Baltimore Sun: Health care bill likely to address race issues, congresswoman says
Black Elected Officials - The Best Sales Men For The Democratic Party.
I recall several years ago, before I had my blog, that I posted on a Black message board a "before and after" review of the antics of then Rep Cynthia McKinney in regards to federal educational reform. When President Bill Clinton initiated a program to support reading literacy in high schools Rep McKinney applauded the bill, saying that it would be a useful tool in assisting her constituents to stay in school.
Fast forward a few years later. I quoted her views about "No Child Left Behind". Despite spending $12 billion more than did President Clinton, Rep McKinney had no love for President Bush and his policies that focused upon Title I schools. We were made to believe that "No Child Left Behind" was some radical new bill that attempted to hijack public education. Instead it was a re-authorization of the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act" - the same act that was used by Clinton and other presidents to focus upon improving troubled schools.
Today, despite "No Child Left Behind" being the "rules of the road" for the Federal Department of Education - the attacks have gone the way of the "Anti-War Protests".
"Support" versus "Attack" was a matter of whom was in the White House.
CUMMINGS AND EDWARDS SELL THE BENEFITS OF HEALTH CARE REFORMS TO BLACK PEOPLE
Baltimore Sun article:
Rep. Donna Edwards said on Monday that proposed legislation overhauling health care would likely address racial disparities in education and health among children, linking the topics in a joint address with Rep. Elijah E. Cummings to advocates and education leaders in Columbia.
The two-hour forum, put on by Advocates for Children and Youth, an independent statewide nonprofit organization, addressed statistics released earlier this summer by the group that showed the infant mortality rate to be 8 deaths per 1,000 births in Maryland, with African-American babies dying at a 2.5 times higher rate than white babies.
The organization's report also states that 49 percent of Latino kindergartners are ready for school, compared to 70 percent of their white counterparts.
At the meeting at Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, both representatives connected poor health care in children to negative effects in learning. The conversation turned into a plug for health care legislation, as the topic is expected to return to national prominence this week.
"There are some concrete things, such as making a greater investment in community health centers as a way to deliver health care services, that is meaningful for some of our most vulnerable communities," said Edwards, a Democrat who represents parts of Prince George's and Montgomery counties. "I feel really confident that we're on the right track there. The irony of all the health care discussion is a lot of that good stuff, nobody ever talks about it. So most people don't know those things are in there."
Cummings, a Baltimore Democrat, spoke of low expectations in minority communities of education and health, again relaying the story of a Prince George's boy who died after a tooth infection spread to his brain. Cummings has supported President Barack Obama's proposed changes to the U.S. health care system.
"When we listen to the debate in regards to health care, some people need to take the blinders off. There're a lot of people who are suffering needlessly," Cummings said.
Edwards said the health care bill would transform the way services are delivered, such as placing nurses in all schools.
About 50 people, mostly state workers from the Department of Human Resources, education leaders and representatives from other child welfare agencies, attended the forum.
Edwards said Prince George's County has just one federally funded community health care center, a reason why she supports changing the system. Edwards is serving her first term in office.
"We know, for example, on health care, that there are tremendous disparities in terms of research dollars, disparities in terms of treating health outcomes and prevention. We have to get much smarter about making those investments in a way that results in positive health outcomes," Edwards said. "The Congressional Black Caucus has been really aggressive in making sure our final legislation includes health disparity language."
I am past attempting to refute the claims of progressive Democrats like Cummings and Edwards.
We need frameworks to measure their claims. From the article above they make the following claims as they dangle carrots of promises in front of the people and/or made the following observations:
- Overhauling health care would likely address racial disparities in education and health among children
- Infant Mortality disparities will be addressed
- Preparedness for Kindergarten will be addressed
- Poor health impacts early learning
Again I ask the question - IF these issues that are listed above are important to Black people and we value our own - What specific request is being made of the Black community so that we are the main force expressing our own worth?
Answer: NOTHING
The Black Quasi-Socialist Progressive-Fundamentalist Racism Chaser is all about having society to prove to our people that we are EQUAL in worth. Thus all of the heaving lifting to bring us to equality will take place from changes to the society. Our community will not be asked to independently support this heightened standard of living financially. The Black community will not be asked to direct more of our young people toward the medical profession so that their years of focus will be used to increase the number of medical professionals within our communities.
Instead all of this will be driven legislatively ON OUR BEHALF
It is critical that the key data points be collected so that we can make a determination as to the efficacy and endurance of a strategy that seeks to lift a people up by pulling them up rather than asking them to order their way so that their rise can be more self-sustaining.
No comments:
Post a Comment