Mel Hopkins

I just checked my NvisiLink account today. I was surprised to learn that my investment shows a $26.60 increase. Your digital account is at startengine.com and the company is Espre Technologies, Inc. Also you're on the mailing list so I know you get the quarterly reports. I prepare them and send them out through mailchimp.com. If you'd like I can send yours through text tomorrow and the next quarter when I distribute again. OH! If you mean follow up $$$ - The product is at TRL 6 and is doing a private raise. Visit NvisiLink.com for more information. While LLM can edit too -Sometimes, I just want to write and check for typos. Grammar also have this new product called Superhuman AI Enterprise. I don't subscribe to it but they did get a large investment to grow the company. In addition to grammarly you can upload your corporate style guide so that it checks for grammar and does a style check. It also helps you strengthen syntax, structure, and make a stronger argument - especially if you lose your flow. But most of all I can't use LLM AI/Gen AI for class assignments. Remember I returned to school so I cant use Chat/Gemini.or Claude to write my assignments. We are allowed to use AI grammar tools. That's how I learned about Grammarly's AI detection feature that helps you to tighten up your essays so it won't be flagged for AI. I needed that because I got flagged on one of my assignments and it was my original manuscript. So I checked to see why I got flagged and learned it was because I'm an old school writer. I use em dashes, examples in threes, oxford comma, and active voice writing. In the end, I kept my original work and just complained to the instructor. Sometimes the AI detectors make you dumb down your work. I refuse to let AI hi-jack my writing style.

From 119th Congress the H. R. 6644 The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act "is a comprehensive piece of federal legislation designed to increase the national supply of housing and improve affordability through diverse regulatory reforms and pilot programs. Structurally, the Act addresses the housing crisis by modernizing building codes, such as guidelines for single-stairway buildings, and streamlining environmental reviews for infill development to accelerate construction. Key themes include the promotion of manufactured and modular housing parity, the establishment of small-dollar mortgage initiatives to help low-income buyers, and the creation of an Innovation Fund to reward localities that successfully expand their housing stock. Furthermore, the text outlines a Whole-Home Repairs program and a temperature sensor pilot to ensure the safety and habitability of existing federally assisted units. Ultimately, the purpose of this legislation is to reduce regulatory barriers and provide the financial and technical frameworks necessary to foster attainable homeownership and rental opportunities across urban, suburban, and rural communities." Within this affordable housing package that is expected to increase the U.S. housing supply is Sen. Raphael Warnock's highest-profile housing proposals that according to CBS News has officially become federal law, marking a significant policy change aimed at slowing corporate ownership of single-family homes in Georgia and across the country. This, in my opinion, is a huge slam dunk for the two term senator whose seat is up for election in 2028. The law prohibits "large institutional investors" from purchasing, or entering into a contract to directly or indirectly purchase, any single-family home Under the law, a "large institutional investor" includes corporations, investment funds, limited liability companies, and partnerships that are in the business of investing in, owning, renting, or managing single-family homes and control at least 350 single-family homes in the aggregate. To enforce this prohibition, the Secretary of the Treasury or the Attorney General can bring an action against a violating corporation for civil penalties of up to $1,000,000 per violation, or three times the purchase price of the property, whichever is greater. ### The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is a comprehensive legislative package designed to increase the supply of housing, modernize federal housing programs, and expand homeownership opportunities across the United States. Beyond the restrictions on corporate homebuyers and the publication of zoning reform guidelines discussed earlier, the legislation contains several major components aimed at reducing development barriers, supporting vulnerable populations, and updating financial regulations. Spurring Housing Supply and Development A core focus of the legislation is accelerating the construction of affordable and attainable housing: The Innovation Fund and Build Now Act: The law establishes competitive grant programs to reward local governments that demonstrate objective improvements in housing supply growth. Furthermore, it adjusts the allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, offering bonus amounts to jurisdictions with extremely high housing growth rates while decreasing funds for those lagging behind. The RESIDE Act: This establishes a pilot program providing grants between $1,000,000 and $10,000,000 to convert vacant and abandoned commercial properties—such as old malls, factories, and hotels—into attainable housing. Streamlining Environmental Reviews: The Act removes duplicative environmental review processes for infill development projects and provides categorical exemptions under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for certain HUD-supported housing activities, particularly those involving up to 15 units. The Accelerating Home Building Act: This provides grants for communities to select "prereviewed designs" (pattern books) for structures like duplexes, townhomes, and accessory dwelling units to expedite the permitting and construction of mixed-income housing. Advancing Manufactured and Modular Housing To diversify the types of homes available, the law fundamentally updates federal standards for non-traditional construction: The Housing Supply Expansion Act: This modernizes the definition of a manufactured home, directing the establishment of new standards for manufactured homes built without a permanent chassis to put them in parity with traditional manufactured homes. The PRICE Act: This creates a competitive grant program to fund infrastructure improvements, home repairs, and resilience upgrades in manufactured housing communities, prioritizing resident-owned communities. The Modular Housing Production Act: This directs a review of FHA construction financing to eliminate barriers and create alternative draw schedules for modular home developers. Modernizing Housing Assistance and Preservation Several initiatives focus on maintaining existing housing stock and assisting low-income families: The Whole-Home Repairs Act: This pilot program awards grants to implementing organizations to provide financial assistance to eligible homeowners and small landlords. The funds can be used for accessibility modifications, weatherization, and habitability repairs. Landlords receiving these funds must agree to specific tenant protections, including capping rent increases and extending leases. The Helping More Families Save Act: This creates a pilot program for HUD-subsidized families that establishes interest-bearing escrow accounts. As a participating family's earned income increases, the corresponding increase in their rent is placed into this escrow account, allowing them to build wealth and achieve financial independence. Reforming Disaster Recovery Act: To better manage future crises, the law establishes the Long-Term Disaster Recovery Fund and permanently authorizes a CDBG Disaster Recovery Program to allocate funds via formula to areas impacted by catastrophic major disasters. Supporting Veterans The Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act: This addresses a critical gap in assistance by requiring that specific VA disability benefits be excluded from income eligibility calculations for supported housing programs, ensuring disabled veterans are not disqualified from receiving housing assistance due to their benefits. Military Service Disclosure: The law requires the Uniform Residential Loan Application to include a military service question to explicitly alert prospective borrowers that they may qualify for a VA Home Loan. Banking Reforms and Financial Access FHA Small-Dollar Mortgages: A new pilot program will be established to increase access to mortgages with original principal balances of $100,000 or less by incentivizing originators and providing direct grants to borrowers for down payments and closing costs. Promoting Bank Formation: The Act streamlines the application process and provides mentorship programs to encourage the formation of de novo (newly chartered) regulated banking institutions, particularly to serve rural and underserved communities. Central Bank Digital Currency Limitation: The legislation prohibits the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) directly or indirectly to the general public, though it preserves the ability for open, private digital currencies to exist. President Donald Trump did not sign the bill into law. The Presentment Clause- Article I, Section 7, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution states that if 2/3 of the Senate and 2/3 of the House approve the bill, but the president doesn't veto or sign the bill within 10 days, it becomes law. I've attached a link to the 139 page legislation in this post. I also uploaded it into my Google Notebook which provides direct answers to questions about the legislation's contents.

Funny but true!!! And easier to exit. But "hursh" because next thing you know the "private equity" folks will want to invest! Senator Rev. Raphael Gamaliel Warnock's bill became federal law keeping PE folks from purchasing single family homes - so you know marriage LLC is next.

Yes, that is a bit too much. Also AI speak, such as, "Let's sit with that for a minute." 😄 Exactly, which is why I wrote the next part. Grammarly AI shows the writer how to beat AI detectors. 😉 Yes! AI helped me better understand NvisiLink®️. I spent so much time educating vendors and investors that now I know how to position it better to OEMs, investors, buyers, and tech journalists. Now I don't have to wait for outside analysts to do the work. And I can produce those analyses, articles, and compositions quickly through my AI process.

I wonder if these folks wash their raw fruits and vegetables One thing I will do, no matter where I get my food from, is wash the produce. Case-in-Point, the family went to get some dishes from Chipotle. Mine a had a lot of lettuce, grape tomatoes, and some other produce.. Well, I spent about an hour separating the produce from the entree, washing the lettuces, and then pan frying the tomatoes. Fruits that don't have their own packaging (peels) definitely need to be rinsed, and a lot! Thank you for the PSA, Brotha @ProfD

Yep! It does. I've studied people long before I even knew I was studying folks. I realized I could hear them before they even knew they were telling me who they were. So I can say a few well-placed words, questions, or statements they probably never expected, and all of a sudden, the real person appears. I love those "there you are" moments. This is why I appreciate it when people can identify their drivers and triggers. To me, that is the most important thing you can do in life—for you. Know thyself. Remember who you were before the world tried to mold you, and remember what changed you after interaction and engagement. Once I was divorced, I realized I didn't need marriage to make my life complete. After learning the structure, I'm sure these Gen X men realize that marriage was not the goal, but rather a step toward understanding themselves. The thought of marriage was just a way to wake them up. Too many people are psychologically incomplete when they enter marriage, believing marriage is about becoming one. But even if you look at that equation, when has 1+1 ever = 1? Once you realize marriage was never the goal but rather a return to wholeness and completeness, everything that comes after creates a viable structure. That's what I learned and am remembering on my journey. I had to go all the way back to who I was before the world told me what I should value to understand my value in the world and what I value.

Not an improvement in the way you think. Being Fair-skinned (light beige) gives a Black woman options. If she's my complexion, or darker, the pool of available mates shrinks. My hair was long and soft so that's how I got a man's attention in the first place. But I can't tell you how many times a young Black man told me "I rarely date darkskinned girls." That "I rarely", is a big turn off. Even though Serena and Venus are successful I'm sure they heard a lot of that to their face and in the media. No one wants their offspring to suffer the same fate. You want your child to have access to all the resources. All my girls were/are light beige and all the boys from all parts of the world just showed up with quickness. I remember when one daughter said her suitor was from Egypt. She was turned off when he jumped because her pit bull 😄 As far the 1%, I can't say it was business transaction. Attraction probably came first. But from my experience it seems like white men are quick to marry - not necessarily quicker than Black men, but white men are going to step up anyway —because patriarchy. When it comes to marriage with Black men, it feels like they are signing up for partnership. And that takes a lot of contemplation on their part. I could be wrong, but at least that's how I felt when Black men talked to me about marriage. Honestly, there was a lot of I want to marry you but I need you to ...blah, blah because I'm not a traditional-type woman. Even my dad told my mom I was a handful lol. With white men it felt like they were supposed to do it and did, well at least they were quick to ask.

My first true love, my friend, my first born's father is 5' 6"... I'm 5'8" So there's that. This makes a lot of sense, @Pioneer1 !!! Of course they don't- See what Author Erick S Gray quote. But there are certain types of men who marry up but they travel in a different circles. See: Alexis Ohainian married to Serena Williams estimated net worth 400M? Andrea Preti married to Venus Williams whose est net worth $65 M - $95 M? Travis Kelce S90 M married to Billionaire Taylor Swift. See: Congressmann Ro Khanna. I'm not saying he married because his wife is heiress to billions but there he is. By the way, that's me NOT searching for more examples. I think some women like me just notice when men marry women with larger bank accounts. My favorite type of couple is the work together and make bank - like the Obamas, Carters, even the first Bezos. Great minds 😉 Brotha @ProfD me too! I wasn't even jaded about the two brothers that catfished me because at least we "met in the wild" 🙌🏽🥳😄

Hello @gio74 , It's funny that you use AI to detect AI. Are you looking for those who use AI in writing? Or do you look for those who use AI to code? If it is for manuscripts, that is interesting, as Grammarly's latest version helps writers avoid AI detectors. What gets me is AI/Plagiarism detectors like Turnitin. My instructor had us submit papers to turnitin.com, and it indicated my paper was 9% AI-generated. I'm a professional writer and have been for years. So, I submitted two of my magazine articles from 2018 to my instructor so that she could see AI trained on writers like me. Question: What do you hope to find when you test for AI?

There's really no ranking because my ideal man has all three. Even if you met all the men (friends, lovers, associates, acquaintance) that I had an opportunity to have in my life - you'd see the all share the same characteristics. There was one man, a friend set me up with, and we went out on a date. That man spoke so ill of his ex-wife I can't even tell whether he was aesthectically ugly or not. But I could only see ugly. Then he tried to bully me into a second date - and he was willing to give up his only time with his children to do so. Needless to say I blocked him (back in the day, it was quite confrontational because there was no blocking numbers or ignoring caller-id) It got ugly but I finally got rid of him. Unfortunately, it soured my friendship with the friend who set us up. I guess she didn't know how awful he was. I've also dated men who "catfished" me in real life. I don't know what makes men make up entire lives they never lived when they meet women but eventually I found out. It was sad too because I liked the person(s) I met - not their 'fictitious lives" but anyway - enough of that... (1) wealth - I have never or would ever entertain, date or even tease a broke man. Even if he didn't have money which I find rare when it comes to men - he'd have "transferable talents" (see intelligence). Lord of the Flies author William Golding once wrote “I think women are foolish to pretend they are equal to men. They are far superior and always have been.” And then author Erick S Gray (featured here on AALBC) is noted as updating the saying with: "Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she will give you a baby. If you give her a house, she will give you a home. If you give her groceries, she will give you a meal. If you give her a smile she will give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit!” So, no to a broke man because if you multiple nothing you get nothing. (1) intelligence see this denontation it was what makes a man the entire package - INTELLIGENCE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster t (1) attractiveness If he has the first two - he definitely has this one. Disclaimer: I once saw a video of a poet and his facial features weren't your standard definition of attractive (or close)- when he began speaking and to his conclusion - he spoke to my soul. Even when I think back to watching his presentation I realized he was the definition of my ideal man.

It really was! In fact, I've been enjoying a lot of those moments lately. When we get together, "PRESENCE" is the best gift we can give each other. One thing I realized in my daughter's passing is that she made every moment count when she was with her loved ones. I had hoped she wouldn't leave us so soon, but she made sure if and when she did, we'd have memories to keep.

Thank you! And yes this is a proverbial coffee shop! What's the name of it? " "Black and Hot Brew"? Oh wait! Now, I need to steal my name! Leave it to Cynique to come up with a theme! @aka Contrarian You make AI look good! I can see that just from your conversation here. Same with Troy, which is why I'm surprised. Troy is wealth of knowledge and has great stories too! Pioneer, Cheydove, Cynique Harry...the list goes on I don't think any of us would spend our time together looking at screens. 😊🥳

Oh snap! I spent an entire holiday week with my bestie, her daughters, her daughters' fiancé, my daughters, my son-in-law, and even the neighbors came over for a bit. Not one of us had our phones out (and the girls are millennials and Gen Z). (wait there was a moment of PCs to school work but that was it) I guess I live in a smaller world where folks still engage with each other. @Troy, because you truly are a mover through various worlds, I will trust your observation. Cynique!!! Thank you! It feels so good to return to my natural state (chatting. lol) I took the summer off from school so I could write again. I love the photo! ❤️‍🔥

Oh, yes, the longer you live, the more you lose. I often wonder about those centenarians - it has to be difficult. I just saw a post about a 108-year-old woman offering advice on longevity. She has really seen a lot of folks leave this dimension. @Troy, I could be wrong, but are you dating or speaking about younger women? I can't imagine anyone my age scrolling while in the company of friends or paramours. And wow, @Pioneer1 I don't think I ever heard you speak about being in a committed relationship before - it is so beautiful that you have a stepdaughter. Aside: A lot of us learn a lot about men from what they post online. At least those of us who pay attention. I was always surprised by women who got catfished online. If you pay attention, you'll hear men tell a lot about themselves. I know you might think you're being discreet, but discreet and anonymous are two very different things. You, men, tell more than you think you do - BUT the difference is some men hide their identity, which I think is genius!

Ebby Freeman and Janie Crawford: Women Who Freed Others Without Sacrificing Themselves. A little before the Christmas rush, I finished reading Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson, and it felt like a present to myself, a present of knowing. While some readers may feel sympathy for Ebony “Ebby” Freeman, she left me feeling elevated, certain that she fully embodied the resource of Love, a love we are all created in and gifted from THE SOURCE. On the surface, Good Dirt tells the story of a Massachusetts family mourning the loss of their beloved son and brother, Edward Basil “Baz” Freeman, who is gunned down during a home invasion. Ebby, five years his junior, is the sole eyewitness to the murder. Like many who survive sudden violence, she appears to carry guilt—both for having lived and for witnessing her brother’s final attempt to protect what he loved. That Love takes form in the family heirloom known as “Old Mo,” a 20-gallon stoneware pot whose cultural significance is rooted in the family’s more than 200-year ancestral history in the United States. Baz dies trying to protect it, but Old Mo is more than an object—it is a record keeper. It holds memory, labor, survival, and devotion across generations. It is Love, the intangible force, and Old Mo, its tangible witness, that sit at the center of this novel. In nearly every chapter, a character acts either out of Love or out of fear of standing in its immense presence. Good Dirt is the perfect title because, like love itself, it is a resource of the earth. Good Dirt reminds us that something enduring, sustaining, and life-giving can be made from what appears, at first glance, to be nothing. Love as the Ultimate Stolen Resource In Good Dirt, Charmaine Wilkerson offers a deceptively quiet truth: love is the ultimate generative force. It creates people, objects, culture, memory, and continuity. Generational love serves as the interpretive key that unlocks the themes in Good Dirt, echoing across literature and shaping cultural narratives. In this narrative, in particular, one thing I noticed throughout the story is the following: Those who cannot produce love will steal what love produces; if possession fails, they will destroy the vessel that contains it. This control does not stop at adversaries; it extends inward from parents to sons and daughters. Parents who put labor, bodies, and vocations into sanctioned systems of productivity. i.e., “do this, or I’ll disown you.” We find two characters who wrestle with this fate. Ebby accepts both into her life and frees them from their indentured servitude. Ebby is the hero of this story, and her ability to love is her strength, her sustenance, and her freedom. Until we recognize this pattern in our literary heroines, we will continue to misread women’s love as weakness, sacrifice, or loss rather than as ethical power. Ebby Freeman: Love That Opens Gates but Does Not Follow Ebby Freeman is not a romantic heroine. She is a living record. Ebby is a bearer of ancestral memory who learns how to steward love without allowing extraction. Her journey begins in fracture: public violence, ancestral commodification, and personal rupture culminate when Henry abandons her at the altar. And many misread this moment as humiliation or romantic failure. In truth, it reveals a more profound incompatibility: Henry cannot stand inside the full weight of Ebby’s inheritance—historical, racial, emotional—without retreating into safety. At the same time, Ebby remains unbroken, even in heartbreak, able to create and transform herself and others. And the novel’s moral sophistication lies in what follows. Henry and Avery, Henry’s latest partner, are both controlled descendants. Henry is forced away from photography (seeing, witnessing, truth-telling) into finance (abstraction, accumulation). Avery is diverted from psychology (interiority, healing) into law (containment, legitimacy). Their respective parents have taught them that survival requires abandoning what they love. Ebby does not rescue them through possession but recognizes their true vocations without demanding allegiance, demonstrating her unpossessive love that fosters freedom. Ebby’s legacy, her heritage is the novel’s quiet thesis: ethical love liberates without colonizing the future. Ebby does not disappear nor does she follow them into those lives. Ebby remains intact, grounded, and whole. Her love moves like candlelight—shared, not consumed. Ebby reminds me of another heroine who carries this ability to liberate others through truth and love. Janie Crawford: Love That Refuses Diminishment Janie Crawford’s journey in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is often framed as a search for love. In reality, it is a refusal to accept love that requires her diminishment. Each of Janie’s marriages reveals a different mechanism of control: Logan Killicks offers security without regard for her interior life. Joe Starks offers status while silencing her voice. Tea Cake offers companionship—but also risk. What unites Janie and Ebby is not romantic success, but relational discernment. Janie learns that the love that thrives on her shrinking is not love—it is extraction. Like Ebby, Janie’s love frees others. Tea Cake becomes more alive through her, more playful, more fully himself. Yet Janie does not tether her identity to his survival. When circumstances require it, she chooses life without surrendering selfhood. Janie returns alone, but not empty. She carries what matters inwardly. Her love, like Ebby’s, does not require possession to be meaningful. Is This Your Takeaway? At the core of Good Dirt is the novel’s ethical love —an approach that prioritizes liberation and respect over possession or control. Some humans cannot produce love, so they steal what love creates. If they cannot possess it, they destroy the vessel that contains it. They cannot control hearts and minds—but they will capture hands and bodies, including their own sons and daughters, forcing them to produce without love. Those who possess love must share it like candlelight to light the world. Ebby embodies this principle in motion. She interrupts control without becoming its opposite. Without demanding loyalty, repayment, or explanation, Ebby frees Henry and Avery from the inherited obligation of obedience. She shows that love’s highest function is not attachment, but restoration. Until we understand this, we will keep misreading women’s departures as failures, their solitude as loss, and their generosity as naïveté. Their Eyes Were Watching God and Good Dirt were published 88 years apart, yet Janie told Pheobe to share her message: Therefore, the message continues because the lesson is unfinished. Until We Get It. Ebby Freeman stands at the center of this lineage because she is contemporary, legible, and unresolved. She shows us that love does not always culminate in partnership—and that this is not tragedy. Like Janie, she demonstrates that the ethical use of love is to free others without disappearing, to restore vocation without commandeering futures, and to remain whole even when love moves on. Until we get that, we must continue to tell the story. And retell it. In gratitude for the power of love. ~Mel (Orignally posted on Art ∩ MEL (December 2025) Copyright © 2025 Mel Hopkins

Yep! "Claude" mentioned the age of the site and the fact that AALBC has something like 200,000 VISITORS per month gives it incredible status Wait let me just quote Claude Brotha @ProfD I think it could be age - I've been posting here since 2010 😉

"The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 borrowed heavily from the Clinton-era plan known as "Hillarycare." As first lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton played an instrumental role in crafting that 1993 plan, which laid out a sort of blueprint for progressive health-care reform that subsequent proposals have followed — including the plan she proposed as a presidential candidate in 2008. In fact, Hillary Clinton's "American Health Choices Plan" for her 2008 presidential campaign serves as an instructive bridge between her 1993 legislation and the achievement of its key provisions in Obamacare. Clinton is the historical author of Obamacare's principal tenets, and for more than two decades she has served as their most constant champion. In its major elements and its ethos, the passage of Obamacare was a triumph of the legislative effort that Hillary Clinton launched in 1993. And Hillarycare, in turn, can tell us a great deal about where she likely thinks Obamacare should go from here." The Clintonian Roots of Obamacare | National Affairs And here's why I mentioned it is a mix. "From 1989 Heritage Foundation archives https://www.heritage.org/social-security/report/assuring-affordable-health-care-all-americans A National Health System for America, the Heritage plan aims at achieving four related objectives: All citizens should be guaranteed universa l access to affordable health care. The inflationary pressures in the health industry should be brought under control. Direct and indirect government assistance should be concentrated on those who need it most. * * A reformed system should encourage greater innovation in the delivery of health care." It a lot of both because everyone knew the U.S. as such a developed country needed better healthcare and we almost had it.

So you have probably noticed I don't just slap any ole thing up in the forum. I recently searched for my name +journalist, and there I was splashed at the top of the Google results for my writing on aalbc. Although I have my own website, when Muckrack, the journalism aggregation website, found me -Mel Hopkins's Profile | Medium, Substack, Ebony Journalist | Muck Rack, again, it was all my popular comments from AALBC. When I write book reviews on AALBC, they become AALBC famous on the net. I've been thinking about writing excerpts from the time I flew the friendly skies - and if I were most folks, I'd probably post on Patreon and Substack - but I'm not, I'm going to post about my crazy escapades on AALBC and maybe Patreon too - but I betcha the most views will come from AALBC. Thank you, @Troy In short, Claude AI had a lot to say about AALBC. But here's a snippet: "In other words, AALBC's forum is functioning as a consensus-building document for who you are as a writer and thinker — and AI search is now reading that document alongside Google." Aside: @Pioneer1 and @ProfD y'all were genius to remain anonymous 💓

I do. But Obamacare was neither a Republican plan in full nor Hillarycare from 1993 with a new label (Aside: yes we studied Hillarycare in History class too). It was a political compromise assembled from ideas with both Democratic and conservative roots. Obama also did not have the 60 Senate votes needed to pass the ACA with a public option. The House had supported one, but the Senate coalition fell apart unless it was removed. So, the public option was not excluded because nobody wanted it. For ACA to pass, the option had to go because Obamacare did not have the votes to keep it and still pass the law.

Quote "Obama who couldn't win an illinois seat focusing on the black vote, won by splitting the black and white vote and that led to support from very wealthy donors which undid Hillary Clinton's run. As president Obama was brilliant at speaking, commercials, advertising, appearance but was woeful as a legislator, a maker of laws. the laws he made were not only poor but dysfunctional. @richardmurray I responded with facts, addressed what you wrote in your own words, and asked you to substantiate your condemnation of President Obama. What I did not anticipate was the psychosexual element you would introduce when asked for evidence. I’ll step out of the conversation and leave you two alone.

That is a sweeping claim, but where is the evidence? First, Barack Obama did not “fail to win an Illinois seat by focusing on the Black vote.” He was already an elected Illinois state senator when, in 2000, he unsuccessfully challenged longtime incumbent Congressman Bobby Rush in the Democratic primary for Illinois’s First Congressional District. Losing one primary to an entrenched incumbent is not proof that Obama lacked political or legislative ability. I moved to Illinois in 2002, so I did not merely read about Illinois politics after the fact. I was an Illinois voter. Second, saying that Obama later won by “splitting the Black and white vote” and obtaining support from wealthy donors is not a serious analysis of the 2008 campaign. As a marketing communications strategist, I had the opportunity to study the “Yes We Can” and “Change We Can Believe In” campaigns closely. The first campaign was a masterclass in architecting a social movement. Reducing Obama’s campaign to speeches, commercials, wealthy donors, and appearances misses the central innovation: it built a decentralized civic movement in which millions of ordinary people became organizers, fundraisers, community leaders, and co-authors of the campaign’s meaning. (Obama's Lost Army) Successful candidates build coalitions. Obama assembled a multiracial electorate, attracted major donors, and developed an unusually broad small-donor fundraising operation. That is called campaigning. It is not evidence that he somehow “undid” Hillary Clinton’s rightful possession of the nomination. No candidate possessed the nomination by right. The nomination belonged to the candidate who won the delegate contest. Now to the allegation that Obama was “woeful as a legislator” and that the laws associated with him were “poor” and “dysfunctional.” Presidents do not personally make laws. Congress drafts and passes bills. Presidents may establish policy priorities, propose legislation, negotiate with lawmakers, advocate for bills, veto them, or sign them into law. Therefore, name the specific legislation you are criticizing and quantify its allegedly woeful results. During Obama’s years in the Illinois Senate, he worked on legislation requiring the recording of interrogations in capital cases and the collection of racial data from traffic stops. In the U.S. Senate, his work included federal-spending transparency and bipartisan efforts to secure nuclear and conventional weapons. As president, he signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restored workers’ ability to challenge continuing pay discrimination when they receive discriminatory compensation. He also signed the Affordable Care Act. You may dislike the ACA or object to particular provisions, but “I dislike it” is not evidence that the law was dysfunctional. Measurable outcomes are available for examination. According to the Obama White House’s 2016 assessment of progress in the African-American community, approximately three million uninsured, nonelderly Black adults gained health coverage after Affordable Care Act enrollment began. The report also documented 700,000 fewer Black Americans living in poverty in 2015, 400,000 fewer Black children living in poverty, historically high Black high-school graduation rates, declining incarceration rates, and 62 lifetime federal judicial appointments of African Americans. Yes, the administration itself issued that report, and its conclusions should be checked against the underlying federal data. Nor should every favorable development during an administration automatically be credited to one president or one piece of legislation. But the report still provides actual claims, measurements, and outcomes that can be investigated. That is considerably more substantive than simply declaring that Obama was “woeful” and that his laws were “dysfunctional.” I also personally obtained healthcare benefits through the Affordable Care Act, as did millions of other Americans. You cannot erase the people who benefited from a law merely by declaring the entire law a failure. And if Mayor Zohran Mamdani can be as consequential for New York City as President Obama was for the United States, then New York may be well positioned to preserve its standing as one of the world’s leading cities. There are legitimate criticisms to make of Obama’s presidency. There were compromises, policy failures, implementation problems, and unfulfilled promises. But “he gave good speeches and made terrible laws” is not an analysis. It is an unsupported opinion. So which specific bills produced the “woeful results” you claim? Which provisions were defective? What measurable damage did they cause? What evidence connects that damage to the legislation? Name the law. Identify the defective provision. Quantify the harm. If you cannot identify the law, explain the defect and provide factual evidence of the result, please do not tag me merely to repeat a political impression. I do not have time to debate accusations that their author refuses to substantiate.

My photo timestamp says 2013 🤔

I'm not sure but it appears we can no longer post updates on our profiles. This is a really good site. I'm glad you didn't dump the forum 🙏🏽

The First Chapter celebrates impactful storytelling, featuring Malaika Mutere's Bantu Waltz, where music, identity, and colonial survival intertwine through a powerful, evocative narrative. Bantu Waltz : Nya's Archangel Story by Malaika Mutere Reviewed by MELEvery writer knows: the first chapter is a promise. It’s where you bring your best pen forward. And if done right, that first chapter becomes a map, a mood, and a motive. That’s why I bring to you, The First Chapter, a feature dedicated to honoring the artistry and ambition of Chapter One. Our inaugural entry belongs to Bantu Waltz: Nya’s Archangel’s Story by Malaika Mutere—a novel that doesn’t tiptoe onto the page but dances in with rhythm, rage, and reverence. Mutere’s prose is at once a celebration and a lament, a reminder that the stories we tell about music, memory, and colonial survival are neither linear nor light. They’re layered. Underneath the first chapter’s sun-drenched opening scene—students dancing, families gathering, a new year rising—lurks a tension that is anything but decorative. In a flashback, the protagonist, Nya, shares a memory that recalls British invasion music floating over Kenyan airwaves; the reader is reminded that even joy carries the echo of conquest. It’s not just a song; it’s a symbol. That static hums with identity theft, cultural interruption, and ancestral resistance. And like any song worth listening to twice, this chapter delivers a syncopated truth: music in the wrong hands is deception. But in Mutere’s hands? It’s a key. A call. A coded language meant for the descendants of Bantu lineage—those with the ancient mitochondrial DNA to decipher the message carried in the melody. I read this chapter before Black Music Month slipped away, and I’m glad I did. Because what Bantu Waltz makes clear is that Black music is more than a beat; it’s a genealogy. And sometimes, a first chapter is more than a beginning—it’s a remembrance. So if you’re looking for fiction that blends Soul, Sorrow, and Sound into one artful opening, I recommend Bantu Waltz to readers of Soul/R&B fiction, social anthropology, and cultural memoirs dressed as novels. Because The First Chapter isn’t just a feature. It’s a feeling. Originally posted Art intersects MEL June 30, 2025

The Black man who killed my father while he was trying to prevent a robbery of his uncle store was convicted with life with no expected parole. He is free today and has been for some time, so I suspect there are a lot who are free today. But that crime spree back in the day - sent me fleeing NY so, I'm not mad at that crime bill that saved other Black families who couldn't leave New York. If there were people falsely imprisoned my heart breaks for them and I hope some liberal project got them out. But it wasn't like Black people caught up in that bill were innocent. They left a lot of Black families without fathers, sons, mothers and daughters. In other news, Hi @ProfD ! I hope you are doing well on this Memorial Day!