Vote Tuesday, Nov. 6
Despite high unemployment (14.4 percent), greater income disparity than at the time of the Great Depression and a major loss of homes because of mortgage foreclosures, African Americans remain confident in their economic prospects. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll of a year ago found that 49 percent of blacks thought the country is headed in the right direction compared to only 19 percent of whites. A reported 86 percent of blacks approved of the president’s handling of the economy.
That African American optimism and that support for President Barack Obama has not waned, but sometimes there is a futile expectation that the American Dream will dawn on its own. Some compassionate unseen beneficiary will provide the long awaited affluence. Unfortunately, it rarely works like that. Success comes as the result of unceasing effort.
For many elections, African Americans have taken for granted the right to vote. While there are those who risked their lives to secure this right, that was long ago. It became too easy to become indifferent about voting on Election Day. However, the Republican strategy to require photo IDs to be able to vote raised the possibility that many blacks in key states would be disenfranchised. It took numerous lawsuits to defeat this Republican strategy designed to minimize the democratic vote. Blacks should vote in massive numbers in defiance of that disempowering strategy.
At the top of the ballot, the Banner endorses Barack Obama for president. That comes as no surprise, but be assured this is not a decision based on ethnicity. Certainly that helps, but rarely have the philosophical differences between the candidates been so lucid. Obama believes that the greatness of America is the free enterprise system that allows every citizen the right to pursue his or her professional or business interests. The government aids and abets that process and stands by with a safety net for those who miss the brass ring.
On the other hand, Mitt Romney has demonstrated little respect for 47 percent of the population that has failed to amass significant wealth to be a significant taxpayer and may need assistance from the government. He wants to cut support programs such as education, welfare, food stamps and Medicare. His goal is to cut taxes for the wealthy so that those programs become unaffordable.
Even many of the wealthy citizens understand that such a draconian approach to taxation would destroy the social contract that binds Americans of all economic classes. Warren Buffett, the wealthiest American, has stated that millionaires should pay the highest tax rate. Now, with the available loopholes, he pays a lower tax rate than his secretary. That is unfair.
Elizabeth Warren for the Senate. One very important reason is to keep a democratic majority in the U.S. Senate to support Obama’s nomination of judges. Romney wants a Supreme Court that will overturn Roe v. Wade. There will likely be at least one vacancy to fill on the court in the next four years.
In her battle to establish the Federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Warren demonstrated her intellectual talent and her willingness to fight for the middle class.
Michael Capuano must be re-elected to Congress. With Barney Frank leaving, it would be disastrous to weaken our delegation further by supporting an untried candidate at this critical time.
Also, vote NO on Question 2!
