Princella and The Future of the GOP

This past summer I had the pleasure of meeting Princella Smith.I have no fear that this nation will be well served by patriots such as Princella.Princella has the aptitude and the attitude to accomplish great things.There is room in the political process on both sides of the aisle for articulate young African Americans who relish being stakeholders in making America great. This will be the first of many profiles in greatness in the future of young American leadership.The Ed Gray blog will feature young Democratic and Republican leaders in this series.Meanwhile let's go up close and personal with Princella Smith in her own words.

I Voted for Selma and Obama

I did not vote in the past presidential election , not for me but I cast a vote in absentia for Selma Lane .Selma Lane was my grandmother who passed away ten years ago . I missed her much , she taught me a lot , among them a love for politics .
Often times as a young boy ,I would sit at her knee and she would tell me about the Depression . I learned about FDR and how he made it possible for rural southerners black and white to be able to eat again .
She talked about the Kennedy brothers like they were family members. I vividly recall watching the funeral of RFK and hearing my grandmother say that he should have been president. My grandmother pointed out to us often that LBJ's policies in regards to urban renewal made it possible for her to purchase her home.
Needless to say , I was raised a Democrat.
Most of all my conversations were the tragedies experienced of being an African American in this country. Selma Lane was a proud American , and she said that our greatness would be proven by how America deals with race issue. Often times she said that a black man would be elected president . I always doubted her , as I got older I cited to her the famous "Bradley effect" theory.She said that a black president would be elected not because he was black , or not elected in spite of being black,but elected because he was the best qualified.
I voted for Selma Lane last week because she couldn't cast her vote. I voted for Obama .My grandmother was right on two counts , she didn't live to see it , but America proved its greatness by burying the race issue and voting for what they believed was the best qualified.

The President Elect

You Can Vote For Who Ever You Like

I have a long standing involvement with America's youth .My campaigns in the 1990's were to improve the education of our youth. This is as much of my passion today as it was 20 years ago. I am involved in youth opportunities through out the Dallas Fort Worth area. From the YMCA to my involvement with the SMU mentoring program ,there is a need for us to work with our youth. I have seen the potential of America's future and it is great. I am not afraid of our future , because of the young Americans in this video we have nothing to fear , but everything to look forward to .
Often times we look at our youth and say in disdain , "My God" .I look at the youth in this video and say with joy "My God" . We can do this ,we can make a difference. Lets start with talking to our kids ,and then mentoring others in our neighborhoods. Maybe its at the YMCA , or the various PTA's the future of our youth can be molded by our involvement.
Like the young people in this video ,who extoll the virtues of the two presidential candidates we can vote for whoever we like. Regardless of who wins the presidential race ,they run for the future not the past .

Michael Crabtree Beats Texas

High School spirit is something that will always be with most people. One of the high points of childhood is your High School memories . Wow those were the times ! The fashions ,the music ,the friendships are something we never forget. Sometimes you can live your high school memory through a moment in the present .
This past weekend ,fellow Carter High School Alumnus ,Michael Crabtree beat the University of Texas,the number rank 1 college football team in the nation.This was done in the waning moments of a classic game .I have always been proud of my association with Dallas Carter High School and will always be.Michael Crabtree is also a proud alumnus . When he crossed the end zone to beat Texas ,he took Carter High with him. Thanks Michael for the ride! Lets get the Heisman!

Don't Forget Wainwright and Jefferson

I have talked to several people in the Dallas Fort Worth area regarding my support of judicial candidates . I believe that judges should be fair and not follow their own personal agendas. I don't care whether a judge is a Republican or Democrat . I care that they demonstrate the judicial temperament of a biblical Solomon.In regards to voting a straight Democratic ticket ,I view this cautiously as straight Democratic ticket in the past has rendered historically negative consequences in Southern courts. I wish that in Texas that all judicial candidates be elected on the ballot without regards of party labels .Let me get off that soap box and stand on the soap box to reelect two of the finest judges on the Texas Supreme Court .Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson and Justice Dale Wainright are my candidates for the Supreme Court Bench. Check out their compelling biographies on the you tube clip.

Here is the story behind Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson :



Here is the story bedind Justice Dale Wainwright :

Open Letter to Mr. President Elect 2008

A good friend of mine , and a loyal reader of this blog is Grand Prairie City Councilman Rick Sala. Rick has submitted the following open blog letter , to Mr. President Elect McCain or Obama . Often times I engage in deep political conversations regarding city and national politics . Rick Sala has some view points that need to be taken in consideration . In Grand Prairie we joke that Rick has just as much foreign experience as Governor Sarah Palin . Which is none. America has to look very carefully at small town mayors and councilmen . You never know what they are going to do next . Wasilla, Alaska population where Sarah Palin where the population is 9780. Rick Sala represents the Dallas , Texas suburb of Grand Prairie with a population of 153,000.Lately small town officials have been making a major impact.
Rick Sala has opined on military industrial complex and what can be done to stimulate the economy and protect America.

Rick Sala Letter to the Future President Elect 2008
Subject: Economy and U.S. Jobs

Mr. President,
You ran your campaign on fixing the economy and created jobs in the U.S. Here are my suggestions:
1) Do not fall back on the old methods of job programs and corporate welfare. Jobs will be created when there are manufacturing and construction needs in the economy and industry will train the workers they need when the economic incentive is there.

2) Place a 2-year moratorium on all H1-B visas and any guest worker programs. Let’s get our citizens to work before bringing in supposed low cost labor. The market collapse has erased many Americans retirement portfolios. Many experienced technical workers, such as programmers, machinists, engineers, etc. will need to work another five years to regain sufficient funds in there retirement accounts.

3) With the above in mind, you should pursue legislation to allow all 401-K, IRAs and other similar retirement accounts to be rolled into tax free retirement plans with no penalty.

4) Don’t give out any corporate loans or subsidies, instead, BUY STUFF. Don’t give GM a loan, buy thousands of Hybrid Tahoes and Chevy Volts. The day after you enter office, give GM a PO for a fleet of Chevy Volts and retire all the vehicles in the Government Fleet. Buy Toyota Priuses as well and vehicles like them, but stipulate that the vehicles have to be built in the U.S.

5) Increase, don’t decrease the number of F22s and F35s to be purchased so that aging planes in the Air Force and Marines can be retired.

6) Rapidly modernize the Navy.

7) Begin immediate construction of 35 Nuclear Power Plants as U.S. Gov’t Facilities. Treat these plants like many of the Dam Projects of the 1930’s especially Hoover Dam, where the government generated energy is then sold to commercial providers. This will solve the problem of over regulation of the inception of the project, and the need for industry to have the capital resources available upfront for projects of this scale.

8) Let the oil producers drill off shore and in ANWR.

9) Build high speed rail lines across the country and when complete lease the tracks to the railways. In this way the government covers the initial cost of construction of the rails, which is the huge upfront cost in high speed rail. This initial cost can be recouped over time through the leases. It will also create a long-term revenue source for the government. This will also allow the government to kill AMTRAK and get out of the passenger train business.

10) Do not attempt to save the Airline Industry. Let the dinosaurs die. The high speed rail above will solve a lot of domestic connectivity issues. The Southwest Airlines of the world will become larger regional carriers and then there will be some Trans-Continental airlines. The moneys that would go into bailing out the airlines should instead go into upgrading the aging Air Traffic control system. The one thing that can be done for the airlines is to allow them to purchase new airplanes and tax-free, (they all get around paying the tax anyway) and allowing them to expense the new planes very rapidly. The only problem with this proposal is that there is only one domestic plane manufacturer that could benefit from this. (SO WHAT?) Again, put Americans to work. While you are at it, the tax free purchase of the Aircraft should apply to any Aircraft purchased in the U.S. by anyone. This will create a huge renaissance in the U.S. Aerospace industry.

11) Finally, anyone wanting to build a manufacturing facility in the U.S. should be granted a five year tax abatement across the board on their investment. This means the building, fixtures, equipment, etc.

I believe these proposals cover all aspects of the U.S. Economy and will have a greater impact than any jobs program ever considered.

Rick Sala
Grand Prairie Texas