(NNPA)—“There are those who look at things the way they are and ask why?...I dream of things that never were and ask, why not.”—Robert F. Kennedy

“If you believe in things you don’t understand, you suffer from superstition.”—Stevie Wonder

Now that the 2010 mid-term elections are over in the United States of America we may place politics on shelf for another cycle. Nope.

(NNPA)—Rep. Charles Rangel, D- N.Y., is now in the record books as the first member of Congress to be censured in nearly 30 years.  While the punishment was overkill, somehow Black politicians must know by now that Blacks can’t get away with the same misdeeds that can be normal for their White colleagues.   

Despite talk of a post-racial society Black politicians still operate under a double-standard that means they had better fly right or not at all.  History shows that if Black leaders are establishment puppets like U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, the White power system will protect them, but if they are strategic to Black progress, they are watched, targeted, and sometimes destroyed.

In the early 1980s, President Ronald Reagan’s budget director, David Stockman, developed a “starve the beast” strategy that would ultimately shrink the size of government through drastic cuts in social programs.

By passing huge tax cuts, especially for the wealthiest Americans, Stockman and Reagan could force Congress to reduce the size of programs that the administration did not favor under the guise of deficit reduction.  At the same time, increased Cold War military spending would create pressure for further cuts in social programs.

As a result, when Reagan refused to cut Social Security and other major safety net programs, Stockman had to “savage” other programs, as one article at the time put it.  That meant Head Start, Jobs Corps, programs for women and children, and other vital programs were sliced and diced, or terminated outright.

Yes it’s that time of year again and the Steelers banners are flying; flags on the cars and pickup trucks; black and gold leather jackets; all sizes of expensive official league jerseys; taverns, cafes, restaurants, hotels, homes all having parties. There have been huge rallies where celebrities and all politicians participate.

It becomes almost the equal of being in New Orleans. Yes happy days are here again everywhere you go and people are in a festive mood. In neighborhoods where crime and unemployment statistics are dismal there is Steelers mania.