Protecting the Homeless from Covid-19 Pandemic

As published by Crain Chicago Business, by William J. Booker, July 17, 2020. 

In the wake of the coronavirus, the homeless are caught in the crosshairs of a pandemic with nowhere to turn. Although the covid-19 pandemic is a public health crisis, killing hundreds of thousands of people, homelessness in America has been a public health crisis for centuries. 

People living on the streets are more susceptible to covid-19 because of their weakened immune systems. This may be one reason why America is unable to bring the number of infected cases down. 

"All over the country staff in homeless shelters are testing positive for covid-19, and as more people become homeless due to job closures the number of infected cases will go up. Universal testing in shelters is crucial, as well as the right to housing during the covid-19 pandemic."

  

The government must simply do more to protect the homeless. Lucky, some states are starting to allocate millions to help mitigate the pandemic’s impact on the homeless and preventing people from losing their homes. Although Republican lawmakers want to spend trillions of taxpayer dollars on fighting covid-19, nothing in their package will be included for helping the homeless population who are on the frontline and have nowhere to go. 

President Trump's denial of science, and the expert advice from his own health officials is literally killing Americans. If protecting hospital's from lawsuits is more important than protecting the homeless from the coronavirus, where does any of us stand a chance in surviving this crisis, or any of the back-deals being made in Washington? 

It's obvious to me the swamp still needs to be drained. In short, "We the People" stands for all the people no matter who they are--or where they live.

Single Parents Struggle Financially Amid Pandemic

As Published by the Chicago Sun-Times July 9, 2020

As the staggering number of unemployed Americans continues to rise due to business closures, the financial struggles for single parents have been hit the hardest, though most Americans are experiencing some form of financial hardship because of the covid-19 pandemic. 

"Single mothers and fathers are having a particularly difficult time providing even the basic necessities for their children beyond just daily meals due to many non-custodial parents being out of work." 

From diapers to pull-ups, and washing detergent, to over-the-counter medications and hygiene products, the financial challenges single parents are facing today are tremendous, and without some kind of support from friends, love ones, or neighbors, many single parents are in despair and having to cope with a great deal of emotional stress as a result. 

Parking tickets, an expired driver's license or even a badly needed car repair can devastate a very low income single-parent household these days. And while the troubling effects of this new norm will undoubtedly take some navigating to overcome, it has put an extra burden on mothers who are typically the caregivers for their children, and see a second round of stimulus to be the only hope for surviving the fallout from COVID-19.

A Better Place

As published in Crain Chicago's Business by William J. Booker 3/6/20  

There are too many guns on the streets, too many cases of senseless violence and too many innocent young people dying. The violence and crime in Chicago has gotten out of hand. Our communities aren't safe anymore, and young people have lost their way. It would seem that most young men in the inner city have given up on trying to do anything positive with their lives.

Quite frankly, they want what they see on television: quick cash, promiscuous women, cars and drugs. It's the American Dream for a generation of kids living in poverty with no future to think of, nothing seems to matter anymore.

Mayor Lightfoot's recent anti-poverty summit was a great first step in opening discussions about helping impoverished neighborhoods and Chicago's youth by putting badly needed resources in neighbors on the South and West side.

"Her new Invest South/West program will hopefully breathe new life in many of the neglected & distressed neighborhoods like Englewood where I grew up."

If communities fail to meet the needs of the people who live in them--we all fail. Chicagoans can not afford to close their eyes to what's not happening in their neighborhood because the reality is crime is getting worse and is taking place all over the city. Our neighbors aren't safe anymore, and there are too many innocent people dying to senseless violence.

To deter crime people need employment opportunities that support a living wage, and programs that help them improve their daily lives. We also need better schools. People don't won't handouts. What they need is simply a hand up. It’s time to stop blaming the poor for being poor. Thankfully, the mayor is committed to delivering on her plan of economic equity for impoverished neighborhoods, and support for families trapped in a generation of poverty. It’s time we work together to make Chicago a better place to live for everyone.

Give Chicago Wounded Neighborhoods What They Need

As As Published in the Chicago Tribune By William J. Booker

When neighborhoods of color are disenfranchised, properties are devalued, improvements and services to our communities are never made, and many middle-class people inevitably move to the suburbs. Thus, people who can't afford to move out become trap in an environment lacking opportunity, and struggle to survive by any means necessary. Many of these neighborhoods on the south and west side of the city, fueled by poverty, are now left in ruins and overrun by violence.

"You can't expect a goldfish to survive in a dirty fish tank if you never change the water. Nor can you expect people to survive in communities that lack opportunities & investment." 

It breeds crime in the entire city. However, if you treat people with respect and give them the tools and opportunities necessary to support themselves and their families they can be capable of doing amazing things. But what you can't continue to do is piss on a person's leg and tell them that it's raining. Those days are over.

Thankfully, we now have a Mayor who fully understands the value of strong communities and is willing to do whatever it takes to put an end to a lot of the senseless violence that has taken over the city. In light of it all...the city that works, must work for everyone--no matter what side of town you live on.

:: FED UP ::

In the wake of the United States budget crisis, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and President Trump's ongoing efforts to keep illegal immigrants out of the United States, and to build a wall that Mexico still refuses to pay for; Congress needs to pass the 2018 Farm Bill which will have a huge impact on farmers and over 45 million low-income Americans who currently depend on SNAP benefits to feed their families. 

The Farm Bill, passed every five years, provides millions of dollars in subsidies to farmers for things like home loans, access to improved broadband service, improved drinking water systems in rural areas, and provides grants for research at universities in fields of animal health, organic crop production and biotechnology. 

The Bill also funds conservation programs that help farmers improve air and water quality on farms which affects us all. The farm bill is detrimentally important for all Americans, and can have far reaching effects on the price of food across the country if it's not reauthorized by Congress and the President this year.  On the table for SNAP recipients, will be everything from imposing work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents; making it tougher for people to qualify for LINK, to limits on what people can buy with SNAP benefits like soda or other foods that are considered unhealthy. 

"The Farm Bill doesn't guarantee that the price of  fruits and vegetables won't go up because of Trump's immigration policy, but what it does guarantee is that feeding the poor and hungry will never be an issue for those who can afford to eat unhealthy foods like cheeses burgers on their multi-million dollar private jets, then have their doctor lie for them about their weight."   

Tax Bill Won't Benefit Middle Class

As Published in the Washington Times, 12/19/17 By: William J. Booker

The Republican Tax plan lowers the corporate tax rate; citing that America has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world. They want to bring jobs to the United States by lowering the tax rate, BUT none of this makes sense. Companies don't make their decision on where to locate solely on tax rates. They make their decision based on cheap labor. Lowering the tax rate does little--if anything at all to drive the economy.

America has a very strong, robust and innovative economy with millions of consumers. The most fundamental concepts of economics is supply and demand.

I doubt that companies like Apple are sitting around thinking, hey lets lower our prices so more people can afford to buy the new iPhone X. Thus, lowing the corporate tax rate doesn't translate to foreign companies wanting to run to set up shop in America because the price just went down.

"It's wrong to run a corporate fire sale at the expense of American consumers who can barely afford to feed their families." 

The plain truth is, the average corporate tax rate is about 28% which is passed down to consumers anyway. If Republicans really want to help the economy grow; they would pass a tax bill that puts more money in the hands of people who need it the most--the middle class.

#MeetThePress #FireSale #America #Business #Democrats #Republicans #Politics #NewYorkTimes #NewYorkPost #ChicagoSuntimes #ChicagoTribune #TaxBill #MiddleClass

Outcry for the Casualties of War

Right now, as you sit safe in your home, enjoying the beautiful day with your family, the United States of America is busy bombing hundreds of innocent men, women and children in Mosul and  northern Syrian. 

In fact, 230 mostly women and children have already been killed by American forces in Mosul. The Trump administration has even sped up the process of approving airstrikes, and an official review is underway to approve attacks without presidential consent. 

"I understand why people in Islamic States hate Americans; and burn our flag. Currently 400,000 civilians are reportedly trapped between all the fighting, without food or water, in the US lead NATO effort to keep Americans safe from Isil; and the number of civilian deaths are growing everyday." 

Don't get me wrong, I love America, but how proud are we to be living in a country, where we cry about the craziest things. Great efforts are constantly being made to keep all Americans safe at airports, but long airport TSA security lines, and airport carry on restrictions have blinded most Americans from even viewing the bigger picture. 

Instead of criticizing airport security, and baggage restrictions, we should be thankful and praying for the victims of war, and all the suffrage and destruction that is beyond the imaginations of most Americans. These people, though we know not who they are; are considered to be casualties of war, and have given much more than just their lives, so that you and I--may enjoy ours. Travel in peace.

Chicago Police Misconduct Hurts Homeless

Every time a police officer shoots and kills an unarmed person of color, the cost of racial injustice often results in multi-million dollar settlements with little or no accountability for many of the officers involved. More millionaires have been created as a result of official police misconduct, wrongful convictions, excessive-force cases and civil rights violations than any other time in American history. Yet, police officers involved in these cases are often cleared of all charges, regardless of public outrage.

The problem is that the criminal justice system has allowed the rights of black and brown men and women to be gradually trampled over by police officers at the expense of taxpayers and the loss of public-trust.

"Between 2012 and 2015, the city of Chicago paid $210 million in police misconduct-lawsuits, and over 23 million this year alone to help protect bad cops."

Though all the money Chicago has doled out, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and city officials have failed to contribute any significant funding to help the over 140,000 homeless men, women and children who remain out in the cold. It's time city officials reevaluates the way it spends taxpayers' money, and acknowledge that the police department's money-train is a liability the city of Chicago can no longer afford to keep running.