The Truth: Bailouts, Budgets, Questions of racial bias in Lucas County Common Pleas Court
In this week’s Sojourner’s Truth a variety of topics from a national to a local focus are covered. This Strikes Us turns to the national for the editorial thoughts related to the $800 billion stimulus package and the partisanship aspect which includes this:
There are some state executives, such as Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina, who have expressed opposition to the plan. Sanford has maintained his conservative credentials throughout the process. Ironically, however, South Carolina currently receives more federal tax money than it sends out.
We think the right thing for Sanford to do is to refuse to accept any federal funds in the Obama stimulus plan that might be earmarked for his state. We think he and other governors who do not support the measure ought to stand on principle and tell the feds not to help their states out.
Fletcher Word has coverage on the Mayor Attempts to Close Toledo Budget Deficit that contains some quotes from District 4 Toledo City Councilman Michael Ashford:
“The city’s financial picture went from a storm to a tsunami,” said Toledo City Councilman Michael Ashford in the wake of the mayor’s announcement. “For months the mayor did nothing to calm the storm and it just got bigger and bigger.”
Ashford took issue with Finkbeiner’s proposals to shift the tax credit, to mandate furloughs and to ask for pension rollbacks from fire and police.
“All his proposals just keep people on pins and needles and keeps the unions on edge,” said Ashford. “He still hasn’t properly addressed spending or the $1.7 million deficit for ’08. He’s basically saying ‘we’re going to walk away from that.’”
Lafe Tolliver raises two issues, first on the suggestion that it appears court appointments via the Lucas County Court judges is skewed against minority lawyers and secondly related to the continuing discussion on minority contractors. I recommend reading the full piece by Tolliver, one part of which states:
This biased system of judges appointing few or no minority lawyers to these public taxpayer based client funding is tantamount to using these public funds like one’s own personal wallet or purse. You wonder.
Is it political, is it gender based, is it race based, is it based on who the judge likes, is it a matter of convenience or is it pure laziness that the county clerk has not installed a computer system by which this appointment mess can be cleared up and can be more transparent than it is.
A black lawyer should not have to go to the courthouse and see appointment after appointment go to the same white lawyers who are representing for the most part a black indigent population. Something is wrong with that picture. Why can’t black defense attorneys dine at the public feedbag, certainly more often than they do now or have in the past 20-plus years?
Also on my list of recommends would be this piece by Rev. Donald Perryman which are just a few of the article that are contained within this week’s Sojourner’s Truth.
Robert- Give it up already!
February 27th, 2009 at 10:25 am