Republicans have carefully analyzed where the votes that elected President Obama came from. They are systematically working to prevent that from happening again.

The only significant voter fraud perpetuated in the U.S, in recent memory, was carried out by the Governor of Florida when his brother George W was first selected President. Despite this, republicans all over the country, including here in Minnesota-nice, are working to change laws, state constitutions and voter registration drive regulations in an effort to drive down participation in the voting process by the folks who turned out in huge numbers in 2008.

There are some young brothers and sisters at MCTC that are doing some terrific things. They have founded a chapter of Student African American Brotherhood (SAAB). I believe it’s the first in Minnesota.

I hope to come to know a lot more about SAAB, and these remarkable young people, in the months to come. What is already clear to me is that they are working together toward their joint success there.

I have heard it said that “A man who lies simply hides the truth. A man who tells half lies has forgotten where he put it”.

The other day, I heard a presidential hopeful say that lowering taxes on the rich creates jobs. That makes a kind of sense. They can invest that money in money making activity which generally leads to jobs. Problem is: the jobs they’re creating are in China, Pakistan and the Philippines. All places where you’ve been looking for work, right? Consider that Apple employs 45,000 people in the U.S. and 500,000 people in China.  

In the week after the President was elected, the comedic newspaper, “The Onion”, ran this headline: “Black Man Given Worst Job in America”. Subsequent events have proven that tongue-in-cheek assessment to be all too true.

The current bevy of candidates for the republican nomination would like us to forget what a mess George W. left the country in. They talk as if Obama is the source of all the country’s problems. They are confident that America has already forgotten that George W. inherited a budget surplus from Bill Clinton. In fact, it was that budget surplus that W. used to sell the country on the “temporary” tax break for America’s richest citizens and its corporations that do business internationally. They conveniently sidestep the fact that their colleagues in Congress consistently vote against initiatives they formerly supported just in order to thwart Obama.