Race, Poverty, and The Second America

In his new book, Gang Leader for a Day, Sudhir Venkatesh who is a Sociology Professor at Columbia University writes about his days as a graduate student in the University of Chicago and his experience interacting with the African American community around the University in general and the residents of Robert Taylor Homes, a high rise affordable housing project on the South Side of Chicago. The book revolves around his interaction with the drug selling gang members, the tight knit community that has developed due of this trade and the documentation of the underground economy that flourishes as a result.
In one such interaction he has with one of the residents Mrs Bailey, Sudhir is discussing the 60% dropout rate from high school of kids from Robert Taylor. Below is the text of the conversation:
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"Research today says that if kids can get through high school, they have a 25% greater likelihood of escaping poverty," I said, as if giving a lecture.
Ms. Bailey interrupted, "If your family is starving and I tell you that I'll give you a chance to make some money, what are you going to do?"
"Make the money. I have to help my family".
"But what about school?" she said.
"I guess it will have to wait."
"Until what?"
"Until my family gets enough to eat."
"But you should stay in school right?" she said, sarcasm rising in her voice. "That's what will help you leave poverty."
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This discussion highlights the dilemma that many African American's experience. And when the choice comes between feeding your family to survive and basic education, the choice is very clear.
Reading this book opened my eyes to this "Second America", away from the glitz and glamor which is associated with America all over the world, which is poor, under educated an under nourished but still is a tight knit self sustaining community in itself.

Also read my previous posting Barack Obama's Speech on Race

Former Olympian, Activist Debate Beijing Boycott

Recent crackdown by China on Tibetan monks has brought the Chinese Human Rights record into focus. Listen to a former US Olympian and an Human Rights Advocate duel it out on whether it is necessary to boycott the entire Beijing Olympics or just the opening ceremony.

Also read my previous post on the same issue Tibetan Uprising

15-year-old girl assaulted by teacher dies in coma

What a shame that a valuable life has been wasted and for what? The accused teacher beat up the student because she did not agree to private tuition given by him. There is no news of any action been taken on the teacher or the school.

Read more at Teacher Assault

IRS Rebate Checks

In an op-ed for The New York Times, Bruce Bartlett provides an interesting commentary on the proposed $117 tax rebate that the federal government is sending to all taxpayers. The tax rebate is supposed to stimulate the economy by boosting consumer spending. I do agree with his main argument that the $117 billion rebate is not going to solve the woes of the financial markets. Its frankly like throwing water at the neighbors place when your house is on fire. The current financial crisis is due to housing market gone bad which has resulted in decrease in consumer spending. The tax rebate is just treating the symptom but leaving the underlying disease untouched and intact.
What really is necessary as suggested by Bruce is some kind of a "Mortgage Superfund" which will be used to cleanse the financial system of atleast some if not all of the bad mortgages. Of course the problem with this approach is that the taxpayer will have to foot the bill for all the lousy decisions made by highly paid Wall Streets pros and misinformed home buyers.
But in the larger interest of the economy, we taxpayers may have to swallow this bitter pill, whether it be in the form of a tax rebate or in the form of a "Mortgage Superfund". So why not ensure that this bitter pill addresses the problem and not create new ones down the road.

Read more at Stop the Checks

Obama's Speech on Race

Recent inflammatory remarks about race and American government by Reverend Jeremiah Wright, a former pastor for Senator Barack Obama, brought to the forefront issues that have been dogging his campaign since he decided to run for President. Senator Obama was compelled to address issues related racism and his relationship with the Reverend, in order to minimize the political damage as well as ensure the viability of his presidential campaign. I thought that the speech was flat out brilliant. Here are some excerpts from the speech
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And this helps explain, perhaps, my relationship with Reverend Wright. As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions – the good and the bad – of the community that he has served diligently for so many years.

I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother – a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.

These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.

Some will see this as an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable. I can assure you it is not. I suppose the politically safe thing would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork. We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue, just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias.

But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America – to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality.

The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we’ve never really worked through – a part of our union that we have yet to perfect. And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American.
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See the Video along with the transcript at Speech on Race
Also read my previous post Barack Obama's Dilemma

Sub Prime Mortgage Crisis Simplified

This document helps provide a background about the how different players came together to create the Sub Prime Mortgage Crisis.

Money (That's What I Want)

For those who are fans of The Beatles , this song may sound familiar.
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The best things in life are free
But you can tell me 'bout the birds and bees.
Now gimme money (that's what I want)
That's what I want (that's what I want)
That's what I want, ye-ye-yeh,
That's what I want.

Money don't get everything it's true.
What it don't get I can't use.
So gimme money (that's what I want)
A little money (that's what I want)
That's what I want, ye-ye-yeh,
That's what I want.

Yeh gimme money (that's what I want)
A little money (that's what I want)
That's what I want (that's what I want)
So gimme money (that's what I want)
That's what I want, ye-ye-yeh,
That's what I want.

Your lovin' give me a thrill
But your lovin' don't pay my bill.
Now gimme money (that's what I want)
That's what I want (that's what I want)
That's what I want, ye-ye-yeh,
That's what I want.

Money don't get everything it's true.
What it don't get I can't use.
So gimme money (that's what I want)
A little money (that's what I want)
That's what I want, ye-ye-yeh,
That's what I want.

Yeh gimme money (that's what I want)
A little money (that's what I want)
That's what I want (that's what I want)
So gimme money (that's what I want)
That's what I want, ye-ye-yeh,
That's what I want.
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But right now, its not Paul McCartney who is asking for the money. Its his wife or shall we say ex-wife ,Heather Mills, who is singing this song all the way to the bank because she just received a $50 Million Divorce Settlement .