Politics. On Point.

Or Is It? When Stephen Colbert, host of Comedy Central, showed up on Capitol Hill this week to attend a session on illegal farm workers hosted by the United Farm Workers, he drew the largest crowd seen at a hearing, at least by Congress member John Conyers.  Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert Conyers, in his "I run Congress" persona complimented Colbert on his celebrity appeal to bring people out to participate in politics, saying he couldn't remember when a hearing drew such a crowd, but respectfully asked the comedian with the sudden political conscience to leave the room after for offbeat comments that included him saying, "I don't want my tomatoes picked by a Mexican.  I want them picked by an American." Colbert's comments also included him saying, "America's farms are presently far too dependent on immigrant labor to pick our fruits and vegetables then sliced by a Guatemalan and served by a Venezuelan in a spa where a Chilean g...

Congressional members convene at today's Congressional Black Caucus Town Hall Meeting. Photo/CD Brown  Mark your calendars to attend this year's Congressional Black Caucus events at the Washington Convention Center. This year's theme Vision, Journey, Mission will address many topics concerning Americans including jobs and education (especially for youth), and economic advancement.  In today's Town Hall meeting titled 'Educating Our Way To Prosperity' members on the panel that included Congressman Elijah Cummings, Representative Dianne Watson (D-CA), Chaka Fattah (D-PA), and author of The Other Wes Moore talked about educating youth for green jobs, and to think entrepreneurial instead working for someone else. "We must develop entrepreneurial opportunities", said Fattah. "In many cultures it's a common discussion to educate youth to think about starting a business." Congressman Elijah Cummings who sits on the Joint Economic ...

Health Care Reform Now, Please. What happens if we do nothing ? "We've come too far now to throw this bill out.  That's what the Republicans want us to do. Start all over", said John Conyers in a event during a   WPFW Raucus Caucus  radio discussion held this past Tuesday night at Ben's Next Door, a spin-off of the famous Ben's Chili Bowl. "We've been in this debate for over a year. Now, is the time.  Let's get it done." [Congressman John Conyers (middle) speaking during a radio sponsored event this past Tuesday on Health Care Reform. Photo by CD Brown for Politcs. On Point.] "All Democrats are voting for this bill", said Conyers.  "That's a sign of progress.  The fact that all Republicans are voting against it, doesn't mean that the government's broke.  It means we got to kick out the Republicans that are against it, or make some of them come over." Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich , sayi...

Tax Breaks For Employees Who Hire. After tackling the massive health care reform bill, the President is now (and has been, in between tasks) trying to get America back to work. The president plans to sign the HIRE Act , a jobs bill that will encourage businesses to hire and help put Americans back to work and restore the economy. "Through the eyes of economists, you look at the different stages of recovery. You look at whether an economy has begun to grow. At whether businesses have begun to hire temporary workers or increase the hours of existing workers. At whether businesses, small and large, have begun to hire full-time employees again." While the economy has seen an uptick in the number of constructions jobs being filled and the number of temporary workers being hired, many cities still face unemployment. In a radio address on Tuesday, Congressman John Conyers stated his home town of Detroit has a 30% unemployment rate. To that point, the president says, ...