An Obama Plan for inner cities should channel Marshall Plan

My conservative colleagues in social debate love to lay the tragic wasteland of America's inner cities at the hands of Democrats, whom they claim, have ruled those sorrowful inhabitants for a century. Vote for candidates 'not espousing the same drivel' and all those drugs, unemployment, guns and crime will begin to recede, they claim.

Nonsense. The folks pointing the finger are the ones in state legislatures and Congress refusing to spend a dollar to rebuild America, particularly our racially ravaged inner cities. They're motivated by greed, heartlessness and at worst, racism; often reveling in the festering shame of America.

Since he's looking for a new gig next January, I'd like to see Mr. Obama lend his name to the rebuilding of America's ghetto's in the same spirit of self interest rightly understood that motivated the Marshall Plan of 1948. Named after its prime motivator, Gen. George C. Marshall, the Marshall Plan invested $12 billion ($120 bill in today's dough) to rebuild 18 Western European countries devastated by WWII. It was self interest rightly understood in that the investment was a pittance of the cost in blood and treasure from a Europe collapsing into chaos.

What better legacy for the man who gave us the audacity to hope for an America that could rebound from the malaise of near economic collapse, massive military adventurism and refusal to address the 40 million shut out of a heartless health care system designed only for the well off.

An Obama Plan for America's ghettos is not reparations, not welfare, not free stuff and not paternalism. It is, in the best tradition of the Marshall Plan, American self interest rightly understood.

Rauner motor voter veto cynical ploy of career minded pol

Gov. Rauner talks the talk about improving voter participation to enliven democracy in Illinois, but when time to walk the walk, he falls limp. Dismissing huge bi-partisan majorities on the House (86-30) and Senate (50-7) which passed automatic voter legislation in May, Rauner let it languish for 2 months before his veto, preventing it from taking effect in 2018, when he plans to run for re-election.

His first concern is utterly frivolous; the standard GOP canard of Democratic voter fraud, when the only voter fraud is relentless GOP efforts to restrict minority voting through photo ID, fewer polling places, restricted early voting, onerous eligibility requirements, among others. Rauner's too slick to promote those tactics, relying on feigned voter fraud concerns without an iota of evidence to block automatic voter registration. His second concern regarding possible conflict with federal voting law is equally frivolous. Negotiations between bill supporters and Rauner which could have easily resolved that concern broke down when Rauner demanded no change be made till January, 2019, when he assumes he'll be starting his second term.

That's not going to happen. When you discredit your reform pronouncements with contradictory action on virtually every important issue, the voters will show you just how easy term-limiting cynical, ineffective public servants can be. Rauner can veto motor voter in Illinois, but he can't veto voters from motoring to the polls in 2018 to send him packing

Uncle Sam's head buried in sand...or worse on marijuana

Last week the DEA rejected dropping marijuana as a Class 1 bad drug in the same league as heroin and just ahead of cocaine and meth. Nuts? You bet your bong. Raising the middle finger to their crazed Uncle, 25 states and DC allow medical pot, providing cheap, life improving relief to millions for a host of painful, debilitating ailments too long to list. Four states and DC have upped the ante, providing simple pleasure to stressed out citizens with recreational weed. This November, besides sweeping the maniacal racist and xenophobe Trump off the public stage, voters in eight more states will likely join the medical or recreational category. Incredibly, every state and every citizen enjoying the medical or recreational benefits of ganja are still in violation of federal law.

The careerists at the DEA and the lobbyists at greedy corporations that benefit from keeping tea tossed into Boston Harbor ain't stupid. With weed at Class 1, profits of the 1% stay high instead of the spirits of the common man. Many a DEA agent or local drug cop spiked his career ascent arresting oodles of utterly harmless pot possessors. Good for John Law; bad for John Q. Citizen.

In the race for progress, the fed usually leads the states by a country mile. Regarding muggles, Uncle Sam is no where in sight.