Buy Black Movement Going Nationwide

Maggie and John Anderson of Chicago vowed four months ago that for one year, they would try to patronize only black-owned businesses. The "Empowerment Experiment" is the reason John had to suffer for hours with a stomach ache and Maggie no longer gets that brand-name lather when she washes her hair. A grocery trip is a 14-mile odyssey.

"We kind of enjoy the sacrifice because we get to make the point ... but I am going without stuff and I am frustrated on a daily basis," Maggie Anderson said. "It's like, my people have been here 400 years and we don't even have a Walgreens to show for it."

So far, the Andersons have spent hundreds of dollars with black businesses from grocery stores to dry cleaners. But the couple still hasn't found a mortgage lender, home security system vendor or toy store. Nonetheless, they're hoping to expand the endeavor beyond their Chicago home.

Plans are under way to track spending among supporters nationwide and build a national database of quality black businesses. The first affiliate chapter has been launched in Atlanta, and the couple has established a foundation to raise funds for black businesses and an annual convention.

"We have the real power to do something, to use the money we spend every day to solve our problems," Maggie Anderson said recently at a meet-and-greet in Atlanta. "We have to believe that black businesses are just as good as everybody else's."

Now, the Andersons are following up with 4,000 people who signed up for the experiment on their Web site to gauge their commitment and set up online accounts to track their spending. Hundreds have also joined the experiment's Facebook page, Maggie Anderson said.

Gregory Price, chairman of the economics department at Morehouse College, said black visionaries like Booker T. Washington and Marcus Garvey made similar calls to action.

"The idea is a sound one, given that black Americans are still underrepresented in the ranks of the self-employed and that entrepreneurship is a key component to wealth," Price said.

There are one million black businesses in the United States accounting for more than $100 billion in annual sales, according to the National Black Chamber of Commerce. The latest U.S. Census numbers report that blacks have more than $800 billion in expendable income each year.

While I have no problem with how these people spend their money, and what businesses they chose to patronize (that should be a freedom that all Americans have), I do question how this might have played in the MainStreamMedia, if the word "white" were substituted for the word "black" in the story. My guess is that their web site would be shut down and they would be castigated as racists and supremacists.

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Personal Attacks From The Left

Suddenly, it seems, it has become fashionable for the left to launch personal attacks on conservatives.

Don't get me wrong. I understand that personal attacks have been going on (both ways) for a long time. But generally speaking those kinds of attacks don't get much air play, and are not supported by others, even those with the same viewpoint.

The Daily KOS has been a hate filled, venom spewing tool of the left for years, but not many people pay attention to it, except those on the left who want to tear down everything America stands for, and those on the right who want more people to notice the hate coming from it.

The left would like us to believe that Rush started it all. With his comment that he wanted to see Obama fail, every card carrying liberal in America tried to make mountains out of molehills. But anyone who analyzed what Rush REALLY said, understood that his comments were not a personal attack on Obama, nor were they a desire for Americans to suffer. His comments were simply an expression of disagreement with the political viewpoint of Obama. He wanted Obama's policies to fail because he believed they were not in the best interest of our country, and he said as much.

But since January 20, the attacks from the left have been vicious, hateful and relentless. In the last couple of weeks, these attacks have escalated. The attacks from the left toward Carrie Prejean have had about as much intelligence in them as a child eating dirt. If the same things had been said toward Obama as have been said toward Prejean, the Secret Service would be having some "private discussions" with the attackers.

Then we had the White House Press dinner in which the left had a field day with conservatives. Traditionally, the Correspondents dinner has been a time where the Press gets to make fun of the president, and he takes it in stride. But this president is too good for that. So Wanda Sykes has to wish that Rush Limbaugh's kidneys fail, after she calls him a terrorist. In appropriate comments were made about George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Sarah Palin, John McCain and others (though they didn't get as much press).

Personally, I hope the left keeps it up. I don't think the American people think this is funny, entertaining or appropriate. I also think it will particularly turn off the moderates and the uninformed voters that decide elections.

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The Moderate Myth

After watching the elections, reading polls and studying results, I have come to believe that elections are not won by appealing to ideology or by presenting a sound basis for running government. You win elections by "being cool." Or, at least more cool than your opponent. In other words, elections are won by winning the uninformed voters.

I recently ran across an excellent article from "The Minority Report" that agrees with me. Or perhaps more accurately, I agree with the author of the article, and he expresses it more eloquently than I could...

We have been told that there are three major food groups in the political spectrum in this country; the liberal left, the conservative right and the largest group, the moderate middle. Repeatedly, in recent months we have been told that a failure to reach out to those moderates will leave the Republican Party and/or Conservatives a permanent minority. This is the rationale given for the Democrat-lite, watered down message the RNC and such stellar organizations as the RMSP have offered the American public in recent years.

Well, the results of those messages of moderation are hard to dispute. The results have been catastrophic – and still we are told, we must moderate even more. Moderates don’t win elections. Moderates merely win the approval of other moderates – and sometimes not even that. Moderate’s moderate John McCain could not even win the approval of uber-moderate Colin Powell as proof of that failure.

The three part premise is itself incorrect. There are not three camps in this country, but four. There are the committed leftists, which entirely encapsulates the Democratic Party. There are the committed Conservatives, who find themselves mostly identified with the Republican Party – even though that party does not wish to identify with them.

There are the moderates – centrists who are willing to weigh each decision around the proposal, “Why can’t we all just get along?”

But there is a fourth group, and that is the largest and most important group of all. That group is the Uninvolved. It is not the liberals or the conservatives who decide elections, and certainly not the moderates. It is the uninvolved who decide the outcome.

These are the American citizens who can tell you in great detail who was voted off the Survivor series this week, and why; and yet could not name today the congressman they voted for last November. The uninvolved knows pop culture, the latest rising star in Hollywood, who is sleeping with whom, and who is, according to the tabloids, seeking divorce. The uninvolved has made TMZ more popular than organized religion.

The uninvolved, as demonstrated by recent figures, no longer read newspapers or watch network news. What current events and political opinion they manage to assimilate comes mostly from popular culture, television sitcoms or Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart. They know that Dick Cheney was evil from bits and digs they heard on The View. In short, the uninvolved are ignorant, and perfectly happy to stay that way.

It is the uninvolved voter – because ignorance does not prevent them from going to the polls on Election Day and voting – that the right must court – not the moderate. The key to winning elections is to reach the uninvolved voter – to give the uninvolved voter a reason to vote for a conservative – rather than to try to court the flotsam and jetsam of moderation.

Last fall I had a co-worker tell me, “All that I know is that my 401k made money when Clinton was in office and lost money under Bush.” Little did he know the great profundity he uttered with that statement. Without realizing it, he was stating a great truth – a truth that runs throughout our society today.

That was, in fact, all that he knew!

Like most uninvolved Americans, he knew nothing about the Community Reinvestment Act, or congressional pressure on banks to make risky loans. He was completely unaware of massive campaign contributions to congressmen from those same financial institutions who were looting the system of hundreds of millions of dollars – while driving those same institutions into financial ruin.

Oh, to be sure, he was outraged when the Bush Administration gave billions to those financial institutions and then the executives took huge bonuses. That was news he could not possibly miss – and knowing the root causes was unnecessary.

Like most uninvolved Americans he was outraged last summer when gasoline prices reached $5/gallon, without any understanding or interest in what governmental and environmental policies caused it to happen. Like most uninvolved Americans he railed against the oil companies for “Windfall profits,” without any understanding of supply and demand as a factor.

Like most uninvolved Americans he knows nothing about economics. He is angry at seeing jobs lost overseas, but doesn’t understand why wages can’t continue to go up, even in a down economy. He doesn’t understand why the cost of education continues to go up, and the quality of education continues to go down – but he supports the NEA and its efforts to squash school of choice and voucher programs – because he does not want to see public money go to private schools. His parents had to make a sacrifice to send him to private school and he feels that others should have to do the same.

And finally, it is the uninvolved citizen who now finds himself upside down in his mortgage, surrounded by other homes that have either been abandoned to the bank or have been up for sale for months.

It is the uninvolved citizen who now sees auto companies filing for bankruptcy, and probably sees for the first time in his life, the very real prospect that he might soon be out of a job – with no prospect on the horizon of a recovery. It is the uninvolved citizen who looks at massive government spending giving away billions to banks that will not extend him credit to buy a car that he is no longer sure he can afford.

And it is the uninvolved citizen who, despite the best effort of the Oldstream Media, heard about a Tea Party in his area from a co-worker, and is beginning to question – again for the first time – the direction that this country is headed.

These are the people that we need to reach – that we need to recruit – in order to take back this country from the Social-Democrats who are currently running it. As Bill Ayers once famously said, “La educacion es revolucion!

It is time to educate the uninvolved and turn them into Conservatives.

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Carrie Prejean To Keep Crown

Donald Trump announced at a news conference this morning that Carrie Prejean will keep her Miss California crown.  And, more than likely, she'll continue to be outspoken in favor of traditional marriage.

(By the way, if you've actually seen the clip of "The Answer" that got her into trouble, it was hardly a bashing of homosexuals or gay marriage.)

It is a rare lost battle for the left in the culture wars, and the leftists generally aren't good losers. Expect blistering blogs to follow. (Of course, they act the same crappy way when they win.)

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Soda Tax Proposal

Less than an hour ago, I blogged about the likelihood of new taxes coming down the pike in the wake of Obama's desire to socialize our nation's health care system, and the need to pay for it. My speculation was that "lifestyle" taxes would become more and more common. 

I didn't go very far out on a limb with that speculation.

I just ran across a news article that supports my thesis. Apparently, Democrats in congress are eyeing a federal tax on soda and other drinks. The Wall Street Journal writes:

Senate leaders are considering new federal taxes on soda and other sugary drinks to help pay for an overhaul of the nation's health-care system.

The taxes would pay for only a fraction of the cost to expand health-insurance coverage to all Americans and would face strong opposition from the beverage industry. They also could spark a backlash from consumers who would have to pay several cents more for a soft drink.

On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee is set to hear proposals from about a dozen experts about how to pay for the comprehensive health-care overhaul that President Barack Obama wants to enact this year. Early estimates put the cost of the plan at around $1.2 trillion. The administration has so far only earmarked funds for about half of that amount.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based watchdog group that pressures food companies to make healthier products, plans to propose a federal excise tax on soda, certain fruit drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks and ready-to-drink teas. It would not include most diet beverages. Excise taxes are levied on goods and manufacturers typically pass them on to consumers.

Senior staff members for some Democratic senators at the center of the effort to craft health-care legislation are weighing the idea behind closed doors, Senate aides said.

My advice? Do it. And make it about $1.00 a can.  Watch the landslide in 2010.

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World Apology Tour Summary

During the 2008 presidential race, then-President George W. Bush took heat for seeming to criticize Barack Obama as an appeaser during an address to Israel's parliament. 

It was considered poor form to take shots, direct or indirect, at a U.S. dignitary while overseas. 

But since taking office, Obama has made a habit of using overseas podiums to delicately jab at his predecessor by apologizing and expressing regret for American behavior in recent years. 

The following is a list, in reverse chronological order, of the Obama administration's overseas apologies and clarifications to date:

April 18: "We have at times been disengaged, and at times we sought to dictate our terms. But I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership. There is no senior partner and junior partner in our relations."

-- President Obama, at the Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain, Trinidad

April 16: "Too often, the United States has not pursued and sustained engagement with our neighbors. We have been too easily distracted by other priorities and have failed to see that our own progress is tied directly to progress throughout the Americas. My administration is committed to renewing and sustaining a broader partnership between the United States and the hemisphere on behalf of our common prosperity and our common security."

-- President Obama, in an op-ed that appeared in U.S. and Latin American newspapers prior to the Summit of the Americas

April 6: "I know there have been difficulties these last few years. I know that the trust that binds us has been strained, and I know that strain is shared in many places where the Muslim faith is practiced. Let me say this as clearly as I can: the United States is not at war with Islam."

-- President Obama, in Ankara, Turkey

April 3: "In America, there's a failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world. Instead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive. But in Europe, there is an anti-Americanism that is at once casual but can also be insidious. Instead of recognizing the good that America so often does in the world, there have been times where Europeans choose to blame America for much of what's bad. On both sides of the Atlantic, these attitudes have become all too common. They are not wise. ... They threaten to widen the divide across the Atlantic and leave us both more isolated."

-- President Obama, in Strasbourg, France

April 2: "It is true, as my Italian friend has said, that the (economic) crisis began in the U.S. I take responsibility, even if I wasn't even president at the time."

-- President Obama, at the G20 in London, as reported by Germany's Der Spiegel

April 2: "I would like to think that with my election and the early decisions that we've made, that you're starting to see some restoration of America's standing in the world."

-- President Obama, at G20 summit in London

April 1: "If you look at the sources of this crisis, the United States certainly has some accounting to do with respect to a regulatory system that was inadequate."

-- President Obama, at a press conference ahead of the G20 in London

March 25: "I feel very strongly we have a co-responsibility (for drug-fueled violence in Mexico). ... Our insatiable demand for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade. Our inability to prevent weapons from being illegally smuggled across the border to arm these criminals causes the deaths of police officers, soldiers and civilians."

-- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, en route to Mexico City

Jan. 26: "All too often the United States starts by dictating ... and we don't always know all the factors that are involved. So let's listen. And I think if we do that, then there's a possibility at least of achieving some breakthroughs. ... My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy. We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect."

-- President Obama, in an interview with Al Arabiya

The Obama administration has also expressed plenty of regret stateside as it rolls back some of Bush's counter-terrorism policies. The president, for instance, acknowledged potential "mistakes" as he addressed CIA employees April 20 and discussed his ban of enhanced interrogation techniques. 

"Don't be discouraged that we have to acknowledge potentially we've made some mistakes. That's how we learn," Obama said. 

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Terror Suspects Convicted

Five men were convicted Tuesday of plotting to join forces with Al Qaeda to destroy Chicago's Sears Tower and bomb FBI offices in hopes of igniting an anti-government insurrection.

The jury in Miami acquitted another member of the so-called "Liberty City Six" in the sixth day of deliberations. Two previous trials ended in mistrials when jurors could not agree on the men's guilt or innocence.

They were arrested in June 2006 on charges of plotting terrorism with an undercover FBI informant they believed was from Al Qaeda. Defense attorneys said terrorist talk recorded on dozens of FBI tapes was not serious and the men wanted only money.

Ringleader Narseal Batiste, 35, was the only one convicted of all four terrorism-related conspiracy counts, including plotting to provide material support to terrorists and conspiring to wage war against the U.S. Batiste, who was on the vast majority of hundreds of FBI audio and video tapes, faces up to 70 years in prison.

Batiste's right-hand man, 29-year-old Patrick Abraham, was convicted on three counts and faces 50 years behind bars. Convicted on two counts and facing 30 years are 24-year-old Burson Augustin, 25-year-old Rotschild Augustine and 33-year-old Stanley Grant Phanor. Naudimar Herrera, 25, was cleared of all four charges.

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Obama Eyes Incentives To Reduce Health Costs

In his second event of the week aimed at promoting health care reform, President Obama met with corporate leaders Tuesday about programs they use to rein in health care costs. 

Obama met CEOs, corporate benefits officers, union leaders and state and local health officials to talk about ways to improve worker fitness and reduce absenteeism, a day after winning a pledge from the health care industry to slow the long-term rise in costs. 

Obama said there are "no quick fixes" to the problem but that he wants to "lift up" the best practices for health care to save money for families, businesses and the government. 

The businesses highlighted by the White House include supermarket company Safeway, which provides insurance discounts for workers who quit smoking, lower their weight and control their blood pressure and cholesterol. 

The company has reduced its health care spending by 13 percent and workers have cut their insurance premiums by 20 percent. 

The conclusion is logical. We can expect more taxes as government tries to engineer a "healthier" lifestyle for taxpaying Americans. Are you overweight? Expect an "Over Ideal Weight Tax." Do you drink? Expect additional liquor taxes. Do you drive places when you could be walking? Maybe huge increases in gas taxes would change that for you. Watch too much TV? How about a "TV viewing Tax?"

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