I’m quite familiar with Detroit. I’ve been there many times. I was born in Sandusky, Ohio, and I can see that many Detroiters are familiar with my hometown, too, as evidenced by the license plates of the cars snaking their way along the roads leading to Cedar Point.

Ohio has a Rust Belt problem, too. On two occasions (2002 and 2004) I was the Republican candidate for state representative in a portion of Ohio’s Rust Belt, encompassing Lorain, Oberlin, parts of Elyria, and the vicinity. I didn’t win the elections, as one would expect in such Democrat bastions, but I had a chance to think long and hard about remedies for Rust Belt decay as I drew up my own economic development plans for the district I hoped to represent.

It would take a book to detail each facet of what I envisioned, and even my own blog, to date, contains only a fraction of my proposals, so I don’t plan to elaborate much within this thread (it’s already a wall of text, as it is), but my approach to urban renewal differs from most other approaches I’ve come across. My approach is different because my assessment of the causes of the decay are different. While I readily agree that Detroit’s economy must be diversified to counter the prevailing trend, I do not think that the auto industry is at the root of the decay at all. Attitudes are at the root of the decay.

I don’t know his politics, I don’t know which issues he’s campaigning for, and I don’t know about his background but I do know Democrats. Most importantly, I know racism when I see it. That’s why I’m supporting the candidacy of Alvin Greene in South Carolina. I am not endorsing him but I do endorse his right to run. Liberals hate that I constantly accuse them of being the racists that they are. Too bad. The colossal push to force a black man out of a race he won fairly provides more proof why the Democratic Party is the most racist institution in America today.

The Alvin Greene story reads like a Hollywood script. Here you have a veteran without any political pedigree, get rejected by the party machine then miraculously gets accepted by the people. He achieves the improbable goal of winning his party’s nomination in a statewide race with few resources. Unfortunately for Greene, he has reached far beyond the boundaries reserved for black politicians. He will now suffer the wrath of the Democratic machine because of his ambition and desire to serve his state. While blacks are the most loyal Democrat voters, the party has made it clear that as long as a black person runs for a seat in an all-black district, he won’t have any problem with his party. For the record, Obama doesn’t count. When I say “black,” I am referring to Americans like me that trace their roots to enslaved Africans.

When one takes upon themselves the mantel of ministry, they take upon the role of a servant. Yes, a servant. This is an uncomfortable feeling for many individuals, because it is human nature to want acceptance, moments in the spotlight, and to be embraced with praise and glorification for our various deeds. Yet, with the call of ministry comes the abandonment of self, the crucifixion of pride, and the concluding fact that you are called to serve a cause greater than one’s self.

Ministry, in a religious respective, is an expression of the will of the religious faith. Politics, in theory, is an expression of policy or legislative affairs that should reflect the will of the constituents. Politics is a ministry, in the sense that the elected leaders are called to serve. In essence, they take on the title of “public servants.” In various parts of the international world, the word “ministry” is widely used. For example, we use the terms “Secretary of Defense/Secretary of State” to relate to our nation’s top military advisor and top diplomat. Overseas, the term used to relate to these positions are “Defense Minister and Foreign Minister.” I find this strikingly intriguing in the fact that “minister” is used to imply that government intends to minister, or to reach out through self-less service, to its constituents. Anytime the government takes on the term of “minister” it is responsible for expressing outreach through humility and having a passion for people

HipHopRepublican.com recently sat down with Sophia Davis for an excusive interview. Sophia, is a 23 years old Capitol Hill staffer for Senator George V. Voinovich. In this interview Sophia Davis talks about her views on Healthcare, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and her future plans in Washington, DC.

As a business owner I believe I work hard for my money and should be able to keep most of it. On the social side, I think two consenting adults, including if of the same sex, should be able to get married. I believe my faith influences and shapes a lot about my life, but I think that politicians and others start to cheapen religion when they use it for votes. I’ll stop there and start my rant.

The assumption that there must be intra-racial aligned group-think is essentially racist. The best possible thing humans can do is to educate themselves and explore the intellectual world around them in an effort to be independent thinkers, not drones programmed to think one way, and act one way and even vote one way based on race.