(Akiit.com) By returning to Haiti, Baby Doc Duvalier is betting on the fact that most Haitians are too young to remember the climate of fear that ruled their nation for 30 years. Maybe the fear is the first thing people forget as time passes. That would help explain the outbursts ...
(Akiit.com) Yesterday, the Republican Study Committee (RSC), the self-described “Caucus of House Conservatives,” released its a blueprint for cutting federal spending by $2.5 trillion over the next 10 years. Among the items on the chopping block are the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (a.k.a. NeighborWorks America) and the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), ...
(Akiit.com) “We are not the blue states of America, or the red states of America, we are the United States of America” – IL State Senator Barack Obama, 2004 Over the past 48 hours all of us have been reminded of the great irony of life — and that is ...
(Akiit.com) On the first day of the new Congress, as Republicans led a peculiar and self-righteous reading of the United States Constitution, America was fed a healthy dose of the pomp and comedy that lies in store for us this year. Similar to a house party where out-of-control relatives show ...
(Akiit.com) For 40 years, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has used it’s bully pulpit to advocate, persuade, stall, negotiate and, ultimately, to legislate. Through many highs, a few lows and more than a couple attacks, the CBC now finds itself in a unique position — the defender of historic policies ...
(Akiit.com) The other day, I was inspired. I was also shocked, amazed and uplifted by the courage being shown by the individuals who helped to pull off the largest prison strike in United States history. The effort evolved by sneaking cell phones into the facilities, leading to inmate communication and ...
(Akiit.com) This week marks the 10th anniversary of arguably the most significant voting controversy to come before the Supreme Court in modern time: Bush v. Gore. The Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision that the Florida statewide ballot recount violated the constitution brought an abrupt end to the 2000 presidential election contest. ...
(Akiit.com) This week the National Policy Alliance, a coalition of 10 member organizations representing over 11,000 elected officials, sat down with President Obama in the Roosevelt Room of the White House to discuss a plethora of pressing policy issues. The meeting, which was hosted by senior Obama advisor Valerie Jerrett, ...
(Akiit.com) The tax fight was lost before it began, so President Barack Obama decided to play for a tie. Nowadays it’s popular to apply the “bad poker player” analogy to President Barack Obama and Democrats when it comes to their failure to match wits with Republicans on expiring tax cuts. ...
(Akiit.com) President Obama has reached a compromise with Republicans in Congress to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans for two years, in exchange for a 13-month extension of unemployment benefits. The question is whether Obama’s deal on taxes is the lesser of two evils, and whether this ...
(Akiit.com) President Obama should turn a deaf ear to the silly chatter about him not running again. He’s heard plenty of that in the weeks since the midterm election drubbing. Much of the chatter hasn’t come from the usual, hostile GOP and Tea Party suspects. They’ve flatly said their goal ...
(Akiit.com) With our country and the Democratic Party at a crossroads, it is important that we have a leadership team in place that recognizes and reflects the strength and diversity of both the Democratic Caucus and our great nation.??? ?As Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, I have worked closely ...