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Archive for January 2006

"Politics As Usual"

Most Americans are under the impression that education will greatly improve their standard of living. I am not sure if this is true anymore. When Hurricane Katrina struck, a lot of people thought race was the determining factor in how quickly affected residents received aid. I think people have to be extremely careful when using the race card; 95 percent of the time, it is used incorrectly. I've said it before and I'll say it again, socioeconomics was the determining factor during this disaster and in most decisions made by people in power. Americans might as well be living in a caste system. Think about it. In the past, higher education meant a career and a lush lifestyle. At the same time, only the well off could afford to send their children to college. In modern times, scholarships, loans, etc. allow for most anybody to attend institutions of higher learning. All of a sudden, an undergrad degree has lost its value because a lacking job market is offering only jobs that graduates may have gotten before receiving their degrees. As a result, people who really couldn't afford college to begin with are stuck repaying loans for 15 years while earning an average salary. I'm not saying that education is bad or that your status will in no way improve, I'm just saying that it probably won't give you elite status. So, the rich remain in the top percentile because there aren't any newcomers and the rest of us continue with our daily grind. And to top it off, we're pitted against each other by an illusion of racial supremecy. So, while members of the working class are busy fighting to grasp anything that may distinguish them, even something as trivial as the color of their skin, the rich and famous are united in enjoying life and ensuring that they continue to enjoy life. Is it safe to say that our reality is fabricated by those in power?? Oh yeah, did anyone else hear that gas companies made a $36 billion profit in 2005 (up from $11 billion in 2004) I thought the American people were told that increased gas prices were a result of a shortage caused in part by Katrina. I didn't major in economics but I thought the law of supply and demand wouldn't allow for a $25 billion increase in profits...

Priorities Part 2 (0r 3)...

I apologize for coming back from my leave of absence still droning on about priorities but it has to be done. My generation of African Americans has become too complacent with its status. We do not realize that we are just coming up...as recently as 50 years ago (I'm talking about our parents here) we were not given the opportunity to live so luxuriously. For real, we need to get it together and invest in something worthwhile. We can't keep laying up on our parents; the only reason they have given us what they have is because their parents couldn't do it for them. We can not become complacent. We have to continue in the tradition of making life better for each successive generation. I want to share a story: About two months ago I was running to class and was oblivious to anything going on in the lobby of the building I was in. As I got on the elevator, I noticed this old woman just as the doors were closing. She could not even stand without balancing herself on tables or whatever was around yet she was dusting the wood in the lobby. She was well past retirement age but obviously she had to work because somebody in her family still relied on her. My point in telling this story is that our ancestors understood what was important in life. These people worked hard for something they knew they would probably never benefit from but they did it for us. We have to continue the tradition

"I know I can't afford to stop for a moment, that it's too soon to forget" -Mos Def

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