Roland Burris

What is missing in today's world are all those fabulous old sayings that the old people would mutter about the young. It appears that Roland at age 71 didn't listen when he as a young man was probably told; "IF YOU LAY DOWN WITH DOGS, YOU'LL COME UP WITH FLEAS". No matter how innocent and honest Mr. Burris was, his association with the disaster known as our governor is making all those who maintain contact with Blago to come up smelling as bad as he does. (Kind of like accepting a date with OJ Simpson or Drew Peterson. No proof that they killed their wives, but still there's something about them that folks with common sense would know to avoid.)

What is it about some blacks who were once in politics that they worry so little about their legacy that they would be willing to sell their souls to the devil for an ounce of further political success?

At the end of a career, which from all accounts has been stellar, Mr. Burris' response today on TV about accepting the appointment and I paraphrase was "it's nothing illegal that the governor has done". But no mention of the morally wrong asthetics.

Poor Mr. Burris. So warped and wrapped up in himself that he can believe that the taint of Blago won't affect him. But the reality is that it does. Everything that he does will contain a whiff of possible impropriety.

Now on to Bobby Hush. Is there a pay-for-play motive in his new found support for Blago? Could it have anything to do with his son the ex-prison guard sentenced for having sex with a female inmate?


I was disappointed when I saw the black preachers falling all over themselves to get in thru Blago front door to "pray" with him. Now this?

Danny Davis gave an interview where he says he turned Blago down for the job. That means that Roland wasn't even a first choice. How come they couldn't get the entire IL house to agree on Roland being an interim senator until the 2010 elections?

Lastly can't wait for Patrick Fitzgerald to release the tapes. I still want to know who UNDERCOVER BROTHER Jesse Jackson Jr's embassary was. For the life of me, what person could be so familiar with the governor that he could walk into his office and speak so openly????????????

Victory or defeat? The battle rages on in 2009

The ending of an old year brings about reflections of all that has happened, and 2008 will go down in history for a multitude of historic events that each outshone the other.

There was no bigger event in 2008 than the historic winning of the presidency by Barack Obama. In many ways, his win fulfilled my favorite African Proverb: On the day of victory no one will be tired. Nothing proved that more than the sight of millions of people going to vote who would not let a wait in line prevent them from performing their civic duty.

However fantastic Obama's win may be, the reality is that it's just one in an endless list of victories that need to occur. For example, the verdict in the case of R. Kelly was not a victory for young girls who are victims of sexual predators. The continued murder of young black men means we have not overcome the violence that permeates our communities.

There has yet to be a victory over the AIDS epidemic in the black community. Here in Austin, the opening of Food for Less is one more step toward a victory over the lack of quality grocery stores in this community. Yet the trash that litters our streets means we have failed to be victorious in getting a "do not litter" message out as well as a lack of sanitation enforcement by all three of the Streets and Sanitation superintendents in Austin. It would be nice to see the city put the same vigor into ticketing an overflowing dumpster as it does in ticketing a car whose meter has run out of time.

In Chicago, every parked car is seen as a source of revenue for the city. Yet more than 48 hours after the last snowstorm, businesses that occupy major corners as well as those along our avenues still hadn't cleared the sidewalks in front of their stores. Considering all the anger car owners exhibited over the lack of plowing of the city's sidestreets, pedestrians should show the same outrage about the city not fining those businesses and homeowners who are too trifling to shovel the sidewalks. A double fine should be given to corner businesses and homes who fail to shovel on all sides. We taxpayers have been funding the city's program to put disabled access curbs at every intersection only to have those same sidewalks impassible during the winter months when irresponsible people choose not to shovel.

Crime is still an issue we need to become victorious over. Our community will never get the business community that we desire if shoplifting is portrayed and glamorized as an acceptable behavior pattern. Drug dealing on the streets is another scourge in our community as some residents choose the lazier method of selling drugs over the diligence of becoming legitimate entrepreneurs. We have unsolved murders and drive-by killings and worst, we have those who created that havoc living among us.

Politics is another area where we lack true victory. We continue to re-elect the worst representation and then wonder why our community gets so little. When we take more interest in a presidential race and pay no attention to the mayoral race, we have our priorities backwards. The mayor affects our daily lives a lot more than the president does.

We watch silently and get no victory from the city leasing out every available taxpayer-funded entity to patch a budget shortfall without ever fixing the root of the problem. Nor do we question how money is always found for any pet project the mayor wants for the downtown area while those of us living in the neighborhoods are ignored like uninvited guests at a party. We pay the highest sales tax in the nation-including a nickel a bottle tax on bottled water-while politicians continue with their failed ideology that everything can be resolved by increasing taxes. Those politicians fall short of taking into account human nature and the ability of many Chicagoans to avoid the taxes by refusing to shop within the city and county limits. I confess to being one who buys the majority of my gasoline in Indiana and all my bottled water outside of the city limits.

In 2009, let us all remember that we can never be too tired to strive for victory.

Obama Raffles Off Inaugural Tickets - Guess He agrees with me!

Arlene --

Barack Obama will be sworn in as President of the United States of America on January 20th, 2009.

It will be an unprecedented event in the history of our country, and hundreds of thousands of people will come together in Washington, D.C. to share the moment.

Supporters like you made this happen. You know that real change comes from the bottom up, not from the top down, and Barack and Joe want you to join them on this historic day. They want to start off this administration with the people who worked so hard and will continue to fight for change with them.

Between now and January 8th, 10 supporters and their guests will be selected to join the Inaugural activities.

If you make a donation -- in any amount -- to make the Inauguration a success, you and a guest could be flown to Washington, D.C., put up in a hotel, and be there as Barack is sworn in as the 44th President.

Make a donation of $5 or more right now. You and a guest could receive your ticket to history.

Unlike past inaugurations, this year's event will not be paid for by Washington lobbyists or corporations.

This campaign was funded by 4 million ordinary people giving only what they could afford, and Barack and Joe are counting on you again. Help start this administration off right -- independent of the special interest donors who have shaped Washington for too long.

This Inauguration will be open to as many Americans as possible. We'll all come together to celebrate the hope and optimism that define this movement for change.

But you could be one of 10 selected to join us in Washington for all Inaugural events. Any donation you make between now and January 8th counts -- whatever you can afford.

Show your support for a different kind of politics and a different kind of inauguration with a donation of $5 or more today:

https://donate.pic2009.org/tickettohistory

The Inauguration will be a once-in-a-lifetime event. I hope you can join us.

Thank you,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America
could still be selected to receive your ticket to history.


P.S. -- If you cannot make a donation, you and a guest

Why Black People Don't Feel The Republican Party

The Democracts take black people for granted and the Republicans spew racism: What's a black voter to do?

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(CNN) -- A candidate for the Republican National Committee chairmanship said Friday the CD he sent committee members for Christmas -- which included a song titled "Barack the Magic Negro" -- was clearly intended as a joke.

"I think most people recognize political satire when they see it," Tennessee Republican Chip Saltsman told CNN. "I think RNC members understand that."

The song, set to the tune of "Puff the Magic Dragon," was first played on conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh's radio show in 2007.

Its title was drawn from a Los Angeles Times column about President-elect Barack Obama's appeal to those who feel guilty about the nation's history of mistreatment of African-Americans. Saltsman said the song, penned by longtime friend Paul Shanklin, should be easily recognized as satire directed at the Times.

The CD sent to RNC members, first reported by The Hill on Friday, is titled "We Hate the USA" and also includes songs referencing former presidential candidate John Edwards and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, among other targets.

According to The Hill, other song titles, some of which were in bold font, were: "John Edwards' Poverty Tour," "Wright place, wrong pastor," "Love Client #9," "Ivory and Ebony" and "The Star Spanglish Banner."

Saltsman was national campaign manager for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential bid in 2007 and 2008. Before that, he held a variety of posts, including a number of positions under former Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee.

All AboutRepublican National Committee • Barack Obama

Let's Raffle Off the Vacant Senate Seat of Barack Obama

“I will fight. I will fight. I will fight.” So proclaimed our Gov. Rod Blagojevich is his only official press conference since being arrested. The charges against him are for criminal conspiracy. The conspiracy includes his alleged attempt to sell the vacant senate seat as well as getting campaign contributions in exchange for other official actions.

Now I don’t know if Gov. Blagojevich’s fight is one of his innocence or the fight coming out of someone who is guilty as heck and is fighting to draw attention away from the guilt. But what I do know is that we have a vacant senate seat that needs to be filled. A seat that if filled before Congress reconvenes after the holiday would give our senator seniority over those who are seated later. And in the U.S. Congress, seniority matters.

Now Illinois is not the only state where the Governor gets to fill the vacant senate seat. The Governor of Delaware has already filled the vacant senate seat of Joe Biden. The Governor of New York is soon to appoint a replacement to the senate seat of Hillary Clinton. So why can’t Gov. Blagojevich still appoint a replacement for the vacant senate seat of Barack Obama? Some people are claiming that the arrest of Gov. Blagojevich has tainted the process. Some are even calling for a special election that could cost us taxpayers 35 or more millions of dollars.

I for one, still feel that Gov. Blagojevich should still get to appoint the replacement senator even if he is under a cloud of controversy. The controversy shouldn’t be in who Gov. Blagojevich appoints to the seat. The controversy is how that decision is made. That where I’d like to offer a suggestion. Let’s just pull the name out of a hat. Because in truth, whenever someone has been appointed to a position, none of us have ever known the logic or illogic behind that decision.

For example, Mayor Daley has appointed a number of aldermen to replace other aldermen who have gone to jail in scandal after scandal. Even though those individuals affected us a lot more than a replacement for a senator, many of us have gone along with the process with very few complaints. There has never been any transparency in the mayor’s choices. And had Gov. Blagojevich not gotten arrested, there wouldn’t have been any transparency in his process as well.

So let’s make the senate seat that was available “for sale” to the highest fundraiser for the governor a “for sale” fundraiser for the State of Illinois in the form of a raffle ticket. Let those who wanted the seat purchase blocks of tickets and then the governor can pull the winner’s raffle ticket out of a hat on live TV. Those individuals who were willing to raise hundred of thousands of dollars for Blagojevich’s campaign fund can raise the same hundred of thousands of dollars for raffle tickets for their favorite candidate.

Heck, even some of us who want our own candidate to be the one to get the seat can contribute to their chance by purchasing tickets for them. Forget the instant tickets for the lottery. We can go and purchase ten dollars worth of Jesse Jackson, Jr., tickets, five dollars worth of Tammy Duckworth, twenty dollars worth of Danny K. Davis tickets, etc. Whenever someone buys a raffle ticket for their candidate, the proceeds from that purchase can go into the state’s coffers. The state can make money on the deal and the selection of the replacement will be open and honest to the public. And for once voters can finally benefit in the “pay to play” world of Illinois politics!

Interestingly - This Is The Story We Didn't Hear This Year....

Last year we have several news stories regarding some churches who claimed that thieves broke into the church and stole all the gifts. The economy is now worst this year as opposed to last year. So one would assume that we would hear numerous cases of Grinches who stole Christmas.


Yet this year, that hasn't been the story. Now the cynic in me last year didn't believe some of those store front churches had the money to have one single present. So the claims of lost of thousands of dollars in gifts made me skeptical. But no stories this year mean either the thieves have changed, there weren't any gifts being bought this year or the bad economy would have made a made-up story a waste of time.

How Come Sarbane Oxley Didn't Prevent the Wall Street Crisis

Several years ago, Congress implemented Sarbane-Oxley (SOX).

In a nutshell and according to Wikepedia, "The legislation establishes new or enhanced standards for all U.S. public company boards, management, and public accounting firms. It does not apply to privately held companies. The Act contains 11 titles, or sections, ranging from additional Corporate Board responsibilities to criminal penalties, and requires the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to implement rulings on requirements to comply with the new law. Debate continues over the perceived benefits and costs of SOX. Supporters contend that the legislation was necessary and has played a useful role in restoring public confidence in the nation's capital markets by, among other things, strengthening corporate accounting controls. Opponents of the bill claim that it has reduced America's international competitive edge against foreign financial service providers, claiming that SOX has introduced an overly complex and regulatory environment into U.S. financial markets.

The Act establishes a new quasi-public agency, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, which is charged with overseeing, regulating, inspecting, and disciplining accounting firms in their roles as auditors of public companies. The Act also covers issues such as auditor independence, corporate governance, internal control assessment, and enhanced financial disclosure."


So can someone tell me why SOX didn't prevent what happened on Wall Street? Is the outsourcing of so many IT jobs the reason that many foreign programmers do the work but not being US citizens they care less about our regulatory laws?