Category: OPINION

Some of the responses by the Republicans and their friends to the Iran nuclear deal have been nothing short of amazing. The deal includes greater and closer inspections of Iranian sites, some relief from the sanctions, and the delay in certain steps that the Iranians had been contemplating. After six months this is to be […]

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years back, I reacted like most who receive a cancer diagnosis. The first thing that came to mind was that it was a death sentence. However, I found out later that it was truly “an awakening” for me. I questioned God, but instead of bemoaning my […]

Washington, DC–(Updated 12/10/2013) — Graciousness. Kindness. Forgiveness. Commentators have heaped these adjectives on Nelson Mandela as they reflect on his passing. Most emphasize Mandela’s role as a kind and generous conciliator, comparing him to Gandhi, King and other larger-than-life figures of our times. Pacifist he was not. Canonized for his magnanimous spirit, Mandela was more than […]

Today’s politicians and many economists seldom, if ever, discuss the concept of full employment. It appears that capitalist economies promoted by these politicians and economists are incompatible with full employment. However, full employment is necessary for improving standards of living in capitalist economies. Full employment is where everyone or nearly everyone wanting to work at […]

Many ardent conservatives are critical of the Affordable Care Act or what they derisively call “Obamacare.” But what are they proposing that proves that they care about uninsured Americans? The Tampa Bay Times’ “Pundit Fact” team discovered some interesting findings when they approached that question indirectly. Specifically, the newspaper looked at the main Republican alternatives […]

The American Dream lives! It’s the current American reality that’s become a nightmare for millions upon millions whose lives, occupations and economic stability once seemed to embody it. A new survey released Thanksgiving week by the Washington Post and the Miller Center, a nonpartisan, public policy-focused affiliate of the University of Virginia, offers fresh evidence […]

“In America today, college is available to everyone prepared to move forward in life,” Dr. Claudio Prieto, then Assistant U.S. Education Secretary, once observed. “For minorities like us, there are still barriers to obtaining an education, but with hard work, those barriers are manageable….” Most of us would agree. Yet, for Americans of color, acknowledging […]

The Christmas season provides an excellent opportunity for Africans in America to engage in a season of resistance. The corporate retail establishment in this country is heavily dependent upon this season for consumers to participate in a frenzy of buying to buttress their bottom line. The unofficial kick-off of the “shop until you drop” season […]

“Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort. Bullying can take the form of physical contact, words or more subtle actions.”  American Psychological Association When 12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick jumped to her death from an abandoned concrete plant tower on Sept. 9 because of bullying […]

Just as the holiday season begins, when the thoughts and actions of some focus on compassion for others, we could be about to witness the government’s forcing the poor to go hungry – the product of political horse-trading in Washington that has erased a critical portion of the already-meager subsidy the federal food stamp program […]

As we watched the parades and listened to the speeches on Veterans’ Day, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel offered perhaps the most consequential insight about America’s continuing bond with those who have gone in harm’s way to serve our country. “The United States is now winding down the longest period of sustained combat in our […]

The U.S. Gross Domestic Product (the value of all goods and services in the economy) figures show GDP per person is $53,211. That’s per person, not per family. Those figures also show we annually spend $2,797 per person on food. That’s $233 per person a month. After netting out imports, we sell nearly $14 billion […]