Greene County Democrat

Category: history

  • 10 million may lose health insurance coverage under GOP’s Obamacare replacement plan, S&P says

    By: Dan Mangan | CNB

    Between 6 million and 10 million people would lose health insurance coverage if a Republican proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act becomes law, a new report estimates.
    The top end of those losses, or 10 million people, is equal to half of the 20 million or so people who have gained coverage in the past seven years under Obamacare.
    The sobering estimate came from S&P Global Ratings on Tuesday, less than a full day after House GOP leaders released their plan for gutting key elements of the ACA, and replacing it with new rules.
    S&P Global Ratings said it expected that if the plan were approved, there would be a decline in enrollment in the individual health insurance plan market of between 2 million and 4 million people.
    There also would be a decline of between 4 million and 6 million people in the nation’s Medicaid system after 2020 to 2024, according to the report.
    But profitability among U.S. insurers “will likely improve,” the company said, pointing to the fact that the replacement plan “can result in an improved risk pool in the individual market.”
    The report said that the replacement plan would likely increase the affordability of individual insurance plans for younger adults, and reduce the affordability of those plans “for the older population.”
    S&P Global Ratings also said it expected there would be a “large difference between states both in terms of insured rates,” that is the percentage of people with health coverage, “and benefits covered by insurance plans.”

    The report is certain to be used by supporters of Obamacare in their efforts to defeat the Republican plan and keep most, if not all, of the ACA intact as the law of the land.
    The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has yet to “score” the plan, which would analyze both the proposal’s costs to the federal government, and its effect on the number of people insured in the United States.
    The ACA has been credited with driving down the nation’s uninsured rate to record low levels through the creation of government-run marketplaces for individual insurance plans, and by expanding Medicaid eligibility standards to more poor adults than previously were covered.
    The GOP proposal calls for ending the ACA rule requiring most Americans to have some form of health coverage or pay a fine. It also calls for replacing Obamacare’s system of subsidies for premiums for plans purchased on government-run marketplaces with refundable tax credits that can be used to buy coverage both on and off those marketplaces.
    And the proposal would freeze the ACA’s expansion of Medicaid benefits to nearly all poor adults in 31 states by 2020, and switch the way the federal government funds the Medicaid programs of states to a block grant system.

  • “#DayWithoutAWoman”: for domestic and low-wage workers, the stakes are higher than ever

    By: Ai-Jen Poo, Glamour Magazine

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    On March 8 women from every part of the country and the economy will rise together to participate in #DayWithoutAWoman, also known as the Women’s Strike. A follow-up to the historic Women’s March on January 21, #DayWithoutAWoman will fall on International Women’s Day, which honors the social, political, and economic contributions of women globally.

    I sometimes ask domestic workers to imagine what would happen if every nanny, house cleaner, and home care worker in the country decided to go on strike for one day. I ask them to reflect on all the children, seniors, and families who would be touched, and then to think about how those families’ workplaces would be affected—the business people, lawyers, and doctors, all the people who couldn’t work because no one was there to support their needs. The response to this question is often quiet concern for the people they work for, followed by animated banter as they imagine chaos in all the households trying to manage without them. Though society doesn’t value care and cleaning in the home as “real” work, the workers themselves know that their daily work is important, even fundamental.
    Until now, I haven’t posed the question of “a day without domestic workers” in preparation for an actual strike. I’ve asked because it’s rare that we as women, particularly women whose wages are never quite enough to pay the bills, ever think about our collective power in the economy, much less what we could achieve if we directed that power collectively. But in this new political era, it’s time that women do more than simply recognize our power—we must organize it.
    On March 8 women from every part of the country and the economy will rise together to participate in #DayWithoutAWoman, also known as the Women’s Strike. A follow-up to the historic Women’s March on January 21, #DayWithoutAWoman will fall on International Women’s Day, which honors the social, political, and economic contributions of women globally. Originally named International Working Women’s Day back in 1909, March 8 highlights how women’s work—paid and unpaid—drives the economy worldwide. There is a long, yet little-known, history of global women’s activism on this day. For example, on March 8, 1975, the Icelandic women’s strike set the stage for the election of the first woman president in the world, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir.
    At its heart, a strike is an action that workers take to disrupt “business as usual.” Strikes both shine a light on injustice and demonstrate—to the strikers and to everyone else—the collective power to change the status quo. If ever there were a time for women to throw a wrench in things, it’s now. We are nearly half of the entire workforce. And we still provide more than 70 percent of the unpaid family care in the United States. We are also a majority of the consumer base (over 70 percent) in this country. It’s our work and our dollars that create wealth for the winners in this economy—from Uber to Walmart.
    As much as some of us may like our jobs, we still face pay inequity, lack of respect, discrimination, and harassment, and lack of access to opportunity for advancement and security. At a time when we should be making progress at light speed on all of these issues, we face powerful opposition, from the government to society at large.
    For women in low-wage jobs like domestic work, the stakes are higher than ever. Women make up two-thirds of the nearly 20 million workers in low-wage jobs—defined as jobs that typically pay $10.10 per hour or less, according to a report from the National Women’s Law Center. Women of color are disproportionately concentrated in low-wage jobs; nearly half of all women in the low-wage workforce are women of color. Home care jobs, for example, are the fastest growing occupation in the economy today, and are overwhelmingly dominated by women, disproportionately women of color and immigrants. Their median annual income? $13,000 per year.
    It’s time for #DayWithoutAWoman. Women from all walks of life will be participating—and there are many ways to participate. Organizers are calling on us to choose among three options: Don’t work, don’t buy things, and wear red. Domestic workers will be participating by wearing red to work. As is the case with many low-wage workers who lack job security, most domestic workers cannot afford to take a day off, or they could risk losing their jobs if they do.
    Those who can take the day off will join restaurant workers, retail workers, and others for the Women Workers Rising solidarity rally at the Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. They will call for fairness in our economy, beginning with the most vulnerable (and increasingly targeted) among us, including poor women, transgender women, women with disabilities, and Black, Muslim and immigrant women. They will be joined by women in more than 40 countries worldwide.
    Each one of these actions helps tell the story of the unrealized power we as women hold to shape our our society. When we don’t work, our absence has a ripple effect, because our work is critical to every sector of the economy and should never be taken for granted. When we don’t shop, businesses suffer. Let Wednesday be the day that we find each other (look for the red!) and commit to acting in solidarity. We can leverage our untapped power to take back our democracy and make our economy work for women—and our loved ones—once and for all.
    Ai-jen Poo is the director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and codirector of the Caring Across Generations campaign.

  • Bridge Crossing Jubilee to go forward as planned for March 2-6, 2017 in Selma

    At a recent press conference at the Alabama State House, Senator Hank Sanders of Selma said the Bridge Crossing Jubilee celebration commemorating the 1965 Bloody Sunday March for Voting Rights will go forward as planned with some small changes.
    The Bridge Crossing Jubilee consists of 40 or more events over the five-day period, including workshops, mass meetings, a parade, golf tournament, breakfasts, dinners, films and other events related to voting rights. The Jubilee includes a re-enactment of the 1965 march from Browns Chapel Church through downtown Selma and crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge and a rally on the Montgomery side of the bridge.
    Sanders said the Jubilee received a bill for $23,882 from the City of Selma for police, fire, public service and other expenses for the five-day event. “We are not able to pay this outrageous amount. We have always said that we were willing to pay a reasonable amount but this bill is unacceptable. We paid for the right to hold this commemorative march in blood in 1965 and we are not paying now,” he said.

    Sanders pointed out that most of the events are free and most are workshops held in churches and public buildings that do not require police presence for five days. “We bring in people from all over the state, nation and the World. They spend money in Selma and surrounding communities. We do not charge for most of the events and when there is a charge it is for food and other expenses. The Jubilee does not make money – it takes money,” said Sanders.
    “The basic change we are making is shifting the Jubilee Festival with vendors and music from Water Street at the base of the bridge to the east side of the bridge,” said Sam Walker.
    All other events will take place as planned.
    On Monday, March 6, there will be a “Slow Ride to Montgomery” and a rally at the State House at the end of the ride with Rev. William Barber speaking on the moral imperatives of ending voter suppression in America. The organizers are hoping for 100 vehicles to participate. The ride will follow the route of the 1965 march, stopping at historical sites along the way.
    The Bridge Crossing Jubilee begins on Thursday, March 2 at 7:00 PM with an Old-Fashioned Mass Meeting at Tabernacle
    Baptist Church at 1431 Broad Street in Selma, where the initial meetings of the voting rights struggle were held in Selma in the 1960’s.
    Legendary Civil Rights Attorney Fred Gray will be the keynote speaker at Tabernacle Baptist Church on Thursday. Attorney Gray is the lead lawyer who argued and won the case to allow Voting Rights Foot Soldiers to march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. He is portrayed in the movie Selma.
    Attorney Gray has been involved in many historical Civil Rights cases in Alabama, including Gomillion v. Lightfoot; representation of Rosa Parks, whose arrest led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott and desegregation of the Montgomery bus system; and Lee v. Macon Co. Bd. of Educ., which helped to desegregate schools throughout the state.
    A full schedule of events for the weekend is available at http://www.selmajubilee.com.

  • Sen. Shelby holds town meeting in Boligee

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    Shown above Sen. Richard Shelby (center), with Boligee Mayor Louis Harper and Commissioner Tennyson Smith at a meeting held in Boligee.

     

    U. S. Senator Richard Shelby held a town meeting at the Boligee Café on Monday morning – February 20, 2017. Shelby greeted a group of public officials and townspeople at the breakfast meeting.
    Shelby said he was starting his sixth – 6-year term as a Senator after four terms as Congressman from the 7th Congressional District.
    Shelby said he was blessed and privileged to represent the people of Alabama in Washington and was trying to do the right thing. He cited the challenge of terrorism (foreign and domestic, the problems of the continuous growing national debt and deficit and the difficulties of ending poverty in the Alabama Black Belt area, as issues facing him and the nation.
    Thad Spree asked him about his support of Greene County’s Amendment 743 for electronic bingo. Shelby said this was basically a state issue but he understood the importance of gaming to Greene County. He said the issue becomes Federal when you consider that the Federal government regulates gambling on Indian reservations because they are sovereign nations.
    Hospital CEO, Elmore Patterson asked what he was planning to do to help preserve rural hospitals in the effort to “repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act”. Shelby said that we would have to study the proposals, including the Block-granting of Medicaid, but he was not sure what solution to vote for because whatever is done will add to the national deficit.
    Mayor Harper of Boligee asked if the Amtrak train could stop in Boligee to take on passengers. Shelby said that other than in the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington D. C. that Amtrak was losing money. We look at Amtrak from a national perspective and it is no longer for local routes and local stops.
    Shelby was also asked about veterans, issues, education, and support for the Alabama Gulf Coast Railroad DOT grant to strengthen 114 railroad bridges between Columbus, Mississippi and the Gulf Coast, and other matters.
    Asked about protecting Social Security, Shelby said, “Those who are getting it now will be safe but some changes will need to be made to bolster the Social Security Trust Fund for younger people. He suggested gradually raising the retirement age for recipients.” During the 2016 Presidential campaign, Senator Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton supported an increase in the cap on Social Security earnings that are taxed, from the current $122,000 to a higher level, which would also bolster the program for younger people.

  • African refugees look north to Canada as U. S. deportations rise

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    Welcoming group at Canadian airport

    Feb. 20, 2017 (GIN) – Refugees including some from Africa have been trekking through subzero weather at the northern U.S. border with Canada in a bid to escape a new wave of deportations from the U.S.

    Last week, a family of eight reportedly from the Sudan managed to cross the border just as a U.S. immigration official attempted to block their way. One member of the group said they had been living and working in Delaware for the past two years.
    A record number of people seeking refugee status have been pouring over the Canada-U.S. border as the U.S. looks to tighten its policies on refugees and illegal immigrants. Last month, 452 people filed petitions in Quebec compared to 137 in the same month a year before.
    During the January – October 2016 period, refugee applicants included 895 Chinese citizens, 945 Nigerian citizens, and 575 people of Turkish nationality. In addition to these, Canada registered 90 Americans making refugee claims. Somalis also make up a large percentage of the refugee group.
    Despite Canada’s more open policy toward refugees and immigrants, however, refugees can also be detained and jailed. The Vancouver-based advocacy group No One is illegal, said 87,317 migrants were detained in Canada between 2006 and 2014, and sometimes put in provincial jails. They can be detained for months, and in cases where the applicant has mental health issues, they may be held for years.
    Meanwhile, leaders of the Somali community in Minneapolis are warning their fellow countrymen not to risk their lives by trekking across the U.S.-Canada border in freezing nighttime temperatures.
    Minneapolis community activist Omar Jamal told CTV Winnipeg that he has counseled as many as 30 families — mostly from Minnesota but also from Ohio — against crossing the border. About half have gone anyway, he said. Jamal said families are paying $600 to $1,000 a person for rides to the border, often with small children.
    Jibril Afyareh, an advocate with the Somali Citizens League, agreed that many of those heading north are people who have already been rejected by the U.S., and are now worried about deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
    Afyareh said he urges people to “stay calm” and avoid the risk of crossing into Canada.
    He also said the ban has had a devastating effect on those who saw the U.S. as a beacon of freedom but are now being told “you don’t belong here.”
    “Obviously we need to secure and work on the safety of this country,” Afyareh said. “I do this every day, working with the youth attorney trying to stop radicalization. But this (travel ban) defeats the purpose,” he added. “This sends the message that you’re not wanted by this country which is not the case.”

  • Patriots team members to sit out of White House visit, citing racism by Trump

    By Brittany Webb

    bennett-martellusMartellus Bennett
    (TriceEdneyWire.com) – Malcolm X once said, “A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.”
    Despite having a career where taking a fall on the field is sometimes inevitable, several members of the New England Patriots football team have reportedly decided to stand for what they believe in. They say they will sit out of the traditional visit to the White House by the Super Bowl Championship team.
    So far, six players – five Black players and one White – have announced their decision to not participate in the team’s visit. Those players are reportedly Martellus Bennett, Devin McCourty, Chris Long, LeGarrette Blount, Alan Branch and Dont’a Hightower. Long is the White player who says he will not go.
    “I’m not going to the White House,” McCourty said in a text to TIME magazine. “Basic reason for me is I don’t feel accepted in the White House. With the president having so many strong opinions and prejudices I believe certain people might feel accepted there while others won’t.”
    That unwelcome feeling is a feeling that McCourty shares with Blount, who, when asked about the team’s visit to the White House on The Rich Eisen Show, said, “I will not… It’s just some of the things—I just don’t feel welcome into that house. I’m just going to leave it at that.”
    Bennett was the first player to announce his decision when he addressed the visit in a postgame press conference, citing opposition to President Trump as his reason. Despite his views, Bennett says there is no divide in the team because of political views.
    “We all have our beliefs,” Bennett said. “The thing is, we accept people for who they are. And that’s the biggest thing about what this country is really about. I don’t really care what you believe. It’s not going to separate me from accepting you for who you are.”
    Bennett says anyone wanting to know more about his reasons for not going to the White House should just follow him on Twitter. Among his most recent tweet was immediately following Trump’s announced travel ban.
    The date of the White House visit has not yet been publically announced. “America was built on inclusiveness not exclusiveness,” he tweeted.
    It was also apparent bias and statements made by the commander-in-chief that influenced Patriots safety McCourty from skipping the trip as well. Although Long did not go into detail about his decision to skip the visit, it can be assumed, by his previous statements regarding race relations in America, that he is not fond of the current president and his policies. Branch is choosing to stay at home with family, while Hightower says he’s “been there, done that.”
    After the team’s victory, President Trump tweeted his support for the team and his friends quarterback Tom Brady, team owner Bob Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick. “What an amazing comeback and win by the Patriots,” Trump tweeted. “Tom Brady, Bob Kraft and Coach B are total winners. Wow!”
    Despite being a friend of Trump, Kraft respects the decision of the players to not visit the White House. “This is America,” Kraft said on the Today Show. “We’re all free to do whatever’s best for us, and we’re just privileged to be in the position to be going.”
    This is not the first time a Patriot has opted out of the team’s visit to the White House. In 2015, Brady decided to skip the team visit to the White House, under the Obama administration, after defeating the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl in 2015.

  • First Black crew member to join International Space Station

    By Shantella Y. Sherman (AFRO/NNPA Member)

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    Astronaut Jeanette Epps prepares to go into space
    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has selected astronaut Jeanette Epps to join the crew of the International Space Station in 2018. Epps will become the first Black crewmember to represent the U.S. on the station. The journey will mark the first time Epps has traveled to orbit, allowing her to follow in the footsteps of the women who, she said, inspired her to become an astronaut.
    While other Black astronauts have flown to the Space Station for brief stays during the outpost’s construction, Epps will be the first Black crewmember to live and work on the station for an extended period of time. Her journey aboard the Soyuz spacecraft and stay at the station places her as the only American and female among a crew made up of mostly Russians and men.
    “I’m a person just like they are. I do the same work as they do,” Epps told a group of STEM students at her Syracuse alma mater, Danforth Middle School. “If something breaks, anyone of us will have to be able to go out the door. We have to be jacks of all trades. It’s not a job that’s like any other.”
    While working on her doctorate, Epps was a NASA graduate student Researchers Project fellow, authoring several journal and conference articles about her research. After completing her graduate studies, Epps worked in a research lab for more than two years, co-authoring multiple patents, before being recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). She was a CIA technical intelligence officer for about seven years before being selected as a member of the 2009 astronaut class.
    “Anything you don’t know is going to be hard at first,” Epps said in a video statement about the launch. “But if you stay the course, put the time and effort in, it will become seamless eventually.”
    Epps, in the NASA video interview, shared when she was first introduced to the idea that she could be an astronaut. “It was about 1980, I was nine years old. My brother came home and he looked at my grades and my twin sisters’ grades and he said, ‘You know, you guys can probably become aerospace engineers or even astronauts,’” Epps said. “And this was at the time that Sally Ride [the first American woman to fly in space] and a group of women were selected to become astronauts — the first time in history. So, he made that comment and I said, ‘Wow, that would be so cool.’”
    Epps will join veteran NASA astronaut Andrew Feustel at the Space Station. On Feustel’s first long-duration mission, he served as a flight engineer on Expedition 55, and later as commander of Expedition 56.
    “Each space station crew brings something different to the table, and Drew and Jeanette both have a lot to offer,” said Chris Cassidy, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, in a statement. “The space station will benefit from having them on board.”

  • Greene County School System awarded $25,000 arts grant

    The Greene County School System was recently awarded a $25,000 grant through the Alabama Arts Education Initiative (AAEI) of the Alabama State Council on the Arts. At the Board of Education’s regular monthly meeting, held Monday, February 20, 2017, Superintendent James H. Carter, Sr. announced that the Greene County High Artistic Flow and Expo Project will focus on classroom experiences in the arts with opportunities for students to study a variety of cultures and artistic expressions. The project will also increase students’ awareness of the arts through field trips to various artistic venues.
    According to Dr. Carter, the major components of the arts project include Music Development and Appreciation; Integrated Academic and Artistic Enrichment; Enhancing School Culture and Community Pride; and Staff Development to Enhance Program Implementation.
    “Greene County Schools understand the significance of integrating the arts into the classroom. Our goal is to continue to expose students to the arts through their course of study,” Carter said.
    In his report, Superintendent also informed the board that in order to fill difficult teaching positions, especially in mathematics and science, his office is formulating a plan to explore the Troops to Teachers Program sponsored by the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE). This program connects retired military personnel with various school classrooms.
    Dr. Carter announced that Tutor.com will be implemented in Greene County Schools to help students who are struggling in reading and mathematics. This program is also sponsored by the ALSDE.
    Carter reported that Friday, February 24, he, along with members of the Greene County School Board, will attend a symposium on charter school authorizers’ roles and responsibilities in Montgomery sponsored by ALSDE.
    Superintendent extended a special salute to the Greene County High Girls Basketball Team as Area Champions and progressing to the Sub-Regional competition. A special appreciation is planned for team and coaches.
    On the recommendation of the superintendent, the board approved the following personnel items:
    * Employment: Frances McGhee as full-time Cook at Greene County High School; Sheila Billups as 5th Grade Teacher at Robert Brown Middle School.
    * Resignations: Josephus Patrick as In-School Suspension Specialist and Track & Field Coach from Greene County High School, effective January 24, 2017; Jacob Sullivan as Head Softball Coach at Greene County High (Separate Contract).
    * Leave of Absence without pay for Siegfried Williams to be off every Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. until May 26, 2017.
    Additional Service contract(s) for the following employees at Greene County High School for the 2016 – 2017 academic year. (Separate Contract): Cordarrin Wilson as Track & Field Coach; Sukova Hicks as Softball Coach.
    The board approved the following administrative service items recommended by the superintendent:
    * Change order for roofing project at Peter J. Kirksey in the amount of $5,000.
    School Calendar 2017 – 2018.
    Field Trip Requests: Eutaw Primary School – Audubon Zoo and Aquarium in New Orleans,LA on May 12, 2017; Eutaw Primary School – Chattanooga Aquarium/Imax in Chattanooga, TN on May 11, 2017; Greene County High Debate Team – Competition at Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS on March 2, 2017; Greene County High Choir – Choral Performance at Festival Disney in Orlando, FL on April 27, 2017;
    Professional Leave for Makane Morrow to attend Procurement in the 21st Century-Institute of Child Nutrition in Oxford, MS on February 21 – 22, 2017; Professional Leave for Makane Morrow to attend School Nutrition Action Legislative Action Conference, in Washington, D.C. on April 2 – 4, 2017;
    Payment of all bills, claims, and payroll.
    The board approved the followed instructional items recommended by the superintendent:
    Partnership with T-Mobile, Greene County Housing Authority, and Stillman College for Connecting the Classroom with the School Community Project.
    The abbreviated financial report presented at the board meeting for the month of January included the following, with the note that, in the absence of a CSFO, all accounts have not been reconciled: total revenue was $1,432,975.86; total expenditures were $1,114,137.11; payroll was $866,140.29; local taxes collected totaled $1,419,904.75; total bingo receipts were $64,351.45

     

     

  • Trump Atrocities Report (TAR) #2

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    The Greene County Democrat started a new column last week to point out some of the negative and harmful actions taken by President Donald J. Trump (No. 45) and the Trump Administration.
    Some of these actions will be legislative changes, overzealous cuts in Federal regulations, appointees that are unqualified or chosen to destroy the government function they were asked to head up and official statements that do not make sense or are ‘alternative truths’.
    Some of the atrocities are where President Trump or members of his family will get a financial benefit from their position or have a clear conflict of interest.
    Last week, we listed four (4) atrocities, so we will be continuing our list, by listing our examples in consecutive order, beginning this week’s column with Atrocity No. 5.

    Atrocity No. 5 : Treason by Retired General Michael Flynn, National Security Adviser. Trump has dismissed General Flynn after 24 days as National Security Adviser for improper and illegal contacts with the Russian Government, which would have been described as “treason” if committed by any other Administration. An independent investigation is needed to get to the bottom of ‘Benedict Arnold Flynn’ and his contacts with the Russian government and intelligence agencies both during the Presidential campaign and after taking his position in the White House. The investigation needs to determine what role President Trump himself played in this national security betrayal and debacle.

    Atrocity No. 6: More problems for the Cabinet of Millionaires and Billionaires:

    a. Andrew Puzder, Secretary of Labor: CEO of Hardees and Carl Jr. fast food franchise restaurant chain, who opposes an increase in the minimum wage, regulations increasing overtime pay and other benefits to help working people, has run into some problems with confirmation because he employed an undocumented ‘nanny’ and abused his former wife. Puzder’s nomination should be withdrawn because he is unfit to head a department to help and work with working people, who fueled Trump’s electoral victory.

    b. Jeff Sessions, Attorney General : in his first action as our chief law enforcement officer, Sessions declined to continue supporting transgendered children suing the State of Texas for discriminatory bathroom use requirements. This is the beginning of Sessions trying to reverse voting, civil and human rights for the most vulnerable in our nation.

    c. Scott Pruitt, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): still asserting denial of climate change and rolling back regulations for clean air, water and land.

    Atrocity No. 7: Nordstrom Department Stores attacked by Trump for cancelling Ivana Trump clothing line; and Kellyanne Conway, 45’s Chief Adviser and a Federal employee, urging Americans to buy Ivana’s products during a TV interview.

    Atrocity No. 8: Delaying implementation of the rules for fiduciary responsibilities for financial counselors advising people on their retirement funds. As part of dismantling the consumer protections of the Dodd-Frank Act, Trump delayed implementation of regulations requiring financial counselors to be transparent with people on the marketing and pricing of retirement products. How does this change help American workers!
    We invite our readers to send us items to be included on our Atrocities List and for circulating this report among people who voted for ‘45’ in the election and who may be reconsidering their decision.

  • New study by Cornell Belcher shows: African-Americans feel ignored by the Democratic Party

     

    By Lauren Victoria Burke (NNPA Newswire Contributor)

    cornellbelcher_fallen_web120Cornell Belcher

     

    Cornell Belcher, the CEO of Brilliant Corners Research, said that it’s no surprise that Black voters have presented a very clear mandate to the Congressional Black Caucus to oppose the Trump Administration, because 92 percent of African Americans voted against President Trump.

    “However, to maintain this broad level of support among African American voters, Democrats more broadly will have to reevaluate the way they are engaging this critical section of [their] base,” Belcher said in a statement on February 9.

    Belcher made a presentation and presented his new study to members of the Congressional Black Caucus at their retreat on February 7. House Democrats then departed to Baltimore for their annual three-day retreat the next day.

    Belcher’s phone survey questioned 601 African Americans, at least 18 years-old, and registered to vote; the survey was conducted from January 4-8.

    The results of the Belcher survey showed that African American voters were dissatisfied with President Trump and the direction of the country, and want more drastic tactics used to fight programs and policies that negatively impact their communities. The results also showed that protecting social security, reforming the criminal justice system, keeping the country safe from terrorists and other issues are priorities for African Americans.

    “African Americans are the Democratic Party’s most loyal voters and they should be treated as such,” said Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), the chairman of the CBC, regarding the new study. “The results of this survey are clear marching orders for the Congressional Black Caucus — African Americans want Democrats to stop using the same old playbook and to make substantive progress on the issues that affect their communities.”

    Here are some of the findings from Belcher’s study:

    — A large majority of African American voters (63 percent) feel taken for granted by the Democratic Party. This startling majority represents a growing problem among one of the most critical components of Democrats winning coalition. The outcome of the 2016 election was widely the result of this coalition splintering away from the top of the ticket along the margins with younger and browner voters.

    — The majority of African American voters (53 percent) want the Congressional Black Caucus to oppose President Trump. While 53 percent is not an overwhelming majority, it does represent an unusual decision for voters that normally prefer cooperation rather than obstruction from elected officials in Washington.

    — African-American voters broadly support more drastic tactics to obstruct the Trump administration, including not confirming President Trump’s appointees (53 percent), sit-ins and other acts of civil disobedience.

    — African-American voters are overwhelmingly dissatisfied (69 percent) with the direction of the country now, a drastic departure from the satisfaction they experienced during the Obama administration. Only 22 percent of African Americans are satisfied with direction of the country now, while 69 percent are dissatisfied.

    — The list of important priorities for African American voters includes:
    Protecting Social Security (88 percent, very important), keeping us safe from terrorists (78 percent), criminal justice reform (74 percent), reforming the election process so the candidate with the majority wins (72 percent), investigating Russian interference with the 2016 election (72 percent), protecting Obama’s legacy (71 percent), banning assault weapons (61 percent), and blocking Sessions (60 percent) are the top legislative priorities for African Americans nationally.

    Lauren Victoria Burke is a political analyst who speaks on politics and African American leadership. She is also a frequent contributor to the NNPA Newswire and BlackPressUSA.com. Connect with Lauren by email at LBurke007@gmail.com and on Twitter at @LVBurke.