It was recently revealed that the city would deny former police Chief Nate Harper his pension because he was convicted of stealing money.
I agree 100 percent that he should be punished, but this is going overboard. The punishment is not fitting the crime. He was supposed to have stolen $32,000 from the city. Well, he owes the city that amount of money plus a penalty or fine. But that doesn’t mean his entire pension, which he paid into for 36 years. This man served this city faithfully for 36 plus years, he paid into a pension that under no circumstances should be taken away.
The punishment does not fit the crime. By taking this man’s pension basically you are sentencing him to live the rest of his life in poverty. The court will sentence him Feb. 25. That should be his punishment, not some separate board that really has nothing to do with the criminal court system.
Kudos goes out to Sala Udin and others for bringing Pittsburgh into the loop of the world in celebrating the life and struggles of Nelson Mandela and South Africa after his recent death at 95.
There were hundreds of people at Mt. Ararat Church, but actually there should have been thousands for what he did not only for South Africa but also for the world and human rights throughout the world.
Just like young people should be taught about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., they should know about Mandela and the struggle of Blacks in Africa against the European Colonization of Africa, which basically relegated Black Africans to slavery or near slavery in their own land. South Africa received the most notice but there are problems in Africa today, which is a result of the European colonization.
The sponsors of the event were: The Pittsburgh Black Political Convention, The A. Phillip Randolph Institute, and The United Steelworkers and TransAfrica. Actor Danny Glover heads TransAfrica and he spoke at Mt. Ararat. He is to be commended. He could be like most entertainers, and that is just collect the money and the lead roles without speaking out on issues, which are important to the world. I know it has hurt him in the fickle entertainment world in which he hasn’t received certain roles because of his political stands, but he continues to be vocal not only about Africa but many other key issues.
Congratulations also goes out to Vice Admiral Michelle Howard on her being tapped by President Obama to become the Navy’s vice chief of naval operations. She earned it. I can’t see her not being confirmed, and quickly. The Republicans do not want to fight this battle, which a lot of women’s groups will be looking at closely. She paid her dues; she deserves it.
You know it’s odd that with the media saying this is probably President Obama’s worst year, Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund, by Meet the Press, said in an interview that the United States is gradually coming out of the economic stagnation, that the economy is growing, that the Stock Market is booming, and that unemployment is down to 7 percent and should soon be in the low 6 percent area. She says that the US is still the world leader and the economy is growing, not declining. Yet the news media is not talking about the economy, even though this is what most Americans are concerned about. They seem to be obsessed with the Affordable Care Act, which I believe will be a mute issue two years from now. I think that when it’s all said and done the Affordable Care Act will be one of the greatest things to ever happen in this country. But I do think there will have to be some minor changes. I believe that health care for all Americans regardless of their incomes has to be a must for all of us. And that this right must be implemented in all states, even Republican states that are against it, to make sure that low income people have access.
Some members of the School Board recently brought up the idea of the August Wilson Center for African American Culture being purchased as part of the CAPA. It sounds like a good idea, but it isn’t. The Pittsburgh Public Schools are having enough problems trying to come up with enough money to properly educate our children; they don’t need a $7 million white elephant.
The Board also voted down a proposal backed by Superintendent Linda Lane, where Bill Gates money would be used to implement a program in which teachers with life experiences in the field of math, science and others would be hired as teachers in the school system. This program has been in existence in other parts of the country for over 20 years, so it must have had some success. The old board voted it in; then the new board voted it out. I think it should have been given a chance. You have a failing system, why not try something new? No it would not have worked for all but it may have worked in the failing schools which it was recommended. Give it a trial period. What did we have to lose?
(Ulish Carter is managing editor of the New Pittsburgh Courier.)
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