The announcement has been made and everyone is scrambling to learn all they can about the Irish-Catholic Republican from Wisconsin. Many people are already calling Paul Ryan, the Senator that Mitt Romney tapped to be his running mate, as what could become a nightmare for black Americans. So just how bad of a pick could Ryan be for black Americans? Pretty bad!
Paul Ryan is proud to announce that he has some ideas that will become a part of, or expand upon, Mitt Romney's. Problem is, those ideas can be dangerous, especially if you are a black American. Very dangerous. As a Vice President, Ryan would be in a position to play an important role in helping to set policy, both foreign and domestically. And that could change a lot of things for black Americans. Even Mitt slipped up in introducing Ryan and introduced him as the future "President" of the country, leading people to wonder if that was an honest slip of the tongue or if Ryan will really be doing more behind the scenes than we would all care to consider.
For starters, Ryan is proposing some major overhauls of the food stamp program, increasing the age that people can start getting Medicare, and for making cuts in the welfare program. For millions of black Americans it means they could literally lose the money they need to help feed their family and keep a roof over their heads.
Black Americans are often fingered as being the biggest proponent of utilizing the food stamp program in the country. But the disproportionate numbers don't tell the entire story. Out of all those receiving food stamps, 22 % of them are Black Americans, compared to 36% of non-Hispanic whites. That number doesn't reflect the difficulty that we as a people are struggling with in terms of finding jobs and in finding jobs that pay enough to support our families.
If Ryan gets his way and gets to make drastic cuts to the food stamp program, who will he really be hurting? A lot of children and senior citizens, for starters. The records show that 47% of everyone receiving food stamp benefits are children under the age of 18. Another 6% of those receiving them are seniors over the age of 60. And it doesn't stop there, 41% of those who are receiving food stamps actually do work. They are considered part of the "working poor" people of America.
Picture a Romney/Ryan victory and what that will do to the black people of America. Those who have children, are struggling seniors, or who are families working hard to make ends meet each month, yet who are falling short. If Ryan's plan isn't to also increase jobs and access to a good education, then how can he merely do away with the one thing that is helping people to get by during these tough economic times? How can they in good conscious take away their benefits, without providing higher paying jobs so they can continue to get by?
Ryan's ideas are dangerous for black Americans. Not just when it comes to food stamps. His ideas will lead to tax cuts for the wealthiest people in the nation, while increasing the taxes on the middle class, harder working families. It's fair to say that not only will Ryan become one of the worst nightmares for black American if he does become the Vice President, but he will become so for middle class families everywhere. His sites are set on protecting the interests of the wealthy, and he doesn't care who he has to step on to see those ideas through.
Another scary thought for black Americans is that when you visit the Romney official site you will find that he addresses a lot of "communities" of people. He specifically addresses the Asians, Catholics, Jewish, Polish, Women, and even young Americans. But there is no mention of black Americans. Either he has overlooked this segment of the population, or he simply doesn't care about us, with both being equally as perilous.
In introducing his running mate, Romney said that he wanted someone that has "real character" and that Ryan had that. Whether or not he has character or merely is one remains to be seen. But for black Americans his ideals that impact us as a people appear to be a characterized by being out of touch with the people who make up this great country.
Follow Matthew Lynch, Ed.D. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@lynch39083
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| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Electoral Votes (270 to win) |
332 | 206 |
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 65,899,660 | 60,932,152 |
| Percent | 51.1% | 47.2% |
| Democrats* | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Current Senate | 53 | 47 |
| Seats gained or lost | +2 | -2 |
| New Total | 55 | 45 |
| Democrats | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Seats won | 201 | 234 |
-Leonard Wilson, Jr.
Author of My Flexibility Manifesto: Following Your Passion 2 Success
https://www.createspace.com/3942348
As an African-American fed up with the games Democrats do towards us, we are not going to take it no more! Show us what you got or we will no show!
I asked this question but from a different angle... "What would an Obama defeat mean for the black community?" The demographic effect would be profound to say the least.
A large bloc of people would be sent to the woodshed. The problem we will face will be from tactics such as voter misinformation. If people believe they do not have to go to the voting booth with these absentee ballots then that leaves the door open to suppression. Only by being informed of these tactics can the black community make right choices in making sure their voice is heard.
Of course Mitt Romney doesn't care about us. He probably never even shook a black person's hand until he had to do business with one... but has he?
2. Black poverty------has INCREASED under Obama, it's the highest it's been since 1965.
3. Black home foreclosure-----has INCREASED under Obama.
4. Black median income------has DECREASED under Obama.
5. Police brutality against blacks------has INCREASED under Obama.
So based on those things how are black people doing under Obama?
I have long told my black friends when they are complaining about being ignored politically that the reason is simply Republicans don't care because they know you won't vote for them and Democrats don't pass anything to help you because they know they already have your vote locked up. African Americans should all vote Republican one election. When a team takes you for granted, becoming a free agent bartering your services gets the most money. Republicans wouldn't know what to do and would attempt to keep their votes and the Democrats would be scrambling to try to get them back.