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The Numbers Make No Sense, But Things Are Better?

by Black Man Thinkin'
Categories: ... 'bout Money, ... 'bout Politics
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comments: 1 Comment
Published on: May 10, 2014

The economic indicators are a jumbled mess…and that may be on purpose.

The financial markets soar, but fewer stocks have rising prices. Corporate profits reach all-time highs, but employees receive their lowest share of it 1947…as they struggle to reduce consumer debt that hit a record high in 2012.

The employment picture is even more confusing.

The U.S. economy added 288,000 in April 2014, and the headline unemployment rate declined from 6.7% in March to 6.3%. Additionally, upward revisions for the two prior months mean 713,000 people found work from February through April. That seems positive, even hopeful…until one learns 806,000 people left the workforce in the month of April alone and that the exodus from the workforce, not the number of people finding work, accounts for the decrease in April’s unemployment rate. Interestingly, people leaving the workforce since 2009 account for all the unemployment rate decline during the Obama administration, and for dropping the labor force participation rate to a 35-year low.

Despite this, the press says the job market is improving, going so far as to say leading indicators signal the pace of U.S. economic growth is poised to snap back. How, or even when, that might occur when First Quarter GDP growth for this year was 0.1% – yep, ZERO-POINT-ONE…PERCENT – is mystifying. Equally mystifying is how the experts conclude weather caused the poor growth growth, but did not affect stock prices. More mystifying still is how the president concludes an economy, absent of growth, is improving.

So, stock markets are high, but not that many stocks are rising; businesses make more money, but employees see less of it, while consumer and public debt are at all time highs, here and abroad. Some find work, but even more give up looking; the economy does not grow, but we hear it is getting better. Yep, clear as mud.

The mixed messages don’t stop there. The president says of “income inequality”: “I believe this is the defining challenge of our time”: [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmRgU2B1pe0[/youtube]
Yet, his policy “prescriptions” may only exacerbate the disease:

    His minimum wage increase will reduce the number of jobs, according to the CBO and the Chairman of the Federal Reserve,

    The president wants Obamacare implementation “follow through”, though the CBO has determined it will cut work hours by the equivalent of 2,000,000 full-time jobs, and

    Obama’s “Promise Zones” sound like Clinton’s “Empowerment Zones”, which made poorly validated claims of helping the poor, and like the “War on Poverty”, which has cost $15 Trillion (perhaps more) over the last half-century, with the Census Bureau reporting a higher poverty rate now than in 1966. (Reflect on that: We have spent the rough equivalent of the current national debt on a project that has missed its mark for the last 50 years. One can only wonder where the economy might be had that money remained in the private sector.)

It is hard to see how any “income inequality” challenge would be met by reducing the number of available work opportunities, or by doubling down on policies that have not worked for decades.

Today’s U.S. economy is a modern retelling of the Emperor’s New Clothes, complete with a media chorus that works to explain away the nakedness much of the public has already seen.

Simply put, things are not better for U.S. economy. The number of people in the workforce, as a percentage of the working population, has not been this low since 1979. Some may recall that the Jimmy Carter economy is what led to the Reagan Revolution in 1980, and that Ronald Reagan won re-election in 1984 by helping to put Americans back to work after the Carter years: [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU-IBF8nwSY[/youtube]

Unfortunately, though Americans considered jobs and the economy their top priority 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014, the federal government maintained a different perspective. Instead of focusing, the president has instead “pivoted” to jobs and the economy so many times that he resembles a whirling dervish: [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jwn4dJcl08[/youtube]
The result from all that “spin” is 11.3 million people out of the workforce, against approximately 4.1 million jobs added since 2009. Add to that, a great number of the jobs gained are part-time, not full-time. Add to that, median income for U.S. households is down since the Great Recession ENDED.

For all the confusing and conflicting economic news, one thing is quite clear: America has failed to do, from 2008 through 2014, what she accomplished from 1980 to 1984, even though — with double-digit unemployment, inflation, and federal interest rates — the 1980’s began with a much more troubled economy.

What seems most odd is that all the bad information about the economy is even worse for blacks, who voted 95% for Obama in 2008, and 93% for Obama in 2012. Despite “depression level” unemployment, higher poverty rates than any ethnic group, and losing ground “in every single leading economic indicator category”, many blacks remain willing to defend Obama against (imagined) racial attacks on him (something the president encourages), but not willing to defend themselves against the economic attack of his policies on them.

A telling quote is this:

    “Still, 61 percent regard the economy negatively, including a majority of all age and income levels, most independents and 80 percent of Republicans. Only among Democrats, people with a postgraduate education and blacks do a majority regard the economy as good.”

So you have to be either a Democrat, highly educated, or black to believe the economy is doing well, even though it is not doing well. That is a strange collection of people who simply do not believe that “fat meat is greasy”.

As long as such people ignore the essential facts to support an ideology, there will always be an ideological struggle. As long as the nation allows those who share such an ideological view to hold elective office, there will always be unnecessary economic struggles…and people purposely contorting data to make things seem better than they are.

And until the clear thinking among the American people either purge or abandon a government containing such ideologues, we may never see “Morning in America” again.

And Now, Football Must Die…

by Black Man Thinkin'
Categories: ... 'bout Money, ... 'bout Politics
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Published on: January 29, 2014

American Football is quintessentially…American. Unlike soccer (what the rest of the world calls “football”), where participants can’t use their hands as part of the “beautiful game”, Football requires full-body participation in repeated outbursts of violent energy. Also unlike soccer, Football is a game of testosterone; women and young children can neither play it well, nor with the requisite emotion and camaraderie…

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XYN2xss88Y[/youtube]

American Football is men, combining their individual might, speed, guile, bludgeoning, and force of will with that of other men, as a committed unit to physically complete against another group of men. It is simultaneously the height of rugged individualism and the ultimate expression of team. Football models achieving the American Dream: personal sacrifice and perseverance, teamwork, a hero’s rise, the breakthrough moment, full commitment, win or lose, in pursuit of an unwilling objective. Football elevates some and humiliates others, yet remains egalitarian; it exposes every man’s weaknesses – and that man will either be made better, or be made to go away, by the revelation.

However, Football is losing its place in the country that invented it (After all, how long can you support a professional expression of hyper-masculinity in a culture concerned with a “war on women”?). This teacher of basic truths struggles in an American society increasingly comfortable with complex lies. Unless that changes, this politically incorrect game will die.

The National Football League (NFL) began as the American Professional Football Association (APFA) in 1920, with four Ohio teams, in a Canton automobile showroom. By 1927, after franchise fits and starts, the NFL trimmed 22 clubs to 12, cutting financial dead weight and shifting its center from the Midwest to the East Coast. A de facto ban on black players in 1933 was overcome after World War II. In 1946, the NFL headed West, with the Cleveland Rams relocating to Los Angeles.

In 1960, Texas oilmen, kept from NFL franchises, launched the American Football League (AFL), sparking a competition that led to Super Bowl I in 1967 and an explosion in player salaries. Along the way, Football replaced baseball as America’s favorite sport. The two leagues merged, in 1970, into the modern NFL.

Today, the NFL’s 32 teams span the country. A sport once ignored after the Midwestern Fall now rivets the nation’s attention year round. Yet Football is both under attack and in decline, with few realizing the situation, though the signs are visible.

Before the NFL, Football brought glory and built character, but no one played for any real money. Football was a vehicle to launch young men’s careers; it was not itself a valid career choice. The professional league did not immediately change even the best players’ minds on that. The 1935 Heisman Award winner was the first player chosen in the NFL’s 1936 inaugural draft. But Jay Berwanger never played in the NFL, opting instead for a manufacturing career.

And the young NFL was not immediately a big money career. In the NFL’s early decades, most players had jobs or businesses. Football players had to WORK, not just work out, during the off-season. However, that prepared them for life after Football, even as they played, integrating them, socially and economically, into their communities. But the big money, which began with the AFL-NFL competition for players, brought big changes.

Big salaries isolated Football, creating players who are much larger, and richer, than the people among whom they live, leaving them with little physically, economically, or socially in common with their communities.

The source of Football salaries created another form of isolation. Most people generate their incomes from their local economies. Football players…not so much. Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans’ economy, cutting off local jobs and incomes. Yet Saints’ players still got their checks, without interruption…because the NFL, not the cities, pays most of player salaries.

NFL teams generate about, $51 Million from annual ticket sales; NFL payrolls, in 2012, ranged from $91.9 Million to $118.3 Million. The league provides what teams cannot from TV and other revenue.

Another, and worse, form of isolation is of players from education. Before the NFL, Football was an education vehicle; players left the game in their twenties to compete in the fields of business, education, and politics. Even after the game went pro, early NFL players were likely to be college graduates. However, by 1989, only 1 in 3 NFL players had college degrees. By 2004, the number rose to 46%, however the damage was already done.

Large NFL contracts isolated players from college degrees, lessening their marketable skills once their playing careers ended. When an All-Pro defensive lineman admits he was functionally illiterate in college, yet was an upperclassmen; when the Number 1 pick in the 2006 NFL draft files for bankruptcy protection in 2014, that is not integrating men into society. That is destroying men within society.

Now, there is “chicken little” talk of concussions and players safety; some surmise it may end football, as parents, including NFL players, grow wary of seeing their sons play Football, though the science is not settled. And the NFL wants to head off the issue with a monetary settlement, which is stalled in court.

However, in truth, concussions and CTE will likely be the feather that knocks over a weakened sport. The real damage to Football began long before people showed concern for how many times a player “got his bell rung”.

When American Football went professional, it began turning from a game that integrated young men into society as educated, aggressive, and disciplined leaders, and into a sideshow of well-paid, large-bodied characters who are likely uneducated or undisciplined entertainers.

Without the NFL, this outburst:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPD_Lgq7IyI[/youtube]

is harmless exuberance from a 20-year-old kid. Instead, it is from a 25-year-old kid (big difference, right?), who makes a half million per year, and causes a national uproar. Seriously?

Without the NFL, this foolishness:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZNBN1GO_h4[/youtube]

is unconscionable, along with the support of the group that led to this idea in the first place.

If there were no “next level”, which paid folks to play, then a free education, and the connections that come with it, would be appreciated, rather than sniffed at. Football players as college employees? Do they wish to pay taxes on those scholarships and stipends?

Football no longer has giving men with uncommon drive a path to societal greatness as its primary function. Too often, it simply prepares a small minority (there are less than 2000 active NFL roster spots each year) to play a game for pay, extending their adolescence well into their 20’s and 30’s, and leaving them unmarketable and broke when done.

If Football provides nothing more than money, while crippling those who play it, then who could blame a reasonable society for turning away from such an enterprise.

It is time to return Football to what it did well, before a great game goes away.

Fewer Black Leaders = More Black Leadership?

by Black Man Thinkin'
Categories: ... 'bout business and support, ... 'bout Politics
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Published on: September 28, 2012

Do you remember this:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPrHwmiUMH0[/youtube]

I recall the above, and white governors fighting to keep blacks out of universities, church and house bombings, the King assassination… What kept all I saw and heard from destroying the belief that I could accomplish anything? Good parents, and the influence of black church leaders.

In my youth, church officials were the most powerful and influential black political leaders, whether they held elected office or not. Blacks WENT TO CHURCH then, even more than now, including those who would not know Jesus if He slapped them upside the head. The black church dealt with families. It caused businesses to thrive or die. It directed the vote. It impacted nearly every aspect of black life.

Consequently, most black leaders were found in the church. Even many of today’s black leaders got their start in the church – there’s nothing wrong with that. But things are different now from when I was younger.

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s broke the back of segregation in the United States, and made many segregation practices illegal. Blacks could compete in areas previously closed to them. As more opportunities appeared, capable blacks did what other capable people do in a competition: they won when they were better than the competition.

As integration progressed, the church was no longer their only source of validation for blacks. The church maintained its influence, but the road to black success and respectability no longer had to run through the pews or the pastor’s study.

This gave rise to other leaders, not “birthed” in the church. “Min.” or “Rev.” did not appear before their names, nor the letters “D.D.” or “Th.D” after them. The Old Guard of black leadership, primarily male clergy, began to give way to others with different leadership pedigrees.

And so, blacks, and their leaders, took another step in the progression followed by Italian, Irish, Russian, and other ethnic immigrant communities, though those groups did not come to America via the slave trade. Those progression steps include:

    • Shunned – As outcasts by the larger society. This compels the people to gather themselves together for support until their numbers grow,

    • Massing – As their numbers increase, the gathered people form self-contained “mini-societies” that include familiar practices and traditions, and encompass aspects of the larger society,

    • Bridging – The mini-societies support strong bonds, for the group and individuals, with the larger society. Some traditions and leadership constructs are challenged or changed, and

    • Releasing – Group members feel less need for comfort and support from the group. Many prefer living and working in the larger society and are more likely to have their views shaped by influences apart from the group.

Most European immigrant groups usually reach that last step in the progression. It may be because their physical characteristics are less distinct one from another; they are all considered “white”. Blacks and others of color tend to linger on “Bridging”. But now may be an opportunity for blacks to take that last step.

A widening values disconnect challenges black leadership constructs today. Traditional black values are basically unchanged since at least the 19th century, including: respect for God and the church; the importance of family and children; and respect for hard work and those who do it.

Black leaders still champion those values. However, the vast majority also identify themselves as Democrats. As that party’s values move further away from traditional black values, many leaders, especially those with a church affiliation, are under pressure to “choose this day whom ye will serve” – whether the values that sustained black people through slavery, then Reconstruction and Jim Crow, or those that reflect modern liberalism.

That biblical foundation for traditional black values further complicates matters for black church leaders who are Democrats; some scriptural teachings conflict with party platform positions. For example, while the conflict between no “respect of persons” and affirmative action is negotiated, conflicts about abortion remain. More recently, homosexual marriage pitted traditional black values against Democrat party values.

In response, the Old Guard is divided. Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton and others fully support homosexual marriage; Jackson has said he would officiate an homosexual marriage. On the other side, Coalition of African American Pastors’ founder and president, Rev. William Owens, denounced the president’s support for homosexual marriage and the more than 3,000-member organization wrote a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder saying Martin Luther King, Jr., would have opposed it. Still others try an awkward balance of supporting Obama while opposing homosexual marriage.

This turmoil among the Old Guard leadership is an opportunity for blacks to reach that last progression step of “Releasing” by finding and supporting a less-compromised leadership structure – or no structure at all – that will facilitate their connection to the larger society.

Perhaps it is time for blacks to choose what they consistently believe, not accept guidance from leaders whose positions are increasingly inconsistent.

This is not a call for blacks to abandon the black clergy or the church. It is, however, a call for individual blacks to form and hold to their own beliefs instead of being counted on to believe certain things simply because they are…well…black.

There are consistent black leaders, with and without church affiliation. Consider Furquan R. Stafford, Sr., Chairman & CEO of C.P. Plasma Center, Inc., who occasionally shares information on this blog; he is a Democrat. Or Sebrena Kelly, President and Founder of Caribbean & American Global Business Connections, who affiliates herself with the People’s Party.

Or Jennifer Freeman, the “Conservative Liberal” Founder and CEO of Freeman Young Consulting LLC; or Minister Helena M. Titus, a Democrat who founded PowerGirl Ministries.

These are not necessarily well-known leaders, but they are examples of people with clear views, not given to compromising their values, and desire to help others.

Blacks are a substantial people, with a core set of values that mirror the best of America. They also hold a variety of views which are not well-represented by Old Guard leaders who risk groin injury by trying to keep one foot on Holy Ground, and the other on the Democrat Party platform, as those two viewpoints move further apart.

While some of those leaders struggle, it creates an opening for an even greater number of new leaders. Leaders who are less compromised and more focused on seeing results than on being seen. Perhaps, this is their chance to be heard and to be effective. Sometimes, less (Old Guard) is more (black leadership).

Furquan R Stafford, Sr. on Crunk For Christ Radio, 4 September 2012

by Black Man Thinkin'
Categories: ... 'bout business and support
Tags: , , ,
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Published on: September 12, 2012

Furquan continues to get things done and to get his message out! Tune in to the latest on his efforts in business and for his community!

If you haven’t been to the website for his business, CP Plasma Center, then now would be a good time for
a first visit…or a revisit.

Peace

Why Don’t They Tell Us This About Taxes – And Why Won’t We Hear It?

by Black Man Thinkin'
Categories: ... 'bout Money, ... 'bout Politics, Best of Site
Tags: , ,
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Published on: August 4, 2012

Recall this portion of the April 2008 Democratic presidential debate regarding taxes:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CYn2NWuLhQ&feature=relmfu[/youtube]

Credit Charlie Gibson for attempting to make a point: History consistently shows tax revenues are higher when the tax rate is lower. Obama twice sidestepped Gibson’s question, first talking about “fairness” (huh?), effectively saying that lower rates are unfair, no matter how much more money they raise. The second time he questioned the historical link between low tax rates and higher tax revenues by saying “… uh, eh, eh-eh, That MIGHT happen, uh, or it might not…” Hillary Clinton simply answered a different question than the one posed.

However, Charlie Gibson’s question misses the real point. So also does the fact that each of the four times federal income tax rates were lowered (following World War I, in the 1960’s, in the 1980’s, and the 2000’s), income tax revenues increased. So also does the current debate about extending the current income tax rates or returning to the higher rates of the 1990’s. Finally, the excited rumors of pending tax reform also miss the real point.

The real point is these 30 words: “The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.”

That is the entire text of the 16th Amendment to the US Constitution. Congress’ received this power less than a century ago, in 1913, part of an early 20th century wave of progressive government reform which also included: the direct election by voters, rather than selection by state legislatures, of US Senators; the prohibition of alcohol; and women’s suffrage – these were the 17th, 18th, and 19th amendments. But let’s not lose focus as did Mr. Gibson when trying to question Hillary and Barack.

Without the 16th Amendment, there is no 2008 debate question regarding national capital gains taxes. Without that amendment, there would be no discussion of the Clinton era versus Bush era income tax rates. Without the 16th Amendment, no private citizen would deal with the IRS regarding income taxation; they would address such matters with the state taxing authority.

The 16th Amendment’s ratification robbed US citizens of a significant constitutional protection. Prior to it, the American people’s incomes were safe from Congress. Congress could levy whatever taxes they saw fit, however it was for the states to determine how to raise what was apportioned to them. Sales taxes, excise taxes, fees, income taxes – whatever worked best financially, economically, or politically for that state. The federal government could not harass individual citizens about federal income taxes – there was no such thing. Consequently, there was a barrier between citizens and the federal government regarding the private property known as their incomes.

Why did that protection matter? Well, there was less federal stress for Americans. Also, citizens had more input into what taxes were paid. Additionally, well… look at this graph of public debt from 1900 and projected through 2016. The debt hardly registered before the 16th Amendment was ratified in 1913. Though the numbers then were small by today’s standard, between 1913 and 1916, the debt grew nearly 30%. Some may blame World War I, but the US did not enter that war until 1917.

Fast forward through the 1920’s (when the federal government ran a budget surplus each year, after lowering income tax rates) and look at the period 1940 through 1946. The more than four-fold debt increase is understandable – World War II was on. However, the US had no armed conflict during the 1930’s; what is to explain the more than 70% increase in debt during that decade?

Try this: once the 16th Amendment was ratified, Congress and the Senate went from protecting citizens from the excesses of federal spending to advocating the federal position. There was no limit on Congress’ power to tax incomes, and the taxation process by-passed the inputs of the states. The feds were free to tax as they pleased, and the constitutional check and balance between the states and the federal government regarding income taxation was all but removed.

Worse yet, federal finances became a discussion that occurred entirely inside Washington, D.C. Since Congress no longer relied upon state governments to provide the major part of their income, they no longer paid attention to state government input regarding federal spending. The result, though indirect, can be directly seen in the growth of public debt since the ratification of the 16th Amendment.

I’ll end with a couple of questions. If Congress still had to apportion taxes to the states, then do you think we would have spent the last three years without a federal budget; would the states have readily accepted an apportionment of taxes without knowing the total bill? If Congress had to depend upon the currently cash-strapped states to pony up its money, does anyone doubt there would be a bit more resistance to the idea of the federal government borrowing 40 cents of every dollar it spent?

The 16th Amendment disrupted what the Founders designed as a state and federal government dialog regarding the national finances. That dialog was to be dominated by the states, being the major sources of federal income. Less than a century after the change was made, and with the states largely out of the national financial discussion, the US government owes more money than the US economy produces in a year. At no time before the 16th Amendment did the US debt ever become this much out of hand. I have a difficult time believing this to be a coincidence.

Regarding what should be done regarding this, I favor the word of the prophet, “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein” (Jeremiah 6:16).

The way to walk is to repeal the 16th Amendment. I only hope the national sentiment is not reflected in the last sentence of that verse.

Copyright 2012. blackmanthinkin.com

Furquan R. Stafford, Sr., chairman and CEO of C.P. Plasma Center Inc.

by Black Man Thinkin'
Categories: ... 'bout business and support
Tags: , , ,
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Published on: July 30, 2012

Please sign Furquan R. Stafford, Sr.’s petition.

As you may know, Dr. Charles Richard Drew was a 20th Century black physician who did pioneering medical research into blood transfusions. His medical research efforts made large-scale blood banks possible.

Building a business based on Dr. Drew’s work is one Furquan R. Stafford, Sr.

Now, I do enjoy meeting and supporting businesspeople, especially black men and women who are successful and passionate about a cause of importance. Furquan R. Stafford, Sr. is the chairman and CEO of C.P. Plasma Center Inc. (CPPC), harnessing the economic power in Dr. Drew’s medical research for black people and seeking to mitigate racial disparities in US health care. Take a moment to read about Stafford’s business and his passion.

And when you’re done, if you’ve not done so already, I ask you, again to please sign Furquan R. Stafford, Sr.’s petition.

If you need another reason to support him, then please visit his site.

Peace

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