America is becoming well-adjusted to horror

WASHINGTON, D.C. April 22, 2013 — Acts of terror are now a frequent occurrence in America, and the response has become routine.

The country goes into shock. We grieve. We mourn. We cry. Then we move on, like we have already become accustomed to it.

The routine is the same, whether it is after the massacre in a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, at an elementary school in Newtown, in a movie theater in Colorado or after the bombing at a marathon in Boston.

We hold night vigils to pray for the victims and their families. We applaud the victimized city for their strength and perseverance. We honor the selfless first responders and law enforcement officials for their bravery.

Then we wait for the President of the United States to give a heart-warming speech that comforts the nation and reassures the public that justice will be done.

When that is over, we begin searching for answers. Who did this and why? What kind of person massacres fellow citizens? What kind of person drops a bomb at a marathon and calmly walks off the scene in indifference.

The media speculates about the motives. In the case of the Boston Marathon bombing, it must be a right-wing anti-government extremist. Patriot Day and Tax Day probably had something to do with it. They go on and on.

Analysts and experts continue to talk even when they have no new information. The tragedy remains a breaking news story on every cable TV network for a day or two.  #PrayForNewtown, #PrayForBoston, and #BostonStrong hashtags trend on twitter for a few days.

Then what happens? Everyone gets back to their busy lives. The media moves on to other stories. Life goes on. We adjust. The next tragedy happens and the routine begins over again.

If we continue to adjust to the status quo, we run the risk of becoming numb to the suffering of other people. We become immune to the horror.

Life, indeed, must go on. But it should be with a sense of purpose, a plan of action and a determination to prevent such acts of terror in the future.

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Profiles in cowardice: Rob Portman, Harry Reid and U.S Senate

“Moral cowardice that keeps us from speaking our minds is as dangerous to this country as irresponsible talk. The right way is not always the popular and easy way. Standing for right when it is unpopular is a true test of moral character.”- Margaret Chase Smith.

WASHINGTON, D.C. March 25, 2013 — With all due respect to Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), he did not deserve the high praise he received for coming out in favor of gay marriage.

It is great that he showed love and compassion towards his son. It is nice to know that he wants his gay son to have the same rights as someone else’s straight son. 

But there is nothing heroic about changing your mind on an issue only when it becomes personal. There is nothing courageous about supporting gay marriage only when you find out that your son is gay.

In Portman’s Op-Ed to the Columbian Dispatch, he writes, “knowing that my son is gay prompted me to consider the issue from another perspective…”

So the stories of gays and lesbians that have been fighting tirelessly for marriage equality never prompted the senator to consider it from their perspective?

True empathy is the ability to perceive, feel, and understand another person’s feelings even when they are not related to you by blood. It requires looking beyond your own personal circumstances, imagining what life is like in someone else’s shoes, and wanting for them the same opportunities you enjoy.

But if personal proximity to another human being’s struggle is the only way to get elected officials to show more courage and empathy, then let us arrange a meet and greet with Gov. Romney and a couple of working-class Americans so that he can understand how insulting his 47 percent comment was.  

Let us put the kids of Democratic politicians into low-performing public school districts, and see if they still oppose school choice. Let us make politicians from both parties spend more time with the poor, and maybe that will help them become better advocates for poor and working-class issues.

Portman’s change of heart was not bold, it exemplifies the moral cowardice that is all too often seen in politicians from both parties.

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We see it from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid when he dropped an assault weapons ban from the gun-control legislation.

“I’m not going to try to put something on the floor that won’t succeed. I want something that will succeed. I think the worst of all worlds would be to bring something to the floor and it dies there.” Reid said.

No senator, the worst of all worlds is your failure to give the families of Newtown victims a vote on the assault weapons ban.

The truth is that Reid killed the proposal to protect his fellow Democrats. There are 20 Senate Democrats up for re-election in 2014. Making it public that some Senate Democrats are against an assault weapons ban will invite outrage from the left. 

By the same token, putting them on record in favor of a plan that the NRA opposes could cost those vulnerable Democratic incumbents their seats. So Reid dropped the proposal to give his colleagues some cover.

Background checks, mental health issues, and violence in video games and Hollywood movies are all important. But so is an assault weapons ban.

The Second Amendment is not absolute. Semi-automatic weapons and bushmasters in the hands of gangbangers and mentally unstable men is probably not what the framers envisioned.

57 percent of Americans favor a ban on assault weapons according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll. Those Americans deserve a vote. The parents of the 20 slain children in Newtown, and the families of the 12 Americans who were massacred at the midnight showing of a Batman movie in Colorado also deserve a vote.

They deserve to know which of their elected officials cares more about political survival than showing the courage to do what is right.

Unfortunately, Harry Reid will not give those victims’ families the opportunity to find out.

Shame on him.

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The biggest crisis in America is still jobs, stupid!

WASHINGTON, D.C. March 9, 2013 — The most important, yet seemingly forgotten crisis that faces America today is a four letter word: J-O-B-S. Jobs. Jobs. Jobs.

The bloated tax code, the skyrocketing national debt, the burdensome federal regulations, and the lack of an immigration or energy policy are all part of the problem. They all deserve attention.

But it’s the jobs, stupid!

There are too few of them. Those that have them are not seeing raises, bonuses or promotions. No upward mobility.

On the surface, the February job numbers look good. The economy added 236, 000 jobs, and the unemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent, the lowest in four years. Average hourly earnings for workers rose by 4 cents to $23.82. More jobs were added in food services, and wholesale trade. Retail trade added 252, 000 jobs over the past 12 months.

But that is only part of the story. The rest is less rosy.

In February alone, approximately 885, 000 Americans stopped looking for work. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) stayed the same at 4.8 million. There are still 8 million Americans that are stuck with part-time jobs. 13.8 percent of African-Americans still cannot find work. 9.6 percent of Hispanics and a staggering 25.1 percent of teenagers remain unemployed.

Where are the jobs?

While it is true that some companies are not hiring because of uncertainty about taxes and regulatory policy, it is also the case that other companies have been unable to find workers with the advanced technical skills that are needed for certain job vacancies.

So, embedded in the jobs crisis is a structural problem of a relatively unskilled labor force in the fields of manufacturing, and science and technology.

Meanwhile, schools like Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) in New York continue to show the importance of education-to-employment initiatives. P-TECH is a partnership between New York public schools, City University of New York, and IBM. After the six-year program (grades 9-14), students earn a high school diploma, an associate’s degree in computer science, and they become first in line for a job with IBM.

This should be a model for private sector companies and educators in all 50 states. Partnerships between the private sector and higher education schools will help prepare young students with the skills and job training they need for high-tech jobs of the future.

America needs to refocus on jobs. 

Is Washington even aware that there is a jobs crisis? Republicans and Democrats are obsessed with taxing and spending. No one is talking jobs and economic growth. Getting Americans back to work should be the top priority.

When there is growth, fewer Americans will need government assistance so deficits will go down. More Americans will be working and paying taxes, so government revenues will go up.

Everyone will be more optimistic about the future of the country. There will be a new energy, a new confidence, more vigor.

Solving the long-term fiscal crisis is important. Reforming entitlements is essential. Simplifying the tax code is necessary. But getting Americans back to work now is crucial.

Can’t Congress and the president walk and chew gum at the same time?

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Not inviting Chris Christie to CPAC was a stupid mistake

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 3, 2013 — Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana urged Republicans to stop being the “stupid party.” Unfortunately, the organizers of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) did not get the memo.

The most popular Republican Governor in the country, Gov. Chris Christie, was not invited to CPAC because of his public criticism of Congressional Republicans and high praise for President Obama after Hurricane Sandy.

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SEE RELATED: Why the fuss over sequestration? Didn’t both parties come up with it?

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“He made it very hard for Republicans in the Congress at a time when we were trying to deal with fiscal restraint,” said Al Cardenas, Chairman of the American Conservative Union, which organizes the annual conference.

So a Republican governor with a 74 percent approval rating in the deep blue state of New Jersey was snubbed because he criticized fellow Republicans? He praised President Obama a little too much and hugged him a little too tight? How narrow-minded. Aren’t these the same conservatives who were begging Christie to run for president as an alternative to Mitt Romney?

The theme of this year’s CPAC conference is the “future of conservatism,” and a CPAC source told the National Review Online that Christie has a “limited future” in the Republican Party. In reality, Christie’s future will be determined by the voters, not CPAC organizers.

According to Al Cardenas, “CPAC is like the all-star game for professional athletes; you get invited when you have had an outstanding year. Hopefully he [Christie] will have another all-star year in the future, at which time we will be happy to extend an invitation.”

So here are some of the speakers that made the CPAC “All Star” team: former Gov. Mitt Romney, former Gov. Sarah Palin, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former U.S Senator Rick Santorum, and former Rep. Allen West.

What binds them together? They are all losers. One of them even lost her Fox News contract.

Meanwhile, Chris Christie continues to win. He came down hard on public employees in New Jersey, and won. He took on the union bosses and won. He takes on the Democratic legislature in New Jersey and wins, and when he runs for re-election in 2014, he will win.

He cut spending in New Jersey. His Fiscal year 2013 budget spends less than former N.J Gov. Jon Corzine spent in FY08 in actual dollars. Christie cut business taxes by $2.6 billion. He is the first pro-life New Jersey governor since Roe v. Wade was passed in 1973, and he is also against gay marriage.

This same conservative Republican governor has a 74 percent approval rating in the latest Quinnipiac poll with a 71 percent reelect rating. Christie has a 56-38 percent approval among Democrats.

He leads his likely Democratic challenger, State Sen. Barbara Buono, 62–25 percent, including 68–18 percent among independents. He is also ahead 54–31 percent among women. Yes, a pro-life Republican governor is plus twenty with women in New Jersey.

Numbers do not lie, the man is a winner. And this is the guy that CPAC thinks has a “limited future” in the Republican Party?

Losing is a habit, and some conservatives are stuck on losing.

Ayobami is a graduate student in George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management.

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