The Conservative Sage

" Dear George Zimmerman, for the rest of your life you are now going to feel what it’s like to be a black man in America. You will feel people stare at you. Judging you for what you think are unfair reasons. You will lose out on getting jobs for something you feel is outside your control. You will believe yourself to be an upstanding citizen and wonder why people choose not to see that”. “People will cross the street when they see you coming. They will call you hurtful names. It will drive you so insane that you’ll want to scream at the top of your lungs. But you will have to wake up the next day put on firm look and push through life”. “I bet you never thought that by shooting a black man you’d end up inheriting his struggles. Enjoy your “freedom.” Sincerely, a black male who could have been Trayvon Martin”. As a black man in my 40's I have seen and heard my share of the black victim mentality. However I must  say that a letter to George Zimmerman penned by an

 When blacks are presumably unfairly stopped by the police in certain neighborhoods has long been termed Driving While Black. In recent years many blacks have been challenged while shopping and  assumed not to have money to afford certain purchases. This was highlighted during a much publicized incident involving Oprah Winfrey while shopping in Switzerland - which is now termed Shopping While Black . Every black person-right or wrong has a story of being followed while shopping; or claims of being questioned by clerks about the cost or their capability to pay-suspicions that have plagued blacks for decades. Unfortunately these stigmas have been hijacked by propagandist in order to obfuscate truly degenerate and often times criminal behavior which is taking place throughout America's inner cities. Case in point: "The Knockout game" whereby groups of blacks youth sucker punch random strangers in order to render them unconscientious with a single blow. This crime wave have

The Island of Puerto Rico has long debated the issue of statehood. For the sake of the US I would hope that it would reconsider the idea-we already have Illinois. Once again we see the disastrous results of  liberal economic policies. In 2008 Puerto Rico elected Luis Fortuno of the New Progressive Party as Governor. In spite of the leftist connotation of his party's name, Mr. Fortuno's policies were very much conservative. Faced with a $3.3 billion deficit he cut income taxes by half, reduced the corporate income tax from 39% to 30% and eliminated over 38,000 government jobs. the tax cuts apparently worked in that the island experienced a jump in investment and made modest economic gains in 2012. Unfortunate for Mr. Fortuno, his success was short lived. The public unions that make up one-third of the Island's workforce expressed their displeasure by voting him out of office. Mr. Fortuno was replaced by their candidate, Alejandro Garcia Padilla of the Popular Democratic Pa

When Barack Obama was elected the left celebrated as if it was a dawn of a new age. There were claims that we would have renewed respect in the world, a shift from the days where we were hated during the evil George W. Bush/Cheney regime. Some felt that so called "green jobs" would magically reign down from Washington and happy days would be here again. Well things haven"t quite worked out that way. Five years into Obama's Presidency our allies Germany, Brazil, and Israel among others are disgusted with us at the moment due to the NSA spying scandal. Brazil's President Dilma Roussef was so peeved that she canceled a planned state visit- I don't remember many of our allies canceling state visits during W's terms. Saudi Arabia's former ambassador announced recently that they will no longer favor the US in arms deals. Poland learned that the Obama administration favors its relationship with Putin over them. Our unemployment has hovered around 7.5% for

The City Of Detroit's economic woes have been in the headlines for many years. Its bankruptcy has been well covered in the media for the past several  months. Urban blight, corruption, job loss, crime, loss of population and massive debt will keep the city on its heels for years to come. Detroit is one of many city's that have become synonymous with  Economic decay. Cities like Philadelphia, Baltimore, Newark, New Orleans, and St. Louis are not far behind. These cities boast large numbers of blacks and redundantly Democratic liberal voters; Detroit has not elected a Republican mayor since 1962. According to Bay Area Center For Voting Research, Detroit is the most Liberal Large City in America. The last half century in Detroit has been a black liberal paradise; majority black population, union control, black majority in city council and its had exclusively black Mayors since 1974. 50 years of liberal dominance has resulted in a perplexing social and economic basket case. Detro

Just weeks after a crazed navy contractor walked into a Navy installation in Washington D.C. and gunned down a dozen people, Los Angeles airport is the latest bloody scene. A 23 year old obviously disturbed individual carrying an assault rifle walked through the front door of LAX and when he was through, a TSA agent lay dead. The tragic pattern has been that every few months in America we are forced to endure one of the mass shootings. Are to accept that this as a way of life? In spite of all the great things about our country, the inconvenient truth is that we have increasingly deteriorating mental health. What's the solution? I'm not sure however we have to do something or else America will become Israel where every 100 feet you are likely to see an armed soldier standing guard outside any establishment. Are we there yet?

With the latest debate on US military intervention the question of whether or not the U.S. should be the words police. The US with the worlds strongest military has intervened countless times in civil conflicts, conducted preemptive strikes and came to the aid of oppressed minorities who faced extermination. The Philippine Senate voted in 1991 to close the then largest U.S. overseas military facility Subic Naval base. Senator Agapito Aquino then stated that closing the base had ended his countries "crippling dependence" on its former colonial overlord. It now appears that the Philippines wants Uncle Sam back as it feels threatened by China's expanded military presence in Southeast Asia-which have also reached the Philippine coast. China's military has menaced oil survey boats along the gas rich Reed Bank, claimed by Manila. The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority has preserved all the existing structures on the base and made made other overtures in order to entice the

For over a decade left wing politicians have ad used the phrase "tax cuts for the rich" ad nauseam. The so called Bush cuts were enacted in 2001 and 2003 lowering rates for all. The top rate of 39.6% was reduced to 35%. The 36% rate to 33% , the 31% to 28% and the 28% to 25%. A new 10% rate was created while no changes to the 15%.  Those with an agenda have only focused on the reduction in the top rate while ignoring the others. President Obama has weighed in from time to time with barbs towards the Wall Street "fat cats" corporations who don't need tax breaks. Well it turns out the "fat cat" might be you. According to a USA TODAY analysis 90% of federal tax breaks go to individual taxpayers. Since the government started accounting for tax preferences in 1974, the value of tax breaks for individuals has increased seven times faster than that of corporations. Currently that amount is nearly $1.2 trillion a year according to the Feds. Since the Obam

One of the most well known cliches of class warfare if 'the rich get richer and the poor get poorer". Well in fact poor people often become richer and sometimes even rich people become poorer. Case in point: Brazilian Mogul Eike Batista who fabulous wealth and opulence has been covered by the financial press the world over. He was once ranked on Forbes billionaires list as the worlds seventh richest man with an estimated net worth of $30 billion! His supermodel trophy wife and the Mercedes McClaren parked in his living room underscored his flashy lifestyle. Mr. Batista's troubles began when his oil company OGX failed to deliver on 10 billion barrels of oil it had promised; subsequently collapsing the shares of his six public companies more than 90%. The Wall St. journal calls this the largest and swiftest financial implosion in modern times. A massive loss of wealth isn't unheard of and is actually quite common-even if not on this scale. The left has created the

T his has been the worst time, politically, for President Barack Obama since he took office. Recent polls reveal that public confidence in both his domestic and foreign policies has been falling amid revelations about their defects and dangers. Even people who once supported and defended him have now turned against him. There have even been rumblings against Barack Obama in the Congressional Black Caucus and among labor unions that were a major factor in helping him get elected and reelected. two of President Obama’s own former Secretaries of Defense have publicly criticized his gross mishandling of the Syria crisis, which has emboldened America’s enemies and undermined our allies around the world. As Obamacare continues to go into effect, step by step, its high costs and dire consequences for jobs have become ever more visible — as have the lies that Obama blithely told about its costs and consequences when it was rushed into law too fast for anyone to see that it would bec

Islamic terrorist in East Africa have been battling the governments of Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya for decades. Much of the battles have taken place between so called militants and government troops. This weekend marked a tragic turn with a bloody and brazen attack on civilians in Kenya. Suspected al Shabab gunmen stormed into an upscale Nairobi shopping mall and shot dead at least 39 people and wounding more than 150-the victims range in age from 2 to 78. Its the worst terrorist attack in Kenya since the 1998 US embassy bombing, also in Nairobi. Al Shabab, an al Qaeda offshoot of a Somali terrorist group- has waged a long campaign of violence in Kenya, burning churches, and killings of foreign aid workers. al Shabab, which means "youth" in Arabic, is demanding that Kenya withdraw forces from Somalia where they have been since 2011. What's more disturbing is that it is believed that American citizens could be amongst the attackers. These types of killings are a hallmar

We all know what the most overused catchphrase was in 2008: Hope and Change. It was the ridiculously vague Obama campaign slogan that seemed to resonate like a religious proverb to many Americans. Almost five years later the change is hopeless. The very same group the president captivated the most-unions and college students-are the most disenchanted. This week the IRS has announced changes to the tax rules concerning automatic tips at restaurants. In the past such tips were not treated as wages subject to withholding, it was left up to employees to report them to the IRS. The new rules will treat tip income as ordinary income subject to W2 withholding. Large restaurant chains such Darden Restaurants which operates Longhorns, Olive Garden and Red Lobster are discontinuing the practice of automatic tips.. as The lower income service workers who live on their tips between paychecks will be hurt-the same lower income workers are amongst Obama most fervent supporters. Another groups whic

As the US prepares for possible military action in Syria, the nation is once again for the second time in a decade forced to confront a major human rights crisis in the middle east involving weapons of mass destruction (WMD). There is a great deal of irony in this current dilemma in that two of the key figures have spent a great deal of the past decade lambasting the Bush administration for its Iraq policy and its belief in preemptive strikes known as the 'Bush Doctrine". The Months long Syrian civil war between ba"ath party loyalist and rebel forces has jumped to top of President Obama's foreign policy agenda. A gas attack against rebel forces which has left 1,400 dead marked a crossing of a "red line" by Syria which the president promised would result in a U.S. response. Go back to 2003: the Bush administration suspecting Iraq of possessing WMD launched an invasion which although eventually led to Saddam Hussein's removal from power, no WMD were foun

The end of the civil rights movement brought along with it great promise for the futures of African Americans. After forty years of government programs, and voter registration drives the results are depressing. The high school dropout rate among blacks is 50% in some cities. 25% of black men are either incarcerated or on parole. Inner cities of Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago,New Orleans and others lead the nation in murder, crime and or urban decay. Quite often issues of urban decay and crime are explained away through an economic prism. The issue is far more basic as I will show. The decades after the civil rights movement produced great achievements for blacks in all aspects of society. Prior to 1965, fewer than five blacks held elected office in the south. By the 2000 the number had grown to over 8,000 nationwide. There was an 84% increase in the number of black elected officials between 1980 and 2000. The irony is that these gains in the political arena has coincided with a ste

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the 1963 march on Washington where The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic 'I have a dream speech". Hundreds of thousands of primarily blacks gathered in Washington D.C. to demand jobs and freedom. This weekend, again thousands will gather to commemorate the march, this time the theme is ' jobs and justice". Although the 1963 march is to be respected and revered for its impact on civil rights, the gatherings over the past several decades continue to cheapen the legacy of the civil rights movement. Since 1963, the civil rights impostors have successfully convinced subsequent generations that very little has changed in America. Media anointed black 'leaders' have created a "grievance industrial complex" in order to draw phony parallels to the Jim Crow era. After five decades of race baiting, racial hoaxes (SEE Tawana Brawley and Duke Lacross) and six years of Barack Obama attack dogs, Amer

In light of the recent bankruptcy of the city of Detroit one of the city's native son's is aiming to make a difference. The diminutive billionaire Chairman of Quicken loans and majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers has invested $1 billion dollars of his own money to acquire over three million square feet of real estate in Downtown Detroit. The problems that have plagued the beleaguered city over the past four decades have been well documented. Rampant corruption, abandoned buildings, crime, drugs, and big labor have caused a loss of over half the city's population. Mr. Gilbert's ambitious plans include turning Downtown into a high tech hub,  His real estate company,  Bedrock Real Estate Services , is renovating properties, building apartments and wooing corporate tenants. A seven-mile light rail system is in the planning stages, underwritten by a number of businesses and business leaders, including Mr. Gilbert.  Although his fortune is estimated at $3.5 billion b

Over the past several years one thing has been made very clear by the left: do not cross us. The latest victim of the left's mob attacks CNN Liberal host Don Lemon who dared to actually agree with comments made by the much despised FOX commentator Bill Ore'illy. Ore'illy called out members of the civil rights establishment for their silence on the myriad of problems in the black community such a crime and out of wedlock births. On Lemon's CNN show he not only agreed with Ore'illy but stated that 'he didn't go far enough. Lemon then proceeded  to outline several points which he feels would improve the black community such as education, and doing away with sagging pants. Some of his seemingly mundane suggestions have set of a firestorm of criticism which the left often does when one of their own strays from the left wing orthodoxy. Its appears that on the left one can only speak of blacks as victims of racial and economic oppression. Raising issues of pers

Although I am no longer a big fan of fireworks displays, there are of course others who are. Families have for generations enjoyed the 4th of July tradition. Unfortunately, residents of Shaker Heights, Ohio will no longer be able to thanks to the unruly mobs who converge on the town square rioting, looting and assaulting random victims. Violence in Shaker during the past three years as well as trouble at other events in the area has caused city officials to cancel this years event. In 2011 so called "Flash mobs" descended on the Coventry Street festival on Cleveland's east side. Fights broke out and several teens were arrested-the festival was cancelled in 2012. What has gone unspoken is that this violence is committed exclusively black teens in cities across the nation.  Cleveland certainly isn't alone when it comes to this unsettling trend. Chicago has experienced numerous incidents of mob violence over the past two years in its tony Magnificent Mile shopping d

In a decision that will surely rock the political landscape  the Supreme Court has struck down a key section of the 1965 voting rights act, the provision of the landmark civil rights law that designates which parts of the country must have changes to their voting laws cleared by the federal government. In a 5-4 ruling split along ideological lines, the court has ruled that 'things have changed dramatically' in the South since the Act was passed 50 years ago and Federal supervision is no longer needed. Predictably this decision has caused great consternation on the left “Today will be remembered as a step backwards in the march towards equal rights,” said Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. “We must ensure that this day is just a page in our nation’s history, rather than the return to a dark chapter." Such hyperbolic laments are all to common amongst the alarmist on the black left.  They are convinced, save for

As the so called 'gang of eight", scrambles to amend the immigration bill to appease conservatives' border security concerns, its passage will surely benefit Democrats long term. Under the proposed legislation, 8 million immigrants would become legal-a large number of them Hispanics- which will surely spark a battle for those voters. During the last two presidential elections, neither John McCain or Mitt Romney could not maintain the support from Latino voters as did George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. This trend could likely continue for the foreseeable future. Many of these illegals will become instant Democratic voters who will be very receptive to liberals giveaways and social programs. This spells trouble for not only black Americans but for America in general. The influx of new and primarily low skilled workers will not only further drive down wages,  black Americans will no longer be the darlings of the Democratic party. A few years ago, I wrote a piece on this blog

President Obama's election was met with religious enthusiasm from his fans on the left. I use the word "fan" in this instance very deliberately in this instance since many of those who voted for him see him as a sort a pop star, like Michael or Prince. He isn't an elected official who is there to serve the people of the United States. Instead his Presidency has become a coronation of the civil rights movement, not to be challenged or held accountable. Blacks tend to see him as someone to protect and defend  against the racist Republican barbarians at his white House gates. If they would only let him do what he wants to do" some of them say. Although there has been rumblings from his devotee's in the black community. His recent Morehouse Speech where he spoke of black male responsibility and victimization sparked anger from those who accused him of "talking down to blacks". Although I am certainly not a fan of the President, I found no issues with

Newark New Jersey Mayor Corey Booker certainly has one of America's toughest jobs. His city has for decades been plagued with all the stereotypical inner city blues: high crime, population decline, urban blight. One would think that Booker, a rising star in the Democratic party, would be lobbying the Obama administration for cash in the form of some sort of new age urban renewal plan. In fact, the liberal Mayor has decided to get in touch with his more conservative side and call on the private sector-non other than the under taxed rich-which even include some of the much maligned "fat cats" from Wall Street. Booker, mining his vast network honed from his days and Stanford and Yale, has attracted more than $250 million to his poverty stricken city from hedge fund managers, entrepreneurs and Hollywood moguls.. Most famously, Facebook Chief Mark Zuckerberg pledged $100 million to help the city's dismal school system which sadly sports a 61% high school graduation rate.

Jessica Kenny worked as a concierge in the Excalibur hotel-casino. She was at her normal station at the concierge desk as a vendor for Las Vegas.com.  In walks 31 year old Edward Brandt who shoots Jessica, critically wounding her and then turning the gun on himself. Jessica is rushed to the hospital where she later dies. Kenny and Brandt had briefly dated but severed ties in 2009. This type of murder suicide plays itself out everyday in America. A deranged gunman walks into his or her workplace, a shopping mall or another public place and opens fire, killing strangers, acquaintances or an estranged spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend. Earlier this year in Cleveland Katherina Allen 42, who had informed her husband Kevin she was leaving him and taking the children two days earlier, was dining in a Cracker Barrel restaurant with the couples two pre-teen daughters. Kevin, thrice divorced with a long history violence stormed into the restaurant and according to witnesses "selectively&quo

    During the reign on Mao Zedomg, Capitalist were considered the enemy of the Chinese state. The government often persecuted Capitalist and sometimes even took over their businesses. However during the 1990's Deng Xiaping was suddenly bitten by the capitalist bug and declared "to get rich is glorious". Then in 2002, a constitutional amendment allowed private enterprise into the party system. We are all aware of the astounding growth of the Chinese economy over that past decade. The Chinese State Capitalist model whereby the government subsidizes and controls most industries has produced a powerful economy indeed but has also produced many millionaires and billionaires who are members of the Communist Party. According to the Hurun report, a Chinese research firm, 160 out of the 1024 richest people in China were seated on the Communist Party Congress, which is a legislative body and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).  China's l