Despite massive criticisms from the media and the polis and common breaches of the electorate’s trust by self-indulged lawmakers, the U.S. political system offers the only method for American citizens to participate in governmental policy-making.
From City Hall to the U. S. Congress, elected representatives often do represent the values, needs and interests of their constituents. Astute voters do not reward politicians who veer away from representing their will. Yet, in our community, we have astute voters from all socioeconomic classes who reward politicians who ignore their needs.
Policies made by lawmakers shape every aspect of life in America, from birth to death.
In 1996, the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Act was initiated in Washington by a Democratic president and Republican Congress and further refined by state lawmakers. This trio further enacted and passed the Comprehensive Crime Bill that did not address the crack-cocaine issue, which results in the highest level of incarceration of African Americans in history.
Many young African-American women with children and no working male partner experienced major trauma in the mid ‘90s with the reform of the U.S. welfare system, which removed hundreds of thousands of poor women and children from access to healthcare and limited the length of time they could receive cash assistance.
The troubling fact is that the women who were affected by this life-changing policy are not active participants in the electoral process. When questioned, most don’t believe their vote would make a difference. This myth is at the core of the solution to the plight of blacks.
As the hip-hop generation says: “VOTE OR DIE.”
Elected officials spend millions of dollars analyzing the electorate to determine strategy. Consider the recent presidential election. Attention was focused by both candidates on campaigning in states were the outcomes were undecided, according to polls. John Kerry deserted the Democratic Party here by pulling out of the state of Missouri because pollsters said he could not win it.
What would happen if 80 percent of the black population in America actually voted n or left their voting intentions unknown? We would be able to secure policies that provide solutions to the plagues in our communities.
The time has come for blacks to treasure their voting block as 12 percent of the U.S. population. Right now, Democrats have used it like “pearls before swine,” while Republicans see it as an unobtainable “jewel” to be ignored. Note that Matt Blunt did not come to St. Louis to participate in public debates. He saw the city as hopeless and reflected this in his budget cuts.
I fault our religious, community and political leaders for peddling one party as a savior of black people and the other party as Lucifer, for their own political gain and self interest.
The reality is that neither party will serve our best interest. We must save ourselves by valuing our collective vote and organizing interest groups. We must cease a political selection process that allows the black vote to be taken for granted and build an educated and politically astute constituency. This may mean less personal gain for some leaders and more community gain, but what choice do we have? We must become a viable and respected part of the U.S. electoral system, or our children will perish.