by Frannie Banannie 46 Replies latest social current
Frannie-
Interesting article...
While there were blanket statements in the article, the statements were made by a black man who has strong opinions about black leadership and social structure. Shouldn't he have the right to speak in strong terms? Others on the opposite end of the political/social spectrum certainly have!
Kimberlee d.
Here's the C&P'd posts from the xdub mailing list group......please notice how the thinking on this subject progresses.
First Yes,I'veseenthisguyonHannityandColmesbeinginterviewed. Lotsofcommonsensethereonhispart,buttheleftwingblacksjustdon'twanttohearit.
REPLY:BillCosbyhasthesameissueswithhispeergroup.....andmanydon'tlikewhathehastosayaboutiteither.
FIRSTRESPONDENT:: Exactly.Thesepeople,whethertheybeblackorwhite,orwhatever, havemajorsocialandmoralproblems.Theydon'thavethework
ethic,theyjustsitbackandwaitforotherstodothingsforthem.
Thatiswhatthegovernmenthasbeendoingforthemalltheseyears.
Justhandingthemhousing,money,food,etc....butitdoesn'tlift
themoutofpoverty.Theyjuststayinthatconditionbecauseall
theyhavetodoisjustsitthereandwaitforthegovernmenttogive
themwhattheywant.
I'veheardLarryElder(talkshowhost,KABCradio,who
isblack)saymanytimesthat75%ofallthethechildrenwhoare
blackarebeingborntounwed,singlemothers.Allthatdoesis
perpetuatetheproblems.Youngwomengivingbirthtobabiesthey
can'taffordandnofatherinthepicturetotakeresponsibilityfor
theoffspring.
REPLY: I'vehadtheopportunityto"experience"beingonAFDC(AidtoFamilieswithDependentChildren)whenIwastemporarilydisabled. Frommy"upcloseandpersonal" observationofthesituation,includinglivingingovernmenthousing, I'veseenwhatit'sliketoBEinthesituationandI'veseenwhatittakestogetoutofit,thoughIhadmoregoingforme,botheducationallyandjob-experiencewisethantheaveragewelfarerecipientsdo.
I'vealsoseenthenever-endingcyclingofmanywelfarerecipients,withtheir inabilitytosee HOWtogetout,andquitepossibly,thereISnowayoutformanyofthemwithoutbetterhelpthanthattowhichtheyhaveaccessfornow.
Inthefirstplace,theAFDCbenefitsvaryprettymuchfromStatetoState. Forinstance,in,AFDCgivestheparent(s)withdependentchildrenMedicaidandenoughmoneytopayrentandbasicutilities(lights,water,gas)andtobarelyfeedtheirfamily eachmonth. Thereisnothingextraforclothing,doinglaundry(plusthesupplies), schoolsupplies,transportationorbabysittingshould theparent(s)findajob. Prettyscarey,huh?
In,AFDCprovidesfoodstamps, Medicaidandmoneyforutilities only. Asfarashousing goes,you'reonyourown. Hopefullyyou'llbeluckyenoughto getonashortlistorhavesomeonetolivewithuntilyournamecomesupforhousing. Otherwise,it'sthestreets. Idon'timagineit'smuchbetterin,ifany.
Whilewelivedingovernmenthousing,Iobservedtheotherwomeninhabitingtheapartmentsinourcomplex. Theleast numberofchildren anyonehadwastwoandmanyhadmanymorethantwo.
Therewerenomenaround.....untilthefirstofthemonthrolledaround.....whenthewelfarecheckscamein. Andguesswhat? Thewomenwerebrokefromthelittletheyhadwhenthemenleftafterthefirstweek. I'msurethemenwereverypersuasive....andwhentheywereunabletopersuadesomeone,theywerealwaysstrongerandmeanerandcouldjusttakethemoneybyforceanyway. Manyofthewomenwereondrugsandwereprostitutingthemselves,sotheycouldaffordtogetbyuntilthenextmonth. I'msurethatnoneofthem evenfinishedhighschool,havingbegunthewelfarecycleofbabyafterbabywhileintheirteens.
Howdotheygetoutofthatcycle? Whereisthewayout?
Iunderstanditwouldbe reallyfoolishforthegovernmenttogivethemmorethanenoughtobarelyexiston,butthere HASTObeawayoutfortheseundereducated,overpopulatedfamilies. Theyneed tobetaughtHOWtobreakthecycle,togivetheirchildrenmorethanahopelessfutureofbeingcaughtonthesametreadmill.
SECONDRESPONDENT:WhenIlivedinthepeopleonWelfarehaditsomuchbetterthanthepeopleworking.
Ihademployee'swhowerecomingoffofwelfareandgoingtoworkaftergoingthroughtheCNAprogram. Thestatepaidfortheirchildcare,medical,andgavethemfoodstamps. Someevenhadpaidtransportationintheformoftaxiandbuspasses.
Mycousinwith3kidsrecentlydidthissamething. She'sstillgettingsection8housingassistance,andchildcarehelpandfoodstampseventhoughshe'sworking40hoursaweekatacarehomeasaCNA. Thekidsalsogettokeeptheirmedicalfromthestate. Shealsoqualifiesforfreelunchforthematschool.
ObviouslyasaCNAinshe'snotmakingmuchmoney...Ithinkshesaid$7.00anhourbutthestateisnot yankingawaytheirservicesandleavingherhighanddry.
Nowherein,XXX’s2sistersdidwelfaretowork. Onestillgetshousingassistance. Onewasgivenasupersuperlowinteresthomeloan. Bothgetchildcarehelpandfreemedical,dentalandfoodstamps.
REPLY: It'sshockinghowaFEDERALLYFUNDEDwelfare programvariessoHUGELYinitsbenefitsfromStatetoState!
THIRDRESPONDENT:****WhenIlivedinthepeopleonWelfarehaditsomuchbetterthanthepeopleworking.****
Iagree. Whenwelivedthere,thatwaswhenmymomwasonwelfare. Everytimeshetriedtogetajob,theywouldyanksomeofthebenifitsBUThadshegonetoschool-theywouldhavegivenhermoreincludingpayingforherschool. Atleastthatsystemwas(astsomepoint)workingtohelppeoplegeteducated. Butevenifshedidn'ttakeadvantageofthat,wehadbettermoneyifshedidn'tworkminimumwagejobs,allshewasqualifiedfor.
FOURTHRESPONDENT: You'reright.
I'mfrom3generationsofwelfareinmyfamily.MyGrandmotherhadit,mymotherandallauntshadorhaveit,Ihaditinhighschoolandstillgetfreemedical,myteenagepregnantcousinshasit.
MyGrandmothergot$400/monthforraisingme-asIwasn'therchild.Myjwauntwith4kidsby2fathersgot$700+foodstamps.Igotawhopping$250amonthtosupportmyselfinhighschoolandifyougetajobtomakeextramoneytheytakeitbuckforbuckfromyourbenefits.Make$500BEFOREtaxesatmyparttimejob?Ididn'tgetanywelfareforthenext2months. ItseasiertonotdoANYTHINGandgetmoremoney.Theydon'tteachthemrealworldskills.Theydon'thelpthemgetjobs.Ifyouareacapableworkingpersonthenyoujusthavetoshowyouwentto1jobinterviewORjobclassperweek.Whooptydoo.hmmmmm.$800for4hoursofworkamonth,IWONDER!LOL.Plus..............Manyofthemhaveillegalincomeslikedealingsotheyhonestlydon't
REPLY: That'stellingit likeitis.(shakeshead)Anditisn'tjustlimitedtoone
race,it'sthewholewelfarecommunityeverywhere.
THIRDRESPONDENT:
****BillCosbyhasthesameissueswithhispeergroup.....andmanydon'tlikewhathehastosayaboutiteither.****
WehadanassistantprincipalatthelastschoolXXXXtaughtat. Hisdaughterandourdaughterwereverygoodfriends. Hewasblack,marriedtoablackwomanthatworksattheBoardofEd. Bothverynice,welleducatedandmotivated. Theblackkidshatedhim,calledhiman"UncleTom"andsuch. Theysaidheloweredhimselfbymakingitby"whitiesrules"andsuch. Ican'tunderstandit. EveryonetalksabouttheAfricanAmericanbeingequal,improvingthemselves,findaplaceinthemiddleclassworldandyetwhensomeonedoesit,theyrejectit.
ItalwaysbuggedmewhentheblackswouldloveandlookuptoRichardPryor(notthebestrolemodel)andturntheirbackonBillCosby.
FIRSTRESPONDENT:
Iguessforsomereasonit'sconsidered"white"tobeeducatedandhaveagoodjob. Ithappensamonghispanicstoo.
REPLY:ThenthisHASTObesaidabouttheirattitudes: They'reshowingthemselvestobejealousofthosewhosucceedunlesstheoneswhosucceedSEEMtodosobyplayingandbeingfamous,insteadofgettinganeducationandworkinghardfortheirsuccess. Andtheirchoiceofwhichonestheyresentforsuccessandwhichonestheylaud,showstheirshallownessofmind,ignoranceastowhathardworkandeducationitactuallytakestobecomeamediastarorsportsfigure,moralpoverty(asPetersoncallsit)andlackofindividualinitiative(inlieuofanotherworddepictingtheterm"slothfulbuttocks"becauseit'snotPC).
THIRDRESPONDENT:****75%ofallthethechildrenwhoare
blackarebeingborntounwed,singlemothers. Allthatdoesis
perpetuatetheproblems. Youngwomengivingbirthtobabiesthey
can'taffordandnofatherinthepicturetotakeresponsibilityfor
theoffspring.****
Thisistheproblemthatmakesitsobad. Theydon'tknowanydifferentandthentheydon'tknowhowtogetout. What'smore,thewaytheprogramissetup,itishard,veryhardtogetout. Sincetheyarebornintoittobeginwith-theyknownodifferent. Weneedtotalsocialreformandthatwon'tcomebecausewhenyoustartthinkingandtalkingaboutsomeoneisalwaysreallyquicktocallracisim! Itisahugeproblem.
REPLY:Thereyago! Everyoneneedstoreally,reallyletgoofwhathappenedgenerationsago....evendecadesago.....andgetbusywiththebusinessoflivingafullandproductivelife....andhelpotherstodothesame,becauseunlessBOTHsidesoftheproblemletgoofthepast,thefutureisn'tgonnagetanybetter.
IgetSOsickandtiredofracism. Notonlythedumb-assedredneckTijuana-taxidrivershereintheSouthandtheirwhite-hoodednarrowmindedhootnanniesthey'realwaysparadingabout,butracialprejudicefromALLsides. ThepeoplelivingtodayareNOTresponsibleforwhatadultsweredoingdecadesorgenerationsago. Everyoneneedstogetoveritandgetonwiththeirlives.
I'vebeenwritingmyracedownas"human" underthe"other"categorywhenfillingoutformssincethe70's. Iwasalreadysicktodeathofracismbackthen. It'smylittlewayofprotesting.
IhaveTWOsetsofbi-racialg/children. Sowhat? WhenIshopinanareathat'spredominantlyanotherrace,I'mtreatedcoldlyorindifferentlybysome UNLESSmyobviouslybi-racialg/kidsarewithme. Needlesstosay,Idon'tshopthoseplacesonceI'mtreatedthisway.
Sometimespeoplejustmakemewannahurl.
THIRDRESPONDENT:****Everyoneneedstogetoveritandgetonwiththeirlives.****
Yup,Iagree. Iseeandhearitallthetime-bothways-andIamsickofit. Whitemalesdon'tgetjobsbecausetheyarewhitemalesandthereisblackmaleorwhitefemaleorHispanic.....Thatisjustaswrongaswhenablackwomandoesn'tgetajobforthecolorofherskinorthegenderofherbody! Itgoesonalloveranditwon'tstopuntilpeople-individually-pullthemselvesupandstartseekingabetterlifeforthem. Itiscalledindividualresponsibility! Period.
THIRDRESPONDENT:****I'vealsoseenthenever-endingcyclingofmanywelfarerecipients,withouttheirinabilitytoseeHOWtogetout,andquitepossibly,thereISnowayoutformanyofthemwithoutbetterhelpthanthattowhichtheyhaveaccessfornow.****
Theirmentalityneedstobechanged. Andsomewhereinthereadesirehastobetodomore,dobetter. Becausetherearepeoplewhodomakeitout. Whousedthesystemtogetontoabetterplace. Wehavebeendownandout,evenonthesystem(MomandI)whenIwasyoung. Itneverstoppedmefrombeingresponsibleanddoingwhatneededtobedonetoatleasttrytogetthere. Wehavetwochildren-IwantedmorebutIknewwecouldbarelyprovideforthetwowehave. ThereforeIdidn'thaveanymoreandIdidmydamnedesttomakesuremychildrendidn'tbecometeenagewelfareparentseither.
Thesystemishorribletogetoffbutthereshouldcomeatimewhereyouwantbetter,ifnotforyourself,thenforyourkids! ThatisthementalitythatmustbehadandIhavenoideayoucanmakeawholegroupofpovertymothers(black,white,purpleororange)togetthat!
REPLY:Thegovtcouldstartbyyankinupallthose"welfaredaddies"bytheshortonesandmake'emWORKtosupporttheirkidsandtopaybackallthewelfaremoneythey'vebeeneithertalkintheirwomenoutof,beatingtheirwomenoutoforstealingfromtheirwomen. Eitherthatorthe"daddies"coulddosomehardprisontime.
Oncethose"hounddogs"werenolongeranoppressiveburdentothe"welfaremommies,"themommiescouldbefreeNOTtoprostitutethemselves,couldbeputindetoxprogramsandcounselingwherenecessary,andgivenfreechildcarewhileobtainingeducation/skillsortrainingtoembarkoncareersthatwouldseetheirfamiliesintoamuchbetterfuture.
THIRDRESPONDENT:very,very,verytrue! Butitishardtoo,weknowboysthataren'teven21yet(andnojoboreducation)thathavethreekidsbythreedifferentgirls! Someoneneedstoputaknotitinforthem! Creatingbabiesshouldn'tbearightifyoudon'tpayforthoseyoualreadyhave!
REPLY:Inthatcase,thesimplesolutionistostartnationwideAPPRENTICEprogramstoteachthesepeopleon-the-jobskills.
Ithinkthehasshort-changedtheworkingAmericanpublicandyoungadultsespeciallybynotallowing forviableapprenticeshipprograms.Thesetypesofprogramswouldgoahellofalotfurthertowardmakingresponsibleadultsthanthemoneyandfund-hogginguniversitiesdo, whereasalotofcollegegradscan'tfindaboveminimumwagepayingjobsupongraduation asitis!
FIRSTRESPONDENT(thisjustcamein): Ithinkthereisabigdifferencebetweensomeonelikeyouhadbeentemporarilydisabledandtheotherswhoareonlifetimewelfare. OfcourseIbelievethatthereshouldbeasafetynetforthosewhomeetupwithanemergency,butwelfareshouldn'tbesomethingthatonedependsuponforalifetime.
Herein,wehavetheGAINprogram. ItstandsforGreaterAvenues(for). ItissponsoredbyLACOE. Thisdivisionisresponsibleforgoingoutintothedisadvangedcommunitiesandwithreferalsfromthewelfareoffice,findingthosewhoareonwelfarewhoneedtrainingandeducation. PartofthewelfarereformthatformerPresident Clintonsignedintolawisrequiringwomenwhosechildrenattainacertainage,toattendjobtrainingclasses.
Ithinkit'sanexcellentprogram,andI'veseenmanyasucessstoryfromwomenwhowereoncedownandout,whonowhavegoodjobs. OneladythatImetwentthroughthejobtraining,shegotanokjob,butkeptworkingatit. Sheeventuallywaspromotedandgotbetterjobs. Shewasraisinglittlechildrenatthetime. Now herkids areolder,didwellinschool andoneofthemgoestoStanford.
Therearethesucessstoriesandthesewomenaretobeapplauded. Butthentherearethosewhodon'treallywantoutoftheirsituations. Somewomen,whentheyknowthattheiryoungestchildhasreachtheagethattheywouldberequiredtoattendajobtrainingprogram,wellguesswhat? Theygoandgetpregnantagain,andthecycleofwelfarecontinues. ItalkedtoonegalwhowasinthetrainingprogramandshetoldusstoriesabouthowprobablymorethanhalfofthesewelfarerecipientswereANGRYabouthavingtoattendjobtrainingandeducation. Thegalwespoketowasvery,veryhappyaboutgettingtrainedandhavingtheopportunitytogetadecentjob.
Ibelievethatthereisalsoaslidingscalefordaycarefromthisprogramaswell. ButIbelievetheprogramisgearedforthosewhosechildrenwhoarealready5yearsoldandinkindergarten. Theopportuniesarethere. Thesewelfarerecipientsjusthavetodecidethattheywanttochangetheirlives.
I haven't had time to reply to this last one yet.
Frannie
Frannie
Interesting article...While there were blanket statements in the article, the statements were made by a black man who has strong opinions about black leadership and social structure. Shouldn't he have the right to speak in strong terms? Others on the opposite end of the political/social spectrum certainly have!
Thanks, Kimberlee.
Yes, Peterson does have that right. At the same time, both he and Jackson appear to be putting their own "spin" on a bad situation and their respective agendas seem to be coming under scrutiny by the public....as questionable and in somewhat poor taste.
By the same token, the public, including individuals such as ourselves, also has the right to speak in strong terms both for and against their viewpoints and possible agendas. Also, to ignore their viewpoints and get to the more salient issues regarding the welfare state here in the U.S.
This open discussion of these issues is what freedom of speech is all about.
Frannie
I think the article made some good points. Some broad generalizations as well which I'm am guilty of doing. I'd further it and say that America in general seems to be going downhill, all races. The new generation of kids is lazy, expects so much while past generations worked so hard for what they have.
Everybody want a job but much fewer really want to work.
I do think Black America needs to admit that things can be changed. Too often its blame whitey or a host of excuses instead of rolling up sleeves and getting down to business. I think the current subculture is destructve to the people and they will not rise up until they face that fact.
Who are good black role models? 50 cent? Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson? That's like Arafat being a role model for the average poor Palestinian. You cannot have a rich elitist in that spot but better someone who has worked from the bottom to succeed without blaming others or making excuses.
I spent 8 days in Houston voluntering at the Astrodome. I hate Jesse Jackson. I wasn't thrilled w/him before, but after he yelled like an idiot and decided that making a large crowd of stressed out people even more stresed out while in a closed environment...I might have had some respect for him if he got his hands dirty, say did something other than cause problems. The time for anger among the evacuees was later, not while they were barely surviving day to day life.
I noticed a comment earlier about white, black and others being among those who couldn't or didn't leave New Orleans. I'm not making any kind of judgements as to why this is the case, nor arguing for or against the article posted at the start, but I saw perhaps 10 white evacuees among probably 20,000.
One thing I will say, in pure admiration: nobody heard about the numerous Vietnamese refugees who later became evacuees from Katrina, and that's b/c organizations like Boat People SOS did such an amazing job absorbing their fellow Vietnamese into homes in unaffected areas.
Before you brand me a racist for any of the above comments, I grew up in a black neighborhood, was practically raised by my best-friend's mom (also black) and work at a group home for young men of color. Oh and my aunt and cousins are black.
Hugs, Cady
Is it really a "black" thing? Personally, I'm tired of how blacks are portrayed in the media. The only time my 14 year old son sees African Americans on tv is either on COPS or some sporting event.
Why not point out the "black" General who took charge of the situation an probably saved a lot of lives while the "white" President let a situation go from bad to worse.
The problem was not "moral poverty" of blacks or any other racially defined group. The official NO evacuation plan was "everyone will drive out of here". Since that excluded the poor - white, black, and other - THAT was THE problem.
I agree with this completely.
Articles like this perpetutate many of the myths and prejudices that prevail concerning Hurricane Katrina and those unfortunate enough to be left inside NOLA. There were whites and other races left inside NOLA as well. One lady I saw interviewed on Dateline was vacationing there and was from Ireland. She had no way out of the city.
Bill Cosby: since when does his opinion on NOLA amount to a hill of beans? Bill did not grow up there. He has no clue what everyday life is like for the poor in NOLA. Most posters on this forum do not have any clue either. I do believe that the harshness with which we judge the unfortunate will always come back to bite us in the a$$es in some way, someday.
I'm deeply disappointed in the attitude toward the NOLA Katrina victims. It so reminds me of the attitude toward the sick and the weak in the congregations of JWs. If people are down and out, it must be their fault.
I don't recall people being so harsh about the tsunami victims. But then there was the genocide in Rawanda. Nobody stepped in, not even Bill Clinton or the UN to help those victims. Simply scrambling the radio signals could have saved thousands of lives. But this was a country in Africa full of people with black skin and nobody who could have helped gave a damn.
One more point, those blacks left behind in NOLA weren't all young gangstas. There were families with children and elderly people. The mayor and police chief tried very hard to get into the thick skulls of the media and American public that those causing the worst and most violent problems were 2-3% of the people left behind. They were criminals. All cities have those and guess what, they aren't all black.
Again, I agree with this:
The problem was not "moral poverty" of blacks or any other racially defined group. The official NO evacuation plan was "everyone will drive out of here". Since that excluded the poor - white, black, and other - THAT was THE problem.
Farrakhan, Jackson, and other race hustlers are to be repudiated - they will only perpetuate this problem by stirring up hatred and applauding moral corruption. , to the extent it is to be rebuilt, should be remade into a dependency-free, morally strong city where corruption is opposed and success is applauded. Blacks are obligated to help themselves and not depend on the government to care for them.
To address this point by point (and you can all yell at me later):
Farrakhan says horrible things. I work in the inner-city and it feels just lovely to see people distributing The Monitor (I think that's the name) which preaches Farrakhan's doctrine: hate the evil white race. I'm sorry, but I work with young black men who I care for deeply. I've spent many sleepless nights worrying about them; I've spent more than I've made some shifts to buy them things; I've cried many tears. But does it help for them to read articles that pour out hatred of "the evil white man"? Hate is hate, whatever group or individual it's directed towards. The difference is if you choose to hate an individual's actions, that's based on choices that individual made and how you've chosen to react to such. But to hate a whole racial/ethnic group is just stupidity, unless you believe every person in that group fully supports the behavior of every other individual in that group (and if you believe that I don't have any idea how to help you).
Next, what I saw in the Astrodome:
Beautiful, amazing people working their a**es off, two men who came to me needing transportation to the job interview they'd arranged. They'd done so by researching via the internet available jobs, calling the guy from a phone in the Astrodome, then realizing that the bus wouldn't take them to the interview location. They didn't actually own a change of clothes but already had interviews that were basically a sure thing. Btw, the jobs they were getting sucked: hard, manual labor. Stuff that would turn most of us into whiny infants before two hours were through. So the bs garbage about blacks lacking in morality is just that.
What else I saw: people who weren't leaving the Astrodome till the gvmnt handed them an apartment and monthly checks. They'd lived this way for a long time and were choosing to continue this. A white guy (one of the few I saw) who stole a credit card etc. from the home of the family who opened up their home to him. A young man who yelled at me b/c I asked him to fill out a form (the form consisted of four lines of info) b/c he was a victim of the hurricane and I'd better give him what he deserved and NOW.
What else: A black preacher from Washington DC who came down to help with a passion unlike any I've seen.
The stupidity in all of this is that you just can't start grouping ppl and judging them that way! There are wonderful/horrible people of every race.
Btw, sorry if the anger in this is obvious. But I've been called a white-trash f** b** by kids I work with (and at 7 you didn't think up those words on your own) and at the same time been loved and adored by them. A white kid I work with told me "well you know how Mexicans are." And the worst part is I don't have a solution, hence the frustration just grows and grows.
Wouldn't it be great if the media went to this guy for quotes, rather than Jesse Jackson????
Why in the world would it be great? It's as extreme as Jesse Jackson is, only in the opposite direction. He would do far more harm in encouraging prejudice against poor black people. Isn't there someone unbiased, rather than either of these Jesse s or Bill Cosby? Someone who will give an accurate picture of what it is like to be black and poor in the USA would help, not someone who will hinder the truth. For him to paint all the poor blacks in NOLA as immoral, should discredit him immediately.
it feels just lovely to see people distributing The Monitor (I think that's the name) which preaches Farrakhan's doctrine: hate the evil white race.
I think you mean the http://finalcall.com/. I have heard many of Farrakhan's speeches, and I have never heard him say we should "hate the evil white race". I feel sorry for people like Jesse Lee Peterson. I've heard him many times too. I've never heard him say anything nice about black people. He must hate the fact that he was born with brown skin. That's why Fox News loves him so much, and has him on all the time.
There's a good article on finalcall.com about the levee breach. Many different sources(even the Wall Street Journal) reported on it maybe being intentional.
As far as the shcool buses and Mayor Nagin, I think he said that they were run by a private company and that most if not all of the drivers had fled the city. But that's beside the point. The minute that the Govenor of Louisiana declared a state of emergency it became a Federal problem. Unfortunately Bush didn't think it was important enough to cut his month long vacation short.
