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Posts published in “Politics”

Obama Says Consumer Watchdog Can Help With Credit Scores

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 (UPI) — U.S. President Barack Obama said the government’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will look out for working families and make everyone play by the same rules.

The consumer watchdog was established as part of Wall Street reform to make sure Americans have the information they need to make financial decisions such as paying for college or buying a home, Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address.

The agency will go after “anyone who tries to take advantage of you, or rip you off,” the president said.

“Starting this month, that includes the folks who come up with your credit score. … The companies that put your credit score together can make mistakes. They may think you had a loan or a credit card that was never yours. They may think you were late making payments when you were on time. And when they mess up, you’re the one who suffers,” Obama said.

“Until this week, if you had a complaint, you took it to the company. Sometimes they listened. Sometimes they didn’t. But that was pretty much it. They were your only real hope.

“Not anymore. If you have a complaint about your credit score that hasn’t been properly addressed, you can go to consumerfinance.gov/complaint and let the consumer watchdog know.”

President Barack Obama Backs Gay Marriage Initiatives in Three States

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign rally at Doolittle Park on October 24, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Obama is on a 48-hour campaign tour of battleground states, including Colorado, Florida and Iowa. (Photo by John Gurzinski/Getty Images)

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign rally at Doolittle Park on October 24, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Obama is on a 48-hour campaign tour of battleground states, including Colorado, Florida and Iowa. (Photo by John Gurzinski/Getty Images)

(AP) – President Barack Obama on Thursday threw his support behind ballot measures in Maine, Maryland and Washington state that would legalize same-sex marriage.  Though the president first voiced his general approval for gay marriage in May, he had not previously offered specific endorsements of the three measures.  In each case, the endorsements were issued through the state branches of Obama’s re-election campaign.

108-Year-Old Woman to Vote for the First Time

Joanna Jenkins: 108-Year-Old Woman to Vote for the First Time
Joanna Jenkins, a 108-year-old woman from Beaufort, South Carolina, is about to vote for the first time in her life.  After passing up her right for decades, she was finally compelled to cast her ballot after following this year’s presidential election and debates. Not only does she suddenly want to vote, but Jenkins’ cousin Shirley Lee says she’s excited about doing so and sharing the good news with everyone who visits.

Colin Powell Endorses Obama A Second Time

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell on CBS This Morning earlier today.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell on CBS This Morning earlier today.

Saying that “I think we ought to keep on the track that we are on” and that fellow Republican Mitt Romney has not “thought through these issues as thoroughly as he should have,” former secretary of state and retired Gen. Colin Powell this morning endorsed President Obama’s re-election bid.  Powell made the announcement on CBS This Morning. The show has been tweeting his comments and has posted video here.  Then-Sen. Barack Obama also got Powell’s endorsement in 2008.  Powell also told CBS that “I’m a Republican of a more moderate mold … dying breed.”

article by Mark Memmott via npr.org

GBN Quote Of The Day

“The act of registering to vote… gives one a sense of being.  The black man who goes to register is saying to the white man, ‘No.'”

–Stokely Carmichael aka Kwame Ture, former leader of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and honorary prime minister of the Black Panther Party

Ways To Find Your Polling Place Before November 6

If voters haven’t received their Voter Information Ballots by now, they should consider calling their local election offices before the Nov. 6 election to ensure that they have accurate information.  Another source of information is a website maintained by the League of Women Voters Education Fund called Vote 411. It enables voters to enter the address where they are registered and get information on polling places.  In addition, boards of election offices in most states maintain websites where voters can get information on how to find polling places.  Every vote counts – make sure yours is among them!

Judge Wilhelmina Wright Newest Minnesota Supreme Court Justice

History was made this past Tuesday (Oct. 16) when Judge Wilhelmina Wright was sworn in as the first African-American woman to serve on the state’s Supreme Court.  Wright joins Justice Alan Page as the only two African-American Minnesota Supreme Court justices. Page was elected to the Court in 1992 by the votes of the state. Wright was appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton to fill the vacancy created with the stepping down of Justice Helen Meyer.

South Africa’s Dlamini-Zuma Named First female African Union Chief

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 29: South African minister of foreign affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma addresses the UN General Assembly at the United Nations September 29, 2008 in New York. (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

 South African minister of foreign affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma addresses the UN General Assembly at the United Nations September 29, 2008 in New York. (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

Seventeen Years Ago Today: Million Man March Took Place On Washington’s National Mall

Million Man March
The Million Man March (pictured throughout), one of the most moving and emotional moments ever in African-American history, took place on the grounds of the National Mall on this day in 1995. The symbolic importance and cultural impact of the huge gathering signified a shift in the attention on issues that plagued urban environs and minorities. The National African American Leadership Summit and the Nation of Islam worked in tandem alongside local chapters of the NAACP to make the March a reality.

Forty-Eight Years Ago Today: Martin Luther King Jr. Wins Nobel Peace Prize

Martin Luther King Jr.
On Oct. 14, 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. received a Nobel Peace Prize for his work in the civil rights movement at age 35, making him the youngest person to receive the honor.  By the mid-’60s, King was known internationally for his work in advocating racial equality through nonviolent civil disobedience. King was influenced by Indian activist Mahatma Gandhi and appropriated many of his theories about nonviolence in his organization of peaceful protests that were often met with brutal violence by whites. 
Upon notification of his Nobel win, King announced that he would donate the $54,123 in prize money to further the civil rights movement.  King continued to work as an activist and an outspoken advocate of civil rights until he was assassinated on April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his hotel room in Memphis, Tennessee.
article by Naeesa Aziz via bet.com (Photo: Keystone/Getty Images)