After watching Bill Moyers Journal last night I experienced a reoccurring thought, "we really have not advanced very far in how we discuss race relations." These are essentially the same conversations we were having in the 1990s, the 1980s, the 1970s and the 1960s. From what I read, these are the same conversations that we have always had on the issue of race relations in the United States.
I am intrigued by the idea of the country having a productive conversation about race. However, in my little corner of the world, I wonder if there is any point to these discussions. I often see books written by people with far more intellectual horsepower than me exploring the issue. "Sellout: The Politics of Racial Betrayal" by Randall Kennedy, "A Bound Man: Why We are Excited about Obama and Why He can't Win" by Shelby Steele and "Racial Paranoia: The Unintended Consequences of Political Correctness" by John L. Jackson offer insight into the current discussion. However, generally speaking, at the end of the day they really don't advance the conversation very far.
With Obama winning the Iowa Caucus and finishing a very close second in New Hampshire, some think Obama has transcended race. But, the question of race relations is just under the surface. Comments this week coming from the Clinton camp have some claiming that the attacks smack of racism. Others think Obama's team is playing the race card.
These types of claims and counter claims, just as the comments of Shelby Steele on PBS, miss the real issues that separate the races. Media attention to the issue of race too often focuses on the irrelevant. Public opinion polls clearly show that on many issues African-Americans and Whites see the world from very different vantage points. The Gallup Poll explores the topic of race relations each year. You can examine the result of several recent Gallup polls by clicking the previous link or go to a July 6, 2007 poll with this link: A Downturn in Black Perceptions of Racial Harmony Two-thirds of blacks are dissatisfied with society's treatment of blacks. One in three blacks today say they are satisfied with the way blacks are treated in society, down from a year ago. A majority of blacks -- 55% -- are still positive about race relations, saying relations between whites and blacks in the United States are good; however, this evaluation is also down from last year.
The success of Barack Obama getting White votes proves very little about race relations. It is a huge mistake to extrapolate his current popularity into anything more significant than that. Obama has provided some hope and inspiration but the entrenched problems did not change following his DNC speech in 2004 or victory speech in Iowa earlier this month. While it may be a new hour in race relations, it most certainly is not a new day.
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This section highlights key legislation and links for you to contact your elected officials.
Health care reform is front and center on the nation's agenda. The group Sojourners has an interesting "Christian Health Care Creed" that can be sent to Congress. It in part says:
"I believe that Christians should seek to bring health and well-being (shalom) to the society into which God has placed us, for a healthy society benefits all members (Jeremiah 29:7).
I believe in a time when all will live long and healthy lives, from infancy to old age (Isaiah 65:20), and "mourning and crying and pain will be no more" (Revelation 21:4). My heart breaks for my brothers and sisters who watch their loved ones suffer, or who suffer themselves, because they cannot afford a trip to the doctor. I stand with them in their suffering."
Health care reform is front and center on the nation's agenda. The group Sojourners has an interesting "Christian Health Care Creed" that can be sent to Congress. It in part says:
"I believe that Christians should seek to bring health and well-being (shalom) to the society into which God has placed us, for a healthy society benefits all members (Jeremiah 29:7).
I believe in a time when all will live long and healthy lives, from infancy to old age (Isaiah 65:20), and "mourning and crying and pain will be no more" (Revelation 21:4). My heart breaks for my brothers and sisters who watch their loved ones suffer, or who suffer themselves, because they cannot afford a trip to the doctor. I stand with them in their suffering."
A Little This..A Little That...
06/20/08
Gallup Poll: Currently, 79% of Americans hold negative views about the economy, while 13% hold mixed views, and only 5% hold positive views. In comparison, 61% of Americans held a negative view at the begining of the year, 21% held a mixed view and 16% were positive.
04/19/08
Gallup Daily: Hillary Clinton now receives 46% of the support of Democrats nationally, compared to 45% for Barack Obama, marking the first time Obama has not led in Gallup's daily tracking since March 18-20.
04/06/08...The Milwaukee Brewers are starting the 2008 Season where they belong atop the NL Central. Ben Sheets was dazzling Sunday as he helped the club sweep the Giants with a 7-0 victory.
02/06/08...A bit of old news, but the casual dining chains continue to struggle as folks like me have to look twice at our spending habits due to the high price of gas, groceries and a slumping housing market. As you know, IHOP bought Applebee's last November -- a deal that I for one questioned. Applebee's sales continue to decline and that does not bode well for the future of the chain. The management strategy for IHOP is the franchise model so the company-owned Applebee's may be on their way out faster than you can say "baby back." With the debt of the purchase, you can imagine they're under pressure to turn things around or else. Look for IHOP to make a deal with a private equity firm to take the stores off their books. The National Restaurant Association recently issued the following release: Restaurant Performance Index Declined for the Fourth Consecutive Month in December
01/26/08...The Civil Rights Project at UCLA published astyd discussing the resegregation of the public schools. The report finds that segregation of African Americans is back to what it was in the late 1960s. The only kinds of communities with high levels of school integration are the nation’s rural areas and towns, once the center of the most intense resistance. By contrast, extreme segregation is concentrated in the largest metropolitan areas. Read the report: The Last Have Become First; Rural and Small Town America Lead the Way on Desegregation
01/04/08...Federal efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health care are underfunded and indicate a lack of seriousness about accomplishing the goal, according to former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher. You can view Dr. Satcher discussing health disparities and current federal legislative efforts and the factors that may influence the outcome of these efforts.
12/31/07...The U.S. Census Bureau says that on this New Year's Eve, morethan 303 million Americans of all ages are ready to greet the year 2008. Fifty years ago, the U.S. population was just over 171 million. A centuryago, it was 87 million. To show how fast the nation is growing, by thistime tomorrow, there will be some 7,800 new babies on hand to welcome the new year.
12/28/07...Sales of new one-family houses in November 2007 were 9.0 percent below the revised October rate and is 34.4 percent below the November 2006 rate. The median sales price of new houses sold in November 2007 was $239,100; the average sales price was $293,300, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The outlook for the restaurant industry continued to weaken in November. Forty-four percent of operators reported a same-store sales decline in November, up from 36 percent who reported similarly in October, according to the National Restaurant Association's comprehensive index of restaurant activity. The index fell to its lowest level in more than four years. FYI...News Report on the Casual Dining Sector
Gallup Poll: Currently, 79% of Americans hold negative views about the economy, while 13% hold mixed views, and only 5% hold positive views. In comparison, 61% of Americans held a negative view at the begining of the year, 21% held a mixed view and 16% were positive.
04/19/08
Gallup Daily: Hillary Clinton now receives 46% of the support of Democrats nationally, compared to 45% for Barack Obama, marking the first time Obama has not led in Gallup's daily tracking since March 18-20.
04/06/08...The Milwaukee Brewers are starting the 2008 Season where they belong atop the NL Central. Ben Sheets was dazzling Sunday as he helped the club sweep the Giants with a 7-0 victory.
02/06/08...A bit of old news, but the casual dining chains continue to struggle as folks like me have to look twice at our spending habits due to the high price of gas, groceries and a slumping housing market. As you know, IHOP bought Applebee's last November -- a deal that I for one questioned. Applebee's sales continue to decline and that does not bode well for the future of the chain. The management strategy for IHOP is the franchise model so the company-owned Applebee's may be on their way out faster than you can say "baby back." With the debt of the purchase, you can imagine they're under pressure to turn things around or else. Look for IHOP to make a deal with a private equity firm to take the stores off their books. The National Restaurant Association recently issued the following release: Restaurant Performance Index Declined for the Fourth Consecutive Month in December
01/26/08...The Civil Rights Project at UCLA published astyd discussing the resegregation of the public schools. The report finds that segregation of African Americans is back to what it was in the late 1960s. The only kinds of communities with high levels of school integration are the nation’s rural areas and towns, once the center of the most intense resistance. By contrast, extreme segregation is concentrated in the largest metropolitan areas. Read the report: The Last Have Become First; Rural and Small Town America Lead the Way on Desegregation
01/04/08...Federal efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health care are underfunded and indicate a lack of seriousness about accomplishing the goal, according to former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher. You can view Dr. Satcher discussing health disparities and current federal legislative efforts and the factors that may influence the outcome of these efforts.
12/31/07...The U.S. Census Bureau says that on this New Year's Eve, morethan 303 million Americans of all ages are ready to greet the year 2008. Fifty years ago, the U.S. population was just over 171 million. A centuryago, it was 87 million. To show how fast the nation is growing, by thistime tomorrow, there will be some 7,800 new babies on hand to welcome the new year.
12/28/07...Sales of new one-family houses in November 2007 were 9.0 percent below the revised October rate and is 34.4 percent below the November 2006 rate. The median sales price of new houses sold in November 2007 was $239,100; the average sales price was $293,300, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The outlook for the restaurant industry continued to weaken in November. Forty-four percent of operators reported a same-store sales decline in November, up from 36 percent who reported similarly in October, according to the National Restaurant Association's comprehensive index of restaurant activity. The index fell to its lowest level in more than four years. FYI...News Report on the Casual Dining Sector
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