Category: Opinion

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My contention since the 2008 election is that Republicans are losing today because they’re acting like Democrats in the 1990s. They’re only catering to their extreme base, and worse they’re betraying each other and stabbing one another in the back whenever they think their political fortunes are at stake (Sarah Palin anyone?) Nowhere is this new theory on display more prominently than with the cold shoulder the hard right press has been giving one of their most powerful members, radio host Michael Savage.

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Category: Opinion Written by Marian Wright Edelman

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(NNPA)—Thanksgiving is a time when many Americans pause to be grateful for all we have. In the current economic downturn when the gap between rich and poor is at the highest level since the Great Depression and the unemployment rate is 10.2 percent, millions of our neighbors, including many families with children, are struggling hard to count their blessings.

The latest Census Bureau numbers show the number of children living in poverty ($22,050 for a family of four) increased by almost 750,000 in 2008 to 14.1 million; the number of children living in extreme poverty ($11,025 for a family of four) increased by more than 500,000 to 6.3 million children. This is the biggest child poverty increase since 1992 and it comes at a time when our national safety net is full of holes.

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Category: Opinion Written by George E. Curry

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(NNPA)—In their zeal to reach the 60-vote margin needed to end an expected Republican filibuster of the health care bill now snaking its way through the United States Senate, Democrats are courting four moderate or conservative party members opposed to the public option provision at the expense of the majority of senators—and the nation—who favor such an alternative.

Essentially, a public option is a government-sponsored insurance plan, similar to Medicare, that would compete with private insurers in hopes of driving down the cost of premiums. Even though the plan advanced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., allows states to opt-out of the plan, a handful of Democrats still oppose the bill.

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Category: Opinion Written by Judge Greg Mathis

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Three years ago, Heather Ellis, a college student, stopped at a Walmart in Kennett, Mo., something she often did. When she decided to switch lines, cutting in front of other customers, things got ugly. Today, Ellis, 24, could face up to 15 years in jail if convicted of the charges brought against her: assaulting police officers, resisting arrest and disturbing the peace. Local activists have marched in protest of Ellis’ arrest and to support her during the trial. Hate groups have also marched, but for very different reasons. This simple trip to the store has brought national attention to a town with a history of racial tensions. Depending on the verdict, which is expected soon, things in Kennett may only get worse.

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