The greedy banks, greedy CEOs and greedy Wall Street firms are responsible for the financial crisis we find ourselves in today. They took advantage of unsuspecting consumers who were just trying to live the American Dream of homeownership. And now we have to pay for their greed. These businesses and other have some accountability and responsibility for the current economic conditions affecting us, however, let’s not totally absolve the consumer/homebuyer in this conversation. They are also culpable.

They weren’t all innocent lambs being led to slaughter. They saw the double and triple digit gains and wanted their piece also. Think about when your parents or grandparents bought their homes. They made sure that they could afford the home. It fit within their budget. They didn’t lie about their incomes to qualify for more house than they could afford. Think about it. There is blame on both sides of the fence; consumers and businesses. Now let’s work together to get out of this mess.

Remember: TINSTAAFL – There is no such thing as a free lunch.

Vegas, Atlantic City, Riverboat Casinos. The lights, the entertainment, the winners and yes the losers. Casinos can play a vital role in reviving a community. Casinos provide jobs and business opportunities for businesses to provide supplies to the casinos. There is no difference between the lottery and the weekly bingo at churches. Gambling is gambling. Casinos exist, churches puts on bingo night and the state has lottery as a way of raising money. They make money from people taking a chance on winning more than they bet. Casinos are the only ones providing jobs in large numbers. Casinos also pay their fair share of taxes to the city and the state.

People do not get addicted to gambling as a result of casinos. Casinos should be viewed as entertainment and not your plan for getting rich. People need to understand that the odds are against them winning if it’s Bingo, Lottery, horse racing, weekly poker game with the fellas. With this in mind, gamble responsible. Bet what you can afford to lose and seek help if it is becoming uncontrollable. The positives of casinos far outweigh the negatives.

A US Census Bureau Report in 2002 showed that on average, workers who
graduated high school earned a yearly salary of $26,800.00. Those with a
Bachelor's Degree earned an average yearly income of $50,650.00, and those
with degrees in business, law, or medicine, earned on average $101,400.00.
Today, those with Bachelor's Degrees earn 70% more than those with just a
high school education.
Other studies show an annual lifetime earnings difference of 1 Million
Dollars difference between someone with a college degree vs. a high school
diploma. Black kids have numerous challenges and we should encourage all of
them to secure a college degree. Don't let the cost of a college education
prevent you or your child from pursuing a college education. Solutions:
start saving early; seek financial aid; apply for scholarships. Millions of
dollars in scholarships go unclaimed every year; that is a shame. A college degree
increases your likelihood for success. Take advantage of the opportunity.

The US Constitution clearly states that the president and vice-president are elected by members of The Electoral College and not by the popular vote cast by the citizens. There are 538 electors charged with making the ultimate decision as to who will become the next president and vice-president of The United States of America.

538 individuals; in 2004 there were 120 million votes cast for the candidates and these 538 individuals elected the president. Most Americans don’t know who these people are. Four of our 43 presidents were placed into office after receiving fewer popular votes than their opponent. This happened as recently as 2000.

Does your vote really count?

For the past 40 years African Americans have been staunch supporters of the Democratic Party. In elections, African Americans ‘give’ upwards of 90% of their vote to the Democrats. Why? What has the Democratic Party done for African-Americans?

This is irresponsible and insane. Take a few minutes and review some facts from the National Urban League’s State of Black America Report and the US Census, and you will see some startling results. In the 2006 report, African Americans continue to trails whites in all categories, in fact, the gap is widening in most of the categories.

Blacks have shorter life expectancy than whites

Unemployment for African-Americans twice as high as that of White Americans

Median net worth of African Americans is 10 times lower than that of White Americans

Homeownership rates for blacks continue to be lower than that of whites

Blacks are incarcerated at higher rates than whites

College attendance for blacks continues to lag behind that of whites

These results reveal that the strategy of voting for the democrats isn’t working, unless the goal is to continue to live substandard lifestyles. What are your thoughts?

It is time for Black People to stop blaming others for our issues and start being accountable and responsible for our situation. I am tired of hearing about how the ‘man/society’ keeps holding us down, and how the ‘man/society’ does not want us to have anything.

An ex-offender recently told me that he lost his job because the transit system in his area changed the bus schedule which resulted in him being late every day for work. His employer did not give him a break because the new schedules made it difficult for him to get to work on time. I sat there in amazement as he found every reason why other people or organizations were responsible for his predicament. By the way, he ended up going back to jail later that night for joy riding without a license. It must have been the cops fault for arresting him. The man/society did not make you choose to: sell dope, sell your body, drop out of school, steal, kill, join the gang, live where you live, have a baby at a young age, and so on and so on. You made that choice. If you can choose to do these things, then choose to take control of your life. At some point you have got to step up, if your life is important to you. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

An Obama victory in November will do more harm than good for black people in this country.  Obama becoming the first black president is scary because of all of the hopes, dreams and aspirations that black people have riding on this one human being.  I have been in conversations where people state that all of their problems will disappear when Barack becomes president.  Poverty will vanish.  Racism will cease to exist.  All black people will be employed again.

This is not realistic, in fact it is absurd.  Barack even states that these issues cannot be wiped out during his four year tenure as president.  Barack has the black community excited about the possibilities, however, this excitement will turn into anger, resentment and mistrust when he loses.  The black community needs to seize this moment and capitalize on this excitement.  Now is he time for developing and implementing strategies and solutions that will improve the lives of African-Americans.

Black people need to stop thinking of Barack as a Messiah.  I fear what will happen if the Messiah loses, what if he wins and their lives don't change, or worst, if the Messiah is assassinated.  All of those hopes and dreams thrown away.

What are your thoughts?