The Congressional Black Caucus - Representatives Of The Poor - The Least Of These

This is a picture of the old "Wendy's" building on Old National Highway in College Park Georgia. I noticed a new sign on this building as I was driving past this morning on my way to the mentoring program that I participate in.  The sign announced the opening of an urgent care clinic. 

Later in the day I was motivated to drive up to this building to take a picture of the sign that I saw.  The motivating force for my drive was the press conference held by the Congressional Black Caucus.

Let me frame this for you:  Do you know the various pictures around the Obama election victory speech in which Black people were seen crying because they realized the gravity of the moment?    Listening to the CBC today made ME cry - INSIDE. These were not tears of pride but instead it cemented my understanding that they represent "The Least Of These".  They seek to provide services to the people who they see as "voiceless", using the growth of government as a means of having our society prove that all who live inside are worthy.  This is their version of what they are doing.

XM Sirius hosted a series of press conferences on the "POTUS" channel regarding the health care reform bill presently in Congress.  I heard a series of CBC members take the mic and give their perspective on the state of health care - FOR THE POOR.  They noted how wonderful this proposed health care reform bill will be to the poor - the core of their constituency:  

• A New "Office Of Minority Health" in the HHH Department To Study Health Care Disparities By Race
• New Government Health Clinics in CBC Districts
• Black People Are Among The Largest Group Of Uninsured In America Thus We Will Benefit
• Profits Will Be Taken Out Of The Health Insurance Market As The Government Will Regulate All Proposed Increases
• Black People Are Denied Access To Healthy Foods

The list went on and on and on.  The key point that I noted is that with each successive speaker they talked about how they 'FOUGHT' to get certain provisions that would benefit "Black people".  They know that for many people the 'fighting disposition' shows strength and resolve.

They gave thanks to Chairman Charlie Rangel for his leadership.  They noted that this health care reform will be added to the trophy shelf of progressive victories which  includes:

1. Social Security
2. Medicare
3. Medicaid

As I listened to their version of things that inner tear streamed down my consciousness.  There are one of two truths that I must face:

1. BLACK PEOPLE ARE A POOR PEOPLE and thus I AM OUT OF TOUCH WITH "REAL BLACKS"
2. THESE PEOPLE WHO I AM LISTENING TO HAVE NO INTEREST IN MAKING BLACKS THE 'UN-LEAST OF THESE' BECAUSE IN "SERVING THEM" THEY RETAIN THEIR CONSTITUENCY

Most certainly, one must agree that Black Americans are among the nation's poor.  I would be in denial for me to fail to agree with the CBC on this point.   As I listened to the array of government benefits that they have arranged the irony of seeing the transformation of the 'Burger Joint" in da hood into a "Health Care Clinic".  All of this happened without the government health care reform that they were pushing.

I finally settled upon the point that I am "Venus" and they are "Mars" in their thoughts.  They care that Black people are SERVICED, without regard to the means by which we receive our "servicing".  Through their efforts the government will be expanded.  In their logic "we tried the market and the market has failed Black America".  They fail to realize that it is  their ideology that has failed our people.

We have our freedom.  They got into power as our people had our right to vote enforced.  In the face of the enumeration of the needs for the Black community we as a people have chosen to VOTE our problems away.  By definition this required us to tap into some notion of a national contract.  Using this guise we asked America to prove to us that we are valued equally. 

I imagine that in their attempt to have me connect with the struggles of "real Black people" they are inclined to take me around to the suffering in their districts and thus get me to form an emotional bond to "the Least Of These".  Recall a few weeks ago the though of having "Gang Turf" tours of Los Angeles drew scorn from some.   I fail to see the difference between this and the various "Environmental Civil Rights Tours" who's goal is to bring awareness to the suffering and discrimination had by Blacks. 

For me - my exposure in life - both within our communities and the education that I have been exposed to and the places that this has taken me - I would be far more impressed if they would yeild from showing me "misery" and instead acknowledge that it is THEY who preside over a grossly broken culure of "HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT".  Their solutions in which they provide "service" rather than a mandatory counterbalance of development in the spirit of "Teach A Man To Fish......" merely exacerbates the problem.   Those who have a "demand side" economic theory set can't see that the programs that they hold in high esteem are the same programs that any economist worth his salt will point to as the forces that will imperil the American economy.

When I provide evidence of the destructiveness of their theories by providing audio or video of "the Least Of These" it is not to mock the PEOPLE.  It is to damn their flawed theories, hoping that these theories will change.   The state of consciousness of the people who are now facing injection into the 'real world' after a change in government policy which saw their government housing project razed is real.   After 5, 10, 20, or 35 years of being "serviced" as such in this space where both economic, social science and cultural enforcements are too often suspended - the impact upon the people is clear. 

We heard then candidate Barack Obama detail in his "race speech" that social welfare policies have indeed hurt the Black family.  What was missing was his willingness to identify the parents of this bastard child.  Apparently no one was around to claim it.  More to the point - it would have been a self-indictment of Obama and those who stand around him as part of the machine that dominates these places.

In listening to those who strongly support this legislation it is a mix of "demand side economics" where they tell of not being able to afford the x-ray to have their toe injury examined over to their theories that the White man, speaking though the Republican Party is resistant at losing his WHITE PRIVILEGE.

Help me understand this.  On the one hand, if the theory is played out in the real world - the presence of insurance is going to open up the presently blocked water way to all who are in need of service.  Merely by removing profits and injecting more money by mandatory insurance and government subsidies - these are going to make that which is presently too costly on the individual - accessible to all - and even SAVE money in the long run.  Tell me this - when I purchase the bridge will I be able to rename it after myself?

Secondly with regards to White folks - If I were White I would key in upon the question of how the Black man is ORGANICALLY STRENGTHENED through this legislation and thus rises as a powerful threat to the elevated land that I stand upon.   Instead I get the sense that some people see a life raft of a fixed dimension and that White people fear that this law is going to allow a multitude of "Negroes" upon the craft thereby capsizing it.

I am comfortable with this supposition of their thoughts because I realize that to them economics is a "Zero Sum Game".  One receives at the expense of another's giving.  The key flaw is that an economic marketplace is only a "Z.S.G." once all of the resources have been brought onto market and thus are at play for the grabbing. 

Central to my argument is the clear fact that the largest untapped resource is that of the "Negro" and his ability to orient the Equal Human Resources in his community so that all of them are aligned to provide for this level of medical service that he needs.    When I say this those who are brainwashed will proclaim that I am attempting to beat them with a bootstrap.   I have learned to take their taunts head on because in fearing that they will strip away my official "Blackness" they will lead me around by the nose on other issues.  

If given the choice - where we as a people:

• Now Administrate Our Own Schools
• Now Are In The Seats Of Power Over All Of The Key Institutions
• Have The Final Say On What Is Culturally Permissible In Our Communities

and

• Are Fully Conversant About Our NEEDS And How They Are Not Being Met (By White People Who We Share Our Citizenship With)

What is the more logical course of action?   Having secured the notion via law that their physical assault upon our person or property would cause them to be arrested as the laws are now enforced - why are we turning to the government yet again with a "struggle" to insert the government as the grand resource distributor?  In our freedom we fear the responsibilities that come with it.   Some of us are comfortable seeing "racism" in all "divides" but are not quite comfortable to observe the squandered opportunity and the failure to deploy our "equal human resources" as agents for our own salvation .

Back to the radio program -

I grew frustrated in listening to the radio show even more as the Republicans took the airwaves next and talked about ABORTION FUNDING.   This proves the height of the cluelessness of the Republican Party.  They are trying to talk "moral principles" to a group of people who want to be serviced.  Their dignity has long ago been sold for a few pieces of silver. 

This motivated me to go to the second point of reference:   The Super H-Mart farmers market in nearby Riverdale Georgia.

A bit of history is required for this building that you see.  Riverdale GA is in Clayton County.  After years of political strife - both Clayton and Riverdale became "majority Black" a few years ago.   In the process of taking control over their city the activists noted that there were no quality grocery stores in their city.   The Winne-Dixie Corporation cleared out a clump of pine trees and built the building that you see.  A few years later the company pulled out of Atlanta due to tepid sales results as the #4 chain. The building sat empty for a few years.   Another grocery retailer reopened the building a few years later.  (I don't remember the name).  It soon closed.    The building sat vacant for more than 2 years.   In the backdrop the activists began speaking again.  They talked about the lack of access that Riverdale has to fresh vegetables, meats and fish as compared to the wealthier neighbors in Fayetteville and McDonough to the south.   The knight in shining armor came to the rescue from the East.   As you might guess based on the hieroglyph  on the building - the owners of the "Super H-Mart" are Koreans.

The city of Riverdale's desire for fresh fish, meat and vegetables was "serviced" by the graces of those who live outside of their community.  

I don't have a problem with Koreans and their ownership.  My point is that those who register grievances regarding Black people being "underserved" really don't care about HOW this service is ultimately rendered to the grieving masses.

We don't hear about this as a problem until reports like the one that was registered a few weeks ago come about.  The report said that Blacks have only $0.16 on the dollar of wealth compared to White folks.   The same people who are prone to trump this up to RACISM fail to see that their policy and solution set with respect to identifying NEEDS and but then having them SERVICED by the government rather than innovation in the marketplace serve to maintain this imbalance.  Sadly the wild card of "racism" proves to be far more appealing to many.

ACHIEVING THE STATE OF BEING "SERVICED" versus ORGANIC DEVELOPMENT

When I heard Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security being mentioned as shining lights of accomplishment I realized that I was listening to "Demand Side Capitalists" speaking.   Whereas the economic journals that I read list these three programs as the primary source by which our nation will be dragged into (further) insolvency - those with a "Demand Side" viewpoint look at how many people are being serviced by these programs.  Like their "Wall Street" compliments they could care less about how their actions will eventually imperil the national treasury.

As I follow the course of the entrenchment of the progressive machine I can't help but note their propensity toward looking at the victory as the successful labor contract signing instead of success being evident by the endurance of their agreement.  The backslapping, press conferences and after-parities fail to capture the long term predicament that their "victory" often has on their fate.    Most certainly the present state of Detroit, Milwaukee and Rochester indicate the distinction between the outcomes of a "battle" and a "war".

In my view the Progressive is like a "Serial Rescuer" who fails to see how his past actions merely position himself to receive yet another merit badge in the future.  Too often it was his own ambulance that hit the victim, triggering his necessity for the present care.

I can't help but to believe that at some point in the future once all of the capitalists have sucked the resources of the American treasury dry - the gravity of the situation at hand will necessitate massive spending cuts.  Just as we are seeing gross cuts in education spending at the state and local level because there simply are no revenues to fill the void - such will be the case one day with this health care game of "3 Card Monte'.

The question that I will ask the Congressional Black Caucus is:  "During the time of your freedom where your CIVIL RIGHTS were protected - What did you ask of your people so that they might leverage the opportunities that you have crafted for them?"  

Sadly the painful truth will be abundant.  Our present leaders have hijacked the "Civil Rights Movement" for their own agenda far worse than any right-winger who makes use of the words of Martin Luther King Jr.  .   They know not how to lead our people, causing us to meet our community needs by using the HUMAN RESOURCES that we have in abundance - many of them looking for a way that they can find their PURPOSE.  

The Christian notion of assisting the poor - the "least of these" has been perverted into making people permanent "least of these" members while never thinking about how to transform this person closer to the "God" that he was created in the image of.  In addition they confuse the Christian calling for service with the use of the government and tax policy as a channel of Christian giving.   This is a perversion of any biblical reference that they could find.  The same dollar that is given in expansive taxes to the government could be use in the spirit of Christian brotherhood without the need for 216 members of the US House to give their blessing.

Instead they only know how to grow power and government.  They realize that people have an abundant appetite for being serviced.  They are no different than the Wall Street banker.

My tears that are inside flow because the Emperor need not even pretend any longer that "He Has No Clothes".