What's in your House?
Cover Story:
Carol's Daughter LISA PRICE Cooks Up the Ultimate Brand
Photography by Johnny Rodriguez on location at Indigo Arms Harlem
Written By Keira Wesley-Busher
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THOSE WHO DO
CONGRESSMAN CHARLES B. RANGEL
For the first time in our American history, we have leadership in key positions who intimately understand the infirmities of Black America. One, who stands out, hails from Harlem, raised by a single mother, is a wounded decorated war hero, and is most capable to reconcile the races, the classes and the nations by means of vision and expertise, is New York Congressman Charles B. Rangel.
Harlem has the good fortune and the access to one of today’s most powerful political figures. But most importantly, Harlem has a man in leadership who understands the plight of single mothers. He understands the debilitation of poverty and the necessity of economic development. And he has weathered the vicissitudes of politics to fearlessly take on Washington as the champion for the underserved. He fought for this country in the Korean War, was awarded a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star with Valor, he participated in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches, has represented Harlem in Congress for nearly 40 years and now sits as Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. He is Harlem’s man for such a time as this.
The honorable Rangel’s beginnings as a representative from the Village of Harlem in 1971 came after the very influential and colorful Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. On the shoulders of Powell and in the next progressive steps after the era of civil rights, Rangel spoke for the people of his district and for all impacted by the issues of those times. Harlem was then in a state of demise and suffered from the inner city conditions that prevailed across America. Rangel spoke to the world population about “us” without limiting his ideology to that singular perspective.
As we dwell in our comfort zones, it’s easy to overlook the modern conveniences we all enjoy and often take for granted. Even in tough economic times, like now, we’re pretty spoiled. In as much, people can sometimes forget how far they’ve come despite the omnipresent evidence to the contrary. However, there are people like Congressman Rangel who write legislation to ensure those modern day comforts everyone enjoys.
Borrowing an idea from a blog with a liberal slant, perspectives.com that looks into the everyday life of the average Joe, we use our viewpoint to drive home the point of how government affects our everyday lives. We’ll call our average Joe Citizen Joaquin, Let’s postulate the following scenarios:
Citizen Joaquin fills his coffee pot with water in the morning. The water is clean because someone in Washington, D.C. cared enough to fight for minimum water quality standards. Using that same water, he washes down his morning medication. These medications are safe because “someone” fought to ensure drug safety standards. These medications are paid for in good part by medical plans enforced by legislation guaranteeing Citizen Joaquin’s participation.
When Citizen Joaquin prepares breakfast, the bacon he consumes is safe to eat because of legislative requisites regulating the meat company that produced it. The canned and packaged food items in his pantry as well as the shampoos used to wash Citizen Joaquin’s hair have mandated labeling itemizing the ingredients because somewhere, someone cares! When he leaves home to go to work, the air Citizen Joaquin breathes is cleaner due to legislative oversight diminishing the pollution resultant as a by-product of industrial capitalistic efforts.
Congressman Rangel is part of these types of legislative processes and he also has a hand in other areas of Citizen Joaquin’s life whether Joaquin resides in the middle of Harlem, New York or in the middle of Salina, Kansas.
We just have to realize the benefit of someone like this who can navigate his way through the powers and at the same time has compassion for everything that affects Harlem. Consider the funding for subways, buses, railroads and the sidewalks we walk on.
Consider the importance of the services we are beginning to enjoy. Harlem can’t be overlooked because Harlem is in the house.
Lately, Mr. Rangel has been catapulted into the public eye as elements within the House of Representatives seek to investigate alleged ethics violations. It is alleged that Congressman Rangel, the Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, is guilty of committing infractions that would effectively call for him to step down from his powerful position. The importance of such can easily be gleaned by examining the nature and extent of the committee’s duties and his role as chairman.
The United State House Committee on Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. This committee has jurisdiction over all taxation, tariffs, and other revenue raising measures, including: Social Security, Unemployment benefits, Medicare, the enforcement of child support laws, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, a federal welfare program, foster care and adoption programs.
Of significance is the fact that since this committee was established during the first Congress in 1789. Only three men (James Polk, Millard Fillmore and William McKinley) of the sixty-three who have held the chairman’s position eventually became President of the United States. The Chairman of Ways and Means has always been deemed to be one of the most powerful members of Congress. And, due to its wide jurisdiction, in a policy sense, the Ways and Means Committee is one of the most important.
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