Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts

July 13, 2017

Don't Save Face, Save our Children!

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
Nelson Mandela

Education isn't a powerful weapon for many students in Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS). It has become a barrier for students who want to succeed.

It is alleged that graduation requirements decreased to increase graduation rates, and students' grades were changed to camouflage the accuracy of their in-class performance.

These allegations are serious and should be addressed to ensure PGCPS students have the proper resources and aptitude to excel in college, work, and life.

PGCPS are replete with minority students. Should it be assumed minority students aren't smart enough to meet basic graduation requirements? If this is the spirit among PGCPS leadership, don't save face; change its leadership.

June 23, 2017

The Truth Shall Make You Free

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32

If the truth makes us free, why are so many of us bound? Are we bound because we haven't defined our truth? Bound because we live through the lens of people (i.e., their opinion) and not our values and beliefs? Bound because we govern our lives according to what we're told, which is contrary to who we are, or who we're striving to become.

No one knows us better than the One who created us. We were fearfully and wonderfully created in His image to glorify and honor Him in everything we say and do. If we're not living our lives to please God, are we neglecting His divine plan for our lives? And, if we're choosing to live according to the opinions, beliefs, and values of others, we're not living authentically. We're forfeiting our true divine freedom.

July 26, 2016

Wake Up America

Based on the violence that has spurred in America, one could conclude, America is heading towards a downward spiral. What's the underlying cause? Is race the culprit? Who or what has given life to an issue that was assumed dead?

The underlying force contributing to the demise of America isn't physical, but spiritual. And if we're going to make America great, we have to learn how to fight in a realm that's spiritual. (Ephesians 6:10-13)

According to John 10:10, the enemy comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. What was stolen, killed, and destroyed during the recent weeks of violence and who's to blame? Believe it or not, it's the enemy and his mission is gaining footage.

Luke 6:27-28 states, "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. Remember the motto, "United We Stand, divided we fall." The power to make America great is within all of us. Not just the President, Congress, and the rich.

God needs a new nation of people who are willing to fight to restore, revive, and renew the spirit of America, and this blogpost serves as a recruitment message to the unsaved, and a wake-up message to the saved.

As long as America's spirit is broken, America will never be great. The only way to make America great is to be unified as One.

October 28, 2014

Skeptics of The Poor

Two homeless women contacted The SOFEI Group for housing assistance after eviction from an area shelter. Housing homeless women and their families is not part of our mission; however, we sought assistance (temporary housing, food, and pampers) from area organizations, churches, and people on their behalf. Following are responses to our request:
  • Why were they evicted?
  • Are they tithing members of a church?
  • They must be irresponsible women to be evicted from a shelter.
  • Why can't they move to another shelter?
  • I don't believe in giving my money to people that don't want to help themselves.
  • Why can't they go and stay with relatives?
All responses were valid and The SOFEI Group decided to provide temporary housing and food for these women because they were wandering the street with their children in tote. And, it was discovered their eviction wasn't a result of their carelessness, but their refusal to attend substance abuse (alcohol or drugs) counseling sessions mandated by the shelter.

Some shelters receive different types of funding - funding for emergency or transitional housing. And, when shelters are strapped for cash, it's unfortunate that some women are subjected to unnecessary or unrelated services.

We're all responsible to be good stewards of our resources, and we clearly understand the skepticism associated with giving money to people you don't know. However, here's a food for thought, every time we spend our money, we're possibly supporting an organization or a cause we do not believe in. You know why? Because we don't ask questions about how our money is being used after a purchase is complete. As long as our immediate wants or needs are met, we seldom question the destination of our hard-earned money once it leaves our hands.

So, why the skepticism when money is needed to help the poor?

June 10, 2013

Everyone has had a free ride at least once

Entitlements – programs (e.g., Medicare or Social Security) funded by taxpayers that supposedly benefit non-taxpayers. How can this be especially for taxpayers that worked and contributed towards these programs? And, why are Entitlement programs on the chopping block to balance the budget or reduce the deficit in an effort to stop people from riding free?

Free riders are from different ethnic and economic backgrounds. They’re people who cheat on their taxes or avoid paying taxes due to tax shelters buried under complicated tax codes. They’re people who can afford to pay for healthcare, but choose not to; passing their expenses to the shoulders of people strapped with the high cost of health insurance. They're executives who receive government bailouts and bonuses, in spite of their misuse or ill investments of hard working citizens who lost their life savings. They’re also celebrities indulged with expensive gifts they can afford and may not want.

What about the poor? Are they simply sitting and waiting for a free ride or an opportunity to transform their lives? Not all of them. Why are the poor viewed differently when they’re provided with free opportunities or resources to improve their lives? Is it because the benefits to help the poor haven't been deemed a great investment?

Helping people transform their lives to become financial contributors to society can benefit us all. We just have to slow down enough to give others the same ride many of us were granted for free.

June 3, 2013

Training is a waste of time and money

Another federal government agency was snubbed last week for allegedly wasting tax payer’s dollars (50 million) for training conferences over a three-year period. Training is a waste of time and money when its goals and objectives aren’t clearly defined and connected to an organization’s mission, and the actual value training will add when completed.

Government waste didn’t start in this Administration; it has been a normal way of business to avoid a decrease in appropriation dollars for each fiscal year. When an agency learns that it has an excess in appropriation dollars towards the end of their fiscal year, many government employees reap the benefits of training, conferences, and/or new equipment.

Training should never be used as a last resort to save appropriation dollars that will result in waste. This strategy decreases the value of education and training. If a government agency can operate on less money than originally appropriated, this money should be returned to Congress to bring down the deficit.

March 17, 2013

Should the Government Accumulate Debt for the Poor?

Deuteronomy 15:11 states, For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

The Israelites were instructed by God to help the poor when they arrived to possess the Promised Land to serve as a reminder of God's gift of freedom after their enslavement in Egypt.

Some believe people that are poor brought it on themselves, and this belief makes it easy to close our hearts and hands towards them. Helping the poor demonstrates our faith in God and our country. Ignoring to care for the poor for any reason forfeits our humanitarian duty to care for our fellow citizens during their greatest time of need.

The battle between Congress and the President on strategies to serve the poor isn’t simply about the rising debt, but the different attitudes towards poverty. Not extending unemployment benefits or decreasing government entitlement programs may decrease the National debt, but it will not prevent the poor from sinking deeper into an oppressive state.

When the hearts of more American citizens become like God’s, we will give more without passing judgment or making excuses. If God can look beyond our faults to meet our needs, we should do the same.

The government shouldn’t accumulate debt to help the poor, but it should build a compassionate approach to handle it.

August 28, 2012

The Power of The Tongue

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. This idiom has been quoted by many children to indicate name calling or words will never hurt them.

Proverbs 18:21 states, Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. So, words can hurt or empower!

How will you use your use your tongue today? Will you speak life or death into the lives of others? What will you speak into yourself? If you choose death, why bother speaking?

August 16, 2011

American Poverty Tour

Tavis Smiley - author, talk and radio host and Dr. Cornel West - author, activist, speaker and Princeton University Professor launched a poverty tour to bring a voice and conscience to the growing trend of American poverty. Their work is commendable; however, isn't it time for communities (especially the Black) to unify resources to become self-sustaining and less reliant on the government for their livelihood?

American poverty as defined by the Census Bureau looks rich compared to impoverished countries. Is it shameful for Americans to be classified as poor in a country replete with resources? Absolutely! But when immigrants come to this country with different barriers (language being one of them) and succeed, why can't members of the African American communities do likewise?

The current budget cuts aren't pretty, and the cuts are creating deeper wounds. Should the wounded go to the President and Congress, wave bloody bandages to make them stop the bleeding? Or should African Americans look within their communities, find doctors and surgeons to stitch and close the wounds and start healing?

Members of this current administration know poverty exists. Trying to get them to recite the word 'poverty' as an acknowledgement of its existence or a means to change its current 'poverty' policies is like a husband with a nagging wife who wants him to acknowledge, accept, and repent of his sins when he doesn't believe he's a sinner.

Let the war on poverty amongst African Americans be an internal communal war by recruiting soldiers willing to fight (e.g., establish banks, jobs, community health centers, technology centers, and community think tanks), to eradicate it. Not spectators sitting on the sideline critiquing others for not throwing the right punches.

Another economic storm is coming. Waiting for the government to distribute umbrellas will not prevent the poor or middle-class from getting wet or drowning if they can't swim. The face of poverty has drastically changed in America, and African Americans must look within to modify their strategies to solve it.