The conservative Republican Congressman from Florida — who is a co-chair of the Romney For President Black Leadership Council — pens an op-ed arguing that U.S. President Barack Obama's policies are economic slavery for black Americans: "It will take new ideas and new voices to find
solutions. It will take a president who is committed to policies of
economic freedom as opposed to economic dependency. Mitt Romney’s
belief in basic conservative principles of limited government, fiscal
responsibility, individual industry leading to self-sufficiency and his
beliefs about equality of opportunity will revitalize the black
community. Mr. Romney’s policies would enable urban people to empower themselves and, ultimately, become self-sufficient. When
it comes to education, black children are 17 percent of students
nationwide, but they are 42 percent of the students in our
worst-performing schools. Mr. Romney
supports empowering parents of at-risk students in the inner cities to
escape failing schools by allowing federal dollars to follow children to
the school of their choice."
More commentary from Rep. West, about Mr. Romney: "Many black-owned businesses struggle
to gain access to capital that would enable expansion or fund operating
costs. Sixty percent of startups are in the white community. Compare
that with just 9 percent of startups coming from the black community. Mr. Romney
will reform regulatory policies that can help black-owned businesses
increase and thrive. He will reform Dodd-Frank and allow more money to
be accessible to responsible black community banks so they can get money
into the hands of responsible black entrepreneurs. Lower capital gains
taxes and dividends also will incentivize growth in the black community. Mr. Romney
also plans to revisit the concept of urban economic zones, an idea from
the late congressman and HUD Secretary Jack Kemp and Reagan economist
Art Laffer. Enterprise zones are geographic areas of high unemployment
that qualify for special tax breaks."
Booker Rising response: The op-ed is fine. However, why was it printed in The Washington Times — which black folks don't read — and not in media (Black Enterprise website, Ebony website, BlackAmericaWeb.com, TheRoot.com, TheGrio.com, CNN's website, sent to every black-owned local paper in the country, etc.) that blacks actually do read? Hell, more black folks might read my little-neck-of-the-woods blog than they do behemoth The Washington Times. This RFPBLC outreach ain't cutting it. And can we please dispense with the slavery comparisons?
Rep. Allen West: "Why Black Folks Should Vote For Romney"
