Prop 33

Celes King IV  |   OW Contributor
Nov 1 2012

The drive for continuous auto coverage

Having spent much of my life immersed in it, I am well-acquainted with the work of advocacy for the disenfranchised.

Too often, however, those who take up that mantle assume a paternalistic posture toward those classified as “low-income,” which in this state is commonly read and sold as African Americans and Latinos.

During the political season, these forces, typically from outside the community, use the struggles of that demographic to sell positions that actually run counter to their interests.

Oct 18 2012

OW recommendation: No

This measure is stated to allow auto insurance companies to set prices based on a driver’s history of insurance coverage, and implies discounts for all.

It has appealing features cited by proponents, such as forgiving lapses in coverage of less than 90 days, lapses of up to 18 months if due to layoff or furlough, and the ability to transfer from one company to another. But the proposal, as it appears on the ballot, fails to provide and is not specific as to dollar amounts allowed or percentage of changes allowed to insurance companies to alter pricing formulas.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.