Chicago Sun-Times Reporter Mary Mitchell Should Be Ashamed Re: President Obama

The day after President Obama was re-elected to office (11/07/2012) I read an article written by Chicago Sun-Times newspaper reporter Mary Mitchell and the caption read: “Will Obama do more for African Americans?” I started not to read it because I knew it would be a complaint about our dreadful conditions, and a query as to what [he] is going to do about it. But I read it any way.

Mary went to say in her article “…Yet in urban areas, too many children are still getting killed. Too many fathers are still trying to make a living selling drugs on the corner. Too many mothers still worry more about their kids walking down the street safely than about eating fresh vegetables. Frankly, black people have paid a hefty price for their loyalty…Now I hope he (Obama) will do more for the group that helped him get elected in the first place.”

I was embarrassed for Mary because she knows better, and she failed to mention exactly what it is President Obama should or could do for us. Not once did Mary, in her reprimand of President Obama, place responsibility on black people—where it rightfully belong—for what is going on in our communities (children getting killed; fathers selling drugs on street corners—everyday; mothers worrying about their kids walking safely down the streets that we live on).

Rather, Mary perpetuated the same ridiculous ideology that most black people invoke: “The government, the police, and the President aren’t doing enough to help black people to stop the killing in our communities and provide jobs and fresh vegetables…blah, blah, blah.”

I have yet to witness Mary putting forth any effort to help solve the problems she mentioned [above] in her article other than reporting on it.

Several years ago, because Mary is a high-profile and respected reporter in Chicago, I personally appealed to her to help bring women together to address the problems in our community and I have yet to hear from her.

As a reporter, Mary—to my knowledge—has not attempted to engage in dialogue with gang members in an effort to glean insight as to what is fueling the carnage in our communities, or how to solve it. Rather, [white] reporters Walter Jacobson of CBS [News] and [ABC national news anchor] Diane Sawyer came into our community to engage in dialogue with actual gangbangers to pin-point the anatomy of their murderous behavior. It should have been Mary [and us].

Mary failed to mention that we—black people—aren’t doing anything collectively to improve our dreadful social and economic conditions. I want to know what is it that Mary Mitchell and black people expect President Obama to do for us that we refuse to do for ourselves.

Keep in mind that African-Americans—just like everyone else—live in a land of prosperity, i.e., America, a capitalistic society where free enterprise is accessible to everyone with no restrictions on getting an education or starting a business.

African-Americans refuse to come together to collectively develop a plan to combine our resources and spending strength to support, expand, and create black enterprises. Neither President Obama, nor any form of government should be expected to bear sole responsibility for improving our local-level economic disparities and social atrocities.

What responsibility should we bear?

I cannot resist reminding [Mary Mitchell and] black people of just a few government financial entitlements (help from government) that black people—like every other race—already receive and have been receiving every month, every year for decades that are meant to be and should be used by [black] people to help improve their quality of life:

Section 8 Housing:
This federally-funded entitlement program pays all or a substantial portion of rent for no-to-low-income [black] people monthly/annually.

Example: A high-end monthly rent subsidy for a single mother with 3 or more children for up to $1,500 for a decent 3-4 bedroom apartment amounts to $18,000 annually; and many black people (mothers) have been receiving Section 8 government-financed housing for decades. $18,000 annually multiplied by 10 years is $180,000—then multiply that by 2 decades ($360,000). Now multiple this figure by millions of black people.

Link Program:
This federally-funded entitlement program titled “Link” gives hundreds of dollars in [cash and] food stamps to millions of no-to-low-income [black] people monthly.

Disgrace:
There are millions of mothers (and fathers) that do not use their Link food stamps to buy food for their kids. The kids go hungry while their mothers’ sell the Link provision to other people for cash—every month.

Example: A single mother with 2 to 3 kids receives this government entitlement for just food purchases alone. A monthly $500+ Link provision amounts to $6,000 annually, multiplied by 10 years = $60,000. Yet the babies are starving. The “Link Card” is the real American Express Card.

Recommendation: The physical "Link" card should have a recipient's picture ID, and recipients should be required to show the Link ID prior to cashiers completing purchase transactions.

WIC:
This government entitlement program—in addition to Link—provides money for single mothers to purchase milk, juice, cereal, etc. for babies they are continuously having that they cannot financially take care of.

Medicaid:
Free healthcare paid for by State government(s). What more can I say?!

Earned Income Tax Credit:
Federal government help that enables millions of low-income people receive thousands of dollars in annual federal income tax credits that renders hefty tax refunds every year. The more children a “worrying” mother has, the higher her federal tax refund is.

Example: Every year, low-income parents receive two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine-thousand dollars (or more) in federal tax refunds via the “earned income tax credit." And every year—most if not all—tax credit recipients never spend their sizeable tax refunds in ways that will surely enhance their educational or economic conditions. Instead they go buy used cars just about every year; or new TV’s/furniture, expensive hair weaves—ultimately spending the money in ways that do not meaningfully benefit them or their children.

Recommendation:
Earned income tax credits should be tied to a mandatory requirement to obtain higher education, with an eligibility period of every other year. Eligibility would be stipulated on having to submit official documented proof of attendance/completion of an accredited degree or trade program; or proof of payment of tuition or tutoring lessons, etc. for their children.

The tax credit recipient should only be eligible for tax credits every two years after providing said proof for each 2-year eligibility period up to 6 years.

Eligibility for earned income tax credits should expire in 6 years.

Example:
1. In order to be eligible for earned income tax credits every two years, the low-income qualifier would have to obtain an associates degree during eligibility years one through 2;

2. For eligibility for years three through four, the low-income qualifier would have to successfully obtain a Bachelor’s degree, and;

3. In order to qualify for eligibility years five through six, the low income qualifier should be required to obtain a Masters degree.

After a 4 to 6-year eligibility period, a low-income qualifier would no longer qualify for the earned income tax credit; and would have not only moved up academically, but would qualify to obtain a higher-paying job, thereby being able to relinquish dependency on government entitlement programs.

If a person does not engage the mandatory requirement to obtain higher education, they should not be eligible to take advantage of earned income tax credits, period!

Cell Phones:
The federal government provides no-to-low-income people with free cell phones and free cell phone service.

Disgrace:
I know people who are abusing this (luxury) government-financed privilege by having two and three free (government provided) cell phones. How is that for making an ass out of the sporting life?

Recommendation:
The government’s program of free cell phone service is a luxury and should be an entitlement exclusively for senior citizens.

No-to-low-income people who spend money to get their hair and nails done every week and are already receiving tens of thousands of dollars in government “help” every month/every year should not be entitled to receive free cell phones and cell phone services.

The U.S Congress should immediately revoke this costly luxury entitlement.

Public Education:
Free education: K-12th Grade. What more could you ask for? Um?

Pell Grants:
This government entitlement gives money to no-to-low-income individuals to attend college or universities to receive higher education as a means to achieve greater earning potential, or learn how to start their own businesses.

Disgrace:
Black people should be breaking the government bank with this entitlement, especially the fathers that Mary Mitchell mentioned who are selling drugs on the corners [everyday].

I could go on and on, but you get the picture, right? Right!

Now tell me this: What the heck more could President Obama do to help black people when black people have access to all the resources they need to help themselves but are not [largely] doing so. What gosh darn it!?

Tell me, Mary (black people)! What do you want President Obama to do that you and mostly everybody in the black community are not doing? Why didn’t you ask former President Bill Clinton the same question? Why haven’t you asked Mayor Emmanuel the same question? And Rahm Emmanuel was [also] elected to office with the majority vote of black people and he has no blacks in his cabinet—you’re not grinding him about that! Mary should be ashamed of herself. I know I am. I’m ashamed for/of all of us.

I'm simply saying!

Saishe Brokesom