The third question is from Michel Martin and speaks to the AIDS crisis.
Obama says that the African American community does not deal with AIDS upfront - in churches, at home, partially as a result of homophobia. When we are impoverished, when people don't have jobs, they're more likely to have a number of ills. We have to provide economic opportunities to create healthier communities.
Gravel says, again, that "the scourge of our present society is the War on Drugs. There's no reason to continue it in the slightest. It creates criminals out of people who are not criminals." He doesn't seem to have anything else on his mind.
Dodd mentions that universal coverage and access to coverage is necessary for a number of health issues in the African-American community.
Hillary is talking about women becoming infected in rural and underserved urban areas, and noted that if as many white women as black women had AIDS, there would be an uproar here. This is a multiple dimension problem, she says. And this is where things went a little nuts for a minute and I lost my train of thought.
Biden announces that he was tested for AIDS, and "so was Barack". Al Sharpton looked askance, and the pressroom erupted in laughter - mostly the bloggers, I have to say. Obama clarifies to his wife, sitting in the audience.
What?
The next question is about economic disparity. I'm still recovering from the end of the last one. Everyone speaks to taxes - primarily the repeal of the tax breaks for the wealthy. Gravel skews away from the war on drugs for a minute to say that the income tax should be eliminated.
Richardson suggests tax-free holidays for tech start-ups. We should be pro-growth Dems - the party of innovation and entrepreneurship. Can we say that globalization works for the middle class? Use the tax code - make it fair, generate jobs - Tavis cuts him off. Tavis is sassy.
Comments