Commentary

Healthcare and cynicism

Friday, 07 August 2009 11:54 Joseph Phillips

The current philosophy of governance – and this includes governance of the democrat and republican variety—is that there is tremendous capacity in government to better the lives of average folks; it is the power of administrative policy that can end poverty, cure disease, and ultimately save the planet. It is, alas, also the promise of happiness written in capital letters that entices “we the people” to grant government ever greater powers with which to work their magic. Can’t find any authority in the constitution for the actions of our government? “Why man, they are engaged in the serious business of saving humanity!”

Justice for juveniles

Thursday, 06 August 2009 15:33 Judge Greg Mathis

Congress is set to reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, originally passed in 1974. The law established a set of protections for juvenile offenders; state and local governments that adhere to its guidelines are eligible for federal funding to maintain and improve its juvenile justice facilities. As lawmakers review the bill, they should take into serious consideration research that demonstrates the negative effects the criminal justice system has on offenders and, ultimately, society. An improved act should include provisions that prevent courts from treating minors like adults. Instead, the courts should be urged to find alternative methods that ensure these youth offenders are able to return to society as productive, law-abiding citizens.

Unfair children’s health disparities: More reason for reform

Thursday, 06 August 2009 15:31 Marian Wright Edelman

In all of the recent debate over who deserves access to health care in our wealthy country, one often forgotten fact is that this is one more area where Black children and other children of color have always been left behind. Of the nine million uninsured children in America, minority children are uninsured and underinsured at far greater rates than white children.

Unfair children’s health disparities: More reason for reform

Wednesday, 05 August 2009 16:42 Marian Wright Edelman

Crystal anniversary

Monday, 03 August 2009 12:17 Joseph Phillips

I suppose after 15 years of marriage I should stop wondering aloud how on earth I ended up with this woman. Least ways I should stop wondering aloud when my lovely wife is within ear shot. Not that after so many years it matters much, but the truth is that I don’t know how we ended up together.

How Henry Louis Gates got ordained as the nation's "Leading Black Intellectual"

Friday, 31 July 2009 16:14 Ishmael Reed

Now that Henry Louis Gates’ Jr. has gotten a tiny taste of what “the underclass” undergo each day, do you think that he will go easier on them? Lighten up on the tough love lectures? Even during his encounter with the police, he was given some slack. If a black man in an inner city neighborhood had hesitated to identify himself, or given the police some lip, the police would have called SWAT. When Oscar Grant, an apprentice butcher, talked back to a BART policeman in Oakland, he was shot!

Inferior Health Care in America: A shameful reality

Friday, 31 July 2009 15:47 A. Barry Rand, NNPA Special Commentary

For all the reasons to fix the health care system, one of the most critical has been overlooked in the national debate: The shameful reality that African-Americans and other minorities often receive less care and inferior care than other Americans - and suffer worse health as a result.