Greenwood County Democratic Party

Originally published in the Index-Journal, Feb 26, 2022

As an avid reader of history, I’ve grown to appreciate the complex and sometimes messy story of our country. So when historical treatises like Critical Race Theory and the “1619 Project” motivated some parents and politicians to decry them as anti-American creeds, my curiosity was piqued. Rep. John McCravy called the “1619 Project” fake history. Kenneth Mufuka, in last week’s Guest View, said it professes “American society irredeemable.” The Heritage Foundation, the source of much of this vitriol, claims its theme is that “young people must learn to despise their nation.”

So I dove into every chapter of the “1619 Project” (freely available as a pdf download, by the way) expecting some hate-raging diatribe that was going to attack me, a white male, for all of the problems African Americans face today. What did I find instead? One of the most thought-provoking collections of deeply researched articles, poetic essays and opinion pieces that truly gave me a few new perspectives on American history. Some of what I read, I already knew. Others were eye-opening, such as how the insane layout of Atlanta’s highways (horrific traffic I always dread) has its roots in a conscious effort in the 1950s to protect white communities from Black communities.

There were also many heart-wrenching moments from a brutal history. But did I feel guilty, responsible or ashamed? No. I felt saddened by the depths of cruelty people are capable of inflicting on each other.

Messages like below are coming out from Republican legislators all over the country. Each one focuses on the problem of inflation, blames Biden, and provides no SPECIFICS as to what Biden did to “cause” inflation.

The reason why they dodge the true cause of the issue? Underlying a large portion of today’s inflation are corporations who are seeing record profits and yet continue to raise their prices. The Republican Party, the same one who gave those corporations massive tax cuts that never found their way to the employees, can’t POSSIBLY shine the light on the greed exhibited by CEOs & board members.

Below is a great writeup from Lindsay Alexandra Owens, PhD.

“As a fellow at the Roosevelt Institute, Lindsay works on writing and research focused on economic inequality, recessions, and the housing market.

Lindsay has worked in academia, government, and the nonprofit sector for nearly 15 years. She is currently the interim Executive Director of the Groundwork Collaborative, and has previously served as a senior economic policy advisor to Senator Elizabeth Warren and as Deputy Chief of Staff and legislative director to former Rep. Keith Ellison and Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA).

As you read today’s inflation report, pay close attention to what the CEOs who set prices are saying. We got our hands on the latest batch of earnings reports, and it’s a doozy. They’re literally bragging about hiking prices while hiding behind “inflation.” The receipts…