“So no, Gay is not the black, but we are in a time. While we face different challenges as individuals and communities, we also reside in a moment where our President is pleading with us to come together to recognize that while our differences are pervasive they are not perverted… prejudice has no place in the United States of America. President Obama revisited this notion while addressing the NAACP last Thursday.”
Also- blogging will likely be slower until September 15th (NYC Democratic Primary) but I will try to take some time out in the next week to tackle health care policy. The debate surrounding Health Care reform is extremely important and I think we should all try to understand the parameters of the debate, and more importantly we should all chime in.
The very first thing I did for the Obama campaign was a video called “My Five Bucks” which encouraged supporters to donate five dollars to the Obama campaign. The above video is pretty full circle, as I’ve once again found another candidate who’s given me reason to put my amateur screenwriting/ video skills to use.
Please watch the video, spread the word, and consider donating-or I should say investing- five dollars towards the future of New York City.
“You’d think that Coburn’s got some ’splainin’ to do, but as Washington etiquette has it, we spent the week learning every last footnote about Sotomayor while acres of press coverage shed scant light on the shoddy records of those judging her. The public got the point anyway about this dying order and its tired racial and culture wars. With Sotomayor’s fate never in doubt, it changed the channel.”
Councilman Yassky has a great piece on Huffpost that focuses on reforming the City pension system.
“A few weeks ago, the four candidates for City Comptroller met for a debate. The moderator asked if we would support changes in the City pension rules to reduce the cost of the system to taxpayers. This comes as the New York Times reports today that pension costs to local governments like New York City may triple if we don’t enact certain reforms.
The other three competitors flatly ruled out any pension reform; I responded that in light of the City’s severe budget problems, we can’t take any option off the table.”
Yeah…I’m not sure I want to comment on this much more than to say that I find the media frenzy, while at times entertaining, to be really extravagant. Obviously, as a political junkie I appreciate the discourse and speculation as much as the next person– but at the same time, given everything else going on in our country, now isn’t the time for politics. So while I sincerely wish we were at a point where Sarah Palin’s resignation was the most dramatic thing happening in the world- it’s not, and we can’t forget that. So, I figured, I could (A)write about Sarah Palin(from a social commentary point of view, there’s certainly a lot to dissect)….or (B)I could write a piece where I point out everything else that actually warrants our attention. I went with option B.
“It’d be easy to talk about Sarah Palin—but those conversations won’t bring us closer to reforming an education system that leaves children, and in some cases entire districts, behind. Those conversations won’t bring us closer to reforming our immigration system or to giving every young person who wants a college education a way to afford it. I get it, she resigned, her decision has sent the political world in a frenzy. But c’mon- how much more is there to say?”
This weekend, our family will join millions of others in celebrating America. We will enjoy the glow of fireworks, the taste of barbeque, and the company of good friends. As we all celebrate this weekend, let’s also remember the remarkable story that led to this day.
Two hundred and thirty-three years ago, our nation was born when a courageous group of patriots pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to the proposition that all of us were created equal.
Our country began as a unique experiment in liberty — a bold, evolving quest to achieve a more perfect union. And in every generation, another courageous group of patriots has taken us one step closer to fully realizing the dream our founders enshrined on that great day.
Today, all Americans have a hard-fought birthright to a freedom which enables each of us, no matter our views or background, to help set our nation’s course. America’s greatness has always depended on her citizens embracing that freedom — and fulfilling the duty that comes with it.
As free people, we must each take the challenges and opportunities that face this nation as our own. As long as some Americans still must struggle, none of us can be fully content. And as America comes ever closer to achieving the perfect Union our founders dreamed, that triumph — that pride — belongs to all of us.
So today is a day to reflect on our independence, and the sacrifice of our troops standing in harm’s way to preserve and protect it. It is a day to celebrate all that America is. And today is a time to aspire toward all we can still become.
With very best wishes,
President Barack Obama
July 4th, 2009
P.S. — Our nation’s birthday is also an ideal time to consider serving in your local community. You can find many great ideas for service opportunities near you at http://www.serve.gov.”
“The assumption that our abilities are determined by our make up, and our futures limited by conventional wisdom, has been denied traction by people like Michael Jackson. We are indebted to those who have confronted these limitations and destroyed them, who acknowledged societal expectations and exceeded them.”
