For years I hoped that some third-party presidential candidate would emerge, capture public confidence and offer a true reform program to repair our nation. But, sadly, the political system has been so corrupted that no third-party presidential candidate stands a chance against the two-party plutocracy.
In its last endorsement meeting, the majority of progressive members aligned with Walker on the DCCC voted against endorsing a second and third candidate in the D6 race in large part because Walker fears a second place endorsement of School Board President Jane Kim will increase the probability that Kim will win the seat. Instead, the DCCC anointed Walker as the Democratic Party’s sole choice for the seat.
The controversy has been inaccurately dubbed the “Ground Zero mosque.” Actually, the building will function as an Islamic cultural center, not a mosque. It will include a prayer room, but not a single-purpose house of worship for Muslims. Furthermore, the cultural center will not be built at Ground Zero. It will be near Ground Zero.
This is a manufactured crisis by those who wish to divide the country into two camps by whipping up hysteria against Muslims, blacks, Hispanics and anyone who does not look and pray as they.
WRAP concludes that ending homelessness in the United States will require a serious re-commitment by the federal government to create, subsidize and maintain truly affordable housing. It notes that the root cause of homelessness is the lack of affordable housing.
That billions and billions of dollars are still being spent on two unnecessary wars should make everyone feel as if they are living in a big insane asylum. All that money should be going to investment (especially public infrastructure) and jobs creation here in the USA. No wonder that a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll this week found that nearly 6 in 10 Americans believe the country is on the wrong track, a majority disapproves of President Obama’s handling of the economy, and nearly two-thirds expect the economy to get worse, which it will.
On this point, we progressives talk a lot about empowerment– making sure that those who live through injustice are the leaders in fighting that injustice. If this empowerment is to be more than just lip service, it has to extend to our highest leadership positions. As I have fought for the low-income communities of District 6, I have been well-aware that I have done so as a straight white man from a middle-class background. While I have talked a great deal about empowerment, I have understood that talk without action is cheap. Now in the race for District 6 Supervisor, we have a person from the Tenderloin –a low-income, gay, African-American man– who has taken on some of the toughest issues in San Francisco, with a campaign aimed to fight injustice, build affordable housing, ensure that everyone has high quality health services, and to take care of our seniors and our young people. James Keys has stepped up to the plate, and I am proud to stand with him.
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