We need to support President Obama in these tough times, by State Rep. Ronald G. Waters

Despite all that he has done for this country in such a short period of time, President Obama is being blamed for a lot of things lately, and it just isn’t fair.

But the President is fighting back against critics who say he hasn’t done enough on jobs, the economy and health care. He is fighting against apathy and hopelessness.

And he is fighting back against those who would give tax cuts to the rich and let ordinary Americans fend for themselves, and I support him.

We must remember what the situation in America was like when President Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. His predecessor, George W. Bush, had left a big mess. Bush had turned a budget surplus under Clinton into a huge budget deficit. America was fighting two wars—one in Iraq, and one in Afghanistan.

Further, a massive recession was already under way, with widespread unemployment. Bad policies led to 1 in 7 Americans landing in poverty. The deregulation of the financial sector allowed banks to use risky mortgages to sell derivatives, and gamble with the future of everyday people in the process. The foreclosure crisis has devastated millions of families, and according to United for A Fair Economy, the subprime mortgage meltdown has resulted in the largest loss of black and Latino wealth in modern U.S. history.

So, this is what our current President faced from day one. Yet, he is blamed for the things he didn’t do, and the good things he has accomplished under trying circumstances. His $887 billion stimulus package put people back to work and kept the U.S. from falling over the cliff into another Great Depression. And it prevented tens of thousands of teachers from losing their jobs. Some people mistakenly hold President Obama responsible for the TARP bailout of Wall Street banks, thinking that TARP and the stimulus are one and the same. But Bush orchestrated the TARP program.

Here is what Obama has done, however: The President enacted national health care reform. Many presidents have tried, dating back to 1912, when Theodore Roosevelt included health insurance in his campaign platform. He is going forward with a Consumer Financial Protection Agency to help out people who can’t defend themselves from predatory loans and other discriminatory banking practices. President Obama signed into law an overhaul of the federal student loan program. His reform increases Pell grants, increases aid to community colleges, eliminates private bank fees and includes loan forgiveness after 25 years. The President has expanded college access to millions of young people who are crushed under the weight of student debt, and often must give up on their dreams of owning a home because they cannot afford it.

In addition, President Obama has made badly needed investments in our nation’s crumbling infrastructure, and he saved the U.S. auto industry. Further, the President extended unemployment benefits to 2 million workers, and made sure that 11 million additional children had health insurance. Obama appointed more women to his cabinet than any other president, and nominated two women to the U.S. Supreme Court, including the court’s first Latina judge. He has instituted a new national drug control strategy that treats drugs as a public health issue, and emphasizes community-based solutions and prevention. And he has restored integrity and transparency to the federal government.

Meanwhile, some oppose the President simply because he is the first African-American in the White House. The tea party has made a whole industry out of hating Obama, but they offer no solutions other than shutting down the government. I would ask them whether they think they could do more.

The challenges that Pennsylvanians and people around the country face may seem overwhelming at times. Although the waters may be rough, I am relieved that we have

the steady hands of Barack Obama at the helm.

State Rep. Ronald G. Waters is chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus.

Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus condemns racial attacks against marching band at Lancaster County parade

HARRISBURG, Oct. 22 – Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus chairman, state Rep. Ronald G. Waters, Delaware/Phila., condemned the recent racial attacks against a high school marching band at a Lancaster County parade, and emphasized his commitment to strengthening laws that protect the innocent.

On October 6, 2010, the William Penn Senior High School marching band of York, PA marched at the Manheim Farm Show in Lancaster County. The band members, who were black, white, and Latino, were the victims of racial epithets and derogatory comments by the predominantly white crowd. Members of the crowd also threw rocks at the William Penn students and sprayed them with soda.

“As chair of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, a leading body in this commonwealth to advance the interests of African-American, Latino, and other citizens, I strongly condemn the acts committed against these young Americans. The William Penn marching band is a multicultural group of students working together, the way civilization should be. Yet some people are threatened by that,” Waters added.

“While this is 2010, and almost 2011, there are those people who are not moving forward like the rest of the world,” Waters added. “Unfortunately, in today’s climate, there are cross burnings and other hate crimes taking place right here in Pennsylvania-- not fifty or a hundred years ago, but right now. Sadly, for some people in this state and across the nation, civility and decency have been lost and anything goes. Just a few days ago, in a city in Georgia, a white councilman told a black councilman that he should be picking cotton.”

Waters said that a unified force is needed to show that the good will outweigh the bad in the face of racial violence. “In spite of the ignorant behavior on display at the parade, right thinking people need to show an example to our youth. And I commend the organizers of the parade for standing up to the hate and expressing their embarrassment over the incident,” Waters said.

“As legislators one of our main responsibilities is to protect our citizens and to be champions for justice. In doing this we will provide a real service for the citizens of this commonwealth. We must set policies in place to level the playing field of opportunity,” Waters said. “Good laws and policies that will serve as a deterrent and show there are consequences for this type of misconduct. We all must take a stand and make it known that we do not support such actions or tolerate such ignorant behavior,” Waters added.

Waters in favor of Marcellus Shale tax

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 21 - State Rep. Ronald G. Waters, D-Phila./Delaware, is calling on the Senate to pass the Marcellus Shale tax and says implementing the tax should be a top priority before the end of the year.

Waters said the Marcellus Shale tax would help to close the state's current budget deficit and relieve some of the burden on individual taxpayers.

"If we pass this tax we would be able to generate much needed revenue for the state where we would not have to continue to make deep, drastic cuts to services that some of our most vulnerable citizens need. These include educational programs, senior citizen services, health programs and other human services," Waters said." Every year we have to make cuts to these programs, yet we do not require rich oil and natural gas companies to pay their fair share. Does this make sense?"

Waters said the Marcellus Shale is one of the biggest natural gas fields in the U.S. and Pennsylvania is becoming a leader in natural gas extraction.

"Pennsylvania is one of the 32 states in the nation that produces natural gas and it ranks 15th in total production. The Marcellus Shale deposit alone reportedly holds 50 trillion cubic feet," Waters said. "There is almost an unlimited amount of wealth that can be derived from this natural resource by big oil and gas companies - Pennsylvania could practically be considered the Saudi Arabia of natural gas. However, Pennsylvania is the only state with significant extraction activity that does not impose a severance tax or conservation fee on the big companies drilling for natural gas."

Waters said he hopes the legislature will pass the tax and think more about its citizens and less about protecting big business.

"Our cities are hurting. For example, Philadelphia has the highest poverty rate of the ten largest cities in America according to the U.S. Census, with 25 percent of its residents in poverty, and one in three children under age 18 in poverty," Waters said. "The Marcellus Shale natural gas extraction in our state will mean major profits for the investors, and could yield billions in revenue at a time when our social service programs are in jeopardy. I see nothing wrong with asking these people with deep pockets to step up to the plate. As legislators we need to be more concerned about protecting the interests of our citizens before the profits of big business, We want to make sure our elected officials are voting the right way," Waters added.

"We successfully passed it out of the House of Representatives with bipartisan support," Waters said. "Some people are more concerned about the environment than anything else. This tax could be used to fund the Department of Environmental Protection, which has oversight, to ensure the environment is protected."

Waters also said taxing the natural gas extracted from the Marcellus Shale would not cost Pennsylvania jobs.

"If we have this natural resource to help generate the money we need to help bring us out of this state's recession, let us use it."

Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Fiscal Report Card

PLBC members work to increase diversity in Pa. health-care workforce

HARRISBURG, Sept. 29 – The Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus chairman, state Rep. Ronald G. Waters, D-Phila./Delaware, said the caucus is working with health-care professionals across the state to encourage more minorities to pursue professions in the health-care field.

Waters made the announcement during a recent symposium, “Working to Eliminate Health Disparities in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania” at the University of Pittsburgh’s Medical Center.

Waters participated as a panelist and said it is important for health-care providers, educators and organizations to recruit and mentor more minorities in the Pennsylvania health-care workforce.

"Statistics show that African-Americans make up 12 percent of our population, yet they only make up 3 percent of health-care professionals," Waters said. "According to a Newsweek article discussing the large population increase within the Hispanic community, Latinos make up 14.2 percent of the U.S. population; however they only account for about 6.4 percent of students earning their medical degree."

Waters also said there are 3,000 Latinos for every one Latino physician.

"These alarming statistics prove that more diversity is necessary within the medial field and should be a long-term goal. In the interim, cultural competency will suffice if it is deemed a requirement of medical professionals."

Other panelists included PLBC members, state Reps. Jake Wheatley and Joe Preston, both D-Allegheny, Rep. Dan Frankel, also D-Allegheny, executives from Gateway Medical Society and Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Director of Office Policy Lillian Escobar-Haskins.

“We cannot close our health disparity gap unless we have a more diverse health-care workforce in the Commonwealth,” Waters said. “People feel more comfortable going to doctors who are sensitive to the diverse backgrounds of patients.”

Waters said he plans to introduce legislation that will increase and improve cultural competency among health-care professionals in the state.

“My bill would require medical experts to learn about the way one’s background affects a person's health. The bill will also increase accessibility to adequate health care while improving communication and fostering stronger relationships between doctors and their patients," Waters said. "Currently, other states have completed legislation, while others have legislation pending to increase cultural competency.

“This effort is not just a one-day conversation, but an ongoing effort with an objective of resolving health disparities throughout the state and nation,” Waters said.

PLBC members support Michael Vick's rebound

HARRISBURG, Sept. 30 – Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus chairman, state Rep. Ronald G. Waters, Delaware/Phila., said caucus members support the Philadelphia Eagles decision to make Michael Vick their starting quarterback in spite of his previous involvement with a dog fighting operation.

In 2001, Vick rose to fame when he became the first African American quarterback to be selected as the first overall pick in the NFL draft. He enjoyed a successful career with the Atlanta Falcons for six seasons until he was convicted of running an illegal dog fighting operation out of his home and released from his position. He had to serve 18 months in prison.

Vick has been allowed back on the playing field and was recently named the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.

PLBC member, Sen. Shirley Kitchen, D-Phila., said there is a time to forgive and give a person a second chance.

"Michael Vick is a perfect example of what people can get from a second chance. More people are benefiting through jobs and general support based on Vick’s second chance.”

Waters also said forgiveness can be expressed verbally or through action.

“Actions speak louder than words and money talks,” Waters said after he watched a recent game at a sports lounge in Philadelphia. Waters also said he saw various crowds of people cheer and eagerly display their support of Vick in his new role.

Waters said the NFL should express their forgiveness through justly compensating Vick for the moral boost he has brought to the NFL and the Philadelphia Eagles organization.

“According to statistics, Vick ranks number three in terms of starting quarterbacks throughout the league, but ranks last in salary in this same position,” Waters said.

“I look forward to when the Eagles organization will compensate Michael Vick, this talented football player, for the value he brings to the game and this professional sport,” Waters said.

State Rep. Tony Payton, D-Phila., another PLBC member, said “The story of Michael Vick is one of redemption. He has paid his debt to society and should be able to play football at the highest level as his talent demands.”

Waters posed the question and asked, "When is it time to forgive?"

“We must support Michael Vick as he continues to excel on and off the field through his demonstrated talent and community outreach efforts. Through community outreach, Vick is clearly demonstrating people can change. Can we change? Can we change our opinions on how long we hold people accountable for their past mistakes?” Waters asked.