Bernie V. Hillary Comes Down To One Simple Question

Hillary v. Bernie. Still confused? Need an election guide. Take a few minutes, and think about what your values and beliefs want for today, and tomorrow. When you do, the choice comes down to one simple question. Do you prefer a government that works for business, or a government that works for people?

Over the past 30 years, we have chosen a system based on a government working for big business. Major policies a based on the premise of  profit for businesses first. Major trade agreements have only considered exploitation for profits. Healthcare is driven by a profit model, leaving millions underinsured or uninsured. Minimum wage versus living wage has made many people struggle to work multiple jobs to eek out an existence. To keep things simple, all systems exist upon a similar model of profit before people.

Most industrialized countries since World War II have adopted a system known as a socialized democracy often times confused with "Socialism." The countries that have socialized democracies have systems that provide universal benefits for the citizens of one's country. Healthcare is universal. Wages are higher. Debt is greatly reduced. Financial markets do not allow predatory lending. In a sense, socialized democracies transfer  the wealth of the richest to the middle class, however it also eliminates the idea of a welfare state as we know it in our country. The welfare of everyone replaces a caste system as we have in the United States.

This is why after the last CNN debate, Hillary continues to fundraise, partnering with wealthy donors. Bernie went to see the Pope to discuss wealth disparities. Bernie knows that the biggest problem facing people in the United States and many countries is the wealth disparities that create a caste system. Knowing the difference in the two candidates, Hillary and Bernie would most likely look like this regarding major policies that effect our daily lives:

Healthcare:

Hillary - A slow progression towards universal healthcare. Profits would hold hostage each round of legislative actions

Bernie - A comprehensive overhaul of the system that would provide a single payer (Medicare) system for everyone.

Wages:

Hillary - 12.00 increase that would be a great improvement.

Bernie - 15.00 which would bring us to a livable wage. People would be less dependent on government services due to this wage would qualify them for independence versus dependence regarding many safety net programs.

Education:

Hillary - Would allow banks to slow the trend towards Free College. Also, banks would continue to profit from the Student Loan Process as programs would continue to benefit the banking industry.

Bernie - Similar to healthcare, Bernie would overhaul our education system, and would find a solution to loan debt, as it is a modern from of indentured servitude to banks.

Environmental Issues:

Hillary - will continue progress towards energy dependence. However major stakeholders such as oil and gas will play a major role in reaching that goal. She will allow catastrophic initiatives that impact communities negatively such as fracking.

Bernie - will seek out solar, wind and energy solutions that reduce our dependency of foreign and domestic oil. He will also seek alternatives to fracking and most likely ban the future practice of fracking.

Critics of this article will say it is "pie in the sky." However, the reality is Bernie wants a system of government that works for the people,  while Hillary wants a less progressive policy that works for big business. She will work towards policies that work towards a common goal of helping people, only she will take a much longer path to enable big business to continue to profit for many years as the transition happens.

The problem with Hillary's policies are that we will continue to exist in a lottery system of care. Wages and benefits are a great example of the gap between Hillary and Bernie. Under Clinton you make 12.00 an hr. and have health insurance that costs 6000.00 a year with a 6000.00 deductible, you will be considered insured, but your insurance company benefits more that you. Under Sanders, you have a system that switches the model to completely cover care, so that you have the freedom to live
without doubt and worry bankrupting you, and your family. When you step away, and look at your choice from a perspective of using the correct moral compass , the chances are you are going to lean towards Bernie Sanders.

The Democrats Are All About Voting Rights?

The Democrats are a funny bunch. For a party so concerned with voting rights, they sure know how to send a mixed message to their constituents. On the one hand, they are advocating that the Republicans are sponsoring voting laws that are discriminatory.  Good points on their part as many new voter laws are designed to make it difficult for people to vote. We all can agree this in not a good policy or practice.

The problem with the Democrat's concerns are they are a party that could care less about voter rights if you truly examine what is happening to Bernie Sanders. What good is your right to vote in the first place, if you stack an electoral process in favor of the party's big bosses. Sanders has won by big margins only to lose the delegates to Hillary Clinton. What good is your right to vote if the party takes away the candidate's victories?

The truth of the matter is that the Democratic Party wants us to believe they are about voting rights. Need further evidence of voter fraud? Look into what happened to many of the primaries to Sanders and you will quickly see how the Democrats run an election. Many states are looking at how the primaries were run because voters complained that the process is unfair to Bernie Sanders and their right to vote has been tampered with by the Democratic Party.


Here is a link to read about some past allegations:

http://heavy.com/news/2016/03/arizona-election-voter-fraud-bernie-sanders-azelectionfraud-provisional-ballot-maricopa-registration-long-lines/   (Try The Poll At The End Very Telling)

https://www.facebook.com/Vets4Sanders/videos/603921163091919/?pnref=story (Morning Joe)

The Trump Pledge - Republican Hypocrisy

The Republican Party insists on holding Donald Trump accountable to support their nominee no matter who the candidate is at the convention. Trump agreed to the pledge and he is questioned each week by the media about his pledge to support the party nominee.

The Republican Party wanted the pledge to avoid a third party run by Trump. The pledge also gives them an advantage if they can manipulate a brokered convention. All signs that elections in our country are not what they seem. Fair and honest.

Trump has a right to renege on his promise. He has brought millions of new voters to the party. For this reason, Trump is millions ahead in votes over Cruz and Kasich. He has won the most states and clearly has the biggest margin of support. He should not be denied the party nomination because the party elite fear a Trump candidacy and want to find a way to derail his success.

This is an example of party politics and political manipulation by a small group of stakeholders. The other candidates pledged to not support a Trump ticket. How is this different than the pledge Trump was forced to take? The major candidates have stated they would not support a Trump ticket, which means they would consider a third party candidate or the democratic nominee. This is hypocrisy at it's best supported by the media and party elites. All major media outlets never questioned the statements by other candidates that said they would abandoned the party if Trump was elected as their nominee. Why is that?

Hmmmm......Gov Cuomo Prefers Basketball Over Civil Rights

Governor Cuomo seems to place his own conditions on the expansion on Civil Rights. On the one hand, he is banning travel to North Carolina due to the following statement: In the statement, Cuomo said, "In New York, we believe that all people — regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation — deserve the same rights and protections under the eyes of the law."

Sounds great. He is taking a strong stand. Right? Yes an no. He opens himself to criticism that he is using the situation in North Carolina for political points. If the Governor truly believed in his executive order, he would have discouraged travel to tonight's game in Houston that involves Syracuse versus ironically, North Carolina in NCAA Basketball's Final Four. After all, Houston voters passed an amendment known as the HERO ordinance that is exactly what North Carolina just passed this month.

When civil rights takes a back seat to a basketball game, people fail to see the connection that the Governor tried to make in his travel ban. Conservatives will rally the base and point out this very point. Houston is our 4th largest city., and has a much larger economy than North Carolina. People in the south will see this as the Governor trying to bully them by trying to impact Social Policy. Similar to the days of Dixie, the North is trying to tell the South what to do.

The bottom line is the Governor should be consistent regarding his stand on civil rights. If he was truly passionate about the issue, he would have challenged the game tonight by making a statement about how the LGBT community is treated in Houston.

Does Your School Pass The Color Test?

In four more years, we will most likely learn that whites are below the majority population status for the first time in American History. With such changes in our population it would make sense that schools have adapted their curriculum to be a better representation of our diverse population. Unfortunately, school districts fail to represent the contributions of all Americans regarding our history.  Because it is so subtle, many Americans might not even be aware such a problem exists. Here is a question for the reader, does your school still teach using a white dominated curriculum or do they use a diverse curriculum? This is what I like to call, the "color test."

Some people after reading the first paragraph will think, he is just race mongering. Not true. Leading research has indicated schools are failing African Americans and Latinos in regards to teaching from a diverse curriculum. They have for years failed minorities by teaching from a strong Anglo historical impact.

Latinos are neglected more than African Americans. Think about it. Many are bilingual and most teachers are not. This is one additional layer of neglect. Latinos represent the largest block of minorities in the United States.  African Americans were given a month for learning. Most educational audits have indicated many schools lack a diversity of learning throughout the year. Black History Month is more of a stigma than a solution.

The NEA has called for action regarding the inclusion of Latino and African American curriculum in literature and history classes. Teachers are not even trained properly how to teach African American or Latino history. Currently there is a lack of interest to change the priorities of teaching. Common Core goals will be blamed for the lack of diversity in teaching, however the problem is much deeper than blaming Common Core. This problem existed long before Common Core.

You see the evidence everyday in your child's assignments. Strong women are white. Special projects  include strong white Americans helping African Americans and Latinos overcome obstacles. Rarely is there an example of a strong leader from either community. Instead, without realizing it, white teachers use references to white saviors as a replacement for strong African American or Latino Role Models. References to movies like the "Freedom Writers", "The Blind Side" and "The Air Up There" are common examples of white saviors that kids are immersed into their learning. It is not something teachers do on purpose, they just fail to recognize the importance of learning about another culture's history.

How can parents and teachers recognize bias in their child's curriculum? There are many tools. I found one from teaching tolerance.org that is a great example of what to look for regarding African American History. Check out below the examples and apply them to your child's learning. You may be surprised by your observations. (Examples from an online resource with edits from the author)


DO...
Incorporate black history year-round, not just in February. Use the month of February to dig deeper into history and make connections with the past.

Continue Learning. Explore how to provide an in-depth and thorough understanding of black history. Textbooks are notorious for omitting information about the struggles of communities, and what they include is limited, so use the textbook as one of many resources. While exploring multiple resources, allow for opportunities to learn along with your students.
Reinforce to students that "black" history is American history. Make black history relevant to all students.

Relate lessons to other parts of your curriculum, so that focusing on a leader, like Fred Shuttlesworth, expands upon rather than diverts from your curriculum. By the time February comes around, the context of the struggle for civil rights and social justice should be familiar to students if you have already addressed such issues across the curriculum.

Connect issues in the past to current issues to make history relevant to students' lives. For example, ask students to gather information with a focus on what social disparities exist today and how a particular leader has worked to change society.

Include the political and social context of the community's struggle for social justice. For example, talk about Daisy Bates' political affiliations and her political ideologies. You see her bravery not as just a personal act but as coming out of community determination.

DO NOT...
Stop your "regular" curriculum, to do a separate lesson on Rosa Parks, on the Civil Rights Act or on Martin Luther King Jr. This trivializes and marginalizes anything you are teaching, making these leaders a token of their culture and ethnicity. Students will get the message that the diversion it is not as important as the "regular" curriculum.
Decontextualize heroes or holidays, separating them from the larger social movement or historical place. Great leaders don't make history all by themselves. For example, if you teach about James Farmer, you must also address the work of the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) and the Freedom Rides.
Focus on superficial cultural traits based on stereotypes. It's ok to celebrate black music, but teachers should also explore the political and social contexts that give rise to musical forms like hip hop.
Talk about black history in solely "feel-good" language, or as a thing of the past. This fails to help students examine how racism manifests itself today.
Limit the presentation to lectures and reading. Be sure to allow students an opportunity for discussion and reflection.
Teach with little or inaccurate information. Review resources to make sure they don't promote a Eurocentric perspective, which may misrepresent historic figures and social movements.
Shy away from controversial, ambiguous, or unresolved issues. Share the real-life experiences about racial realities in developmentally appropriate ways.

Following these steps will ensure your school passes the color test. The best strategy for incorporating new ideas is through the school leadership council and your local school boards. Be an advocate and not an adversary and you might just reach your goal.

Trump Is Right - If Elected Mexico Will Pay For That Wall

If elected, Donald Trump will get his wall and Mexico will pay for it. All the posts from Mexico's politicians saying that they will not pay a penny for building that wall are incorrect. They will pay for that wall and here are some compelling reasons why Trump is correct.

The cost for building a wall is 10 billion. Sounds like a lot of pesos. However, Mexico has a sixty billion dollar trade surplus with the United States annually. That amounts to 600 billion in 10 years. That's a whole lot more pesos. All Donald Trump has to do is convince Congress to enact a trade tariff on our border to pay for building the wall. With all of the Mexican and American manufactures that benefit from the lack of tariffs and cheap labor, they will threaten to move elsewhere. The companies in Mexico will insist the Mexican government finance the wall. Even if Mexico balks, tariffs will pay for the wall from goods coming back into our country. This my friends, is known as the "Art of the Deal."

Whether Trump wins or loses, there might be some wisdom in his logic. There are  many global inequalities based on deal making by a small group of individuals and corporations that are much worse than Trump. If we put half of our energy learning about the corrupt deals that already exist, instead or worrying about Donald Trump, our world would be a much better place to live in.

Cosby v. 7th Heaven - What's The Difference?

I noticed a funny thing the other day. Bill Cosby is gone. Literally! No more Cosby on cable or in the book store. When I mean Cosby, we are not just talking about the Cosby show. I mean all of his career. The first Cosby Show and I Spy can not be found. I thought to myself, this seems significant is some way. So, I did some further exploration.

Unfortunately, the removal of Cosby is another example of injustice towards African Americans. Here is when whites stop reading and say, "Here we go again."  However, think about the differences. While Cosby has been yanked, 7th Heaven has quietly reappeared on TV. At first, we may think, "no big deal." However, it is a big deal. It is an example of power structures and inequality. That's right, inequalities exist in Hollywood beyond the Oscars.

Stephen Collins is an example of Hollywood's elite.  Just like Mr. Cosby he committed what society has deemed, a crime against humanity. On more than one occasion, he was a pedophile. In the eyes of many, a horrendous crime.

Television and movies pay actors royalties long after the showing of an episode or movie. The actors and their families will earn royalties for a lifetime. By airing 7th Heaven, the royalties continue to flow to the entire cast which is predominantly white. (Including a young Jessica Biel) I just find it interesting the an entire African-American cast will no longer receive their royalties for a show equally as popular and thoughtful as the Cosby Show.

This inequality has many examples that go beyond 7th Heaven. Woody Allen and Roman Polanski are still considered geniuses by the Hollywood elite. There movies are replayed and their careers were allowed to continue. Is it not fair to ask, why the difference?