Minorities lagging in pork-barrel spending
Leaders say the reason some districts get less cash is that their elections aren't as tight.
You ever had the feeling of having a fish just jump into your lap while fishing? This is my view of this story.
It seems that 2 less senior Democrat US Congressmen have lapped 15 year veteran congressman Alcee Hastings of Florida in the "bring home the bacon" game in Washington DC.
The average black and Hispanic Democrat won about $6.1 million and $5.7 million respectively -- compared with $12 million for the average white Democrat. (Democrats won a majority in the House last year for the first time since 1994.) The review also found Republicans of all backgrounds averaged $8.7 million per lawmaker.
This is not the central focus of my report though. According to the story the underlying reason for the shortfall by Hastings and other Blacks is that they sit in non-competitive districts and thus the money is shifted to other seats where there is a stronger Republican threat.
Because black voters overwhelmingly favor Democrats, these districts aren't normally competitive in a general election. And that may hurt earmark chances. A senior staffer in one black member's office joked that he wished his boss would have a close race -- just to get more earmarks.
One suggestion is to add more black lawmakers to the Appropriations Committee, which now has only five black members. And none are subcommittee chairs, known as "cardinals," who can steer money to their own districts.
Now let me ask you - if BLACK PEOPLE are more interested in MONEY BACK HOME than they are in EMPOWERING DEMOCRATS.....what would be the logical decision to accomplish this?
Yet we have Conyers, Lewis, Waters and Rangel who have not had a real knock down, drag out election battle to have them ACCOUNT for their policies but more importantly for their EFFECTIVENESS or lack there of.
This is where the wheat is separated from the chaff regarding RACIAL INTERESTS as far as I am concerned. We as Black people were again PROMISED that certain benefits would be obtained if the collective voted to make the Democrats the majority once again. The Black voter held up his end of the bargain. Unfortunately just as with the plan that was articulated almost 40 years ago by civil rights great Bayard Ruskin it is the promised results that have been short upon delivery.
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