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THE GREAT GAP: SOME POLICY CHANGES
FOR ROMNEY AND THE GOP BY: JARED LOGGINS
he Democratic and Republican national conventions are critical in this
country not solely for their role in articulating the policies each party be
lieves will move our nation forward, or in nominating the candidate they
believe will spearhead those policies. For me, these conventions are critical in
terms of the impact of their policies on me as an American - a Black American.
In the aftermath of the Republican National Convention, my question to
significant minority groups who plan to vote Republican, and to minority Amer
icans who have yet to make a decision: How have Mitt Romney and the Republi
can Party fared so far when it comes to your interests?
Let it be clear that though Romney for much of his political career has
been a moderate, picking Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate indicates
just how much his policies and leadership have been driven, if not held hostage,
by the extremes of his party. Those extremists’ only goals have been to discredit
the President’s hard-fought record and to forge their perception of the American
dream - a perception that oftentimes both excludes millions of minorities and is
antithetical to the reality that many Americans, including minorities, face daily.
Ryan’s budget, for instance, includes huge spending cuts on social safety net
programs - programs that struggling minority families have utilized just to stay
afloat. A party that wants to be serious about attracting Blacks cannot em
brace such regressive policies.
But what I found most troubling following the Republican convention in
Tampa, Fla., is that the GOP has deliberately exploited minorities to appear more
inclusive. Nothing is more appealing than a party that invites the first Black Sec
retary of State, a Black former staffer, a Hispanic senator, and a few established
Black men, and claims to be diverse.
Embracing diversity must begin with embracing policies that help minori
ties achieve the American dream and move the country forward.
I’d like to see how GOP policies are addressing the structural challenges of mi
norities. Below are my policy recommendations that neither Romney nor his
Republican surrogates discussed in order to forge a more diverse, inclusive, and
appealing GOP:
1. EMBRACE THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT.
According to the White House and the Department of Health and Human Ser
vices, ACA eliminates insurance company discrimination, saves money for mi
nority families, and allows for more affordable choices, among other benefits.
2. REPUBLICANS SHOULD EMBRACE THE DREAM ACT
The Dream Act is a piece of legislation that aims to give law-abiding, undocu
mented immigrants who grew up in the United States a chance to obtain a tem
porary deportation waiver if they are attending or graduated from high school or
college. It’s good for our economy, our security, and our nation.
3. BETTER ARTICULATE BIPARTISAN EFFORTS TO
REFORM EDUCATION
Republicans have worked together in a collaborative effort with Democrats
for quite some time to improve the education system. It’s not that Republicans
haven’t made advancement on education reform. Take the recent congressional
student loan deal as an example; it received widespread bipartisan support. Talk
about it. It’s yours.
4. CUT SOCIAL SAFETY NET PROGRAMS WITH A
SCALPEL NOT A MACHETE
Social safety net programs have undoubtedly benefitted underprivileged Ameri
cans. It is morally and fiscally irresponsible to cut programs that contribute to the
welfare of struggling Americans.
5. MAKE A VALID CASE FOR LOWERING THE
BLACK UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
With an unemployment rate that doubles the national average at just over 14
percent, blacks are feeling the brunt of economic hard times. Yet, the GOP has
failed to move beyond mere punditry and talk about a cogent plan that will spur
job growth in the African-American community or help black small business
owners.
6. REDEFINE THE AMERICAN DREAM
The GOP has defined the American Dream as “pulling oneself up by one’s boot
straps” and achieving individual success. But individual success has come at the
expense of black people who just cannot get ahead. The challenges many of us
face are structural. Equal opportunity must be in theory and practice. The GOP
must embrace a new American Dream that reflects the increasingly diversity of
Americans.
THE FUTURE: ELECTION SEASON 2012
Darren Martin
Associate Opinions Editor
Darrenmartin884@gmail.
com
J r ust as America started to
pull itself out of the greatest
recession it has seen since
e Great Depression, election
season has come to haunt us all
with its campaign speeches and
rallies. However, this necessary
evil of an election season is im
portant not only to the United
States as a whole, but also to
the students who have much
invested in the future.
Many have aban
doned the drive that they had
four years ago when President
Barack Obama was running for
his first term. America was on
the brink of destruction and
there was no plan to save it. Vot
ers were eager for a new candi
date, young and fiery, to revamp
the nations dismal economic
outlook.
Whether Democrat or
Republican, many people can
agree that we are better off now
than we were four years ago. No,
we are not reveling in a surplus
and our unemployment rate is
still uncomfortably high, but we
have taken slow steps to getting
back to the idyllic American
dream. The housing market is
coming back, the beginnings
of Obamas healthcare plan are
being enacted, the automobile
industry is soaring, and though
in small increments, job growth
is steady.
Why regurgitate the facts that
you have just heard over and
over again at the Democratic
National Convention? Because
they are simply the truth. Stu
dents of the AUC, it is time that
we not envision how this elec
tion will affect our parents, but
how it will affect our children
and us.
In many impromptu
conversations with my More
house brothers, I have heard
opinions from Republicans and
Democrats. I do believe that
one will vote depending on his
or her beliefs and they have the
inalienable right to do so. How
ever, for those who do not hold
an opinion on this election, my
question to you is - when will
you start to?
Ask yourself with an
honest and open mind, “Whom
am I voting for and why?” Or
ask yourself this greater ques
tion, “Am I even voting?” You
need to know the answers be
cause if you do not, your voice,
your rights, your future may
be taken from you as the years
progress.
Make sure that you
know the platforms of each
party. Make sure that you
understand the issues on which
you are voting. One Morehouse
brother exclaimed, “It’s funny,
some African Americans are
programmed to be liberals
when, in fact, they live a conser
vative lifestyle.” I am not ask
ing you to be a professional in
political science, but I am asking
you to at least know what you
represent.
This election decides so
much for the future of Ameri
can students. From Pell grants,
loan interest rates, and other
federal educational investments
to how you will fare after you
graduate from college too quali
fied or under qualified. These
issues are real and they are hap
pening before your eyes.
President Obama made
one universal statement in his
speech at the DNC: “On every
issue, the choice you face won’t
be just between two candidates
or two parties. It will be a choice
between two different paths for
America.” Whether a Democrat
or Republican the ideas of the
future are vastly different. Stu
dents, it is time that you educate
yourself.
I challenge students to
know who they are politically
and once there, encourage oth
ers to vote on Nov. 6, 2012. We
can keep moving forward or di
vert to a new path. It is all up to
the people reading this article.
Register to vote. Get an absen
tee ballot if need be. Promote
whomever you believe to be the
best candidate and do it with
passion and substance. Do not
be lazy and give up at the last
minute.
The cliche “the future is in your
hands” is as true today as any
other time. Students of the
AUC, vote for your future.
THE NEW REALITY OF MARRIAGE?
Neah Morton
Opinions Editor
neahmorton @ aol .com
I s it just me, or has brevity
become the newest new
lywed trend since NBA
players everywhere discovered
the prenup? This year, we’ve
seen an influx of super public
micro-marriages that beg the
question, is this the new reality
of commitment?
Vows that once tied
couples “til death” now only
hold them in holy matrimony
until one party says other
wise. In a generation in which
situation-ships and friends
with benefits run rampant,
where does “I do” stand in the
age of the daylong marriage?
It’s not as if Kim Kar-
dashian and Kris Humphries
did it first, but they certainly
did it big. After a whirlwind
courtship and fairytale wed
ding day, the overexposed
socialite and underrated bailer
found themselves screaming
“I don’t” merely 72 days after
signing their marriage license.
While I’m sure a few of us were
shocked, the greater majority
rolled our eyes, hardly sur
prised that the couples matri
monial bliss was really more of
a miss.
Recently, the nation
watched as yet another reality
couple followed suit. However,
something about the demise
of Evelyn Lozada and Chad
Ochocinco’s 41-day mar
riage was more painful to see.
Perhaps it was because of its
violent, controversial end, or
maybe the fact that, despite the
rocky duo’s flashy, fame-whor-
ing style, there was an authen
ticity about their relationship
that made us secretly root for
its success.
From what the public
could observe, they seemed
to lack the unrealistic expec
tations of perfection many
of us have when it comes to
marriage. They were equally
flawed, and they truly seemed
to understand one another .
. . yet they could barely last a
month and a half.
What exactly is our
generation missing in terms
of marriage? What did our par
ents and grandparents bring to
the altar that we just can’t seem
to find?
It’s not as if we’re inca
pable of being in love, but in
an age when people are will
ing to commit sans wedding
bands, or simply seek attention
elsewhere, maybe we’ve lost the
resilience our parents accepted
without consequence. It seems
that we’ve forgotten how to try.
Given that the benefits of rela
tionships are available without
titles, the effort once required
to maintain a partnership may
no longer be a priority.
Just as technology has
inevitably left our generation
lazier albeit more open-mind
ed than those before us, loos
ening social restrictions seem
to have altered the way we
view walking down the aisle. In
years past, cohabitation outside
the parameters of marriage was
highly contested. It seems that
as the societal repercussions
of our parents’ day disappear,
the phrase “it’s just a piece of
paper” continues to rise in
popularity among adults 18-29,
a demographic whose rates of
marriage have decreased nearly
30 percent since 1960.
So where does that
leave us? Between the minute-
long matrimonial fiascos
plastered across newsstands
nationwide and the statistical
trends that prove our approach
to wedding bells is quite
different from those of our
grandparents, it looks as if our
generation simply doesn’t take
marriage as seriously as we
should.
Contrary to the older
half of Generation’s Y cavalier
attitudes, marriage is so much
more than a piece of paper.
Anyone who’s ever witnessed
a vow renewal or anniversary
celebration can surely attest
to that. It’s more than just a
fairytale day to wear a white
dress a la the former Mrs. Kris
Humphries, and it doesn’t
come with a month-long trial
period.
Recycle The Maroon Tiger
WWW.THEMAROONTIGER.COM
SEPTEMBER 12- 19, 2012