Media outlets outside the United States have a way of viewing people and events inside the United States with the objectivity we often lack. You cannot see the outside of a house from the inside. Paying attention to reports from foreign correspondents gives us a chance to discover news and views we may never hear from U.S. mainstream media.
One such media outlet is the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), which on August 26 ran a 20-minute report by correspondent Mark Corcoran, who visited the south side of Chicago to get the lowdown on Barack Obama. The report is called "Obama - The Chicago Way."
The report features interviews with Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass, City Council Alderwoman Toni Preckwinkle, long-time friend and supporter Linda Thomas, and south side civil rights activist Don Rose, former press secretary to Martin Luther King Jr.
Corcoram makes the case that no politician in Chicago can rise to power without making an accommodation with "The Outfit," the Chicago Mob that's the source of penetrating corruption in city government. This is "The Chicago Way."
In Obama's case, Corcoram charges, his only ties to the Mob was an admittedly "bonehaded" real estate deal with an alleged con-man to obtain a house in Hyde Park. Although Obama himself seems to be otherwise clean, concluded the ABC reporter, the rising political star has chosen to "look the other way" rather than fight political corruption directly and derail his ascent as a community organizer, state legislator, U.S. Senator, and now as a U.S presidential nominee.
The picture that emerges from the report is that Barack Obama is a tough-minded pragmatist, not a soft-headed idealist, as some Republicans contend. The point is illustrated by Obama's reluctant choice to distance himself from the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, who has conveniently gone to Africa until after the November election.
So, whether you are an Obama fan or not, I invite you to view this Australian Broadcasting Corporation report below and add your comments on this page. At minimum, I hope the discourse that follows will be enlightening.
CLICK IMAGE for ABC page, then click "Flash Video" at bottom of page.
A Personal Note: For the sake of full disclosure, I need to report that my paternal grandfather lived in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, where my dad grew up, and my grandfather for an extended period was Al Capone's barber. Back then barbers routinely would both cut the hair and shave the faces of their customers. Imagine if you will what life must have been like for this short, pudgy Jewish barber, coming to his shop every morning knowing that sometime that day he'd have a straight razor at the throat of the city's top mobster. I have to wonder how his hand never shook or left a nick. At least, he certainly must have been careful, for the man survived and eventually retired to Phoenix. True story.
1. Read a synposis of the ABC report on Barack Obama.
2. Find other reports by ABC's foreign Correspondents.
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(M. Damiano in "Oz" provided the news tip on the ABC story.)
Comments
More not written about Obama, ACORN and the housing "meltdown" in the dinosaur press. Meltdown in quotes because ONLY 2.04% of ALL mortgages are in foreclosure.
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" The thousands of mortgage defaults and foreclosures in the "subprime" housing market (i.e., mortgage holders with poor credit ratings) is the direct result of thirty years of government policy that has forced banks to make bad loans to un-creditworthy borrowers. The policy in question is the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), which compels banks to make loans to low-income borrowers and in what the supporters of the Act call "communities of color" that they might not otherwise make based on purely economic criteria.
The original lobbyists for the CRA were the hardcore leftists who supported the Carter administration and were often rewarded for their support with government grants and programs like the CRA that they benefited from. These included various "neighborhood organizations," as they like to call themselves, such as "ACORN" (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now). These organizations claim that over $1 trillion in CRA loans have been made, although no one seems to know the magnitude with much certainty. A U.S. Senate Banking Committee staffer told me about ten years ago that at least $100 billion in such loans had been made in the first twenty years of the Act."
Elite politicians, including presidential candidate Barack Obama, are trying to limit access to on-demand, short term financial assistance in America. Some cities and towns are even placing restrictions on where these legitimate payday loan companies can establish their businesses. Even worse, several states including Georgia and North Carolina have successfully imposed complete bans on the payday loan industry, and several more states are following in their footsteps. Nationwide, American citizens are struggling to have their voices heard. They want to fight legislation that would wipe out the payday loan industry in the United State. Obama, and many other misled political officials, are advocating for an all-out ban of the payday loan industry for the sake of personal political gain. Their desire to eliminate the payday loan industry holds no regard for the people who need financial help in this depressed economy.
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The crass advertisement below from Payday Loan Advocate should be deleted. It has nothing to do with the posting above.
Besides, on afterthought, payday loans are just legal usury. They deserve to be banned or better regulated because they hurt those they supposedly help because of their outrageously high interest rates.
Instead, I'd like to see micro-lending offices in poor neighborhoods that charge only 1 or 2 percent simple interest (no compounding). This is why the micro-loans worldwide have a 99 percent repayment rate. They help people not exploit them.
Because of the economic crisis that our country is experiencing nowadays, many consumers patronize payday loans as an alternative when they are having shortage in financial means. Payday Loans are very helpful to the people because of its quick transaction. You can get an easy payday loan accounts without paperwork hassle. But the wrong practice of some financial institutions and lenders lead to mortgage crisis that can bring a great burden to our daily living. Many of our leaders, such as Obama, are trying to limit the accessibility of short term, high demand financial assistance. Some areas are attempting to put legislation in place that would limit where these legitimate businesses can operate. Some states, such as Georgia and North Carolina, have out-and-out banned the industry altogether, and others are close behind. Across the nation, citizens are trying to have their voices heard by fighting legislative bans on the payday loan industry. The odd turn of events is that Obama and others are trying to eliminate an entire industry, losing thousands of jobs in the process and thousands more in potential jobs, during a time when unemployment and financial hardship is at the highest in recent memory, all in the name of political gain.
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Some politicians, such as Barack Obama, are looking to outlaw the <a href="http://personalmoneystore.com">Payday Loans</a>industry. A large part of this intention was stirred by the flawed idea that payday lenders fall under the same moral values as illegal loan sharks. Being misinformed can accumulate some severe consequences. Although this statement is true, they take no notice of the genuine fact that the main source of these consequences is based on a course of action on inaccurate information. Sadly, a number of politicians have successfully passed legislation in their states, city and towns which controls, or even takes away your ability to get a payday loan. Now is the time to take action and educate your friend and family to protect your rights to financial independence.
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