Ron Desantis's fatherhood initiative is form over substance

Nobody asked me but...

***I find it appalling that inflation during the first quarter of 2022 has increased consumer prices across America by 8.4 percent according to the latest consumer reports! From the gas pump to the grocery store, prices are astronomical and for no really good reason when considering that America is NOT at war in Europe!

The blame has less to do with politics, per se; politics play a part, mind you, but a subordinate one to corporate greed. Which, eventually, reverts to politics because the entire Republican Party genuflects at the altar of corporate America, while quite a few Democrats are too afraid to be called "socialists" to ponder reforms that could ease the suffering of consumers who are struggling to make ends meet...

*** Pakistan's legislators on Monday elected Shehbaz Sharif as the nation's new prime minister, this coming days after the former prime minister, Imran Khan, was deposed following a "no-confidence" vote due to his performance in office. 

Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif

In the political game of chess that has become all the more crucial since Russia invaded Ukraine this past winter, Sharif's relationship with China, which includes helping to facilitate the lucrative China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, not to mention his positive reviews from leaders in rival India, are crucial as the United States and its western allies continue to lobby other major economic and nuclear powers to encourage Russia to stand down by cutting off its trade routes and access to business partners. 

***After two full years of the pandemic, I, like most of my readers, am sick of all things Covid; it seems that each time we get our hopes up for a return to normalcy, that some new strain or surge pops up out of nowhere. 

Nancy Pelosi, Susan Collins, and Merrick Garland have recently tested positive for Covid…

Over the past several months, a "who's who" of political leaders along the Eastern Seaboard have announced that they are Covid positive, including former President Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Attorney General Merrick Garland, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Sen. Susan Collins (R-Me.), NYC Mayor Eric Adams, Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and Elaine Luria (D-Va.).

While I know that the majority of Americans have been vaccinated and boosted at least once, as I prepare for my second booster, I once again encourage all of my readers to exercise caution and good common sense when in public spaces because the threats to our health are still very real!

***With the City of Philadelphia announcing that it will soon reinstate mandatory indoor masking, I can easily predict that the next surge will find Democratic led cities following Philly's lead, while Republican led cities, or states with Republican governors, will resort to their laissez-faire approach to the pandemic.

Chief among the right wing anti-mask leaders is Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, a man whose popularity and campaign coffers ($100 million and counting) surged in 2021 due to his loud and oft ignorant fight against common sense pandemic measures across the state.

To my Florida native chagrin, I am bracing myself for yet another round of Ronnie's reckless rhetoric—and the raucous applause it receives from the modern day "Know Nothings" who dwell among me here in Sunshine State!

***Speaking of health, it gives me great pleasure to introduce my sister Christa R. Owens, a University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Harvard Business School alumna who is one of the leading proprietors of Plexus products that help regulate stomach health and, in the process, helps facilitate weight loss while improving heart, circulatory, and skin health!

Christa R. Owens

Further, I am proud to introduce a new monthly segment within which Hobbservation Point readers can pick up on the lessons that I and others on Facebook eagerly devour (no pun intended) each time "Sista Christa" posts—lessons that have helped me in my own journey to weight loss and better overall health! 

Stay tuned...

***Circling back to Gov. Ron Desantis, yesterday, Florida's governor flew to the Tampa Bay Bucs facility to tout his new"Fatherhood" initiative. For those unfamiliar, the Florida legislature will channel $70 million dollars to support fatherhood initiatives among civic help groups.

Desantis (center) flanked by a number of well wishers, including former Tampa Bay Coach Tony Dungy (second row)…

Among those standing tall with Desantis was former Tampa Bay Coach Tony Dungy, a man whose faith often places him ideologically in league with conservatives on LGBTQ and "family" matters.

My issue with Desantis and this initiative is that it is the equivalent of trying to alleviate pain from brain cancer with a BC headache powder—it will hardly attack the roots. 

You see, absentee fatherhood has been a plague in America for quite some time, but $70 million dollars and a photo-op simply will not address what's at the core of ghost dads in Florida, which includes a public education and trades skills system that's been gutted by Republicans for over two decades; a criminal justice system fancied by Republicans that is quick to tag the scarlet "F" for "felon" on fathers for ticky tack crimes like driving with a suspended license—licenses, mind you, that are often suspended due to child support arrearages that place some fathers in the bind of choosing whether to drive to work on that suspended license—or go to jail/prison for not providing!

Then, to add insult, fathers that have paid their jail/prison debts often find it hard to get a job due to that scarlet "F" all because Republicans like Desantis talk "grace" and “forgiveness” at faith conferences with men like Coach Dungy, but show no grace or forgiveness at all to former felons whose past mistakes often hinder them from working or voting!

So, Desantis can miss me with the symbolic gestures like these that do not get to the roots of the problems that many Florida fathers face!

HBCU History!

The Hobbservation Point extends kudos to Ameshya Williams-Holliday, the Jackson State University All-SWAC center who became the first player from an HBCU to be selected in the WNBA Draft! 

On Monday, Ms. Williams-Holliday was the 25th overall selection of the Indiana Fever, and her selection shows, once more, that if you have talent and work hard, that the professional ranks will find you at an HBCU!

Thank you for subscribing to the Hobbservation Point—have a wonderful Tuesday!