In an previous paper, we raised the issue of the origin of the polis concept from early Greece (which is the basis of the words politics, politicians, political science, etc; a word that did not exist in many ancient Afrikan languages), and the fact that it was originally conceived as an armed fort. And further, we discussed the early Greek meaning of the word Justice as that of protecting the interests of the stronger party. These concepts play out as a constant struggle between the few and the many, the rich and the poor, the oligarchs and the REST OF US. The oligarchs/stronger party's mantra is "as long as we control the money, we can assure our interests despite the laws!"
Sistah subsequently wrote a piece focused on encouraging us to vote in which she provided the Definitions of politics by Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.. " The first - "Politics is the process by which we in a democracy translate what we believe into public policy and practice".
Secondly, Politics determines who gets how much of what, when and where in five distinct areas:
Who gets how much Income
Who gets how much Education
Who gets how much Health Care
Who gets how much Housing (or shelter from the elements)
Who gets how much Justice"
Well, I thought that was all very interesting, but does it really happen that way in the real world? A little background will help to set the stage for this discussion, because the Greek definition is dramatically at variance with King's definitions. One of the framers of western thought, including the concept of white supremacy, Charles Montesquieu, in the 17th century, conceived of a Republic as being both democratic as well as an aristocratic /oligarchy/plutocracy Regime. America is such a republic having both democratic and oligarchigal appendages, i.e., the right to vote AND the 1% monied elite class aristocratic /oligarchy/plutocracy Regime, as documented by the 2010 Census data that I previously sent out.
If King is correct, then we can expect that via the exercise of our vote and political participation alone, we should reap the economic and other benefits that he spoke of. Let's see if that is the case. Claude Anderson ("Black Labor, White Wealth") produced statistics that showed that in 1964, there were 103 Black elected officials (BEO) nationwide, and 34% of the Black population had incomes BELOW the poverty line. 28 years later in 1992, we had began to exercise our right to vote and participate in the political process that translated in us having 8,000 BEOs, yet the Black poverty rate INCREASED to 34.4% BELOW the poverty line! That not only means that our poor percentage increased with more BEOs, but also the raw number of poor Blacks increased since the Black population itself had increased from 1964 to 1992! Here is a quote from change.org-" In the mid-70s, when an oil crisis prompted the last great recession, the poverty rate among African Americans hovered above 30 percent. Over the course of that decade, the number of African Americans living in extremely poor inner-city neighborhoods grew by 164 percent, in contrast to just 24 percent for whites.
How could that happen if King's prescription is correct? Granted that since the advent of affirmative action, the Black "median" class has increased and the poverty rate has decreased to about 28% in 2008, according to the Census Bureau. But, was the increase in the Black median rate solely attributable to increased Black political participation ? Or are there other factors such as the oligarchs/stronger party's generation of economic opportunities-jobs? I suspect that the oligarch/stronger party economic posture, rather than our political participation is the real reason for Black economic performance or lack thereof.
Case in point, there are real fears out there that the Black median class is shrinking rapidly, despite increased Black political participation recently escalated by the Obama era. Now wait a minute, isn't our vote through the political process supposed to give us those benefits that King spoke of?
Just off the top of your head, which state is the poorest state in the US? You guessed it-Mississippi! It is the poorest state in terms of people BELOW the poverty line,
It is the poorest state in terms of median household income,
It is the lowest ranked state in terms of health care,
It leads the country in terms of gun deaths,
It has the worst rate of mortgage delinquency,
It is first in teen pregnancies,
It is first in terms of MedicAid funding,
BUT IT HAS THE LARGEST NUMBER OF BLACK ELECTED OFFICIALS IN THE COUNTRY! (http://www.thegrio.com/politics/why-is-mississippi-so-red-when-its-so-black. and 2010 US Census data)
How can this be if King is correct? Everyone is hurting, Blacks, whites, governments at all levels. Every one except the oligarchs/stronger party's Political participation alone is not the determinant of economic vitality as the above data shows. Although the oligarch/stronger party is NOT the largest producer of economic activity-jobs in the US (we understand that small business/start ups provide the most jobs). But, it is the oligarch/stronger party's movement of job creation from the US to the "developing" world, e.g., India, China, etc. that is seen as a primary cause of the economic woes here. That is the key factor, not merely Black political participation, in attaining the benefits that King spoke of. Mississippi is just a microcosm of what is really happening countrywide. Blacks are voting, Blacks are getting elected in record numbers and Blacks are still hurting and jobless. Without jobs-work, less taxes are generated at all levels of government to provide the benefits of health care, education, justice, and so forth. We are seeing federal, state & local governments cutting back on everything from rebuilding interstate roads to trash pick up. That's why we see that India middle class is exploding and is expected to be the 5th largest in the world in 20 years (Mckinnsey Report), China's billions of people are developing a class-based affluent society because of the oligarch/stronger party's economic decision to protect its own economic interests by removing jobs from the US to countries that have historically low wage rates which multiplies the oligarchs profit margins! It is the oligarch/stronger party economic greed factor that is being reflected in dismal statistics such as those of Mississippi and the dwindling Black median class.
Further, increased Black political participation has NOT reduced historically high double -digit Black unemployment rates, which were double digit even in the 1970s and now are high double digit despite more Black elected officials. Increased Black political participation has NOT decreased the Black imprisonment rate which has historically been upwards of 45%+ Black imprisonment, now is at 58% Black/Hispanic imprisonment rate. Blacks are STILL being shot down in the streets by police. Blacks are STILL victims of the criminal Injustice system viz the 3-strile laws,, the so-called war on drugs massacre, and sentencing disparities. Blacks still are the leaders in health care problems from hypertension to diabetes, etc. Educational opportunities are under attack. Where is the justice that is supposed to come from increased political participation that King spoke of?
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