The Essence of Politics

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

My Perspective: What’s Up with All The Presidential Czars?

What’s Up with All The Presidential Czars?

President Barack Obama is doing something at an alarming rate that no other President in American history has ever did. President Obama is appointing czars of practically everything from healthcare to the economy. However for those who don’t know what a czar is than Webster’s dictionary describes a czar as an emperor specially the ruler of Russia until the 1917 revolution or one having great power or authority, ex. a banking czar. But a more precise and concrete definition of the word is a male monarch or emperor, especially one of the emperors who ruled Russia until the revolution of 1917 or a person having great power; an autocrat. But what Obama is doing with the word czar is the informal definition which is an appointed official having special powers to regulate or supervise an activity: ex. a racetrack czar; an energy czar.

Still President Obama’s czar system has been drawing concern since early March. Obama at the time had only 'super aides' for healthcare, the economy, energy and urban issues, with more to come -- prompting some lawmakers and groups to worry that he may be concentrating power and bypassing Congress. As President Obama names more policy czars to his White House team -- high-level staff members who will help oversee the administration's top initiatives -- some lawmakers and Washington interest groups were raising concerns that he may be subverting the authority of Congress and concentrating too much power in the presidency.

The idea of these "super aides," who will work across agency lines to push the president's agenda, is not a new one. President Nixon may have named the first "czar" with his appointment of William E. Simon to handle the 1970s energy crisis. Other presidents have followed suit. But none has embraced the concept, presidential scholars say, to the extent that Obama has. Obama has appointed special advisors who will work from inside the White House on healthcare, the economy, energy and urban issues, with more to come. "The challenges coming at us are bigger than anything we've seen since the Depression," said Jim Messina, deputy White House chief of staff. "It's crucial to have people in these positions who can help us meet them head-on."

But some lawmakers and outside experts fear that Obama is setting up a system that is not subject to congressional oversight and creates the potential for conflict among his many advisors. Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) became concerned enough to send a cautionary letter to Obama last week. At times, he said, past White House staffers have assumed duties that should be the responsibility of officials cleared through the Senate confirmation process. He cited President Bush's naming of homeland security czar Tom Ridge as an example.

"They rarely testify before congressional committees and often shield the information and decision-making process behind the assertion of executive privilege," Byrd wrote of past czars and White House staffers in similar positions. At times, he said, one outcome has been to "inhibit openness and transparency, and reduce accountability." "The rapid and easy accumulation of power by White House staff can threaten the constitutional system of checks and balances," Byrd said. However since the letter that Byrd sent, Obama had named two women to lead his effort to overhaul the nation's healthcare system. One of them, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, was tapped to be Health and Human Services secretary. At her confirmation hearings, senators will be able to probe her views on health policy and demand detailed documentation of her credentials.

But the other, Nancy-Ann DeParle, who was named health czar, can begin work right away, without outside review of her abilities or opinions. And whereas lawmakers can ask Sebelius for testimony in the future and control her budget, DeParle may remain largely outside the gaze of Congress. Paul Light of New York University, an expert on the presidency, said Byrd has a valid constitutional concern about Obama's use of czars. Light too is worried about Obama's expansion of the czar system, but his apprehension is focused on more-practical concerns. He points out that previous presidential czars became frustrated because they had no permanent staff, and their power was diffuse and unclear. Besides, he said, "there are so many czars in this White House, they'll be constantly bumping in to each other."

In addition to naming DeParle to coordinate healthcare policy, Obama has tapped Carol Browner to be White House energy czar, a post that could overlap with the functions of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Energy Department and other agencies. Adolfo Carrion Jr., a former Bronx borough president, is urban affairs czar, a job that may dovetail with the functions of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. And Paul A. Volcker, Obama's big-picture economic czar, must coordinate with the Treasury Department and other agencies. The confusion about competing roles played by czars and their Cabinet counterparts was on display Monday as White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs tried to explain how authority would be divided between DeParle and Sebelius as they steer health reform through Congress.

At first, Gibbs declared that DeParle "will be in charge." Then he acknowledged a role for Sebelius and others. "I think obviously this is something that spans across many platforms, not unlike, say, something like energy independence, that a lot of people that work in this building and in different agencies will be involved in," he said, pledging to get back to reporters with details about how the health policy team will work. Before Inauguration Day, transition director John Podesta said in an interview that Obama deliberately was building a strong, centralized White House organization, one that grew naturally out of his disciplined presidential campaign.

It's far too early to tell whether Obama's quest for efficiency will lead to overstepping the bounds of presidential authority, but the latest appointment announcement could offer a few clues. For example, Podesta said, a coherent White House energy policy "needs input not just from the Energy Department," but also from the EPA and the Interior, Commerce and Agriculture departments. Thus, an energy czar made sense. Podesta saw little potential for the czars to undermine the authority of Cabinet agencies. "As long as the White House staff is respectful of the power and authority of the people in the Cabinet, as I know they will be, I think it will be a very workable model," he said in January. Now that the White House is launching the system, aides are refining the description a bit. Messina emphasized that the czar positions rank below Cabinet positions.

He said the confirmation-free appointments do not violate the Constitution because the czars are aides to the president and his team. "They're super-staffers and report to the president and to Rahm," he said, referring to Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. "I meet with them. I don't meet with Cabinet secretaries; they're above me." Czars mainly will do their coordination work behind the scenes, and secretaries will serve more as what Messina calls the "public faces" of the administration. That description does not allay Byrd's concerns, said his spokesman, Jesse Jacobs. "If the czars are working behind the scenes and the secretaries will be the mouthpieces of the administration, it calls into question who is actually making the policy decision," he said. "Whoever is making the policy decisions needs to be accountable and available to Congress and the American public." It's still very early in the Obama presidency, but others also question the czar setup.

Browner, whose title is special advisor to Obama on climate change and energy, told reporters two weeks ago that the administration soon would propose new rules to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from a variety of industries. Obama's EPA administrator had hinted at such a possibility, but had not made it clear how things would unfold. Browner's statement set off a nervous response among a few Washington interest groups that objected to the executive branch unilaterally taking the lead on regulating a substance as ubiquitous as carbon. "The issues are important enough that you have to have the give and the take of the congressional process -- and do this in the open," said former Michigan Gov. John Engler, who heads the National Assn. of Manufacturers.

At least one senator wanted to ask Browner about exactly that in a confirmation hearing. As a czar and not a Cabinet secretary, however, she did not have to answer questions on Capitol Hill. "The overall concern is, Carol Browner has been appointed to coordinate all this energy policy," said Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). "What's her role going to be? She's not going to be going through a confirmation process. While [agency directors] had to come to Congress and answer questions, she didn't."

However the word “czar” still conjures up the image of one of those all-powerful rulers of Russia many centuries ago. Some still associate it with and think of Ivan the Terrible. That’s the 16th Century Prince of Moscow who turned Russia into a true nation-state. And as the “Terrible” suggests, this was not exactly one of your touchy-feely, sensitive tsars (”tsar” is the Russian spelling for czar). So, what do many people make of Barack Obama’s “czars”? First of all, there are 22 of them – and counting. No previous president comes close to matching that number. In fact if you put Reagan’s, Both Bushes, and Clinton’s czar numbers together, Obama still has twice as many of the 4 previous Presidents before him.

Nonetheless there’s a “czar” for Drugs, Energy, Auto Recovery, the Great Lakes, Borders, Information, Stimulus Accountability, and Urban Affairs. Some people don’t like it. They think the president is circumventing the Congress by naming special assistants who don’t need Senate approval because they work directly for him. Rush Limbaugh has weighed in: “He’s (Obama) a statist. He’s an authoritarian. He wants to rule; he doesn’t want to govern.” Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) complained about Environment “Czar” Carol Browner: “She has not been confirmed by Congress, and there is no way for Congress to hold her accountable for her actions.” Even a member of the president’s own party, Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) has criticized the White House. The Senator wrote a letter to the President in February: “(the czars) can threaten the Constitutional system of checks and balances. At the worst, White House staff have taken direction and control of programmatic areas that are the statutory responsibility of Senate-confirmed officials.”

The White House hasn’t had much to say about all of this. Although Rahm Emanuel, the president’s chief of staff, told a Chicago Tribune interviewer in late April, “… as I joke in the White House, nobody’s a czar. The reason is czars weren’t good to my people, so I really don’t like the title anyway.” So, why is the president naming so many “czars”? The University of Virginia’s Larry Sabato, author of “The Year of Obama”, suggests that “the likelihood is that Obama simply likes the idea as a matter of presidential style to have a coordinator who is, at least in the public image, given a great deal of power and authority – someone who can command the media spotlight on a particular subject.” But why refer to them as “czars”? That’s what White House press secretary Robert Gibbs did last March when he said to reporters, “Let me address the czar question for a minute.” After all, the word “czar” isn’t in any of the titles of these presidential assistants. Why did Gibbs go on to say it? Isn’t that relevant?

Sabato says, maybe at least partly tongue-in-cheek “Part of it is to recruit them to office. So many well-entrenched, well-off people don’t really want to serve anymore and they do have to make many sacrifices, including tremendous cuts in salary. So if you’re recruiting somebody from the private sector, and you’re asking them to do without several million dollars in compensation, I suppose it’s a nice balance to be able to say, ‘but you’ll be a czar.’” Still somewhere, Ivan the Terrible must be smiling. But the White House response to the question about the czars doesn’t explain what’s up with all the Presidential czars. That’s why so many Americans are unaware that Obama is creating czar positions at a rate that is alarming and with no one being able to question them but President Obama, it is as if super-aides as one White House staffer originally referred to the czars as, can help create policies without anyone questioning them about it.

So it is understandable why when people read or hear the word czar they think of king or ruler and they wonder why Obama or previous President’s have referred to such super-aides as czar. When the word czar only reminds people particularly historians of the Russian czars in the early 1900's that were cruel, oppressive and not liked by the population. In fact those czars’ actions led to revolution and overthrow of the reign of czars. All the thoughts of czars are negative and it seems as if our government embraced the notion of czars or least Obama’s administration is comfortable with having czars or people who report directly to the President and only to the President and no one else except for Obama’s chief of staff Rahm Emmanuel. Czar are overseeing many parts of American life and business such car, technology, energy, healthcare, housing, mortgage, pay and other areas with more to come in the near future.

The problem with having so many czars is that in the presidential cabinet there are only fifteen members and Obama already has more czars than cabinet members. Cabinet members must be approved by Congress before they can advise the president but czars are just appointed by the president with no approval necessary by the Congress. It appears that the president is bypassing Congress and the Constitution by appointing czars. In fact president Obama’s czar system can’t be explained in detail because previous presidents never had so many czars. Obama has 22 times more than Reagan and Bush Sr. Obama has 7.3 times more than Clinton and 5.5 times more than Bush Jr. So there is little information in regards to what do these czars get paid and if the taxpayer’s money is being used to pay for them but the truth is, one can assume that is the case. What Obama is doing is stretching the Executive Branch of government and making it larger than it has ever been?

This is why so many are outraged by the czar system that Obama is implementing. Plus some are bothered by the lack of approval by Congress for the czars and the fact that the legislative branch is not allowed to check the executive branch in regards to czars. This is clearly something that many on Capitol Hill don’t like because it is as if policies will be created and crafted in secrecy by all the czars before it is passed to Congress to implement on behalf of the President. The checks and balance in the czar framework is just not there and some feel that Obama is acting like he wasn’t elected with the appointment of so many czars as if he was a king.

The rise of the czars in America is extraordinary and historical but the real issue is that these czars override the checks and balance system that our constitution was built on and the fact that no one can question the czars and they are appointed by the President rather than confirmed by Congress is questionable since they are the ones who will be held accountable for the policies on the very issues that they put in control over. So if the drug czar policies doesn’t curb the drug problem in America, Congress can’t question the czar cause they have no power over him and it is no way to understand what information the drug czar or any czar for that matter is using to come up with the policies they will try to implement. Thus, supporters of presidential czars say the positions are helpful by focusing attention on a big issue and making someone responsible for it but that person is only responsive to the President. So we the American people can’t really hold the czars accountable because they are behind the scenes people and not the mouth pieces of the policies that will be implemented only the brain which is what White House administration have said. However critics claim czars can lead to turf fights and add another cumbersome bureaucratic layer to government which is what right now it seems like.

The number of czars seems to being growing by the week and at this rate, we the taxpayers will be paying for nearly 30-50 czars by the end of Obama’s first year in office. That’s why Obama and his administration have to outline specifically the duties of the czars to us the taxpayers since the policies they will craft will affect us and the salaries of all the czars need to be made public unless they are all getting $100,000 a year as President Obama said his top staff will be capped off at $100,000 in the early days of his Presidential term. This is important because no one has ever appointed as many czars as Obama and it’s as if the government will control everything that has something to do with life at the rate Obama is appointing czars to be supreme rulers over all things that deal with life almost.

A look at how recent presidents have expanded the number of czars:
President Reagan: 1 Czar
Drug Czar
Carlton Turner: 3/12/1985

President George H. W. Bush: 1 Czar
Drug Czar
William Bennett: 3/10/1989
Robert Martinez: 3/21/1991

President Clinton: 3 Czars
Health Czar
Ira Magaziner: 1993

Drug Czar
Lee Brown: 6/21/1993
Barry McCaffrey: 3/1/1996

AIDS Czar
Kristine M. Gebbie: 6/25/1993
Patricia S. Fleming: 11/10/1994
Sandy Thurman: 4/7/1997

President George W. Bush: 4 Czars
National Intelligence Czar
John D. Negroponte: 4/21/2005
Mike McConnell: 2/13/2007

Cybersecurity Czar
Rod Beckstram: 3/7/2008

AIDS Czar
Scott Evertz: 4/9/2001
Dr. Joseph O’Neill: 7/19/2002

Drug Czar
John Walters: 12/7/2001

President Obama: He has 22 Czars (and counting) but I could only find the names of 15 Czars
Drug Czar
Gil Kerlikowske, former Seattle police chief

Energy and Environment Czar
Carol Browner

Homeland Security Czar
John Brennan

Health Czar
Nancy-Ann DeParle

Urban Affairs Czar
Adolfo Carrion, Jr.

Economic Czar
Paul A. Volcker

Regulatory Czar
Cass R. Sunstein

Technology Czar
Vivek Kundra

Government Performance Czar
Jeffrey Zients

Border Czar
Alan Bersin

WMD Policy Czar
Gary Samore

Intelligence Czar (Director of National Intelligence)
Dennis Blair

Car Czar
Steven Rattner

Pay Czar
Kenneth R. Feinberg

Great Lakes Czar
Cameron Davis


Sources:
President Obama's czar system concerns some
By Tom Hamburger and Christi Parsons
March 05, 2009
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/mar/05/nation/na-obama-czars5

What is Up with These Presidential Czars's?
June 12, 2009 by
Tom Treloar
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1840615/what_is_up_with_these_presidential.html?cat=75

Rise of the Czars
by Web Producer
http://glennbeck.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/06/09/rise-of-the-czars/

White House czars’ power stirs criticism
By
Christi Parsons and Tom Hamburger
March 05, 2009
http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/mar/05/nation/chi-czars_for_thursmar05

Why all the Obama ‘czars’?
By Carol Costello - Contributor, CNN's American Morning
http://amfix.blogs.cnn.com/2009/06/15/czars-everywhere/

Why does Obama need so many czars? Looking past the chain of command
http://www.examiner.com/x-12684-Houston-Libertarian-Examiner~y2009m6d2-Obamas-czars

Pay-Czars other Czars
Author: Michael Kraft
Published: June 10, 2009
http://www.charlotteconservative.com/index.php/2009/06/pay-czars-other-czars/

Time to Demand that President Obama Resign
South Orange, NJ
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
By Alan Caruba
http://www.expertclick.com/NewsReleaseWire/Time_to_Demand_that_President_Obama_Resign,200927251.aspx

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Jay-Z - History



(Jay-Z - History)Jay-Z - History with Lyrics

LYRICS : [Chorus: Cee-lo]
Now that all the smoke is gone
(Lighter)
And the battle's finally won
(Gimme a lighter)
Victory (Lighters up) is finally ours
(Lighters up)
History, so long, so long
So long, so long

[Verse 1: Jay-Z]
In search of victory, she keeps eluding me
If only we could be together momentarily
We can make love and make history
Why won't you visit me? until she visit me
I'll be stuck with her sister, her name is defeat
She gives me agony, so much agony
She brings me so much pain, so much misery
Like missing your last shot and falling to your knees
As the crowd screams for the other team
I practice so hard for this moment, victory don't leave
I know what this means, I'm stuck in this routine
Whole new different day, same old thing
All I got is dreams, nobody else can see
Nobody else believes, nobody else but me
Where are you victory? I need you desperately
Not just for the moment, to make history

[Chorus: Cee-lo]
Now that all the smoke is gone
(Lighters)
And the battle's finally won
(Lighters)
Victory is finally ours
(Yeah)
History (yeah), so long, so long
So long, so long

[Verse 2: Jay-Z]
So now I'm flirting with death, hustling like a G
While victory wasn't watching took chances repeatedly
As a teenage boy before acne, before I got proactiv I couldn't face she
I just threw on my hoodie and headed to the street
That's where I met success, we'd live together shortly
Now success is like lust, she's good to the touch
She's good for the moment but she's never enough
Everybody's had her, she's nothing like V
But success is all I got unfortunately
But I'm burning down the block hoppin' in and out of V
But something tells me that there's much more to see
Before I get killed because I can't get robbed
So before me success and death ménage
I gotta get lost, I gotta find V
We gotta be together to make history

[Chorus: Cee-lo]
Now that all the smoke is gone
(Lighters. Up.)
And the battle's finally won
(Lighter. Up.)
Victory is finally ours
(Lighters. Up.)
History, so long, so long
So long, so long

[Verse 3: Jay-Z]
Now victory is mine, it tastes so sweet
She's my trophy wife, you're coming with me
We'll have a baby who stutters repeatedly
We'll name him history, he'll repeat after me
He's my legacy, son of my hard work
Future of my past, he'll explain who I be
Rank me amongst the greats, either 1, 2, or 3
If I ain't number one then I failed you victory
Ain't in it for the fame that dies within weeks
Ain't in it for the money, can't take it when you leave
I wanna be remembered long after you grieve
Long after I'm gone, long after I breathe
I leave all I am in the hands of history
That's my last will and testimony
This is much more than a song, it's a baby shower
I've been waiting for this hour, history you ours


[Chorus: Cee-lo (2x)]
Now that all the smoke is gone
And the battle's finally won
Victory is finally ours
History, so long, so long
So long, so long



Man in the Mirror--By Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson - Man in the mirror

I'm gonna make a change,
for once im my life
It's gonna feel real good,
gonna make a diference
Gonna make it right...

As I, turn up the collar on
my favorite winter coat
This wind is blowing my mind
I see the kids in the streets,
with not enought to eat
Who am I to be blind?
Pretending not to see their needs

A summer disregard,a broken bottle top
And a one man soul
They follow each other on the wind ya' know
'Cause they got nowhere to go
That's why I want you to know

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
(If you wanna make the world a better place)
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change
(Take a look at yourself, and then make a change)
(Na na na, na na na, na na, na nah)

I've been a victim of a selfish kind of love
It's time that I realize
That there are some with no home, not a nickel to loan
Could it be really me, pretending that they're not alone?

A willow deeply scarred, somebody's broken heart
And a washed-out dream
(Washed-out dream)
They follow the pattern of the wind ya' see
'Cause they got no place to be
That's why I'm starting with me
(Starting with me!)

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
(Ooh!)
I'm asking him to change his ways
(Ooh!)
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
(If you wanna make the world a better place)
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change
(Take a look at yourself, and then make a change)

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
(Ooh!)
I'm asking him to change his ways
(Change his ways - ooh!)
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make that..
(Take a look at yourself and then make that..)
CHANGE!

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
(Man in the mirror - Oh yeah!)
I'm asking him to change his ways
(Better change!)
No message could have been any clearer
(If you wanna make the world a better place)


Michael Jackson - Man in the mirror

A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cook






It's been a long time coming but a change is surely going to come in America and the World! I am the Future of America and the World and that is the message that each of us must carry with us each and every day that we wake up on Earth! I am the Future! You are the Future! We are the Future of America and the World! That is way every election is important--primaries, special elections and general! So vote every year and hold our politicians accountable. Hold our political officials accountable by writing them, calling them and making sure they attend meetings that we the people have. "The Time for Change is not Now but Right Now!"

"EmPOWERment By Any Means Necessary" should be our anthem and should be our creed as we make the positive differences in America and the world that so many people beg for and hungry for year after year! A Change is Gonna Come, A Change is Gonna Come, that's what we must say as we say "God grants us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, Courge to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference" each morning before we go about the task of making a positive change in America and the world a reality.



Born In The U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen


“When will people realize that we are Americans first and foremost, not Democrats or Liberals, not Republicans or Conservatives, not Independents or moderates. We are Americans. Stop putting a political party above America and stop putting any politican above America. America succeeds because of us the people holding our government responsible no matter the political party because the main two political parties are to blame for the condition America is in."—Hodari P.T. Brown

America with its flaws and all is a country I am proud to have been born in. America is not perfect but my love for it is perfect. That’s why all Americans must realize that we are all Americans. In fact we are Americans first and foremost. We are not Democrats or Republicans. We are Americans.

We are not Muslims, Christians or Jews. We are Americans. Too many times we recognize our differences with others rather than appreciating our similarities which are, we are Americans. We are Americans first and foremost, no matter if we were born here or moved here legally. We are all Americans, here in this country to make not only our lives better but the lives of other Americans better so future Americans can enjoy the rights and freedoms that make us all Americans.

We are all Americans. We are one party united under God. We are Americans and this is the only political party that matters. We are Americans and this is our country so let’s make sure that we make America better than how we found it so future Americans can live prosperous and joyous lives. We are Americans and must not ever forget that.

America will prosper as long we make sure we are doing our part to make it prosper and that means we can’t put any political party or politician above America. Long live America forever and long live America’s service to the world. Together, America and the world will prosper for future generations to enjoy America and the world we live in.


Lift Every Voice and Sing


This video of the ' Negro National Anthem' was originally screened at the historic African-American Church Inaugural Ball in Washington, DC on January 18th, 2009. Many of the esteemed individuals featured in this video in attendance and we presented with the ' Keepers of the Flame' award for the monumental contributions to social justice.

This version of the song was performed by the Grace Baptist Church Cathedral Choir, conducted by Derrick James. The video was produced and donated by Ascender Communications, LLC (www.ascender-c.com) at the request of The Balm In Gilead, Inc.

If I Was President--Wyclef Jean




If I was President that is the people's anthem. We all have ideas of what we can do as President and through this website, we will fulfill our deam as a people!

Somethings Gotta Give--Big Boi ft Mary J Blige



Somethings Gotta Give people and it begins today for all us to make sure that something is us. We the people are sick and tired of suffering. Where is our piece of the Dream that so many people dead for so that we all could see today. This is our time people to change America and the world so that the Next Generation has a better future than the past we inherited.

This is our call to service. This isn't about one political candidate or one political figure. This is about us as people coming together to finally leave up to our potential and achieving the great feats that those before us have achieved. This is our moment to lead our nation and our world to greater heights.

Somethings gotta give people and it starts with us the people making it happen. We have to improve our education system in America. We have to rid the world of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. We have to go to the streets and lift a hand to another in order to decrease poverty in this world. We have to take a stand today and make sure that the future of America and the world is brighter than it has ever been.

Somethings Gotta Give and that is why we must "Remember Each One, Reach One and Teach One so America's future and the World's future continues to prosper."

John Legend - "If You're Out There"


If you're out there than you need to get started in helping to change America and the world. The world and America won't change until you get involved in making the changes you want to see in this world. If you're out there, than you must know that tomorrow started now and today started yesterday so you are behind in helping to the change. If you are tired of hatred, racism, poverty, war, and violence than the time to change it is now. If you want universal health care, world peace, democracy for every nation, equal rights, and happiness for all than you must get involved now to help the save world.

You must believe in the change that you want to see and you must act on making that change a reality. If you're out there than say it aloud and show the rest of America and the world that you're out here to make a real positive change in the communities we stay in. If you're out there than get involved now. I'm calling every women and men to join me as we take back our country right here, right now. If you're out there than the future started yersterday and we are already late so we have lots of work to do but I know we can do it together as one.

YES WE CAN



Yes We Can accomplish anything that we set out to do! We don't need charismatic or inspirational leaders to believe in ourselves and to take responsiblity for our own faith, we just need each other. Yes We Can build a new America and a new world if each of us would take action now to make the changes that we want to see in the world. Yes We Can control government by holding our political officials accountable for their actions by calling them out when they don't pass legislation that supports the common good of all man and by voting in every election to ensure that we have people representing the people locally, state wide, nationally and in the world.

Yes We Can be great! Yes We Can be what we want to be! Yes We Can be glorious in not only America but the world! Yes We can put action behind our worlds and change the world starting right here, right now! Yes We Can as Republicans, Democrats and Independents become one as we freely think about our fellow men and women and make decisions that will be in the best interest of all people and not one single group.

Yes We Can be the change that we want to see in the world! Yes We Can show the world that the youth are ready to lead! Yes We Can put our egos, our social economic statuses, our religions, our educational statuses and our skin color to the side for the better good of the world! Yes We Can be Greater than we have ever been and help others be Greater than they have ever be!

YES WE CAN and YES WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS IN ALL THAT WE DO! YES WE CAN, no matter what others may say, we will be glorious! YES WE WILL and YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN!

YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN is what will be sung from every mountaintop, every riverbank, every household, every school yard, every factory, every sporting event, every college campus and even every place you can imagine in the world is where YES WE CAN, will be said and heard!

YES WE CAN!

Keep On Pushing - Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions


Wake Up People! No matter who is elected to any public office, we have to “Keep On Pushing” as a people to make sure they don’t leave us in a worst state than what they inherited. We as a people have to “Keep On Pushing” to make a difference in the lives of others. We have to have an “EmPOWERment By Any Means Necessary” attitude as we continue to push our agenda that we the people deserve and want better. We have to “Keep On Pushing” to bring about change in a positive way that will benefit all Americans no matter their age, their religion or skin color. We have to “Keep On Pushing” to bring about change that will improve our education system, improve our military, improve our national security, improve our healthcare system and improve our economy. We have to “Keep On Pushing” to bring about change that will leave America’s future in a better than how we found it and that will leave the world’s future in a better state than we imagined we could live it. We have to “Keep On Pushing” to make life better for our neighborhoods, our families and even our quote on quote enemies. We have to “Keep On Pushing” to inspire, to uplift and to guide those who need help spiritually, physically and mentally. We have to “Keep On Pushing ” so that our lives, our future generation’s lives and the lives of those who came before us does not die in vein.

“Keep on Pushing”

A War For Your Soul

A War For Your Soul-regular version from Erisai Films on Vimeo.


The moment has come for us as a nation of people to finally wake up and realize that our destiny and fate in society has rests on our shoulders. We cannot allow the forces of evil and darkness to drain us out. We have to continue to overcome all odds in order to make the future of our nation better and the future of future generations of Americans better. We have to continue to pray to our Lord and we have to continue to uplift each other in prayer as well as take action against those things that are trying to destroy us. We have to stand up once and for all and be the future that we want to be. Now is our time and we shall do together by any means necessary.

This video was created to inspire young African-Americans not to fall prey to some of the problems they face in society. The use of the voice "Master of Darkness" represents evil, which is where the blame of all problems should be placed, and not on any one group of people. This video should not to be used to divide people (Black & White), there are images of heroes that are white in this video, and there are images of Black & White coming together with the words of Dr. King in the background. Some of the images from the past can be unsettling, but they are used to show all Americans how far we have come, and how far we still have to go. This film is being strategically placed in school systems, churches and youth orgs around the country, in hope of helping a lost generation of kids that we as Americans have forgotten. As fellow Americans we must continue to love each other, and take that love and spread it to the rest of the world. **THIS VIDEO IS NOT FOR SALE & I AM NOT ACCEPTING DONATIONS FOR THE FILM, I ONLY WANT THE MESSAGE TO REACH AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT ANY HIDDEN POLITICAL OR FINANCIAL AGENDA.

Sitting On the Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding



"The time for sitting is over! The time for action is now! The time for hope without action is hopeless! The time for change without a positive attitude is a change that we can't believe in! We need change that is positive of helping all people! Our time for action is now, our time for hope is now, our time for change is now and our time to believe that we can do whatever we set our minds to is not now but right now!"

STAR SPANGLED BANNER


The Star-Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key

O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming;
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?


On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, now conceals, now discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines on the stream;
'Tis the star-spangled banner; O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave,
From the terror of flight and the gloom of the grave;
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave!


O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land,
Praise the power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just.
And this be our motto— "In God is our trust; "
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.

Black President



Our Time is not now but Right Now! Our Time has finally come to change the world not now but Right Now! If you don't believe that we can change the world than watch as we do it by changing your mind into believing in us and what we can do! This is OUR TIME RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!

FIGHT THE POWER



We got to FIGHT THE POWER! We can no longer sit on the sidelines and watch injustices take place. We can no longer sit by and allow our right to vote to become unexercised. We must FIGHT THE POWER for our past, present and future! We can no longer allow our rights to be oppressed and our voice to become drained by the powers at be. We must FIGHT THE POWER and show that we have a lot to say that needs to be heard by the mainstream media. We must FIGHT THE POWER and live up to our potential as dynamic, unbelievable and phenomenal people.


We must not believe the hype but we must become the hype. We are not Harriett Tubman, Marcus Garvey, MLK, Malcolm X, Booker T. Washington, Carter G. Woodson, W.E.B. DuBois, the Black Panther Party, SNCC, or any other activists but we are the fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, uncles, aunties, and relatives of those who came before us to pave the way for us to FIGHT THE POWER! We are not next Generation of leaders who will not be honored and praised until they die but that’s the fight we accept. We are not fighting the power for glory or fame but we are fighting the power for just causes that most men and women will not understand until years or decades later.


We are fighting for our sisters and brothers in Darfur, Georgia, Iraq, Iran, China and Mexico. We are speaking for those who are poor and have no food or water. We are fighting for those who are sick and dying. We are fighting for universal healthcare across the world and human rights for all people. We are fighting for rich and poor! We must FIGHT THE POWER no matter how hard and tough the road may be. We must FIGHT THE POWER for a better today and an even greater tomorrow!


FIGHT THE POWER!

PEOPLE GET READY


“People Get Ready” our time is coming! We have come too far to turn back now. Our train is coming and it is coming in waves. “People Get Ready”, we don’t need a ticket but we need faith and the Lord will help guide us as we take back America and the world. “People Get Ready” our moment is now and we are ready to see the change we want in America and the world. All we got to do is have faith, hope and prosperity. “People Get Ready” to face your fears. “People Get Ready” to face your demons and the challenges of yesterday because today and tomorrow we will conquer & be victorious. “People Get Ready” a change is coming and our actions will make sure that change is a real positive change that lasts forever.


“People Get Ready” because we have had enough of just talking but now is our time to show action. “People Get Ready” to take back America and the world. “People Get Ready” to take back our communities and to make our streets safer and schools better. “People Get Ready” to make all our dreams come true. “People Get Ready” to see a better present for everyone and a better future for future generations. “People Get Ready” to live up to your potential and to help others live up to their own potential. “People Get Ready” to move past hatred, bigotry, racism and sexism. “People Get Ready” to fulfill the dreams of those who came before us and those who will come after us.


“People Get Ready” as we make our actions speak louder than our words. “People Get Ready” to make words mean something again as we put action to back up our rhetoric. “People Get Ready” as we embark on a new journey that will re-write America’s history as well as the world’s history. “People Get Ready” as we make the lives of others better and the lives of future generations better. “People Get Ready” because all we need is faith, hope and action to make this world a better place. “People Get Ready” to make a difference. “People Get Ready” to fulfill the American dream. “People Get Ready" to live out the American Dream as our founding fathers wanted us to live it. “People Get Ready” because our time is now, our moment is now and our moment in time to change America & the world is not now but right now. “People Get Ready” because a change is coming!


Alicia]
(Let me tell you now)
People get ready, there's a train comin'
You don't need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'
You don't need no ticket, you just thank the lord

[Lyfe]
People get ready, for a train to Jordan
Picking up passengers coast to coast
Faith is the key, open the doors and board them
There's hope for all among those loved the most

[Alicia]
There ain't no room for the hopeless sinner
Who would hurt all man kind just to save his own (believe me now)
Have pity on those whose chances grow thinner
For there's no hiding place against the kingdoms throne

[Alicia & Lyfe]
So people get ready there's a train coming
You don't need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels humming,
You don't need no ticket, you just thank the lord


“PEOPLE GET READY!”

God Bless the U.S.A. by Lee Greenwood


Lee Greenwood-god bless the U.S.A