News-Record.com

Wright, a Wilmington Democrat, is accused of fraudulently obtaining a $150,000 bank loan and pocketing another $8,900 in corporate contributions meant for a health foundation he led in Wilmington

I guess Wright was just evening things out . . .

Nitwits Are Always Causing Problems

Peterman,
Your comment only serves to prove that white people no longer hold a monopoly on corruption at government's highest levels. Otherwise your comment has little to do with the letter's content.

A question for the economics professor, if I may.

Since one of the institutions that promotes the accumulation of wealth is the family unit, what do economics stats look like when one looks at them in a color blind manner and considers the family unit? A family unit consisting of 2 married adults with children will generally be more prosperous than a unit consisting of an unmarried teenager with multiple children from multiple absentee fathers. Race doesn't have to be a factor, since families of both sorts come in every shade of color. I truly believe this is the real economic divide, although I haven't studied it statistically--just made observations.

I have a different perspective on race than most people do, since I still believe that every person alive today descended from one man and one woman. That means you are all my cousins and we have to get along with each other because that is what kinfolk are supposed to do. If we as a society put as much energy into strengthening the family unit as we put into race relations, I believe people of all political parties and cultural groups would benefit.

Just another thought--I would concede that the effects of past racism would be most persistent in the area of wealth accumulation, since slave families entered into freedom with nothing and it takes generations to accumulate wealth (unless you invent Microsoft Windows or something else groundbreaking.)

Income, however is more dependent upon factors each individual can control, such as finishing school, not making babies before marriage, showing up to work on time..basic things anybody can do.

mama b, you are correct:

"I truly believe this is the real economic divide,..."

Since 1960, the number of American children without fathers in their lives has quadrupled, from 6 million to more than 24 million. Children without fathers in their lives are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime, nine times more likely to drop out of school, and 20 times more likely to end up in prison.

Source: Barack Obama's website.

"For the vast majority of households, the largest single asset is their home."

Material asset? Yes, however the largest single asset imo is a mother and a father both raising their children and providing for the family. If a home is destroyed it can be replaced. If a family is destroyed it will cannot be replaced.

You out there conudrum? Are you the author of this letter? It's follows your style, educated argument and suggestions of reading.

As a single dad I can personally testify that not having a spouse's income or a help-mate to assist on the home front has restricted my access to "wealth".

12 years ago I turned down a high dollar job that would have separated me from daily exposure to my kids. Turned out to be the best choice I ever made.

THE LIBERAL CONSERVATIVE

Some people are just plain tired of all the whining from black people . . .

. . . except for life, no one has ever given me a thing . . . and I keep getting it hard, everyday, all day because it's in me to not make excuses or blame every white person because I didn't get a loan . . . please.

Dan, I wish that I could take credit for Dr. Morse's letter, but, I can't. He has more degrees than I do.

Here's an eye opener for the Republicans who think that only guilt ridden white liberals and Democrats speak out on the lingering effects of slavery on America. In a discussion with the editorial board of the Washington Times, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called racism a 'birth defect' of America." She also said "Black Americans were a founding population." "Africans and Europeans came here and founded this country together " Europeans by choice and Africans in chains. That's not a very pretty reality of our founding." "As a result," Miss Rice told editors and reporters at The Washington Times, "descendants of slaves did not get much of a head start, and I think you continue to see some of the effects of that."

"That particular birth defect makes it hard for us to confront it, hard for us to talk about it, and hard for us to realize that it has continuing relevance for who we are today," she said. She later said: "America doesn't have an easy time dealing with race," Miss Rice said, adding that members of her family have "endured terrible humiliations."

"What I would like understood as a black American is that black Americans loved and had faith in this country even when this country didn't love and have faith in them - and that's our legacy," she said.

You tell 'em Dr. Rice.

double d aka tlc,
you just gotta hate it when you are caught with your pants down, huh?!
discrimination is here to stay (imo) it is plainly human nature, albeit not a desirable quality. success is like oil/water - some rise to the top (not by accident but hard work) and other make choices which keep them down - it is not as much subject to skin color but rather subject to the gray matter between the ears. work on the gray and focus less on skin tones.

Mr. Morse,

Interesting that A&T is a little sensitive about discrimination!

A good friend of mine that "used" to work for A&T and was in the "minority".....he was white.....left the University due to the discrimination that he faced! He was passed up for 5 promotions.

I think that if the focus was on the ACT of discrimination and not the past......everyone would come out on top! In this day & time discrimination goes BOTH ways and SIDE ways and all over the place BUT all we ever hear about is the past!

"institutional practices that continue to favor whites are still very much with us."

That's a joke right? I mean, after all, it is April Fool's Day. Of course it's not a joke, then please tell me why we have institutions like Affirmative Action which are clearly in violation of the 14th Amendment?

Affirmative Action actively promotes discrimination of Whites and males, it promotes the less-qualified over the more-qualified, rather than simply opening doors to the historically under-represented, AA continues the circle of repressed groups needing to be underprivileged in order to benefit from it, and it hurts mainstream groups for injustices they did not cause or condone.

Clearly Affirmative Action is not helping anyone. Yet, even though Dr. Morse makes some sensational claims, he wasn't able to cite a single government program devoted solely for the purpose of discrimination against Black people, unlike Affirmative Action in the way it discriminates against Whites.

"Some people are just plain tired of all the whining from black people"

Tell me, JPRT, when does it change from a legitimate complaint reinforced over and over to whining? When you decide? When the masses decide? And does the color of skin have anything to do with the decision?

I know the writer of the letter identified himself as a white, open-minded male. Was he whining or was he presenting an observation? Was he wrong in stating that observation? .If so, how?

I have made the observation, almost every time a letter like this is printed, the majority of white males participating in this forum are quick to deny any racial prejudice. Yet, they have that index finger pointing at blacks for not doing better for themselves. At the same time these folks dismiss any link to color as a precipitating factor in blacks not being able to do better for themselves. Of course, none of them have ever been black. Makes me wonder where they got all their experience walking a mile in a black man's shoes.

"it is not as much subject to skin color but rather subject to the gray matter between the ears."

Buz,

As a man who strives to do God's will, that statement is one of the furtherest from being Godly I have read from you. Having never been a black man, how could you know it's all about the gray matter rather than skin color?

Please explain to me, if you have never walked in the shoes of others, how could you possibly "know" about their experiences or their ability? Unless you inhabit another's body, you are just another outsider looking in and making judgments.

I'm not giving anyone a free pass. I firmly believe in personal responsibility. However, there is no getting away from the fact that blacks and whites are not and have not been on a level playing field.

YoyoVonne

"legitimate complaints" . . . sounds like you are complaining about a legitimate issue white folks have with blacks whining all the time . . .

. . . Your mass has decided . . .

Now be a human, stand up and admit it . . . complain, complain, complain . . . bullying society into submission . . . pathetic.

"I have made the observation, almost every time a letter like this is printed, the majority of white males participating in this forum..."

versus

"Of course, none of them have ever been black. Makes me wonder where they got all their experience walking a mile in a black man's shoes.."

and

"Unless you inhabit another's body, you are just another outsider looking in and making judgments."

So what does this mean Yvonne? In the same post you, a female, make a judgement about the majority of white males in the forum. Then you seem to claim that our opinion isn't valid unless one has experience walking in the same shoes.

I don't believe you've ever inhabited a man's body Yvonne, so using your logic then are you qualified in making judgements about men?

I have been in the "body" of a man who experienced discrimination. At a former employer we hired a young woman to join us on the sales team. I mentored her until she could stand on her own. A few years later the sales manager job became open. She got the job despite my having 5 years seniority and much better sales performance. To add insult to injury I learned of her promotion after returning from being sick for a few days.

I have personally experienced discrimination Yvonne, walked in the proverbial shoes.

My brother works for a large corporation. Despite his experience and seniority he was passed on a promotion to a less qualified black woman.

My brother has personally experienced discrimination Yvonne, walked in the proverbial shoes.

You can't have it both ways Yvonne, in claiming one has to walk in another's shoes to "understand" while expressing your own opinions about men.

It reminds me of previous exchanges we've had on abortion, basically you dismissed my opinion about abortion as I'm not a woman.

Dan, Didn't you know? You're not in any of the "protected" groups, therefore you're not allowed to have a voice or an opinion. In fact, having any opinion that is contrary to the Left, or trying to speak out for injustices against White males pretty much makes you a sexist and a racist. At least, that's what I get from Yvonne's diatribe.

The NFL has a policy that teams have to interview at least one black candidate for a head coaching position. I wonder if A&T has a similar policy for some of their higher up positions.

Mark, since you brought up the issue of coaches and sports, let me ask you a question. Doesn't it seem strange that there are only three African American head coaches out of 117 teams on the Division One football level? Dan frequently talks about his alma mater UNC. You see Carolina blue attired African Americans running up and down the court, hurdling tacklers, throwing passes and catching footballs on the field, but, I don't think that UNC has ever employed an African American head coach. Dan, am I right or wrong?

Yvonne, thank you. You get it.

conundrum, what does race have to do with a coaching position? if I were in charge of hiring a coach I would look for the best qualified coach, race wouldn't matter.

Apparently NCSU decided Sidney Lowe was the best person for the job, good for them. The jury is still out, but his first two seasons haven't been promising.

As for UNC basketball, I believe Roy Williams was the best person for the job when they courted him (current results seem to concur) and will keep that job as long as he continues a successful program or retires.

UNC has had turnover in coaches of the football program. I didn't agree with them rewarding Butch Davis with a salary increase after such a dismal season. If you have some suggestions for qualified black coaches then send them to the athletics director.

I'm REALLY upset that the majority of the best players on the UNC football and basketball teams are black. April fools.

Actually I don't care, I want them to select the best qualified athletes who can win as a team regardless of what color their skin is. Tyler Hansbrough is a phenomenal player, but UNC would not be in the final four without the contributions of Wayne Ellington, Ty Lawson, Quinten Thomas, Danny Green, Deon Thompson, Alex Stepheson, and Will Graves, all black players.

Don't forget conundrum, many of these players will have lucrative careers on the professional level. In fact they will make more money than their college coaches!!

Conundrum,

I don't know why that is the case, but I don't believe it has anything to do with racism any more than the fact that there are more black athletes on a college football field or basketball court than white athletes. Maybe we need affirmative action to guarantee that an equal number of white and black athletes get to play, instead of rewarding the most talented with those positions. Wouldn't that undo everything that was accomplished by the likes of Jackie Robinson? Count the number of white players starting in the final four this weekend. They're predominantly black. Where is the outrage?

If I can remember correctly, there is one white starter for UNC, and one white starter for UCLA. The other 18 starters for all four teams are black. If it were the other way, we would never hear the end of it.

Dan, you still didn't answer the question about UNC and its hiring record for its sports program. I will look it up. I know that Williams and Smith are hall of fame coaches.

Mark, I find it illogical to get upset over the makeup of an athletic team. I wouldn't protest if UNC's swim, golf, field hockey or lacrosse teams were predominantly white. I expect them to be. There are cultural differences when it comes to sports and who they attract . My argument was and is, is that if the university makes good revenue off the talent of African American athletes, that when an opening comes up, the applicants shold be diverse. Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith were given chances and look at what they have achieved. If I am not mistaken, Lovie Smith got his interview because of the NFL's Minority Hiring Initiative.

Conundrum,

First off, I'm not upset over the racial make-up of an athletic team. I was using that example to make my point of the best and most talented and dedicated athletes getting to play regardless of their skin color. I agree with you that qualified black candidates should be considered for head coaching positions as well as white candidates. But unless you can prove that there are qualified black candidates applying for these jobs and getting rejected because they are black, then you're argument isn't valid. I wonder what would happen if instead of making good revenue off of talented black athletes, and then having to hire less qualified coaches because they are black, universities decided to quit recruiting blacks altogether. Just a thought.

Fire Sidney Lowe.

The ACC must be the most prejudiced basketball conference in the nation.

Out of 12 teams, we have:

Paul Hewitt, Georgia Tech: black
Al Skinner, Boston College: black
Leonard Hamilton, Florida State: black
Oliver Purnell, Clemson: black
Frank Haith, Miami: black
Dave Leitao, Virginia: black
Sidney Lowe, NC State: black
Roy Williams, UNC: white
Gary Williams, Maryland: white
Dino Gaudio, Wake Forest: arguably white
Coach K, Duke: white
Seth Greenberg, Virginia Tech: white

Racism surely must be the culprit when 3 out of the top 4 finishing teams were coached by white coaches.

In all seriousness, discussions about race are rarely fruitful. Regardless of what you say, you're sure to be labelled.

Skin color is not culture. Skin color doesn't determine your intelligence, determination, or success. although you will face some type of discrimination in your life based on skin color, you decide whether to let it rule you.

If you let skin color control your happiness or destiny, then you alone are to blame.

Individual actions can never be excused based on the actions of others. You can't control what you inherit but you can control what you leave behind. One person can change generations, as evident by the wealthy in this country. It started somewhere. Why not let it start with you?

I've only walked in one person's shoes. Believe me, that's plenty.

"I wouldn't protest if UNC's swim, golf, field hockey or lacrosse teams were predominantly white. I expect them to be. There are cultural differences when it comes to sports and who they attract."

Cultural differences? Now, that sounds like a race-based comment to me. What cultural differences come into play in determining what sports are "black" sports and which are "white" sports"? Should we make that decision based upon who invented the sport?

I believe that Dr. James Naismith is credited with inventing the game of basketball, and not only was he a white man, he was Canadian. He was also a Presbyterian. So, by conundrum's philosophy of cultural differences, we would deduct that only White Canadian Presbyterian Men should be allowed to coach basketball because of they are culturally better suited?

"Interesting that A&T is a little sensitive about discrimination!"

They may be, but corruption by A&T officials and sexual harassment is alive and well there, as it appears by media accounts.

"My brother works for a large corporation. Despite his experience and seniority he was passed on a promotion to a less qualified black woman."

Why does this whining not surprise me?

Racism? Jeremiah Wright Jr. comes to mind.

Tim Lawrence, my example was strictly UNC-Chapel Hill athletics and its record of hiring, not ACC basketball. ACC basketball has a very good record when it comes to hiring African American coaches. It's not so good on the football side. If my memory serves me well, Jim Caldwell had been the only African American head football coach in the ACC's history, until Randy Shannon was hired at Miami.

http://post.economics.harvard.edu/faculty/mullainathan/files/emilygreg.pdf

A field experiment in Boston and Chicago showed that people with "white-sounding" names are 50% more likely to receive a call back than people with "black-sounding" names, despite equal resum� quality between the two racial groups.

If that's not institutionalized racism, I don't know what iis.

"My brother works for a large corporation. Despite his experience and seniority he was passed on a promotion to a less qualified black woman."

Why does this whining not surprise me?

No whining, just an illustration that reverse discrimination exists. As for my bro, he ended up with an even better job in a different department in the company.

As for my mentioned discrimination, that experience was a major factor in my decision to become self-employed. My one person company celebrated it's 10 year anniversary last month and I've never looked back.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!

conundrum you said, You see Carolina blue attired African Americans running up and down the court, hurdling tacklers, throwing passes and catching footballs on the field, but, I don't think that UNC has ever employed an African American head coach.
Would his only qualification need to be just black?
Or would he be required to know how to coach?

Yvonne you said, I know the writer of the letter identified himself as a white, open-minded male. Was he whining or was he presenting an observation? Was he wrong in stating that observation? .If so, how?
I must have missed something, how did you determine that from his name?

Mr Morse what exactly is an "post-racial" era, an era without races?

Ghost,

My mistake. Read the ltte at 0315 but did not post until I got back from work at 1044. Got two letter authors mixed in self-descriptions. Sorry if this caused you any problem.

Dan,

How like you and Bishop to deliberately misinterpret a post from me. I made a clear statement of fact, not a judgment, regarding most of the white males who post in this forum. Go back and read with comprehension rather than predisposed agenda.

I realize, Dan, there will always be individual cases of discrimination against persons of any color, be they male or female. However, that is not what I am discussing here. I am talking about blacks and whites collectively. The playing field never has been level for blacks and whites equally. For you to deny this with individual examples is invalid, much like comparing apples to oranges.

ORR,

Cultural differences, in context here, means white kids are more likely to have access to a swimming pool, a hockey or lacrosse field, a golf course (and money to practice) and black kids are more likely to have access to a basketball or football and a parking lot to practice these sports. Someone correct me if my take is wrong.

Tim,

My guess is you are white.

rahrah,

Thanks for the link.

`

Yvonne,
These words from you are soooo true:

"Dan,
How like you and Bishop to deliberately misinterpret a post from me. I made a clear statement of fact, not a judgment, regarding most of the white males who post in this forum. Go back and read with comprehension rather than predisposed agenda.

I realize, Dan, there will always be individual cases of discrimination against persons of any color, be they male or female. However, that is not what I am discussing here. I am talking about blacks and whites collectively. The playing field never has been level for blacks and whites equally. For you to deny this with individual examples is invalid, much like comparing apples to oranges."

Yvonne, you put it succinctly. Problem is, Dan can't understand that concept. It has to be about his brother, and not getting a job that he "thought" he deserved. By making it personal he 'thinks' he's making a point---when he's really showing how little he knows about institutional racism. In fact, you can bet he never went to the link above!
http://post.economics.harvard.edu/faculty/mullainathan/files/emilygreg.pdf

That link would just blow his argue out of the water. Reminds me of the racists who say, "Some of my best friends are black" or "I've got lots of black friends" and then you find out they've never had them over to their home for a meal or gone out with them for an event or meal etc. They'll argue all day long that they got where they are through hard work and nothing else. If he knew he wouldn't be chastised, Dan would probably say that black people should Anglicize their names to avoid problems. Obviously, it is going to take ANOTHER generation to weed out the myopic among us.

Again, Yvonne, your points are very poignant. They will not be well received by the ones you directed them toward. I salute you for standing up!

`

"If he knew he wouldn't be chastised, Dan would probably say that black people should Anglicize their names to avoid problems."

Actually conundrum said that black parents do their children a disservice in giving their children unusual names. So ask him Demon Deacon, not me.

I asked him about some of these names and used examples of people I have worked with lately including Chameeka, Dequanda, and Abeniakilah.

In fact, when I posed her the question, Abeniakilah told me it was difficult to have this name as it is difficult to pronounce and spell. She and her husband intentionally gave their daughter an easier name to spell and pronounce.

Frankly I don't care what parents name their kids, that's their decision not mine.

"By making it personal he 'thinks' he's making a point---"

By making it personal, it is personal. Remember Yvonne's "walking in the shoes"? Been there done that but made lemonade out of it. Life goes on.

Regardless of whether or not these black people are happy with their names, the point is that they have them...and they are common. They are a part of American black culture, at the very least. The study shows that resumes with 'black-sounding' names are less likely to get call-backs than those with 'whit-sounding' names. That's (real) institutionalized racism against blacks.

It exists...and I noticed that only TLC and Yvonne are the only other ones that recognized that.