Hey America? Time for Change is Now!!

     I woke up this morning with a pit in my stomach after another restless night of trying to sleep. I am living in the greatest Country in the World and yet right now I do not feel proud to be an American. The racial divide is growing bigger and bigger in America and yet all I see is allot of People talking the talk but not walking the walk.  Community Activists and Church Leaders using the problem of racial divide for their own agendas and not truly doing what is needed to come together and discuss and find common ground for a solution. Time for Change is Now!!!
     This past weeks shooting of 3 African American Males by White Police Men  as well as the ambush by an African American Man of White Dallas Police has heightened tension all over America. This isn't the first time both these incidents have happened but I truly hope and pray to God that they will be the last! We need to mourn for them and to pray and comfort those hurting as well. It sickens me to see this great Country being torn apart by deep racial tensions and differences that continue to happen and grow and tear apart the Communities We all live in nowadays. We now have Cops all over the Country going to social media both black and white, ranting on and on about Black Lives Matter as well as Church and Community Leaders and everyone else having their own opinions on this too.  Again talk is cheap, the time is now for Action and plenty of it.  All Lives Matter!!! Not just Black or White or any other ethnicity!!
     The elephant in the room is that no one really wants to sit down and discuss what needs to be discussed.  The Lack of Race Discussion is what is wrong and everyone knows this but few really want to sit down and discuss it openly and with a frank dialogue. Neither side wants to concede or admit or even budge when it comes to these discussions so the divide grows even more so by the day. The time is Now to change Police Policies in every department in America from the Federal Government all the way down to the smallest of Communities or Cities. Changing Policing in America should be first and foremost as a step to start to bridge racial division.  I keep hearing in the Media and by President Obama and others that We as a Nation have racial bias and we are dealing with these issues better now then any other time. While I agree with President Obama somewhat, I see us taking one step forward and three steps back nowadays in dealing with racial issues. Peaceful Demonstrations are no longer peaceful, violence always seems to come to the front of these Demonstrations. Some think violence is the only way to deal with this issue but deep down we all know violence will not do anything but incite and rile everyone up where nothing gets done. And for the most part those that suffer the most are the Mom and Pop store Owners who are the Cornerstone of Our Communities who are either damaged, pillaged or burned to the ground.  We as a Nation are great at raising our voice, getting all riled up but then sitting back and letting the momentum die down as time goes by, this happens all too frequently. Social Media is a great tool to get people involved but it also too quickly moves onto the next big news topic without regards to the current ones. The Time for Change is Now!!! Not next week or next month or next year!!
     We need to make the issue of racial divide a Top Political Issue in this years Presidential Election and not let the Presidential Candidates or the GOP or DNC off the hook or let their public relations groups spin this as all the other topics they do not want to talk about. Lets make this a Priority in this Presidential Race and nail down the Candidates to precise plans on how to deal with this issue!  Today, President Obama and ex President George Bush along with many other dignitaries will be in Dallas for an Interfaith prayer gathering to mourn the victims of the Dallas Police Tragedy. This is an important step but just a baby step in healing this racial divide. We as Americans need to do much more to start the healing process.
     Here are my thoughts and solution to healing this great Country and moving forward as One People not just Black, or White, or Asian, or Muslim, but One People who Love and treat each other with Dignity and Respect and see each other as a mirror of themselves and not the color of their skin! Start walking up to those you see on the streets or in a Mall or a restaurant and say hi, shake a hand, give a hug, be polite and courteous. Lets treat each other as We want to be treated! We need to come together as a Community and as a Church. One Unified Voice with a clear and concise vision of clearly wanting to deal with this ugly racial divide across America.  It is simple, I call on the Leaders in every Community and City, no matter how big or small,  these People need to come together and talk and start the change from within their Communities. Churches need to have interfaith services not churches of one color but churches for all religion and faith and ethnicity to be welcome and to come together. Power in numbers.  Community Leaders and Church Leaders need to stop trying to be the Alpha Person and learn to coexist and get along and find common ground to help diffuse and work towards a common goal and solution of racial divide. Mayors and Governors and State Officials need to also let go of their petty differences and agendas and help on a broader platform to start the change of Policing Policy and race division within each State. On the Federal Level, the President and Congress and the GOP and DNC need to bury the hatchet and stop with all the political and party rhetoric  and take a stance and do what is right to fix this racial divide that has been going on for far too long!!! Time for Change is Now!!!
    How many more lives of all ethnicity have to be lost or injured before We as the great Nation We are, stand up as One UNIFED VOICE and say Enough is Enough and demand change to happen now!!!  Our Nations Police forces have a very hard job of protecting and keeping all of us safe. Many times it is a thankless job. When you see a police officer go up to them shake their hand or give them a hug and a simple thank you for all you do. We need to mourn those who have lost their lives and also those affected by these senseless tragedies and pray for them and help them if We can. It is Now Time for Change and to let the healing begin!  We need to make America a Proud Nation again filled with Love, Respect and Dignity towards one another not hatred and anger. There is enough of that in the World!! Lets take back our great Nation and be an example for all Nations as One Nation with One Unified Voice and start now to fix this racial divide. I want to be able to start waking up once again in the morning with a smile and a Heart glowing of being a Proud American once more! The Time for Change is NOW!!!!!
                cupofjoeinthed@gmail.com                                          @cupofjoeinthed
    

Still waiting on Answers to Questions that City of Detroit and Others need to Answer!!!!!!!

As, we head into the last week of February, there are so many unanswered questions that continue to go unanswered or maybe those who can answer them turn the other way or flat out do not want to or care to answer these questions! Questions I asked a week ago continue to be just that, a question without an answer! Here is a list of what I wrote last week and then after the questions, I have added my new response in red to the initial question I asked. Please respond back or comment if you agree, disagree or have another idea or opinion on these matters.

Why, are the warming centers only open until 10 pm and not through the whole night when it is the coldest?
( It seems City and Community budgets and resources and red tape seem to take more importance than that of keeping  these limited centers open only until 10 or 11pm. Hello, it is usually the coldest from 10 pm to 7 am., we need to open up more warming centers when it is this cold outside and find a way to keep them open in the coldest weather timeframe and not just when it is convenient.)
Why, with over an estimated 20,000 people homeless each night (many are children), are there only a handful of shelters available for everyone to try and get into when this issue of the homeless has been around for a long long time and we continue to look the other way and not address this issue? ( Again, the issue of people being homeless isn't anything new to anyone, yet we continue to make shelters and non profits and churches jump through hoops as they try to find places where the homeless can sleep, eat, and get back on their feet. Shame on the State and Communities and City of Detroit  for not doing more to help these people out!)
Why, do people have to wait for over 2 hours for a bus in the freezing cold? Again this issue didn't just happen overnight but has been happening for a long time as well. Who is addressing this? ( Still no real answers from anyone on this. It is sad knowing that the people who depend on this broken old Bus system have to accept these long waits or of a bus that doesn't show up at all because this has become the norm for the System.)
Why, does Metro Detroit still have a Mass Transit Bus issue years after it was suppose to be fixed? Take a look at cities that their Bus system works and copy it. It isn't that hard to figure out...( First off, everyone please read the article in Sunday's newspaper starting on page A15 titled, Metro Detroit's Transit Nightmare, written by Stephen Henderson and Kristi Tanner. This article describes in detail the woeful inadequate Mass Transit Bus System we currently have in Metro Detroit and its Communities. This Bus System has been broken for decades and yet the State, the City of Detroit, and the Communities continue to allow it to run as it has for all these years without ever fixing the issue.) When will all those in authority get together and look at Bus systems that work all over the Country and design one here that will work for everyone and hopefully soon, not in 20 or 30 years!
Why, did MDOT spend over $12M on railroad cars only to see them sit idle? I wonder how many new buses that $12M would of bought for the city of Detroit ? ( I still have not seen an explanation from anyone on this expenditure and why it was done in the first place. The articles I have seen indicate these cars are sitting idle and not even in service).
Why, does Everyone think the M1 rail is the answer for the Mass Transit issues? Last time I checked, the rail only goes up and down Woodward.( This is a good start to better Mass Transit in the City of Detroit but only a start! With new Businesses and People moving downtown and the revitalization in Detroit, Mass Transit especially the Failing Bus System needs to come into the 21st century and make Metro Detroit's Mass Transit System World Class).
Why, don't the Governor, the Mayor of Detroit, and the County Execs of the Counties all sit down and put together a real plan to implement a World Class Mass Transit System that includes a Bus System and put together a real date for it to be done? (Egos and years of resentment towards the City of Detroit from the State and adjoining Communities needs to be buried and put to bed and for a true Leadership team, made up of people from all the Communities, the City of Detroit, and the State formed and a plan to immediately i,implement a temporary fix and also a plan to design a true mass Transit Bus System that we will see the difference in with 2 or 3 years).
Why, does it take months for the city of Detroit to repair a broken water main break and they only do when the citizens go to a Public Meeting to get action? No wonder why the water rate increase is so high!(Last report I saw, the City of Detroit said there were over 300 water pipes to be fixed on any given day and yet  other reports I see and hear abut say it is well over 1000 broken water mains and pipes on any given day in the City of Detroit and some water pipes and leaks have been ongoing for long periods of time).
Why, is Everyone demanding answers only from Consumers Energy in the senseless death of the Veteran who died of hypothermia in Royal Oak? We should be asking the agencies that were suppose to help him but denied him help, why as well. ( Still waiting for the real reason that this was allowed to happen!  It seems everyone isn't saying anything but that Consumers sent 3 notices out to the house! I want to know why the agencies who denied help to the man who owned the house aren't being looked into and to ask these agencies why they refused to help these 2 men and in the end, a man died  in that cold house all alone. Where is the compassion and where is the uproar from Everyone as to why a Man died in a cold cold house when it should of never happened?).
Why, is Everyone ok with the State Legislature taking the easy way out and making the voters decide on a tax hike to fix the roads? ( I know I can't be the only one who is upset that the Legislature didn't have the gall to their jobs and find a way to pay for the road fixes in the State. Instead they took the easy way out and decided to put it to a vote from the fine citizens of the State. What do they think we are going to do? Do we have a choice in this? The roads were bad last year after the winter and I don't have to tell you how bad they are right now. I seen a report last week that said our roads are in the top 5 worst in the Country. All I can think of is how the legislature must be laughing at all us poor schmucks who will have to vote on this tax hike for they know they stuck it to us and they didn't; have to do their jobs once again! When will this all end?)

It will be interesting to see how many of the questions will be answered and actually have an answer that makes sense and can be verified that  what we have been told is the truth. I will revisit this post again in a few weeks.                                             @cupofjoeinthed