Obama and Race

I was told by a white southern female that she voted for Barack Obama but was upset that he has failed to "bring us together" as a society. She meant this in a racial way; as in bring the races together to end prejudice. I thought-but unfortunatly did not say-that this was a cruel charge to make of our first "black" president. Our society has been divided racial, and still is, but to blame a black man for not ending that is incredible. In the 1960's the Kerner Commission Report on race in America noted that the racial divide in this country was caused by "white racism" and I see no reason to think anything substantial has changed. For a white southern to blame a black man for not ending racial prejudice in America is further proof that "white racism" is still the problem.

Government Spending

I wonder how many New Jerseyans are complaining about the US government spending too much money while they wait in line at FEMA offices for a disaster relief check necessitated by Hurricane Irene and recent river flooding?

In regard to federal government spending, I would suggest the following. The analogy of the government spending being comparable to the spending by a family is wrong. A family determines how much revenue they have coming in and then decide how to allocate it. So much for rent, food, clothes and whatever. However, a government should decide what the needs of the society are and then determine how much revenue is needed to fill those needs. Some people today want the government to raise as little revenue as possible and then fight over how to spend those limited dollars.

GOP Governors

I wonder how many republican governors-like Christie-will piss and moan about the Obama jobs stimulus package, as a program that will add to the already large national debt, and then when running for re-election will take credit for added jobs in their state that the Obama stimulus package created?

Dominionism

It was reported in the Virginian Pilot today that some republican presidential candidates are believers in "dominionism". According to WikiPedia this belief maintains that the "nation (should be) governed by a conservative Christian understanding of biblical law, or a nation governed by Christians". "Soft" Dominionists believe America is a Christian nation. "Hard" Dominionists are those who advocate the establishment of a theocracy. Another web site notes that Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry "have deep ties to a fringe fundamentalist movement known as 'dominionism' which says Christians should rule the world". It would be good idea to read Kevin Phillips American Theocracy from 2006.

(Source: "American theocracy revisited" by Ross Douthat of the NY Times. In The Virginian Pilot on 9/6/11).