The Detroit City Council last week rejected a measure that would have put a revision of the charter on the ballot for the special Feb. 24 election allowing voters to weigh in on a new municipal leader to succeed the ousted mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
Everyone who has followed the mayoral mess that Kilpatrick spawned understands that our charter needs to be revised. It's outdated, so antiquated in fact, that we're staring at a succession of elections to replace Kilpatrick that will run into next year. Great, because our city is so cash-strapped that the last thing we need it to dole out dollars needlessly.
The larger issue with which I have a problem, however, is the fact that opening up the charter to revision would give those of us who want to see district representation instituted in the city.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the resolution to revise the 1997 Detroit City Charter, put forth by Councilman Kwame Kenyatta and Councilwoman Brenda Jones didn't stand a chance in hell because "other council members who feared a revision would restructure the council from being elected at-large to being elected by districts" voted against it. As a result, the measure failed 4-3.
So, next time you drive through a neighborhood with two occupied homes on each block, ask yourself who is governing it? Ask yourself who is going to bat for the children there? Ask yourself who is fighting for jobs and opportunity for self-improvement for the residents there to lift themselves out of dire circumstances -- because they are the neighbors of those Detroiters?Because they have a deeply vested interest. Because they are members of that community.
Ask yourself those questions, then remember that Martha Reeves, Alberta Tinsley-Talabi (who I supported because of her advocacy for the east side -- until she pulled this crap), Monica Conyers and Joann Watson voted against the resolution.
Why give them another chance to lead us?
Too many people in this city feel as though they are not represented. They feel that the "good neighborhoods," the Boston Edison's, the Indian Village's, the Rosedale Park's and East English Village's of our city get all the attention. I hear that often. Do you?
I'll leave you with one more question. We can't continue to vote for these people, can we?
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Time to get serious on poverty
On Thursday I volunteered to help out at a massive summit on poverty held at Cobo Center in downtown Detroit. I use the word "massive" because over 4,800 people pre-registered and several hundred more than that actually showed up.
That's a whole lot of people concerned about what I consider the most important issue of our generation.
Some may argue that the environment is the most important issue we face today but for me, the reality is that if you don't have food, access to care or quality education for your child or any confidence that you'll have a place to live next week, recycling and reducing your carbon footprint really isn't a major concern. And, if you are struggling to maintain some sort of decent existence for yourself and your family, the natural laws of self-preservation dictate that the environment should not take precedence. Right?
According to the Detroit Free Press, nearly two million Michigan citizens live in or around the poverty level, about $21,200 for a family of four. This includes 500,000 children.
Think for a moment about the fact that almost one in three Michiganders are considered low income and “food insecure”, are going hungry, even though the state doles out help in some fashion to 18 percent of residents. In fact, two months ago, the state tried to help by passing out food stamps, to 1.3 million people. The state also provides help in the form of child care aid to 96,000 working families. That's the operative term "working."
The poor people in our communities who need help aren't on corners begging for change or sitting on some freeway off ramp with a sign. Far too many of them are going to work everyday. We encounter them because they are our secretaries with three children, our waitresses and store clerks in similar circumstances, who don't make enough to provide for their families.
That's a whole lot of people concerned about what I consider the most important issue of our generation.
Some may argue that the environment is the most important issue we face today but for me, the reality is that if you don't have food, access to care or quality education for your child or any confidence that you'll have a place to live next week, recycling and reducing your carbon footprint really isn't a major concern. And, if you are struggling to maintain some sort of decent existence for yourself and your family, the natural laws of self-preservation dictate that the environment should not take precedence. Right?
According to the Detroit Free Press, nearly two million Michigan citizens live in or around the poverty level, about $21,200 for a family of four. This includes 500,000 children.
Think for a moment about the fact that almost one in three Michiganders are considered low income and “food insecure”, are going hungry, even though the state doles out help in some fashion to 18 percent of residents. In fact, two months ago, the state tried to help by passing out food stamps, to 1.3 million people. The state also provides help in the form of child care aid to 96,000 working families. That's the operative term "working."
The poor people in our communities who need help aren't on corners begging for change or sitting on some freeway off ramp with a sign. Far too many of them are going to work everyday. We encounter them because they are our secretaries with three children, our waitresses and store clerks in similar circumstances, who don't make enough to provide for their families.
At the summit the Rev. Martin Luther King III told the crowd of more than 5,000 people, which included some held in the grip of poverty and many nonprofit and government service providers trying to help, that public officials need to invest billions to fix schools and to boost the minimum wage ($6.55 per hour) to more of a livable wage.
“If we will be a great nation,” he said. “Let us not be satisfied until we have education, decent jobs, a living wage, adequate and affordable health care and decent housing.”
According to the Freep, "The 2008 Voices for Action Poverty Summit was born of a survey conducted last year, asking Michigan citizens what put them at risk of becoming poor."
“If we will be a great nation,” he said. “Let us not be satisfied until we have education, decent jobs, a living wage, adequate and affordable health care and decent housing.”
According to the Freep, "The 2008 Voices for Action Poverty Summit was born of a survey conducted last year, asking Michigan citizens what put them at risk of becoming poor."
We have so many poor people in this state, so many people without jobs, that the state announced on Friday that it needs to increase the amount of money employers pay into the unemployment insurance fund.
About 40,000 Michigan employers will pay an extra $67.50 per employee in January to help pay off a $472.8-million shortfall in the state unemployment benefits fund, the newspaper said.
So here's your weekly dose of cynicism. I think that summits like this are invaluable. Any time your can bring hundreds of thought leaders and power brokers together for a rubber chicken lunch en masse --progress, in even minute doses -- ensues as a result of the networking and idea exchange. But the true progress comes in the post game. What happens next?
If there aren't committees that leverage the learning of the summit to create lasting change in the lives of the cyclically affected poor, the working poor and the soon-to-be-poor -- as a result of the perpetual job cuts that are now a daily above-fold headline -- then a whole mess of folks got together for nothing.
Imagine the cost of such a large-scale event in terms of cost and lost productivity. If no lives are changed as a result of us coming together at Cobo, then we would have been better served having gathered and, instead of planning to hold an event, dedicated what I suspect is six figures, to poor families. I'm sure the poor would appreciate a few extra dollars in their pockets. I'm not considered poor and I would.
About 40,000 Michigan employers will pay an extra $67.50 per employee in January to help pay off a $472.8-million shortfall in the state unemployment benefits fund, the newspaper said.
So here's your weekly dose of cynicism. I think that summits like this are invaluable. Any time your can bring hundreds of thought leaders and power brokers together for a rubber chicken lunch en masse --progress, in even minute doses -- ensues as a result of the networking and idea exchange. But the true progress comes in the post game. What happens next?
If there aren't committees that leverage the learning of the summit to create lasting change in the lives of the cyclically affected poor, the working poor and the soon-to-be-poor -- as a result of the perpetual job cuts that are now a daily above-fold headline -- then a whole mess of folks got together for nothing.
Imagine the cost of such a large-scale event in terms of cost and lost productivity. If no lives are changed as a result of us coming together at Cobo, then we would have been better served having gathered and, instead of planning to hold an event, dedicated what I suspect is six figures, to poor families. I'm sure the poor would appreciate a few extra dollars in their pockets. I'm not considered poor and I would.
Friday, November 7, 2008
So happy, so much to do
It still hasn't fully sunken in for me. The senator from Illinois is the first black president of the United States. Wow!
My grandmother is 90 years old. She is my hero. She had no hope of seeing a black president in her lifetime, despite living so long. I thought the same thing. Hell, if I was to live to be 90 I wouldn't have thought it possible. Then I arose at 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 4 with the intention of beating the crowd to the poll only to get there to see that 300 people had beaten me to the punch. At that point, I knew the black guy had a chance. Then he won. Wow.
He pummeled Sen. John McCain, the Republican hopeful, by a sizable margin and I was stunned, as well as happy, because I feared he would have been robbed in a close race. But there was nothing to worry about.
Well, except for the fact that he won.
I was not, am not, as ecstatic as many of the people I know personally who cried or hugged me when we first talked about the election results. My enthusiasm is tempered because I am concerned that the millions of people who came out to vote for the first time, who bought lawn signs, bumper stickers and bootleg t-shirts to promote his candidacy will not continue supporting Barack Obama once he becomes president in January. It's a legitimate concern I think.
Just like millions of black people think that we have overcome, when they look at the mass appeal of a Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan, when we haven't -- I think too many black people and disaffected people in this country will look at the progress Obama's victory represents as a sign that everything is right in the world. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Statistically, my son is more likely to end up in prison than in college. Even though I know he better go to college or I'll end up in prison! But, I digress. The fact is, we are still in the midst of an economic nightmare, a foreclosure crisis, an unemployment catastrophe and two wars (Remember them? I know. They fell off the radar once the national and global stock markets began their free falls). Black people and other minorities are disproportionately affected by these circumstances.
If Obama is to have a chance at being more than a footnote in history, then all of those people who were motivated to become active in the process of electing him have to commit to staying active in their homes and in their communities. There remains much work to do.
My grandmother is 90 years old. She is my hero. She had no hope of seeing a black president in her lifetime, despite living so long. I thought the same thing. Hell, if I was to live to be 90 I wouldn't have thought it possible. Then I arose at 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 4 with the intention of beating the crowd to the poll only to get there to see that 300 people had beaten me to the punch. At that point, I knew the black guy had a chance. Then he won. Wow.
He pummeled Sen. John McCain, the Republican hopeful, by a sizable margin and I was stunned, as well as happy, because I feared he would have been robbed in a close race. But there was nothing to worry about.
Well, except for the fact that he won.
I was not, am not, as ecstatic as many of the people I know personally who cried or hugged me when we first talked about the election results. My enthusiasm is tempered because I am concerned that the millions of people who came out to vote for the first time, who bought lawn signs, bumper stickers and bootleg t-shirts to promote his candidacy will not continue supporting Barack Obama once he becomes president in January. It's a legitimate concern I think.
Just like millions of black people think that we have overcome, when they look at the mass appeal of a Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan, when we haven't -- I think too many black people and disaffected people in this country will look at the progress Obama's victory represents as a sign that everything is right in the world. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Statistically, my son is more likely to end up in prison than in college. Even though I know he better go to college or I'll end up in prison! But, I digress. The fact is, we are still in the midst of an economic nightmare, a foreclosure crisis, an unemployment catastrophe and two wars (Remember them? I know. They fell off the radar once the national and global stock markets began their free falls). Black people and other minorities are disproportionately affected by these circumstances.
If Obama is to have a chance at being more than a footnote in history, then all of those people who were motivated to become active in the process of electing him have to commit to staying active in their homes and in their communities. There remains much work to do.
Monday, November 3, 2008
He's got pride on his side
I was in San Antonio last week for work and went running one morning through the downtown area. Running is a good way to sight see for me, and I used the opportunity to do just that.
I was a bit disappointed in the Alamo. It looked like a gift shop. I expected there to be a larger fort behind it somewhere, but that was not the case. San Antonio either needs to lay off on the marketing , because it's not all that, or add some rides and live attractions.
Then I thought that I should really lay off the Texans. After all, the Alamo represents both the city's and the state's pride, and elevation of pride is something we need more of. I get the same feeling hearing people talk about Barack Obama. They feel like he represents them, and their proud. Proud because he's different like them, or black like them, or believes what they believe.
For example, on her nationally syndicated radio program this evening comedian Monique said Obama is the first politician she would fight for -- literally. If she saw him in danger, she said she would jump to his defense. She is a large woman, and proud of her voluptuousness, so if he ever needs some Secret Service backup, Obama should be just fine.
She's is clearly not alone. I saw people walking neighborhoods today in Obama gear urging people to vote, business owners planting Obama-Biden signs in front of their stores and hundreds of mostly black Obama supporters standing in line on Grand Boulevard to vote early. I was tempted join them, but decided to get there first thing tomorrow instead.
Some people so desperately want to show their pride that they are stealing Obama lawn signs. I could only laugh as I drove down a neighborhood street today and saw a handmade sign posted on a lawn that said, essentially, that someone too cheap or too lazy to buy their own had stolen theirs and they wouldn't let that stop them from showing their pride.
I hope this guy wins, and goes on to be a great president. It would be hard not to be a better president that George W. Bush, so Obama has one chip to bring to the table out of the gate.
I think this election will be closer than pollsters are predicting and supporters are hoping for because I never underestimate the power of racism. There is a chance, however, that many self-described John McCain backers will actually vote for Obama when they get to the booth. I know it's optimistic, but I'm not the only one who feels sick every time he looks at a 401(k) statement. I believe green trumps black and white. Obama has that going for him, and of course there's that pride thing.
I was a bit disappointed in the Alamo. It looked like a gift shop. I expected there to be a larger fort behind it somewhere, but that was not the case. San Antonio either needs to lay off on the marketing , because it's not all that, or add some rides and live attractions.
Then I thought that I should really lay off the Texans. After all, the Alamo represents both the city's and the state's pride, and elevation of pride is something we need more of. I get the same feeling hearing people talk about Barack Obama. They feel like he represents them, and their proud. Proud because he's different like them, or black like them, or believes what they believe.
For example, on her nationally syndicated radio program this evening comedian Monique said Obama is the first politician she would fight for -- literally. If she saw him in danger, she said she would jump to his defense. She is a large woman, and proud of her voluptuousness, so if he ever needs some Secret Service backup, Obama should be just fine.
She's is clearly not alone. I saw people walking neighborhoods today in Obama gear urging people to vote, business owners planting Obama-Biden signs in front of their stores and hundreds of mostly black Obama supporters standing in line on Grand Boulevard to vote early. I was tempted join them, but decided to get there first thing tomorrow instead.
Some people so desperately want to show their pride that they are stealing Obama lawn signs. I could only laugh as I drove down a neighborhood street today and saw a handmade sign posted on a lawn that said, essentially, that someone too cheap or too lazy to buy their own had stolen theirs and they wouldn't let that stop them from showing their pride.
I hope this guy wins, and goes on to be a great president. It would be hard not to be a better president that George W. Bush, so Obama has one chip to bring to the table out of the gate.
I think this election will be closer than pollsters are predicting and supporters are hoping for because I never underestimate the power of racism. There is a chance, however, that many self-described John McCain backers will actually vote for Obama when they get to the booth. I know it's optimistic, but I'm not the only one who feels sick every time he looks at a 401(k) statement. I believe green trumps black and white. Obama has that going for him, and of course there's that pride thing.
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