home security systems, along with countless other contributions that have helped move America and civilization forward. Despite our excellence, we must ask ourselves whether our soul is still intact. Being Black doesn’t make us immune to mediocrity, nor does it guarantee that our souls will always remain intact. What makes us good is our love for God and our unapologetic Black pride—even when others think we’re being too loud or see us as different for being “too Black.” Even in 2026, we can all remember the words of the late, great James Brown: “Say it loud, I’m black, and I’m proud.”

In the case of Nevada Pierre, the three-year-old Black American soccer player who was reported to the police by a legal official, we see the persistent fear of Black excellence that has existed in the hearts and minds of many mediocre individuals since 1619. Unfortunately, some individuals still single out exceptional Black performance negatively, despite our commitment to striving for excellence, being the best, and achieving success. In recent years, American society has become accustomed to celebrating participation, even though, in practice, it rarely recognizes participation, while excellence usually is. For many individuals, Black American achievement is viewed as a problem: some believe we are too vocal about it, while others see it as inconsistent with the underclass narrative they have imposed upon us. Despite the objections from mediocre individuals, Black Americans must continue to promote and celebrate our achievements whenever possible.

Fear, the loss of control, and a closed mindset have caused and will continue to cause mediocre individuals to escalate situations regarding Black achievement to law enforcement or a higher power in hopes that they can stop it or prohibit it from occurring.   Many individuals who are mediocre and have closed minds fail to realize that Black achievement is here to stay regardless of who they involve and the crooked laws they try to legislate. The burden of negative escalation that comes with being young, gifted, Black, and successful is one we can learn to carry with strength and resilience. Each generation has a meaningful role in guiding and supporting the next—not only by celebrating their achievements, but also by showing them how to carry life’s challenges with resilience, without compromising their values or giving up.

Now is the perfect time for Black America to reconnect. If we desire our reconnection to be sustainable, we must end the gender wars and the diaspora wars. Nevada Pierre and all our children need us, not because they play sports or because they are the smartest in their class. Our children need our support because, in American society and around the world, they may encounter people who make them feel they don’t belong and undermine their confidence and sense of self-worth. We can help them feel valued, supported, and secure in who they are. Our local churches and houses of worship, our communities, grassroots and national civil rights organizations, and the places we each call home should provide the refuge and sense of teamwork that our children—and all of us—need.

Our individual perspectives are shaped by our experiences, beliefs, emotions, biases, education, and surroundings. Mainstream society often teaches children like Nevada Pierre—and all our beautifully complected Black children and adults—that our behavior may be seen as disruptive, regardless of our good intentions or achievements. As children of God and protectors of our children and communities, we must always advocate for our children, our women, our elders, and ourselves, even if doing so means being shunned or viewed negatively. Because of implicit bias, many may see our assertiveness as problematic rather than as advocacy. But with God’s help, we can overcome every bias and challenge if we keep the faith and come together as one.

The world and society at large are always sending a message to the Black community, which should lead us to ask: Will my child and I be welcomed to succeed even if we are better than the mediocre individuals who are around us? Will my children or I be heard if we raise concerns? Will my family’s advocacy be interpreted fairly?

Yet history reminds us that our progress has never depended solely on permission. We come from people who have always turned obstacles into opportunities, exclusion into excellence, and doubt into determination. What matters isn’t whether everyone welcomes our success—it’s that we keep pursuing it with confidence and purpose. Our responsibility is to help our children know their worth before the world tries to define it, speak with confidence even when their voices are challenged, and embrace their gifts without feeling they have to shrink to make others comfortable. Let’s never mistake resistance for a reason to retreat. Instead, let it remind us that our purpose is bigger than acceptance, our potential is greater than prejudice, and our destiny is shaped not by the limits others place on us, but by the faith, courage, and perseverance we carry within.

Seven Quotes to Live By

1. “Never let the comfort of mediocrity rob you of the pursuit of excellence.”
2. “Your worth is not determined by how others perceive you, but by the purpose, faith, and gifts God placed within you.”
3. “Black excellence is not something to apologize for; it is something to celebrate, protect, and pass on.”
4. “Resistance is not a signal to retreat. It is often evidence that your purpose is greater than the obstacles before you.”
5. “Teach your children their value before the world attempts to define it for them.”
6. “True strength is carrying life’s challenges without compromising your values, your faith, or your identity.”
7. “Our destiny is shaped not by the limits others place on us, but by the courage, perseverance, and faith we carry within.”

Seven Daily Affirmations

1. I refuse to settle for mediocrity and will pursue excellence in all I do.
2. I am gifted, capable, and worthy of every opportunity God places before me.
3. I will never shrink myself to make others comfortable with my success.
4. I carry the strength and resilience of those who came before me.
5. I will advocate for myself, my family, and my community with confidence and courage.
6. I choose unity over division and connection over conflict.
7. I am guided by faith, grounded in purpose, and committed to leaving the next generation stronger than I found it.

Three Calls to Action

1. Reconnect and Unite

End the divisions that weaken our collective strength. Prioritize unity across generations, genders, communities, and the diaspora so our children inherit support, not separation.

2. Celebrate and Defend Excellence

Openly recognize Black achievement, advocate for Black children and families, and refuse to let others diminish, question, or hide excellence for their comfort.

3. Build Safe Havens for the Next Generation

Strengthen homes, churches, schools, community organizations, and mentorship networks so that every Black child knows they are valued, protected, heard, and empowered to thrive.

Guiding Thought

“We come from people who turned obstacles into opportunities, exclusion into excellence, and doubt into determination. Let us do the same for the generations that follow.”

Staff Writer; Jamie Seals

May also connect with this brother on Twitter; mychocolatemind.

Also drop an email at; JSeals@ThyBlackMan.com.

License Conditions and Soft2Bet AML Operation

An operator holding a license meets a stated outcome and chooses the working method that reaches it. Licensed gambling environments process account activity through accounts at high volume, which defines the pace AML control on the Soft2Bet platform has to keep. Laundering patterns appear over time and can build up through small, repeated steps, so the company applies its check across the activity and not at one fixed point. Soft2Bet adjusts its monitoring to that pace and builds it into the platform the company supplies, so a written obligation reaches a specialist as operational work.

That work continues without pause, and activity monitoring on the Soft2Bet platform reads each account against the history and the profile verified at identity checks, since a single step looks ordinary by itself. Each observation is recorded as it happens, so the company holds evidence produced while the control runs.

Evidence held that way makes AML control demonstrable on the Soft2Bet platform, since a specialist returns to the entry and reads the observation with its time stamp. Governance questions reach an operator as a request for what supports a step, and a dated record addresses that level. Monitoring reads account movement against identity status from KYC, and Soft2Bet runs both as modules that are connected through shared records.

Account Movement Read in Sequence at Soft2Bet

Monitoring works from what the account recorded before it. Soft2Bet reads each new movement against the history already held and the identity record established at KYC. Relevance appears in that comparison, and one account view holds every earlier step in a continuous record that supports it. Activity on the Soft2Bet platform is therefore read as a sequence, where each new entry gains the meaning the earlier ones give it.

A sequence read that way shows direction, timing, and repetition, the three properties that bring an account forward for closer attention. Repeated small steps, unusual timing, and movement that sits apart from the verified profile are among the patterns Soft2Bet monitoring checks for. One account view keeps them together, so every specialist starts from the same picture.

Identity status from KYC sits next to account history on the Soft2Bet platform, so monitoring reads each new entry against both at once. A mismatch between the profile and the activity therefore raises a concern, while the same pattern on an account whose history supports it stays unremarkable. Risk relevance stays a reading at that stage, and the layer opening after it tests that judgment against the evidence already attached.

Soft2Bet Flags as Points of Specialist Attention

A risk flag on the Soft2Bet platform marks activity that the record behind it has made worth closer attention. Monitoring stops at that mark, since a flag states what was observed. The account’s context travels with the flag, so the specialist who picks it up reads from evidence already in hand.

Detection and judgment stay apart on the Soft2Bet platform, so monitoring identifies the pattern and a specialist decides what follows from it. The flag reaches that specialist carrying its date and the account view behind it, and all three stay together as one item. The specialist reads them and either closes the case with a reason on file or sends it to review, which is a separate layer holding its own evidence and decisions.

Each flag enters the Soft2Bet record in the form in which it was raised, naming what was seen, when, and on which account. The entry holds the observation and no reading of it, so the layers above monitoring start from the same evidence the flag carried. Recorded that way, the flag becomes evidence of control activity the platform can produce on request.

Dated Entries That Keep Soft2Bet Monitoring Demonstrable

Monitoring, flags, and specialist decisions each leave a record on the Soft2Bet platform, which is what makes AML control demonstrable. The record forms while the control runs, so the evidence and the activity stay in one place. Each entry names what was observed, when, and the account view behind it, and the Soft2Bet platform keeps the link between a step and its record intact.

Reviewability follows from that link, since a specialist returning to an entry sees the evidence the step rested on. Accountability rests on the same property, and the Soft2Bet platform makes both legible to operators running products on it. Account activity leaves a dated sequence on one account view, monitoring adds an observation tied to that sequence, a flag enters with that observation attached, and specialist review records its reading against the flag.

Soft2Bet holds each entry in the sequence that produced it, so a flag arrives for review with its observation already attached. The flag, its date, and the reading set against it stay in one place, so an operator examining the account can confirm from the record alone that AML control operated. The entry stops at what the control did, and how the platform stores it belongs to a separate layer of the technology.

Governance Value of the Soft2Bet AML Chain

AML control earns its standing from the record of the operation behind it, produced while monitoring runs. Monitoring works from account activity read in sequence, and that reading continues across the life of the record on the Soft2Bet platform. A flag drawn from that reading marks activity for attention and leaves the outcome open, which keeps it a step in the chain and not a decision. Soft2Bet writes the flag into the record held against the account, in the system that observed the activity.

The specialist work that follows belongs to a separate layer on the Soft2Bet platform, starting from the flag entry, its date, and the account view behind it. Entries of this kind are what accountability is checked against, since each one shows a dated step on its platform and the evidence it rested on. Governance work needs that level of detail, because an operator answers for what the control did and when it ran. Soft2Bet holds the answer where the activity was observed, so the control and its evidence stay in one system.

Staff Writer; Fred Barnes

He asked me to pass along a couple of messages to you.

In Proverbs 15:23 Solomon told me, “A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!”

And in Proverbs 17:28, Solomon told me to tell you, “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.”

So, you may be asking what is the meaning of all this.  Let me explain.

A few months ago, I wrote a column titled, “Social Media’s Feminization of Black Men.”  Click on the link to read it.

In this column, I discussed how high-profile people like Smith, because of social media, have the insatiable need to respond to everything that is said about them on the internet; thus, they have begun to adopt feminine traits that are normally associated with women.

These men have become more emotional and too verbose.

King Solomon and I were arguing that we need to get back to the old school notion of letting the truth speak for itself!!!

Or as my boy Denzel Washington once told me, “The loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room.”

I have stated on many occasions that Smith is over exposed and doing way toooooooo much!!!  Sometimes the best and loudest response is silence.

Smith has yet to learn this lesson, despite being fifty-eight years old.  I do not understand why a man of his age and stature feels compelled to respond to every perceived slight thrown at him.

My latest evidence of this is Smith’s recent private dinner with President Donald Trump, along with comedian Bill Maher and musician Kid Rock.

Smith attended as a guest of Maher’s.

Smith received heavy criticism from the usual cast of rabid crazy extreme radical liberal Blacks like Jemele Hill, Cari Champion, Charlamagne, and comedian D.L. Hughley.

As mentioned in my previous column about Smith, he then felt the need to run to his YouTube channel and justify his actions, which only made matters worse.

Below I will dissect Smith’s own words from his YouTube video he posted after his dinner with Trump.  Click on the video link to see the unedited version that I am referring to.

One of my biggest criticisms of the Black community, especially those who “claim” to be part of the bourgeoisie and the “talented tenth;” is that most have little to no understanding of how to operate on the power level.

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) comprises the largest voting block in the U.S. Congress, but has nothing to show for it.  Africa has the largest voting block in the United Nations, but has nothing to show for it.

Both groups are quick to blame white folks and racism for all their respective group’s problems.  Name me one time that either group has shut down the U.S. Congress or the United Nations to extract something of particular importance to their group?

They have the power, authority, and the position, but not the understanding.

The same can be applied to Stephen Smith.

I was mortified by his comments about his dinner with Trump.  It was quite obvious that Smith’s understanding of politics and power is minimum.

Let us go to the video tape.

In the first fifteen minutes he rambled incoherently about a lot of nothing.  It was quite obvious to me watching the video that he was very nervous because he was on unfamiliar ground discussing the substance of the dinner; and his lack of knowledge and understanding of the issues were exposed.

He said many things that were simply not true.  He had so much bravado in his voice, then played himself.

At the 12:43 timestamp, Smith states, “But I’m going to tell you where, why I was there. My mission is always to look out for my community as best as I possibly can.”  I have no idea what this is supposed to mean.

At the 12:57 timestamp, Smith states, “…And when I see our national unemployment average at 4.2%.  At about 3.7% in the white community, but 7% in the black community…It’s always worse for us [Blacks]…”

Smith has absolutely no data to back up this asinine assertion.  You are having dinner with the president of the United States and you make a blanket statement like that.  Really?

Even if Smith’s statement were proven to be true, what was his ask of the president to address this issue?

Solomon told me in Proverbs 4:7, “Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting get understanding!”

It is quite obvious Smith has little to no understanding of economic policies; so let me help him.

A better indicator of the economic health of the Black community is the labor force participation rate as opposed to the unemployment rate.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Black labor force participation exceeds the rate among white Americans and is near pre-pandemic levels.  The unemployment rate for Black workers is near record lows but is still persistently higher than for white workers.

Labor force participation reflects the share of the civilian population that is either employed or actively seeking work.

September 2026 participation rate for Blacks was 62.3%.  September 2026 unemployment rate for  Blacks was 6.8%.

These two measures describe different aspects of labor?market engagement: participation shows how many people are in the labor force, while unemployment shows how many of those in the labor force are not currently employed.

Smith went on to question Trump about DEI and the myth of the disappearing Black woman and again showed how he was unprepared and unqualified for the moment that could have been his finest hour.

At the 13:18 timestamp Smith stated, “…that in concert with DEI, even though that should have never been associated with black people because white women are the biggest beneficiaries of DEI.”

What Smith failed to mention is that affirmative action was meant only for Blacks in the late sixties.  But over the past fifty years members of the CBC continued to expand the list of those eligible for affirmative action and DEI—white women, Africans, Hispanics, homosexuals, etc.

Blacks and Black organizations continue to vote for legislation that is counter to their own stated goals and to the benefit of other groups.

Again, Blacks do not understand how to play the game of power.

For someone who “claims” to be an independent, he sure recites a lot of radical liberal Democrat talking points.

He accused Trump of firing 300,000 Black women from the federal government which is factually not true.  This made-up number does not take into account the number of people who quit, took a voluntary buy-out, or retired.

This is what I call the myth of the disappearing Black woman.  Click on the link to read that column.

Black women are vastly overrepresented in local, state and federal government jobs.

Furthermore, of all Blacks with college degrees, 60% work for local, state or federal government; of the remaining 40%, 25% percent work for corporate America, leaving 15% for entrepreneurship.

We have a massive brain drain in the Black community that no one is addressing.

Government at every level has become much too large and fiscal responsibility mandates that we reduce the size and scope of local, state, and federal government.

So, when governments issues reduction in force orders, the decisions will not be based on race; but rather the sheer size of bloated government.

The final reason Smith needs to stick to sports is because of this statement from him at the 18:23 timestamp, “but there’s additional funding that comes from the private sector that’s been compromised to some degree because of your administration’s fixation on making sure that there are no racial preferences.  So as a result, corporations in the private sector believing that the government may come after them if they were to be as charitable as they once were are hesitant to do so. Now, Mr. President, what you going to do about that?  To his credit, he says, “I got to look into that. That’s a good point.  I’m going to talk to my team next week and I’m going to get your number two because I might call you. Now, I’m not trying to get involved on that level.  I want him to do it.  I don’t want to create the kind of noise where we get distracted from the ultimate goal because the ultimate goal is to help one another as much as we possibly can.”

I have no idea what Smith is talking about.  No Fortune 500 company has shied away from giving money to HBCUs because of Trump’s DEI policies.  I talk with these CEOs on a regular basis and I know this not true.

The problem is most HBCUs have little to no relations with CEOs of major companies because they do not understand power.

If Smith understood power he would have said to Trump, if I organized ten presidents of HBCUs would you convene a meeting in the White House with a few of your corporate friends to discuss long term support for HBCUs?

Trump would have quickly said yes and the rest would be history.

That is how you play at the power level.  You present the problem and then you offer a solution.

So, Stephen, I have identified the problems as I see it with your dinner with Trump and am prepared to offer you some solutions on a way forward if you are so interested.

Staff Writer; Raynard Jackson

This talented brother is a Pulitzer Award nominated columnist and founder and chairman of Black Americans for a Better Future (BAFBF), a federally registered 527 Super PAC established to get more Blacks involved in the Republican Party. BAFBF focuses on the Black entrepreneur. For more information about BAFBF, visit www.bafbf.org. You can follow Raynard on Twitter; RealRaynardJ; on Gettr: RaynardJackson.

Can also drop him an email at; RaynardJ@ThyBlackMan.com.

Football fans are likely familiar with DeSean Jackson’s arrival into the NFL after being a college star with the California Golden Bears. Go Deep isn’t just a story about DeSean’s journey into the NFL but also his father Bill’s desire for his two sons to have lasting success in the NFL. The footage from the documentary comes from DeSean’s older brother Byron, who was a wide receiver who spent a couple of seasons on the Kansas City practice squad. Byron was pushed by the elder Jackson to work towards NFL success despite Byron’s other interest in filmmaking. Byron Jackson’s talent in filmmaking led him to want to capture the burgeoning football career of his then-kid brother DeSean when the chances of Byron making an NFL roster seemed very slim.

Although much of the documentary is set in California, Bill Jackson’s roots were in Pittsburgh as a big Steelers fan growing up before moving his family to California before DeSean was born. The strong and sometimes volatile relationship between DeSean and his father is highlighted as his father attempts to guide him through high school stardom, the father’s strong desires for his son’s success that leads to issues with his coaches, and keeping his talented younger son from any off the field troubles that can happen to young Black male athletes as they receive national accolades.

One of the more interesting moments of the documentary takes place prior the 2008 NFL Draft when former California Golden Bears head football coach Jeff Tedford has a discussion with the Jackson prior to the NFL Draft. While discussing that he wasn’t trying to convince Jackson to return to college for his senior year at California, Telford has a heated discussion with Bill Jackson about the father and the head coach’s play calling. Ultimately, DeSean Jackson didn’t return to California and surprisingly fell to the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

While football is the focus of the documentary, Go Deep is more about family dynamics than football. Older brother Byron shifts between filmmaker, older brother as a mentor, and the unique relationship with his strong-willed father. The success of DeSean Jackson during his rookie year with the Philadelphia Eagles seems to validate the actions of father Bill Jackson in pushing his son towards getting to the NFL and the film ends with a number of touching moments. The film was appropriately named due to DeSean Jackson’s NFL special skill and the Jackson family dynamic.

Staff Writer; Mark Hines

If they had advanced from the National League championship round and then beat the American League champion the Dodgers would have become the first National League team to accomplish such a feat and one of just a handful of professional teams in any sports to win three consecutive championships.

However, the Dodgers failed in their attempt to three-peat. It would have been a testament to the players and the management of the organization.

The Dodgers probably more than any baseball or professional sports team has been the avant-garde. The organization that broke the color barrier with the signing of Jackie Robinson.

That brought Latino fans to ball parks by signing players like Fernando Valenzuela and Pedro Guerrero. Japanese trailblazer Hideo Nomo over thirty years ago and now with Japanese and other Asian fans buying tickets and game shirts featuring the names of Dodgers stars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.

The sports columnists and other talking heads had bad-mouthed and blamed the Dodgers the entire season for an expected owners’ lockout. Now they were fast to declare the Dodgers failure to win a third consecutive championship to the Dodgers players being old, tired looking and no longer hungry.

Maybe, however, the Dodgers ran into a team that at the moment was playing better baseball then they were playing. A huge negative about the current MLB playoff format is that a team with a mediocre regular season sneaks into the playoffs and gets hot and lucky and ends up winning the World Series. This year’s World Series could have easily been between the Astros and Phillies.

But the real reason the Dodgers did not make it to the World Series this year is simple. It had nothing to do with being old, tired or not hungry. The reason the Dodgers failed to make it a third straight time to the World Series is because on July 23rd of this year they went to the White House.

After going to the White House, the Dodgers season went from dominant to mediocre. The next game after going to the White House they won, then they went on to lose seven straight games. They went from looking invincible and playing that way to a team that over the next several weeks basically did not win a series.

They went on gallantly despite injuries to star players to limp to the finish line. Several of their players who made the National League All Star team shortly after July 23rd ended up being injured.

For many Dodgers fans they were not surprised the Dodgers failed to three-peat after going to the White House. Some openly predicted that outcome because they went.

Many could not understand why the team would go to the White House after its current occupant had basically declared war on the city of Los Angeles. Who sent armed troops to the city for no reason other than to cause chaos and confusion. Who would state that Iran could “take out” the city of Los Angeles as if it was no big thing. But they went to the White House.

The Dodgers  have players, stars players, from Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Cuba and Canada all places where the current occupant of the White House has openly expressed hostility and aggression.

So why did Dodgers’ management “encourage” its players to go to the White House? Was it fearful like some countries, universities, media outlets, non-governmental organizations, major law firms and corporations to stand up to evil and instead take a knee and shallow their dignity and integrity?

The criticism of the Dodgers going to the White House had nothing to do with politics, but everything to do with right and wrong, good and evil. Unfortunately, after going to the White House, the Dodgers were cursed.

Yes, cursed. There are probably many in this age of smartphones, AI and all the other technological wonders which demonstrate how advanced mankind is find the idea preposterous. Yes, the advances in technology which makes the idea of curses, witches, devils, good and bad, evil and even God irrelevant.

Yes, technological advances which allows man to be quicker and more efficient in its killing of other men. Yes, we may hold smartphones and wear fitness watches and AI glasses but evil is everywhere and man remains a troglodyte.

Evil does exist and Satan and his army are working overtime. In fact, he is having a heyday.

One needs to look no further than 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The evil that has oozed out of there is unprecedented in US history. Again, this is not a political statement, but a statement based on morality, goodness and righteousness.

The suggestion is made to whoever wins the World Series this year and teams that win championships in other sports that they refuse to go to the White House. That is if they want to have another championship season until the White House undergoes an utter and thorough exorcism.

Staff Writer; Al Alatunji

Question or comment regarding this article? Feel free to send a message to: Alatunji@ThyBlackMan.com.

All season long the talking heads whined about how the Dodgers were destroying baseball because they were able and willing to pay more for players than other teams. That because they played in a larger population and media market the team’s owners had an advantage over smaller market team owners.

The talking heads and others however could not explain why the Angels who play in the same Los Angeles market as the Dodgers and teams like the Mets who have a payroll similar to the Dodgers are at the bottom of their divisions. Why a team like the White Sox despite playing in big market Chicago for two consecutive years lost over 100 games.

However, facts are not something those pushing the supposed inequality and lack of parity argument have on their side. This year’s World Series will feature the Brewers against the winner of the Rays and Guardians American League championship.

For the average baseball fans, they would be hard pressed to name four of the players on all three remaining teams. Maybe the owners and their organization need to be more creative and innovative in marketing their players and teams instead of crying about the Dodgers.

But since we cannot expect the owners and talking heads to be creative and innovative in helping baseball to one again have some relevancy, how about we let a real baseball fan do that?

1. Return MLB back to eight teams in the National League and eight teams in the American League like it had been for many years until the 1960s. Let’s return back to 16 teams and only those teams that have a successful history of being able to host a team get a team.

That does not mean that an expansion team that came into MLB would be eliminated. The Mets for example would be allowed to remain in MLB because they clearly have been able to financially host a team. There are other teams who have been around since the early days of the 1900s who can’t and should no longer have a team.

Instead of having 30 teams, many of which are carrying mediocre players to fill playing rosters, having 16 teams should allow for greater parity between teams. Parity between teams is a common refrain heard over and over again by the owners and talking heads as to why there is a need for a player’s salary cap.

If MLB wants to add additional teams, then it should look to have teams in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Japan, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and South Korea. All places where baseball is huge and which currently are sending significant numbers of players to MLB. Not just numbers but quality players.

Granted with just 16 teams in MLB most teams probably would have very few American born players on these teams. However, the countries which are filling the ranks of MLB should not be faulted.

The reality is that baseball is no longer the national pastime of the US. Or to put it another way, American born youth are not playing baseball and have little to any interest in baseball. MLB needs to find some creative and innovative ways to market baseball to American youth. It has done a piss poor job so far.

MLB needs to eliminate its playoff format and return back to the team in the American League with the best record playing the team in the National league for the World Series. I know this idea will not be popular with media outlets and bettors, but the playoff format has made a mockery of the World Series.

The World Series used to mean something. It no longer does when you have a team with a regular season record at .500 or lower playing against another team with a similar season record in the World Series.

It is no longer the best versus the best, but a crap shoot between two teams that had a few lucky bounces during the playoffs. Similar to the NCAA March Madness tournament. Yes, the media outlets and the bettors like it, but how often does the unquestionably best team end up with the crown?

2. MLB has made certain changes which have not been helpful. One of them was interleague play. Interleague play takes away from the specialness of the World Series. Get rid of it.

Get rid of the pitch count. It was adopted by MLB to speed up the game as if shortening the length of the game would make it more attractive to a youthful market to follow the game. Not only has it not lent itself to bringing younger fans to the game, but it has also alienated older fans who remember the time when there was nothing better than a doubleheader that took all day.

A doubleheader to that fan was the equivalent of a follower of Judaism going to Jerusalem, a follower of Islam going to Mecca and a follower of Christianity going to Bethlehem all rounded up in one.

If a person is not interested or does not have the time to watch a game that is on them. Don’t have time, don’t watch, don’t attend.

The two throw over to a base with a runner. A terrible rule. Baseball is a game within a game within a game. That is its beauty. The stolen base. The steal of home. The hit and run. The sacrifice bunt and the suicide bunt. Signs and counter signs. The moves and counter moves. That is true baseball.

3. One-year contracts for all players with a base salary and cap of $1 million. Once a current player’s contract ends the player would be subject to a one-year contract worth a $1 million with incentives that could result in the players making upwards of $50 million for one year if the player met those incentives.

All teams would be limited to providing the same incentives in terms of objectives and money. For example, if a player won the MVP award for that year, the player would receive an additional $10 million. A player who came in second would receive $5 million, third $3 million. It would be the same for the CY Young award.

A person would be entitled to automate bonus money for playing 150 games each season. A player who played every game that season would receive a bonus.

A pitcher who pitched 25 or 30 games and/or a certain number of innings would receive bonus money for that. The league would develop an extensive list of incentives based on position and performance which would be the standard contract throughout the league.

Attractive incentive money for hits, runs scored, winning the triple crown, winning the batting crown, lowest earned run average and so on and so on.

There would be no more free agency. Send the agents packing. Teams could trade players, but no money would be included in such trades. Strictly player for player or player for players trades.

Return back to allowing players to play for one team their entire career. Fans want to be able to identify with players as if the player were family in good years and bad. The team might not have a great record, but there will be players on that team who fans of the team feel a special connection with year in and year. Nowadays it is hard keeping track as to who is on a team and who is not.

Return baseball back to the fans, not the agents, not the owners and the player’s union but back to the fans and the ball players.

Staff Writer; Al Alatunji

Question or comment regarding this article? Feel free to send a message to: Alatunji@ThyBlackMan.com.

Key Takeaways

• Standard insurance products may not address every business operation, contract, or exposure.
• Specialty placements depend on clear communication among the business, insurance professionals, underwriters, and carriers.
• Delegated authority can allow qualified underwriting organizations to make certain decisions within carrier-approved guidelines.
• Accurate information, realistic pricing, and strong oversight remain essential for difficult risks.
• Businesses should review policy limits, exclusions, conditions, deductibles, and claims procedures before purchasing coverage.

Not every business fits neatly into a standard commercial insurance application. A company may use emerging technology, operate in a specialized industry, work under demanding contracts, or have property in an area with unusual weather exposure. These risks are often described as hard to place, meaning they may require more detailed underwriting or access to specialty insurance markets.

Specialty placements are not necessarily reserved for unsafe businesses. Often, the issue is simply that the operation does not match the assumptions built into a standard policy. Understanding the role of a managing general agent, along with agents, brokers, underwriters, and carriers, can help business owners make better coverage decisions.

Why Standard Coverage Falls Short

Standard coverage is designed to efficiently serve common, relatively predictable risks. That approach can work well for many offices, retailers, and service companies. It may be less suitable when a business has uncommon equipment, a limited operating history, significant contractual obligations, multiple locations, or specialized professional services.

A hard-to-place risk is not automatically a poor risk. It may simply need a policy structure that reflects its actual operations. For example, a software development business may have concerns about network security, professional services, and customer contracts that differ from those of a traditional storefront.

How Specialty Insurance Moves Through The Market

The specialty placement process usually begins with a thorough description of the business. The applicant provides information on revenue, locations, employees, services, safety procedures, contracts, prior losses, and requested coverage. A retail agent or broker then reviews the information and identifies possible insurance markets.

When the risk does not fit an accessible standard market, a wholesale broker or specialty underwriting organization may help locate capacity. The underwriter evaluates the submission, determines whether the risk fits its guidelines, and may offer terms on behalf of a carrier. If the terms are accepted, the policy is issued with stated limits, conditions, exclusions, and premiums.

Photorealistic candid documentary-style photo of a small business owner meeting with an insurance broker and specialty underwriter at a modest office table, reviewing business documents and a laptop with natural window light, realistic paperwork and coffee cups, subtle imperfect lighting, genuine in-the-moment collaboration, no posed smiles, no visible logos or readable text.

A simple placement path looks like this: Business owner or manager, retail agent or broker, wholesale specialist when needed, specialty underwriter, carrier, issued policy, and ongoing service.

The Key Players In A Specialty Placement

Businesses And Policyholders

Business owners provide the details that enable insurance professionals to evaluate exposure. Incomplete or outdated information can delay a quote, affect pricing, or create problems when a claim occurs. Operations should be described clearly, especially when the company changes its services, locations, ownership, payroll, equipment, or contractual responsibilities.

Retail Agents, Brokers, And Wholesale Brokers

Retail insurance professionals generally work directly with the business. They help identify coverage needs, explain policy options, and prepare a usable submission. Wholesale brokers can help retail professionals access specialized markets and provide perspective on risks that require more targeted underwriting.

Specialty Underwriters And Carriers

Specialty underwriters focus on defined classes of business or coverage lines. The carrier provides the insurance capacity and ultimately assumes the contractual risk under the policy. Depending on the arrangement, underwriting organizations may perform specific functions for a carrier, while the carrier establishes the program parameters and oversight requirements.

What Delegated Authority Means

Delegated authority means that an insurer authorizes another organization to perform certain tasks on its behalf under a written agreement. The authority may include reviewing risks, setting terms in accordance with approved rules, binding coverage, issuing documents, processing endorsements, or supporting claims administration.

That authority is not unlimited. Agreements commonly set boundaries around eligible classes of business, geographic areas, limits, pricing rules, reporting, audits, and claims responsibilities. Licensing requirements also vary by jurisdiction. The guidance for state producer licensing programs includes a section on managing general agents and illustrates why regulatory requirements should be checked at the state level.

MGA, Broker, And Agent: Key Differences

• Retail agent: Works with the business customer, explains coverage options, and submits applications to available markets.
• Broker: Helps a customer seek suitable coverage and may approach multiple insurers or markets, depending on licensing and market access.
• Wholesale broker: Assists retail professionals with specialty placements and access to markets that may not be directly available.
• Managing general agent: May have delegated authority to underwrite, price, bind, issue, or administer policies in accordance with carrier-approved guidelines.
• Carrier: Provides the policy capacity and is the insurer named in the insurance contract.

Titles can overlap in day-to-day insurance distribution, and an organization’s authority depends on its licensing, appointments, and agreements. A broader overview of the managing general agent role in insurance distribution can provide useful background, but the policy documents and applicable state rules control a specific transaction.

Examples Of Hard-To-Place Risks

• Technology companies: They may need protection related to cyber events, technology services, and contractual liability.
• Construction businesses: Complex projects, subcontractor requirements, project locations, and specialized work can require closer review.
• Renewable energy operators: Equipment values, repair logistics, weather exposure, and revenue interruptions may require tailored analysis.
• Medical and professional practices: Coverage needs can depend on the services provided, credentials held, procedures performed, and regulatory obligations.
• New business models: A limited operating or claims history can make it harder for an underwriter to evaluate expected loss patterns.

Questions To Ask Before Choosing Coverage

• Which carrier is issuing the policy?
• Who can quote, bind, change, or cancel coverage?
• Which risks, services, locations, or events are excluded?
• Do the limits meet contractual, lender, or asset-protection needs?
• What deductible or self-insured retention applies?
• How must claims be reported, and who will handle them?
• Are there ongoing conditions involving safety, maintenance, inspections, or cybersecurity?
• What information must be updated before renewal?

What May Shape Specialty Insurance

Technology, weather exposure, supply chain conditions, privacy obligations, and changing business models can all affect how underwriters assess specialized risks. Better data tools may support more detailed analysis, but they do not replace reliable submissions, clear documentation, or sound judgment.

Specialty insurance works best when every participant understands their role. Businesses provide accurate information, insurance professionals explain the available options, underwriters evaluate the details, and carriers provide the financial backing. When those elements align, a complex risk can receive coverage tailored to real operations rather than being forced into a standard template.

Staff Writer; Derrick Jones

Imagine being a 25-year-old, 6’5” guy who goes by the local park. There you see eight-year-old kids playing basketball. You ask if you can join, and they readily agree. Then you dominate. You score at will. You block any shot that they dare put up. In short, you are unstoppable.

It would seem that this analogy applies to Elon Musk. When he joined Tesla, it was common wisdom that nobody could set up a new car company. Some, like DeLorean, tried, but they all failed. There was Mercedes, Fiat, GM, Ford, etc., and that was it. You could try something, but it would either fail or be gobbled up by the big guys for pennies on the dollar. Then came Tesla. Tesla’s current market capitalization of nearly $1.5 trillion is more than 10 times that of the “Big Three” combined. And Musk was not the son of Lee Iacocca or some car engineer who wanted to prove others wrong. He showed up out of the blue, made and makes incredible cars, and is leading the world in driverless vehicles with Robotaxis poised to supplant the traditional cab and Uber business models.

And Musk seems to be like this in every field he enters. When our kids were young, I showed them the Tintin color cartoon videos. They were clean, they were high-quality, and most importantly, our kids learned English from them. In one of Hergé’s books and the subsequent movie, Tintin’s friend Calculus takes a rocket to the moon. In the video, the rocket lands very nicely upright on the moon. I said that was dumb and explained to the kids about disposable boosters, capsule, lunar lander, etc. I am not worth a trillion dollars. Maybe Musk saw the same thing as a kid and said, “That’s a great idea. Point noted.” He was the first to land rocket boosters upright, and he is still the only one to catch them in the air. He has run circles around NASA, Boeing, and others who seem to have never left the cocoon of Apollo success from the 1970s.

In every field and during every period, there have been individuals who have stood head and shoulders above their peers. In Madrid, there was a ball hung over 9 feet in the air to mimic the height of a ball that Ronaldo knocked in with a header. Michael Jordan won six championships, was MVP multiple times, and also was defensive player of the year. Thomas Edison is still the benchmark for patents and inventions in multiple key fields. There are simply people who are much better than those around them, and it oftentimes isn’t even close. When I was a kid, I was enamored with Vida Blue. At just 21 years of age, he accomplished the following:

39 Starts

24-8 record

312 innings pitched

301 strikeouts

24 complete games

AL MVP and Cy Young Winner

Just for a smidgen of comparison: in 2026, in the entire Major League Baseball, there were 21 complete games, while the strikeout leader had 252.

One of the many amazing aspects of Elon Musk is that he doesn’t use his towering superiority in his fields of endeavor in order to crush his competition. Just the opposite. He has mentioned on several occasions that his patents for Tesla are free for use by competitors. He wants better rockets and better self-driving cars, so he lets others use his company’s advances. It has been reported that he slept on the floor in Washington during his DOGE work and did the same at some of his factories. He has a trailer where he apparently sleeps on site when he is at SpaceX. The anti-Musk would be living it big with a fleet of planes and a yacht that stretches from Boston to New York. He would be suing all of his competitors for patent infringement and looking for ways to knock them out of business. Musk is a rare bird, one that comes along once in every couple of generations. Sure, he is wealthy, but his wealth does not seem to have gotten to his head. He has business and humanity goals, and he seems totally focused on them. As “Mr. Wonderful” said, Elon Musk is 100 percent signal and 0 percent noise.

We should celebrate Musk’s great accomplishments. His cars have generated millions of miles of hands-free driving data. His engineers are making better algorithms for even greater success in self-driving. Like Steve Jobs wanting “only 1 percent” of the market with the original iPhone rollout, Musk is starting his Robotaxis in a few markets before he takes over the hired car business. His rockets will be taking off on daily or even hourly schedules. SpaceX will completely revolutionize human space activities, something not seen since NASA sent astronauts to the moon. The US government is streamlining its permitting in light of Musk’s plans, which in turn is allowing Musk to modify his rockets to make frequent launches more feasible. Watching Starlink satellites pop out of his most recent Starship launch is like living a hundred years forward.

One could easily and correctly make a similar argument about Donald Trump. At 80, he seems to need no sleep. He returns late to the White House from rallies or international trips and starts his formal day at 8 the next morning. He could have retired after 2020 and the Biden DOJ would have left him alone. He chose to run again, was shot at, arrested, had his house ransacked by the FBI, and was dragged through four different court cases. Yet, here he is once again as president, kicking the Chinese out of the Americas, pushing Iran to the brink of destruction, and directing America towards a new economic golden age. Biden was barely there, while Obama caved to America’s enemies and made its health system worse and more expensive. Donald Trump and his secretaries are pointing the US towards 250 years of success and international leadership. Look at Marco Rubio’s speech in Athens. That is the venue for the leader of the modern Western world.

Margaret Thatcher once gave a famous speech in Parliament in which she noted that as the rich got richer, everyone — including the poor — also went up in net worth. She accused her opposition of wanting the rich to be poorer via taxes and, in the process, the poor would also become poorer. Even if one does not own a Tesla or a Starlink receiver, he benefits from Elon Musk’s actions. Musk has set the standards for his fields of endeavor. Waymo looks 19^th-century with its multiple Lidar systems. Musk took a bet and went with cameras and software. Right now, his Robotaxis are winning, and the millions of miles of FSD (Full Self-Driving) on Tesla cars are helping to improve algorithms and object identification in all light and weather conditions. How would you like to be a Boeing executive in front of Congress, describing how they were going to let a first rocket stage land in the ocean? “Why can’t you do like Musk and save us money?” When Starlink adds phone service to its WiFi service for access anywhere on the globe, I might become their next new customer.

Many people are jealous of Elon Musk, while others hate him for his politics/social views. I think that we should appreciate his accomplishments and vision. When some company says that it will have a new product by 2030, I add five years. When Musk says it, I circle the date on the calendar. Musk knows what he wants and can achieve, and then goes about getting the job done. How quickly did he get Grok up as the best AI (or SI) app? Good on Elon Musk.

Written by Alan Joseph Bauer

Official website; https://x.com/bauer_alanjosep