Do We Need The National Guard To Help Stop The Violence In The African American Community? By Steven J. Smith

"Stop the violence! Save our sons! Save our daughters!" This is the chant that I heard in downtown Chicago as the community anti-violence organization CEASEFIRE held a press conference in front of the State of Illinois building. The press conference was in response to the recent tragic and gut wrenching murders of children in Chicago over the past few weeks. The spike in murders even have state legislators asking Illinois Governor Pat Quinn to assign units of the Illinois National Guard to help Chicago Police patrol high crime neighborhoods where senseless shootings and murders regularly occur.

The Governor will not send the National Guard into Chicago unless Mayor Richard M. Daley makes a request. Mayor Daley says stricter gun control laws and other alternatives should be used instead of the National Guard. Religious leaders and community activist have mostly condemned the National Guard idea and express the need for economic development (eg. Jobs), increase in education funding and after- school/Saturday programs for youth.

The Chicago Police Department made the point that homicides in Chicago have been trending downward in the past decade. Last years total of 458 homicides continued the trend of the numbers going down from homicides numbering in the 900's in the 1990's. Still 458 homicides is unacceptable and many are frustrated that senseless and often random gun fire is killing innocent 3 years olds, mothers, grandmothers and honor students who just happen to be in the middle of a shooting spree.

Many point to dysfunctional families in the African American community along with the toxic peer-group culture and the lack of jobs upon graduation from high school as the root causes of the crisis. There is a glaring need for a coherent strategy that is goal oriented and measurable. Whose going to stand up and lead this effort? One should not just say where is the Black Church, where are Black Politicians and why are they not doing more.

This problem calls for all people, all organization and all professions to join in the effort. The Black Church, Black Lawyers, Engineers, Social Workers, MBA's, Physicians, Educators and Tradesmen. The Black Church and Black Politicians are often the targets of criticism, rightfully so sometimes, but all segments of the community are responsible. All hands on deck or call in the National Guard.

Too Big To Fail, Derivatives, Financial Reform, What The ......Are They Talking About? By Steven J. Smith

An ABC News/Washington Post poll suggests that 65% of Americans support financial reforms that puts stricter regulations on financial institutions. When you consider that the global economy is in the worst economic downturn that any of us have seen in our lifetime we should all agree that something needs to be done. Seven million U.S. homes are in foreclosure, 8.5 million jobs have been lost, retirement incomes have gone down 20% and housing values have decreased by 30%.

The U.S. Congress is attempting to pass legislation that will place safeguards within the financial market and as usual partisan politics have Democrats and Republicans are squared off against other. Senate Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd-D-Conn. stated on Meet The Press, "Here we are 17 months after someone broke into our house, in effect, and robbed us; and we still haven't changed the locks on the doors, and we need to get it done."

Here are some of the proposal that attempt to change the locks on the doors so that we will not find ourselves in the same economic mess the next time a crisis occurs.

1.) Eliminate "Too Big To Fail". Congress is considering legislation that will eliminate the idea that a company is "Too Big To Fail", like AIG (American International Group), in the future. Economist argued that AIG had to be bailed out by the American taxpayers because a company that has over 100,000 employees in over 100 countries was "Too Big To Fail" and it would take the rest of the global economy over the cliff with it.

2.) Regulate "Derivatives". The exotic financial agreement between two parties that has a value determined by the future price of something else. Derivatives can be thought of as bets on the price of something.

3.) Establish a Consumer Protection Agency within the Federal Reserve.

4.) Give the government new power to oversee the dissolution of large failing institutions.

Currently the Republican Senators, "The Party of No", have vote against any financial reform. This position may be hard to maintain if they are seen as standing up for Wall Street. Most Americans feel that the excesses, greed and free wheeling of companies like AIG, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sach and many others led to the collapse of the economy. Let us all stay tuned.