Tavis Smiley & Dr. Cornel West Answers Critics On Morning Joe

Aug 11, 2011 3 Comments by Rippa

Not trying to beat a dead horse, but it would appear from emails received and subsequent conversations after my recent post, that some of you still don’t get it. about Smiley & West’s “Poverty Tour”. Not trying to belabor a point; in the following clip from Morning Joe, I think Smiley & West do a good job of that themselves. Sorry, this isn’t an anti-Obama campaign as touted.

However, I will say this: tomorrow marks my 41st year on this earth in life form. In all my years, alive, I know more about being poor than wealthy. Like so many others I sis the right thing when it came to education and went to college. Since then, I’ve been compensated by some pretty wealthy people for my talents, and not my compassion. Poor people with whom I identify closely have yet to give me a dime. Be that as it may, though they cannot afford me much like the wealthy people who do. I, as a human being, can afford to give them my compassion. The great Marian Wright Edelman once said that, “service is the rent we pay for living,” and it is her words that I keep in mind every waking day of my life. Service to my community is, and will always be, my calling.

Now watch this before continuing to read:

Having been homeless and living in a homeless shelter at one point in my life, to doing volunteer work at one of them. I’ve seen the many faces and heard the many stories of fellow citizens who for a very long time were voiceless, and who this day still are. I feel it’s my duty to support any initiative that highlights their plight. , and or seeks to force policy changes. It’s the quality of life of the least of us that truly measures our success individually, or collectively as a nation.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said something once about “the fierce urgency of now,” that was parroted verbatim by a then presidential candidate, Barack Obama. Well folks, what do we have to do? How much more urgent should the need for a government plan to create jobs? Do we wait for the stock market to crash again before someone asks, “oh, so that’s what happened?” Aren’t we the nation that does “big things,” as proclaimed by president Obama some months ago? Or is it that such policy measures aren’t big enough until it carries the weight of political implications of re-election, as it has in recent weeks? Forget the moral obligation to tend to the huddled masses chiseled on the statue of liberty. Can’t we just do it in the interest of saving the United States of America?

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Rippa

About the author

Born in Trinidad & Tobago, and raised in the United States, RiPPa’s life hasn’t been, how Langston Hughes wrote “a crystal stair”, but that stairway has enriched him with life experiences that have shaped his point of view on various subjects. Whether he’s writing about the injustices African-Americans face, politics, and the reverent or irreverent, RiPPa uses his sense of humor and sarcasm to convey his opinion, and whether others agree with him, isn't his concern; making you think about pertinent issues is paramount. Forever the habitual line-stepper, this proud lover of fried chicken & watermelon, and speaker of uncomfortable truths. RiPPa saw it fit to create this site, and is committed to binging the ruckus that is The Intersection Of Madness & Reality day in, and day out.

http://mybrowneyedview.com msladydeborah

Once again, the conversation about poverty is not new. The national story is repeating itself in this century. What seems to be different is the lack of response from our end.

Until working and poor people in this nation start to make our presence felt locally and nationally, not one frickin’ politician is going to address the issue in the needed manner.
http://www.rippdemup.com/ RiPPa

You right; but as you know, there are plenty of “us” on the ground putting in work. My issue are the people who sit and criticize the efforts of these brothers by rightfully highlighting what is being overlooked. They’re having a town hall meeting here in Memphis tonight and I plan on attending. It’s going to be one of two stops which hosts a town hall meeting – the other one is in Chicago. Hopefully something is taken away from the event and does just a little bit more to get folks involved.
http://bigsole.blogspot.com/ Nordette

Somebody must shine the spotlight on poverty. If people don’t see it in their daily lives, they are prone to assume it’s been conquered. And if poverty has no human face, it becomes to easy for those who are not in poverty, especially the wealthy, to vote for policies that are in humane and a disservice to not only the poor but also the country. (Conservatives sank ACORN in part to silence poverty advocates.) Some of us have been duped into believing that anyone can pull him or herself up by bootstraps. But as has been asked in the past, “What if the person has no boots?” And while the Smiley/West campaign may not be directed at Obama in particular, it doesn’t change the fact that he too needs a reminder.