Good news on jobs...

Although many media outlets have reported that job figures for August are alarming, a report released by ADP which manages payroll accounts tells a different story.

ADP National Employment Report® released yesterday concludes that private-sector employment increased by 201,000 from July to August on a seasonally adjusted basis. The estimated gain from June to July was revised up from the initial estimate of 163,000 to 173,000. 

The U.S. Labor Department also reported today that the unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent from 8.3 percent in July. Both these indicators are good news for President Obama who is battling a re-election war against Mitt Romney who likes to fire people before they can finish their missions.

“According to this month’s ADP National Employment Report, the U.S. economy added 201,000 jobs in August, the largest increase in five months," said Carlos A. Rodriguez, president and chief executive officer of ADP. "The improvement in job creation this month is encouraging and we hope it continues across all sectors of the U.S. economy.”

Employment in the private, service-providing sector also expanded 185,000 in August, up from 156,000 in July. Employment in the private, goods-producing sector added 16,000 jobs in August, while manufacturing employment rose 3,000, following an increase of 6,000 in July. Construction employment rose for the third consecutive month, adding 10,000 jobs, marking the best reading since March. The financial services sector added 8,000 jobs from July to August, marking the thirteenth consecutive monthly gain. 

According to Joel Prakken, chairman of Macroeconomic Advisers, LLC, “The August increase...supports the notion that the underlying trend in hiring has picked back up after slowing sharply during the spring. The August increase was well above the consensus forecast for today’s release and for the official jobs number due out Friday from The Bureau of Labor Statistics.”

Prakken added: “The gain in private employment in August is strong enough to suggest that the national unemployment rate may have declined. Today’s estimate, if matched by a similar reading on employment from the BLS on Friday, will alleviate concerns that the economy has slipped into a downturn.”

Created by Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP®) in partnership with Macroeconomic Advisers, LLC, The ADP National Employment Report is derived from actual payroll data and measures the change in total nonfarm private employment each month. 

For more information on this report, go to: http://www.adpemploymentreport.com/pdf/FINAL_Release_August_12.pdf.

Pedro Marin fundraiser October 4

“Korean Americans for Pedro Marin” will hold a fundraising dinner on Thursday, October 4 at Sydney’s Buffet., 2131 Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth, Ga. State Representative "Pete" Marin (D) is in a re-election campaign for District 96 in Gwinnett County.
 
The organization voiced their support of Rep. Marin’s campaign because of his reputation for speaking out on behalf of immigrant families and minorities. He is one of the first Latinos to be elected to the Georgia General Assembly.
 
“Representative Marin’s opposing candidate will continue to propose and pass immigration laws in Georgia. Korean Americans, all immigrants and all minorities need a representative who will stand up for our rights,” said the "Korean Americans for Pedro Marin" organization in its press release.

Marin, a business consultant, is a member of the following committees: Banks and Banking, Economic Development & Tourism, and Industrial Relations. His biography states that he has focused on stopping gang violence and racial profiling, expanding translation services, and fighting against legislation targeting specific communities.
 
Bonnie Youn will host the event. Rep. Marin will be available to speak during and after the fundraiser. For more information, contact Erin C. Kadzis, House Democratic Caucus, (404) 933 - 5100, erin@gahousedems.com.
 
 

Obamagirl challenge

Sisters of the USA,

During this DNC, I have renewed my patriotism, courage, and creative resolve to help my country and our president move forward.

And so...

If Tammy Duckworth can stand up on two prosthetic legs and dream  dreams for President Obama, so can I.

If Gabby Giffords can pledge her liberty, walk after a major brain injury, and stand up for President Obama, so can I.

If Caroline Kennedy, sacrificing a daughter's love after losing a father, can speak up for President Obama, so can I.

If Zoe Lihn can endure multiple heart surgeries and toddle for Barack Obama, so can I.

If Sandra Fluke can uphold her composure when verbal arrows are thrown and campaign for President Obama, so can I.

If Jennifer Granholm can fire up a crowd for President Obama, so can I.

If Eva Longoria can strut across a stage in six inch heels to sing the praises of President Obama, so can I.

If Jill Biden can support her outspoken, vice president husband and uphold President Obama, so can I.

If college student Angie Flores can smile in the midst of student loans and seek out President Obama, so can I.

If a mother of a dead soldier killed in Afghanistan can read her last letter to him in tribute of President Obama, then so can I.

What are YOU going to do, ladies?

©2012 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved.

Black unemployment versus living off assets

BLS graph of black unemployment

I recently got a call from my mortgage company, and they wanted to know whether we were paying our mortgage from paycheck funds or investment interest funds. This question took me by surprise. That's when it dawned on me that this whole full employment thing, this notion that job creation will help the middle class, is a hoax. 

RICH FOLKS DON'T WORK TO LIVE, THEY LIVE OFF THEIR INVESTMENTS! They don't have a problem borrowing money to start new businesses or send their kids to college because they know banks will let them get whatever they need for as long as they need it.

If I had forty acres, a mule, and an apartment building to lease, maybe I would not have to worry about employment either!

No, I'm not crazy. Problem is that blacks historically have been just a few paychecks away from being broke. White colonists who became wealthy did so by amassing assets (slaves, guns, horses and livestock) and stealing and maintaining ill-gotten lands from Native Americans. They were not highly educated, but shrewd and diabolical. Many were not hard working, but knew how to work others hard without giving them adequate food, funds, or futures. Many were master crooks.

Recently I read a scathing piece written by Republican political analyst Raynard Jackson who claims that blacks are psychologicall inept for supporting President Obama. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/therootdc/post/obama-the-democratic-national-convention-and-african-americans-talking-loud-and-saying-nothing/2012/09/05/74d8c6be-f78e-11e1-8253-3f495ae70650_blog.html)

Jackson claims that black unemployment under Obama has increased, therefore, blacks should not vote for him. Let's take an historical perspective on black unemployment.

Writer Andy Kroll postulates that over a 60 year period, black unemployment has historically been much higher than white unemployment, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data . Additionally, under the Republican savior, President Reagan, black unemployment peaked at 20.7 percent.

On the Media Matters for America blog, it was noted that "the increase in the black unemployment rate during the recession was larger than that for other races partly because workers with less education are particularly hard hit during recessions. Moreover, the unemployment rate for Blacks was slower to fall after the official end of the recession. The slower recovery for African Americans in the labor market has been partly the result of government layoffs after the official end of the recession."

Guess what? When you reduce taxes and run huge deficits, you have less money to hire and have to layoff workers.  Media Matters states that, "In 2011, nearly 20 percent of employed Blacks worked for state, local, or federal government compared to 14.2 percent of Whites and 10.4 percent of Hispanics." When governments have no money, blacks have no jobs.

As I see it, black unemployment is high because we're still the "last hired, first fired." After WWII and before the civil rights movement fully integrated businesses, blacks had jobs because they made them for themselves. Now we're always looking for a job. Perhaps the only way we will be able to turn this black unemployment crisis around is to learn to program robots to solve our problems!

Before that happens, though, if you don't have assets to live on, you must find a job, even if it's at slave wages.

Perhaps we should not be concentrating on getting J.O.B.S, but on obtaining assets that will pay our debts. Remember, Romney does not work --- he lives off his assets. Rich folks use work as a power past time that offers huge psychological and philanthropic benefits.

My stepfather once gave me this advice: "Save your income and live off your interest." When you're close to being broke, this is impossible. That's why some blacks are so far behind.
©2012 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved

Clinton nominates Obama in rousing speech at DNC

White House photo by Bob McNeely

In perhaps his most brilliant political performance ever, former President William "Bill" Jefferson Clinton, the "Comeback Kid," laid out reasons last night on why it is essential to bring Obama back for a second term.

Clinton threw in the kitchen sink when it came to telling all the good news about President Obama and bad news about Republicans. The only thing he could have done differently was play a little John Coltrane on his saxophone!

The crowd in the Convention Hall and television audiences across the country were glued to Clinton who had a speech in hand but gave a seamless delivery that will mark him as one of the best politicians ever.

"This Republican narrative - this alternative universe - says that every one of us in this room who amounts to anything, we’re all completely self-made... it ain’t so."

Over 48 minutes, Clinton, an Oxford and Yale educated lawyer, laid out his case why Obama has been an exemplary President and why a Romney/Ryan Presidency would have disastrous consequences.

"One of the main reasons we ought to re-elect President Obama is that he is still committed to constructive cooperation," Clinton stated. Of Obama's working relationship with his wife, Hillary, Clinton said that " democracy does not have ...to be a blood sport, it can be an honorable enterprise that advances the public interest."

He said that his own presidency was successful because he used a simple remedy when facing economic problems - good arithmetic!

Clinton concluded that Obama will finish the job he started. Obama has "laid the foundation for a new, modern, successful economy of shared prosperity. And if you will renew the president’s contract, you will feel it. You will feel it."

To read a full transcript of Clinton's speech, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/05/us/politics/transcript-of-bill-clintons-speech-to-the-democratic-national-convention.html?pagewanted=all

©2012 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved
 

Obama's America 2016

An In-depth Documentary that Journeys Into the Life of Barack Obama (official press release)

SYNOPSIS
2016 Obama’s America takes audiences on a gripping visual journey into the heart of the world’s most powerful office to reveal the struggle of whether one man’s past will redefine America over the next four years. The film examines the question, “If Obama wins a second term, where will we be in 2016?”

Across the globe and in America, people in 2008 hungered for a leader who would unite and lift us from economic turmoil and war. True to America’s ideals, they invested their hope in a new kind of president, Barack Obama. What they didn’t know is that Obama is a man with a past, and in powerful ways that past defines him--who he is, how he thinks, and where he intends to take America and the world.

Immersed in exotic locales across four continents, best selling author Dinesh D’Souza races against time to find answers to Obama’s past and reveal where America will be in 2016. During this journey he discovers how Hope and Change became radically misunderstood, and identifies new flashpoints for hot wars in mankind’s greatest struggle. The journey moves quickly over the arc of the old colonial empires, into America’s empire of liberty, and we see the unfolding realignment of nations and the shape of the global future.

Emotionally engaging, 2016 Obama’s America will make you confounded and cheer as you discover the mysteries and answers to your greatest aspirations and worst fears. 

To see the movie trailer, go to: http://2016themovie.com/

Jobs with political parties - where are they????

Since Romney and Obama have millions to spend, why don't they hire some volunteers and pay them a living wage instead of asking them to work for free?????

Of course, most of the money being used by their campaigns are paying for media advertising and staff. If you have the information, please forward me data on how current presidential campaign funds are being spent.

BTW, tell them not to ask me for a donation. I'm unemployment and not receiving any checks or income from this blog.
 

 

Democrat's heavy hitters make case for Obama second term

Michelle Obama: "If your family's good, you're good."

The Democratic Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina kicked off last night with the Party standing on its beliefs, values, and ability to get things done in step with moral principles. That is how they are approaching reelection politics. 

This was evident in the opening moments of the Convention when the Democrats gave a moving tribute to the late Sen.Ted Kennedy, the Lion of the Senate, who didn't mind being labeled "a liberal."

In a CNN interview after the tribute, Vicki Kennedy, widow of Sen. Kennedy, said her husband would have loved to be living to help the country and Democrats move forward.  He knew how to "improve the lives of people..march for progress...and foster bi-partisan achievement..." she said of Kennedy's political legacy.

Mrs. Kennedy said "Teddy" endorsed Obama in 2008 because of his ability to generate change, to connect with voters, and to fight for people.



Mayor Julian Castro (Credit: Jamesgatz)

The keynote speaker and rising star, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, resembled an Hispanic Obama. Castro gave his American story, saying that in America, " Opportunity today leads to prosperity tomorrow...the middle class is the engine that drives us."

Castro said that in Texas, rough individuals with bootstraps pull themselves up, but somethings we cannot do alone. "Success starts with education," he said.

"Romney has no idea how good he's had it," he said of Obama's opponent. Castro said of all the fictions given out at last week's Republican Convention, perhaps the most extreme was their suggestion that people, "go our own way."

In a CNN interview, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., who ran unsuccessfully for president in 1988, said Obama still faces hurdles. "The growth of poverty and urban violence still are major problems in America that need to be resolved," said the legendary civil rights activist.

In another CNN interview, Michael Dukakis who also ran in 1988, said  Obama should not make the same mistake he did during his presidential campaign of failing to focus on his opponent's past politics. Dukakis was defeated by George H. W. Bush. "Obama must spill the beans and tell the truth about Romney's record," Dukakis said.

Speaker Tammy Duckworth, a veteran black Hawk pilot and double leg amputee who earned a Purple Heart, said she thanks God for social programs that helped her survive. She said fairness in the military and an end to "don't ask, don't tell" should be added to the list of Obama's accomplishments. She also noted that Obama helped allowed women to serve in dangerous military jobs and looks out for the hardest hit and the disabled.

Emanuel was Obama's chief of staff.

Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel, who worked with President Clinton and Obama, listed several Obama CHANGE projects which showcased his leadership experience: the Recovery Act, the Affordable Health Care Act, the end of the Iraq War, the bailout of auto industry, and the Race to the Top education program.

Youngster Zoe Lihn appeared onstage with her parents and sister. Her mom said that Obamacare gives them security, relief, and no lifetime caps for Zoe's congenital heart defect. She said she was going to stand behind Obama in his reelection bid because of Obamacare which would be devastating to her family if repealed by a Romney Administration.



Ted Strickland photo by Rona Proudfoot

Ted Strickland, former governor of Ohio, spoke about Romney, saying he is "thinking of people as numbers on a spreadsheet."  He quoted Matthew: 6:21 - "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Strickland cautioned that Romney is an unpatriotic liar who is hiding his tax records while creating Bermuda shell corporations. Strickland got many standing ovations.



Eric Haynes / Governor's Office

Deval Patrick, who succeeded Romney as governor of Massachusetts, also insinuated that Romney is lying about his accomplishments as a political leader and left his state in bad shape after one term. "Romney did not fix Massachusetts," Patrick said. "He believes in having the job versus doing the job."

Patrick urged Democrats to fight for Obama. "Grow a backbone and stand up for what we believe in...Stand up for our president...This is the president....I will not let him be bullied out of office," Patrick concluded.

©2012 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved.

Breaking News: 7.6 earthquake hits Costa Rica

Photo of Costa Rican landscape and volcano from my trip in 2007.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports a major earthquake has hit Costa Rica. Tsunami warnings have been issued.

For more information, go to: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc000cfsd.php

Note that on this same day in 1944, the largest earthquake to hit New York occurred. "This severe earthquake was felt from Canada south to Maryland and from Maine west to Indiana. It caused property damage estimated at $2 million at Massena and Cornwall. Many chimneys in that area required rebuilding, and several structures were unsafe for occupancy until repaired. Residents of St. Lawrence County reported that many water wells went dry," according to USGS.

©2007 Photo by Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved.

It's Obamatime: Democrats kick it in Convention

T shirt from 2008 campaign

They gave him 3 1/2 years to fix what George W. Bush screwed up over 8 years. Now the Democrats will be able to speak to the country about what has been done and what they are willing to do to support ALL Americans. All crying aside, especially around employment and the economy, and not trying to play MISTY, the Democrats are coming out smoking!

Michelle Obama has been focusing on military families and healthy living while Ann Romney has been focusing on herself and her battle with muscular sclerosis. Michelle will talk about her public role as First Lady,  "standing behind" her presidential husband, being the First Mom while answering questions posed by precocious daughters living in the White House, and being the daughter of the First Grandma.

Things have been challenging but not unbearable for the Obamas, and Democrats can hang their hats on getting a major health care bill passed, putting Osama bin Laden to rest, ending the Iraq War, saving homes for thousands, and working through major bank and car manufacturing debacles.

Yes, it's Obamatime.

 ©2012 Photos by Kurk Johnson. All rights reserved.

Employment figures rise in non-farm sectors

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, July's non-farm payroll employment rose by 163,000 in professional and business services, food services and drinking places, and manufacturing. sectors.

Both the number of unemployed persons (12.8 million) and the unemployment rate (8.3 percent)
were essentially unchanged, showing little movement thus far in 2012.

Racial breakdowns: Black unemployment had little or no change (14.1 percent) and ranked highest among racial groups. The unemployment rate for Hispanics (10.3 percent) edged down in July, while the rates for other groups - adult men (7.7 percent), adult women (7.5 percent), teenagers (23.8 percent), and whites (7.4 percent) - were all higher than for Asians (6.2 percent).

The Bureau also reported that unemployment rates were lower in July than a year earlier in 305 of the 372 metropolitan area, higher in 52 areas, and unchanged in 15 areas. 

For more information, go to: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf

What have Democrats done lately?

Please tell us your favorite Democratic story for posting.

Dragon*con continues in Atlanta

Although Ilea Johnson (r) didn't dress up in costume this year, she did attend the standing room only event Saturday. Critics claimed it was too well attended to be comfortable or informative, too crowded, too sweaty, and too hot! No one was even allowed into hotel lobbies without having a ticket or room key. Lines for food or water were ridiculously long.

Here are some photos of characters she met at Dragon*con.

 ©2012 Daniel and Ilea Johnson. All rights reserved.

Dragon*con brings fantasy, art, and anxiety to Atlanta

Weapon utility belt designed by Johnson

There's a lull inbetween political conventions, just enough time to have an outrageous experience at a creatively scary event in the South before the Halloween costumes are out. These are professional costumes on display made by dedicated fantasy lovers - cosplay at its finest!

Yes. They've worked on their science fiction characters for months, and now it's time to unleash magic and other supernatural powers at Dragon*con where it is believed some 50,000 - 80,000 people will parade in and around downtown Atlanta's Marriott Hotel this weekend.

Johnson's costume inspiration came from Sega.

Prepare to be wowed!

Johnson's weapon could plague security.

"Designing and constructing my character and outfit took weeks," said a weary Daniel Johnson, a 2010 art graduate of Kennesaw State University who has been attending Dragon*con for a decade. The event started in 1987.

"One important thing in doing costuming is the art of patience," Johnson said who has won several awards in graphic design. On this project, he managed a team of workers, including his parents, siblings and friends, who helped him complete this year's anime costume down to minute detailing. Stress management is a key to success on such projects.

It's late Friday night, and he's almost finished cutting, molding, painting, and velcroing. All that is left is the parade and the fanfare.

Many participants are expecting to meet parking, security, temperature, and costume discomfort challenges upon arrival.  But this event only happens once a year and is more fun than October 31 for those who can buy a ticket or just parade around the hotel lobby for free. Dragon*con ends Monday.

Johnson fully suited up on the backstreets of Atlanta (Photo by Ayron Johnson)

Check out Daniel's complex FLASH website at: http://www.djphantasystudios.com/

©2012 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved.

"Romney Hope" speech fails to impress

Photo by Gage Skidmore

As the Republican Convention winds to a close in Tampa, Fla., the fact checkers are out, combing through speeches. I watched Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney's lackluster performance with a sense of boredom instead of intrigue, channel surfing between his remarks and the "Impractical Jokers" TV show which was more entertaining, even with commercial interludes.

What was most surprising to me about Romney's speech was how he could be so patriotic, in love with his country and countrymen, but have such a high disregard and disloyalty for our Commander-in-Chief. Like many of the other speakers, he said Obama is a nice guy but attacked everything he has done during his first term as President.

The only good thing he gave Obama credit for was sending in the Navy Seals to kill Osama bin Laden. Interesting, coming from a Christian who purports to be governed by the 6th commandment.

Here are some things Romney said about our President:

Romney Hope: "I wish President Obama had succeeded, because I want America to succeed."

Finger pointing: "In the richest country in the history of the world, this Obama economy has crushed the middle class....President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans. And to heal the planet."

Crystal ball theory: "To the majority of Americans who now believe the future will not be better than the past, I can guarantee you this -- if Barack Obama is reelected, you will be right."

Unfettered promises: "Unlike President Obama, I will not raise taxes on the middle class of America...My promise is to help you and your family. I will begin my presidency with the jobs tour."

Foreign policy threats:  "President Obama has thrown allies like Israel under the bus even as he has relaxed sanctions on Castor's Cuba. He abandoned our friends in Poland by walking away from missile defense commitments.  But he's eager to give Russia's president Putin the flexibility he desires after the election. Under my presidency our friends will see more loyalty and Mr. Putin will see a little less flexibility and more backbone."

In my opinion, Romney is a strong, millionaire businessman turned weak, applause and power seeking politician backed by emotional pseudo-patriots trying to retrieve past glories reached in the Ronald Reagan age. Things weren't so hot for the country under Reaganomics, and it's my conclusion that "Romney Hope" will be no different if allowed to see the light of day.

©2012 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved.


Tribute to Ruth Morris

Photo by Doug Smith, Sr.

I want to pause and pay tribute to my mom, a phenomenal woman who lived with tragedy and sickness but overcame her circumstances to become the gleaming matriarch of my family.

Ruth Daniels Morris, my mother, was born on Easter Sunday, April 8th, and died 21 years ago today. (I can't believe she has been gone that long!)  Her nickname was Bunny, and her face was covered with freckles. She earned a BS degree in Commercial Education cum laude in 1950 from Bluefield State College in West Virginia. She was the seventh of eight children, and her parents were the late James Luther and Minnie Daniels.

After growing up during the Depression, all of her siblings, except for the oldest, graduated from college.

With friends - 1950

After college, my mom wanted to become a physical therapist and studied at Freedman's Hospital in Washington, D.C., but after fainting in the emergency room when she saw a bloody patient, she decided to change her profession.

She was hired by A&M College (University) without an interview on the recommendation of her college professor. She traveled to Normal, Al. on the train to become a secretary to the Dean of Students and met my father, Thomas V. Morris, a Botany professor.

Family portrait - 1953

My parents married in 1952. Ten months later, I was born. My folks were so poor that while she was pregnant, she had only two maternity outfits and wore my father's boxer shorts! She later became secretary to President Drake at A&M.

My mother ended her "career" on campus when I was four, and with my father and uncle started Albert's Flowers which is still in operation today. Even though her picture has been taken down from the "shop's" wall, I know that if not for her, one of Huntsville's most successful businesses would not have survived.

My mother was a "concerned" person who loved her AKA sorority sisters and her only daughter - me. She grieved after suffering two miscarriages and became a widow and single mom at 39 years old.  She fully financed my out of state education at Indiana University without the assistance of financial aid or help from the government. Her second marriage ended in divorce, but she and Lionel Crump, Sr. stayed friends until she died.

Ruth Morris seated (2nd from r) with AKA graduate chapter, Epsilon Gamma Omega Chapter in Normal, Ala. One AKA founder, Harriet Terry, is in center of photo.

During my mother's last years, she loved watching weather reports and could possibly have been a wonderful meteorologist.  She did not drive in the rain after her car hydroplaned once and she lost control on the highway. It's a wonder that she died on the same day 14 years before Hurricane Katrina made landfall.

Her passing took place in Huntsville Hospital. With her neck in a brace and her eyes wide open, a single tear streamed down here cheek as she departed this world and floated away. Smoke could be seen outside her hospital room window.

With grandchildren - Ayron, Ilea, and Daniel - in 1990. Photo by Kurk Johnson

I only wish I could be the woman she was.

Giving thanks to God for such a wonderful mother who was smart, frugal, beautiful, and courageous, may God rest her soul.

©2012 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved .

Texas, Nevada, Montana have highest number of uninsured children in U.S.

The U.S. Census Bureau today released 2010 estimates of health insurance coverage for each of the nation’s roughly 3,140 counties in its Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE) report.  Health insurance is insurance against the risk of incurring medical expenses among individuals.

Mapping tools available on the SAHIE website show regional trends in coverage and that small counties with a high range of uninsured children are mostly in Texas, Nevada and Montana. Small counties with a low range of uninsured are mostly in the Northeast and Midwest.

By 2014, changes to the law will extend certain Medicaid benefits to uninsured people falling into specific income groups, and SAHIE estimates will permit users to track the impact of the law on small counties. The estimates also enable local planners to determine, for instance, the counties in which low-income children are most likely to lack health insurance. 

“The information provided by SAHIE data is important to us in program planning and management, targeting and resource allocation decisions and evaluation, ”said Marcus Plescia, director of the CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control in Atlanta. “We use SAHIE data to more effectively gauge the level of need for breast and cervical cancer screening in various geographic jurisdictions across the country,” he added.

SAHIE is partially funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and others in the health care field. Starting next year, the five-year estimates from ACS will include statistics on health insurance coverage for all areas, regardless of size.

For more information on this subject, go to: http://www.census.gov/did/www/sahie/index.html

Repubs. tout they can regain "full employment" with Romney

Willard Mitt Romney photo by Gage Skidmore

What is "full employment", and can the country reach it if Mitt Romney is elected President of the United States? 

Though they are battering the term around at this week's Republican Convention, one must take a look at historical records to see if "full employment" has ever been achieved under a Republican president.

According to some economists, "full-employment" is achieved when the unemployment rate is between 4 and 6.4%. According to the Huffington Post, under President Reagan, unemployment went from 7.6% to 9.7-9.8%, almost the highest rate ever recorded. When George W. Bush took over after the Clinton presidency when unemployment was at 4.3%, unemployment went steadily upward to 7.2%.

Under Bush, income disparity also grew and the poverty rate increased from 11.25% in 2000 to 12.3% in 2006 after peaking at 12.7% in 2004.  From 2000-2005, only 4% of workers, typically highly-educated professionals, had real income increases, according to political scientist professor Kenneth Scheve.

More importantly, we should be looking at the track record of job creation. Taking a look at Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) records starting with the presidency of Republican Herbert Hoover, his administration was responsible for a -5.4% increase in jobs. During his first term, President George W. Bush had a 0 .00% increase.

Unfortunately, with technology reducing the need for workers and the population increasing, we may never reach "full employment" levels again. There must be another solution to ending the growing problem which is making workers obsolete.

To learn more about BLS statistics on employment, go to:  http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?bls

©2012 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved

Thought for today...

"...what seems sensible is sensible, and what seems nonsense is nonsense."
– J.M. Keynes

Female surprises from the Republican Convention...

Official LG photo of Carroll

Women are predominantly showcased at the Republican Convention being held in Tampa. Women are announcing the roll call vote to nominate their presidential candidate. Mitt Romney's wife will be giving a speech, and many delegates are women. 

Repubs., who made history four years ago when they nominated a woman to run for Vice President, are trying to make sure that women are well represented at the Convention since Romney is trailing Obama in the polls when it come to woman voters

One thing that I learned from watching the Convention is that Florida's Lieutenant Governor is a black woman.

Jennifer Sandra Carroll is a Trinidadian-born American. Her profile can be viewed at http://www.flgov.com/meet-the-lt-governor/. Carroll was embroiled in an alleged sex scandal in July with a female aide.

Let's see what other surprises will come out of the Convention.

Downfall of Morris Brown College and other historically black religious institutions

Smiling Morris Brown student leaders ten years ago before college lost accreditation.

Recent news reports that Morris Brown College is declaring bankruptcy bring into question how many historically black institutions can remain vibrant during this post segregation age.

Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church which was founded when blacks were ostracized and forbidden to participate fully in church services in 1816, this black operated educational facility has been in financial trouble for years and is on the downward slope to extinction. It seems that Morris Brown is fighting a losing battle. A college cannot operate with 50 students, no accreditation, no federal funds, and no community support.

Additionally, it seems that no one wants to be affiliated with a segregated institution anymore...

A message from the school's president, Dr. Stanley J. Pritchett, Ed.D, states, "If monies can be found to purchase the King Papers or sustain Grady Hospital, surely there is a contingent of Atlantans who recognize the utility of assisting Morris Brown during these urgent times.  With our young people, now more than ever, in need of guidance and opportunity, an institution like Morris Brown should get the highest priority." 

Pritchett mentioned that Morris Brown is one of several sites in Atlanta - Paschal's Restaurant, Southwest Hospital and Grady Memorial Hospital - which should be saved. Southwest Hospital has already lost its fight to survive.

Morris Brown cannot be propped up by those whose only calling is to preserve a "black institution" for historical reasons. The organization must be economically viable to float on rough seas and have a strong mission to provide what other organizations cannot give - HOPE and divine worship.

Why are some black institutions failing? Inability to integrate, be competitive, attract new donors, and win on the balance sheet.

Dr. Robert Threatt (Class of '49) with wife, Helen Threatt, led Morris Brown College from 1972 to 1984.

Why haven't black institutions successfully integrated? Attraction and fear. They are unable to attract other races into their memberships. There's a feeling of US verses THEM. Leaders fear that whites will take over and end black leadership.

According to William H. Swatos, Jr., editor of the Encyclopedia of Religion and Society, 90% of churchgoing African Americans belong to black-controlled religious organizations.

Looking at majority white religious institutions that have integrated, the one problem they have to surmount is also leadership-based. The pews and church rolls may be integrated but not the pulpit, deacon bench, or trustee board.

Blacks often participate on the entry level but rarely are seen in positions of power in majority white religious institutions. One exception is the recent installation of Fred J. Luter, Jr. as president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Other predominately white mega churches in Atlanta, like Dr. Charles Stanley's First Baptist Church of Atlanta and Dr. Michael Youssef's Church of the Apostles, don't appear to have a large number of people of color in leadership positions. Dr. Youssef, however, was born in Africa. I have personally attended both these churches. Although the congregations of both churches are diverse, minority leadership rolls are not reflected on their church websites.

Dr. Youssef (3rd from right) is a Christian preacher born in Egypt. He leads a predominately white church. (Photo by Felipe Alequin.)

Times change slowly, but anything is possible when God is truly in control.

©MBC photos by Kurk Johnson 2002. Article by Tomi Johnson 2012. All rights reserved

Police question folks standing on street corner

A police officer questions Drew Kordele on a Marietta, Ga. street corner.

Drew Kordele, a graduate of McEachern High School in Cobb County, Ga., has been seen on almost a daily basis, standing on the sidewalks on Sandy Plains Road in Marietta, appearing to be talking or singing to himself. He looks harmless, but no one really knows if he's dangerous. He seems sober and in his right mind although it seems unusual that he would pass the time in this fashion everyday and into the night.

Tonight, I saw him standing on the median outside Walgreens across from Sprayberry High School and decided to ask him why he likes standing on the street. As I made my way to him, taking pictures, a police cruiser approached in the intersection with blue lights blazing, and the officer called him by his first name.

"Drew, I had a call that you were here, and I want to make sure you are not in danger," the officer said.

I wasn't sure if the officer would have arrested Drew or not had I not been taking pictures.  The officer asked who I was and who I worked for, and then left.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked Drew.

"Just chilling. Just getting a breath of fresh air."

"I've seen you on this street before. You better be careful. You don't want to get arrested," I said.

"Yes, and you be safe, too," was his reply. It's a hot summer night in Georgia.

©2012 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved

Orthodox Christians discuss challenges facing religious leaders

“In actual formal content their curriculum was doubtless old-fashioned, but in educational power it was supreme, for it was the contact of living souls.”  
Dr. W.E.B. DuBois on functional education

Church bulletin

Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church of Marietta, Ga. is celebrating the feast day of the Virgin Mary with food for the mind, body, and soul.

On Saturday, August 18, the church had pre-celebration activities which included an educational workshop for teachers and a dinner featuring traditional Greek cooking, music, and dancing. About 150 people were in attendance.

Vrame stresses people over content.

Guest speaker for the religious educators’ workshop was Bostonian Dr. Anton C. Vrame, director of the Department of Religious Education of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. 

“The hidden curriculum, of course, is what our students see us doing everyday…everything we do is teaching,” he said.

Vrame stated the challenge of religious educators is keeping students engaged in a parish environment that is dynamic, creative, and positive. “Teach people over content,” he said of the value in reaching out to people who are looking for something, especially those who are puzzled over why God lets bad things happen to good people.

Kurk Johnson discusses church leadership "checks and balances" with Fr. Panayiotis Papageorgiou, Ph.D. 

“Be willing to make mistakes, take a break, and lighten up,” Vrame said. "Think outside variables.” He recommended religious volunteers who teach children should focus on prayer, saints, feast days, scriptures, hymns, icons, and hands on projects. He said in order for parishes to survive, they have to be connected to the communities they serve.

Greek Orthodox festivities feature sights, sounds, and smells in moving cultural experiences for young and old.

The Feast of the Dormition or "falling to sleep" of the Virgin Mary is being celebrated today and is preceded by a two-week fast from red meat, poultry, dairy products, fish, oil, and wine.

For more information on Holy Transfiguration Church, go to: http://www.holytransfiguration.info/

©2012 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved