Wendell Tucker Saves The World

I haven't been blogging much lately because I'm working on a Change of my own right now. Something has occurred to me that I have been remiss to speak about full out, but at this time would like to address.

About a week ago, Louisiana Rep. John Lewis accused John McCain and Sarah Palin of stirring up hatred at their rallies in a George Wallace like fashion. White America sprung to their defense calling the statement inappropriate, causing Rep. Lewis to immediately issue an apology. Last night John McCain attempted to force Barack Obama to apologize for the antics of yet another person. I have a serious issue with this.

Lets be clear. Palin and McCain have intentionally planted seeds of hate at their rallies. These people are not oblivious (well maybe Sarah is), to the degree of racism in these places. They know fully well that many of their supporters fear and hate Sen. Obama simply because he is a Black man. They know that because he does not have an "American Name", that ignorant people will swiftly associate him with terrorism and negativity, due to the US relationship with the most famous of Hussein's: Saddam. When you take these circumstances into account, and see the Republican maching putting out ads that call him, "dishonest", "untrustworthy" "unamerican" "anti-american", their intention becomes clear. When remarks are made at rallies that he "pals around with terrorist", their plan begins to reveal itself.

Yes, "my friends", the McCain campaign is conciously and intentionally cultivating racial hatred and animosity at their rallies. Even more obscene, they are trying to bully anyone out of mentioning it. If Sen. Obama even hints at anything he percieves to be racist, the McCain camp breaks out Mason-Dixie Violins, plays hurt and demands an apology. Meanwhile, the McCain cronies and head harpie Sarah Palin, are allowed to continue playing racial codeword yahtzee.

Sen. McCain, it is not enough to say "no he's ok". If you want us to believe that you really do not agree with these people, you must forcefully admonish the mindset that will drive people to say such things. If a person yells a racial epithet at your rally, it should be policy to have that purson escorted out. Speak up and tell your supporters that the things that they are saying is wrong, not just factually but also thematically.

A sideline racist is no better than a frontline racist.

Most importantly, put a muzzle on your "pitbull" and stop allowing her to say the ignorant, untruthful, hate enabling garbage that she has been spewing. If she wants to call him on his character due to HIS actions, then by all means, go right ahead. I'm not sure thats an argument that she would like to pose. However, it is unacceptable to use a protective blanket of gender discrimination to attempt to cloak your obvious racial discrimination. Or maybe its not her at all. Maybe she just needs to have more witches prayed out of her spirit.

Another one bites the dust. This weekend as Hurricane Ike submerged southern US States and the Midwest, two financial giants also found themselves drowning. Lehman Brothers Global Investment Bank has begun proceedings to file for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Perennial Wall Street powerhouse Merril Lynch has been bought out by Bank of America for a mere $29 per share or around $40 billion. Earlier this year we saw the fall of Bear Stearns, which was bought by J.P. Morgan Chase. Speculation abounds around the potential sales of Wachovia, Wells-Fargo and American Express. Is the collapse of these financial giants signalling an economic doomsday for the USA?

While I am quite sure that many Wall Street execs are losing sleep and hair over the economic turbulence, one industry that is suprisingly stable is the Credit Union. Because of the "Credit Crunch" one would be led to believe that the Credit Union (CU's from henceforth) would be suffering at this time. Not so. Being that CU's are not-for-profit organizations that do not play into the same financial charades as corporate banks, their approach to customers is more fiduciary and there for less risky. While banks will angle to get a customer into any kind of loan possible in order to increase their P&L, CU's are much more likely to give a more straight forward discussion and deal as it relates to lending. Even though the CU may have less atm's and branches, the low overhead allows them to give you higher rates and less fees. This is especially important when you consider the fact that the average American pays around $200 a year in "courtesy" overdraft fees. Most credit union patrons do not experience this, because many CU's offer an opt-out provision for the "courtesy" overdraft program. The not for profit status makes a world of difference. There are far fewer money grubbing shareholders, so the CU can put its focus on pleasing the consumer instead.

As a former employee of a major banking institution, I am very aware of how banks prey on consumers. We were consistently encouraged to sell credit cards to customers whether or not the could afford them or needed them. The maximum amount a customer could have was 5 cards. We were encouraged to get them to the max. Aside from the obvious moral issues with this approach, there is the economic issue. If you give a person more credit than they can pay back, no only do you sabotage that person's finances, but your institution's as well. This is what caused the credit collapse. For years banks have preyed upon the least wealthy their patrons. The more money you make, the more credit you can AFFORD and the lower your rate. The less money you make, the more credit you NEED and the higher your rate. What follows is simple. Mass credit default caused by a banking system who sold too much credit at a disproportionately high rate to people who couldn't afford it.

How do we fix it? Simple, revamp our crediting system. Credit Unions have shown that it can be profitable to to treat people correctly. So here's a 4 step solution to fixing our credit crisis.

1) Get rid of FairIsaac. Every credit score in America is determined by one corporation: FairIsaac. The Algorithm used to determine whether or not you are deserving of credit is a secret more closely kept than The Colonels 11 Herbs and spices. But what is not a secret is this. The Algorithm is designed to keep the credit scores of the wealthy high, and the credit scores of the poor low. It is a social control device that has helped crush many dreams, deprive families and keep middle to lower class right where they are. By abolishing their system of assesment and replacing it with a new one that EQUALLY takes into account payments and missed payments, chargeoffs and fulfillment of debt, and opening and closure of credit lines, Americans will have a FAIR opportunity to utilize the credit products available. Even more important, financial institutions will have a better way of assessing potential customers and will be able accurately discern who and who is not "credit worthy."

2) Impose Specific Federal Restrictions on High Interest Credit Products. The federal government is responsible for the general well being of America. The cancerous policy of raising rates due to income has been eating away at our financial body for too long. I agree that institutions should be compensated for the risk they incur from crediting. I disagree that a person should be punished for not being wealthy. 2.5% over the prime rate is more than enough for any loan. There must be an adjustable ceiling that cannot be surpassed. This is especially neccessary in the realm of Payday Loan institutions, where the interest can literally be as high as 600%.

3) Make the Courtesy Overdraft Opt-Out policy a law. Forcing a person to take a 45-300% loan is not a courtesy. That is exactly what happens when you overdraft. Many CU's and smaller community banks have already adopted the Opt-Out Policy. What resulted was higher balance growth and greater client retention. Seeing how this has played out on the smaller scale, one can logically assume that would occur exponentially on the larger corporate scale.

4) Mandate Financial Education in All State and/or Federally Funded Elementary and Secondary Schools. If a school recieves government funding, then that school should be required to teach finances to all students. A lack of financial education has caused many consumers to fail economically. There is no reason why an 18 year old should not be able to discern credit from debit or understand the difference between stocks and bonds. Financially educating the masses is key to salvaging our economy.

If these 4 things were to occur today, within 20 years, we would be in the midst of an economic boon. Banks would be able to find more credit worthy customers because of the accuracy of open-market credit scoring. Customers would be able to pay less fees and more bills, increasing economic stabilization across the board. Most importantly, consumers will be far more saavy than they currently are, leading them to make better decisions and be more financially responsible. Things have to change. We are watching our economy crumble right before our eyes. Being third world is only two worlds away.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the world is turning inside out. This contest for the Presidency of the United States of America has completely ripped the veil of sexism, racism and economic discrimination of the the red and blue painted face of our nation. What had previously thought to be progress in tolerance has now been revealed to be little more than a masquerade, and the GOP could not be happier about it. I used to believe that there was truly little difference between Democrats and Republicans. In my eyes and in the matter of many, they were all simply people who sought to be part of the ruling class. After years of social neglect and failed policies on behalf of both parties, who could tell the difference between one failure and another?

The difference has been made clear. I now understand what separates the two and its surprisingly trivial. While watching the Democratic convention, I became aware of a theme. It was not political and while there is definitely a primary agenda, it took a backseat towards a more important task. Uplift the masses. Each eloquent speech, every chant for change, the mantra of "yes we can", all of it geared to remove the bureaucratic sludge that has weighed down the spirit of America. 7 years after 9/11, this is not the same country that defiantly came together after one of the greatest atrocities to happen in our country. Barack Obama correctly diagnosed our country with having a lack of belief, idealism and optimism. Slumping economy, lowest rated congress ever, lowest rated president ever, bleak housing market... How could the spirit of our country be in good order? How can we begin to change the ideas and practices that got us her. It had to begin with the heart and soul. So thats what he began to work on. After four days of jubilation it was all capped with a roadmap of the work needed to be done to get where we needed to be.

One week later, the GOP whom I perceived to be of little difference, had the opportunity to undertake the same task in their own way. But as opposed to attempting to uplift the masses, they sought to fire up their own. What followed was a disgusting onslaught of childish attacks, outright lies and brutal disrespect of a cornerstone of American culture and by default America itself. At times I found myself physically feeling ill, as I envisioned satan himself sitting stage right, smiling approvingly on the stage shaped like a 40 foot middle finger. I watched in horror as the Republican front blatantly attempted to steal the Democratic mantle of Change. Where as experience had been the centerpiece of the McCain campaign, they were about to throw that idea completely out the window in favor of someone with even less "experience" than Sen. Obama. Night after night, you began to hear more and more about change from those who opposed it. As the convention pressed on, anticipation built for the national debut of McCain's ace in the hole: Sarah Palin. Brought in to once again use the Alan Keye's tactic against Barack Obama, Gov. Palin was brought in to take the vaunted disenfranchised "clinton-ites". A ploy that at surface seems foolish and shallow untill you look at the underlying issues as to why they would feel disenfranchised in the first place.

He's black people. Before you start crying about playing the race card lets look at the facts. Even after all the lies about him being Islamic, raising taxes for poor people, attending extremist schools, attempts to associate him with Saddam Hussein, blaming him for the remarks of other people and the 1001 other smear tactics were all debunked, thousands of people fell back to the "there's just something about him that I just don't trust." We know what it is, even if it hurts to say it. His skin.

Unfortunately, Gov. Palin seems more than comfortable being used for this purpose. Under an armor of gender bias and "small town sensibility", this pompous newcomer unleashed a vile verbal tirade against Barack Obama, his supporters and confusingly, community organizers. The latter confounded me most, this country was founded by community organizers. Their campaign is sustained by community organizers. These are the people that pick up the slack when our politicians fail us. i.e. Red Cross, Easter Seals, Americorps, Shriners... I was taken aback, not only by the fact that they would so blatantly belittle their own supporters, but that their supporters applauded the disrespect that their own party was showing them.

Being that I am not running for president let me say this: Ladies, bitchiness is not the same as strength. Gentlemen, sarcasm is not a substitute for substance. The fact of the matter is that, for all of her scripted stingers and GOP rhetoric, there is no substance below the surface. Just an ambitious woman, who is willing to do whatever she is told in order to further her career. A puppet making a mockery of the womens liberation movement.

Yet thousands applauded. Why? Because we have become enamored with drama? Manufactured conflict is being confused with political debate. Sarcasm is now a surrogate for intelligent rebuttal. Lying is expected of our leaders, Smear tactics, defamation of character and pandering is now considered campaigning. Even stealing your opponents campaign theme is now fair. Why? It makes for good drama. The ultimate in reality TV. American Idol: Presidential Edition.

We stand at a crossroad in history. As a country we have had time to mature, work out our issues, and move forward as an example for the world to follow. The choice has been set before us. If we are too foolish as a whole to make the obvious decision for what is better for us, then we will get what we deserve. Do not be fooled. Let down the scales of bias from your eyes. Our government should be composed of rational human beings and compassionate individuals, not "mavericks" and "pit bulls". An ideal situation can only be created by an idealist. Contrary to what the GOP says, our government SHOULD be a fiduciary organization. If they are not, then who's best interest are they looking out for? Allow yourself to see the truth for truth. Change can not come from those who believe everything is ok. Things are not ok, but they can be. We simply need a person who is not afraid to say "yes, we can" be a more perfect union, "yes we can" work towards a fair society, and "yes we can" lead ourselves with honesty, compassion and dignity. This is not the time for drama. It is time for America to look back to its infancy, to when it had the dream to be the perfect society, look to the present, and see that we are on the precipice of that society, and look to the future and see that without that idealist spirit, we will be walking in circles and the next time we come around, that road may have turned into a bridge to nowhere.

Hello America. I hope this finds you in best spirits. Well, it's been along time coming. A minority has broken into the Presidential Candidate Club. Time to throw out the "Whites Only" sign fellas. I know it sounds a little sarcastic, but if you take an honest, critical look at America, you will understand.

It's crazy... I always figured a race war would be a lot louder, and a lot more violent. I pictured rioting, marches, people physically fighting for either change or to maintain the status quo. I never envisioned that the revolution would take place in the polls, in blogs and in the voter's booth. But it's happening in all these places, and in the most important place. In the minds and hearts of racism. What makes this all the more suprising, is that no one is noticing it. But ladies and gentlemen, it IS happening, and it is happening NOW.

This election has changed the world, and we don't even have a new president yet. For the first time in our country's history, White men have attempted to GIVE control of our country to either a woman or a Black man. America has had 232 uninterrupted years of rule by White men. This is the mindset behind Father Pfleger's rant. Do whites have a sense of entitlement? How could they not? How could we expect Hillary not to feel it? That does not make her a racist anymore than it makes Father Pfleger a "self loathing reverse racist" (courtesy fox news). However the white/black dynamic of this primary election has definately revealed the teeth of racism. Here we have two candidates, of the same party, with nearly identical platforms. Yet, only 30% of the supporters of Hillary Clinton will vote for Barack Obama. Of the 70% who said they wouldn't vote for Obama, 51% of them said they would vote for John McCain, who's platform is the absolute opposite of both Hillary and Baracks. Clearly there is only one logical rationale. Racism.

It's an ugly word, and no one wants to speak it. But it is here in full effect. This race for president is more than about changing Washington. It is about an entire paradigm shift for America. Barack Obama is the Democratic Nominee for the office of President and democratic racist now are facing two tough decisions. Live in a country that will possibly be run by a Black man, or be governed by their prejudice and vote for a candidate that does not represent their own interest and beliefs.

Make no mistakes about it. There is a race war going on right now.

Go to your favorite news source and read the comments under the articles about the election. Listen to the radio. Watch TV. Walk the streets and listen to the conversations. It's happening and it is good. America is finally being forced to fight the good fight. We are now at war with ourselves to live up to the words in our constitution. Only by defeating the worst in ourselves can we allow ourselves to truly win. I know it sounds idealistic, but what is wrong with wanting life to be ideal? Isn't that what we work for? What our very country was founded to be? We don't have to lose this war. This can be our greatest triumph yet. But only if we are willing to do battle with our own prejudices, our own cynicism and our self deceptions.

The war is on.

"We're squandering an opportunity to be seen as a voting bloc that turns elections," Feldt said. "Unless we are working together, in a strategically thought-out effort to vote in our own best interests, we are in danger of never having another election where people will say women can determine the outcome." - Gloria Felt, Clinton Supporter (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080510/ap_on_el_pr/democrats_feminists)

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is not your grandmothers Presidential Race.

The contest for the Democratic nomination has taken on more the appearance of a full fledged Primary, than a bid to be on the ballot. At heart it has become a matter of do we want a White Woman or a Black Man. The bitter intra-party sparring taking place has revealed several levels of prejudice, angst, fear and conversely, hope. And most of us didnt even know they were there. Unfortunately the media's love for spectacle have taken these emotions and used them to meld this race into one of novelty.

At a time when what we need most in a leader is sound judgement and flexible, evolved thinking, we have reduced two of our best candidates to limited edition political action figures. Let's get this straight first and foremost: To vote for a person simply because they are Black, White or a Woman, is counterproductive and just plain stupid. Race and gender has nothing to do with competence. Unfortunately as a people we are taught the silly notion that those who look like us, will empathize with us and serve our own greatest purpose. This cannot be further from the truth, as we all can think of several instances where we were "betrayed by one of our own." With that thought in mind, why can we not see past the exterior to the mind behind the meat? A feminist should not feel obligated to vote for a woman, whom she does not truly feel is the best candidate. A white man should not believe that its better to vote for another candidate just because, "he's the only one of us running." And a black man should not have to vote for another black man, just because "shiiiit, if we don't do it now, we aint never gonna get the chance."

The novelty of the candidates makes this a very historic election. But there is so much more at stake than that. This election stands to break or embolden prejudice. It can very well play out that, it took a woman to fix the workplace policy problems of this country. It is very plausible that a Black man can fix the credit crunch that is squeezing the lifeblood out of the average consumer. It is also very possible that neither of these can happen, and that people who thrive on racism and sexism can use that fact to reason that neither group is suitable to run this country.

This race goes deeper than ethicity and gender. It is about social evolution. On one side we have two cells competing for a chance to change our social DNA and on the other we have the old guard who is looking to stave off this mutation. As the body of this country, we have to decide, which strand will make us stronger, will bring us longer life and will allow us to evolve with the world around us. This would be an inopportune time to fall into the trap of "its time for a woman president" or "its time for a black president". That is archaic thought. Let the best (wo)man win. Our government has no place for whimsy of novelty.