Political profit unfolds the politics of political deception
By Derek Joy
Yes. It has come and gone again.
It being the 45th Anniversary of the Assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
It happened in the early morning hours as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968. I heard about it on the radio as I drove from Minot AFB, N. Dakota, into the city of Minot, which was also called “The Magic City.”
Sure has been an interesting odyssey in the American society in those 45 years since King was assassinated at the height of his “Non Violent Civil Rights Movement.”
Yeah, people of color have realized portions of King’s dream for America and the world. At least, in some measure. Black Americans now hold professional positions, public positions – elected, appointed and hired – in government and the private sector.
Anglo women have been the biggest beneficiaries in America. The international community has seen great strides towards equality and women’s rights.
It is so in the religious community where women have been ordained as ministers and accepted in the priesthood, even to the point of rising as high as Bishop.
True ‘dat. Social consciousness has been uplifted from King’s biblical call to arms, not only for Christians, but as he so eloquently delineated. . .”Jews and Gentiles . . . All of God’s children…”
And, yes. There is a National Holiday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The many celebrations throughout the nation include parades, programs and more, including the award of scholarships.
Yeah. Some folks of color are prone to relax on their laurels in thinking, “No need to do anymore because I’ve made it.”Others take an even deadlier approach. Their thinking is that “I don’t care what title they give me, or what I actually do, as long as they give me the money.”
And still others suffer from the “Ostrich Syndrome,” with their heads buried in the sand.
So, the end result is the self perpetuation of reaping political profit through political deception. Shameless. Scandalous. Downright scurrilous when considering the impacts on the American economy and families in America.
You see, the Republican majority in the Florida State Legislature, recently acted as the political ramrod for special interests acting on their behalf.
I mean, they simply legislated away with restrictions on the amount of donations that any individual or corporate entity can contribute to Political Action Committees. No more $500 limit on contributions.
The low down, money grubbing scoundrels are waging all out war to end retirement/pension benefits of municipal and state employees. They advocate investing in such private retirement plans such as the 401K.
Consider the wisdom of Ruby – the eldest of my four sisters who retired from Mt. Sinai Medical Center after 44 years as an X-ray Technician. Her words are shockingly poignant: “They aren’t any good. I lost $30,000 in one of them.”
Now is the time to ask the Republicans in the Florida State Legislature a simple question. Why are people of color targeted for social and economic destruction resulting from political deception through legislation?
