by Jesse J. Lewis, Sr.

The Republican establishment won big during this year’s midterm elections, fending off far-right candidates in primary races who might have threatened the party’s bid to retake full control of Congress.
According to CNN, GOP leaders will have to keep an eye on a wide-open presidential primary along with internal party fights at the House, Senate and gubernatorial levels. That could spread the party thin and leave an opening for conservative activists to pluck off established leaders with greater ease, particularly in congressional races as much of the attention shifts to the battle for the White House.
Conservatives, smarting from their losses this cycle, already fettering organized for 2016 and they came out of this month’s government spending fight furious that congressional Republicans produced no tangible response to President Obama’s immigration executive action and convinced that Republicans are still ceding issues to Democrats after the election.
My strong opinion is that Jeb Bush will be the Republican nominee and Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee. In spite of Jeb Bush being accused of being too liberal, there are some Americans who will refuse to vote for him because he would be the third generation of Bushes in the White House, but in the end the Republican Party will decide that their only chance of winning the White House is with Jeb Bush.
Paul Lindsey, spokesman for establishment-friendly outside group American Crossroads, said nominating strong candidates takes on added urgency because of the tough political terrain for Republicans.
“I think candidate quality is very important, especially given the fact that we have the Senate and we’ll want to make sure that we maintain it – and we have a map with a lot of Republican senators who are up for reelection in purple or blue states that Obama won.”
It is my opinion that people cannot mention the age of Hillary Clinton and her trying to build a dynasty, or her being a life-long politician and use it against her. Jeb Bush is a mirror image of Hillary Clinton. The same things apply to him also.
If 75 percent of Hispanics and Blacks turn out to vote, then Hillary will win. But we must remember that Jeb Bush will carry at least 20 percent of Hispanic and 2 percent of the Black voters. Most people will agree that this will be an interesting, long-fought race between both parties for the nomination. Between them, they will spend more than a billion dollars.

By Mahari A. McTier
My article this week is in response to a recent article I read on AL.com. After reading this article, it led me to further confirm that some people still just don’t get it and will never understand that what we are experiencing today with racism, bigotry, and prejudice in policing is not as black and white as some people want to make it. The article reads:
Racism is just an excuse:  reader opinion
Police being accused of racism and unlawful punishment against blacks is getting out of control. All anyone has to do is read or listen to the news all over the country and see that a high percentage of crime is committed by blacks and that is the reason more blacks are in prison than whites. Racism has nothing to do with it, it’s just an excuse. The old saying “Do the crime, do the time” means just that. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson should preach peace instead of racism, marching, rioting, stealing and destroying property.
Politicians should butt out and pay more attention to this country’s problems instead of concentrating on racism. Blacks need to stop living in the past and blaming others for their problems. They need to get educations and jobs so they wouldn’t have time for crime, rioting or marching.  If people want what others have, they should work for it and not expect the American dream to be handed to them.
 Police have the right to defend themselves and protect citizens. That is their job.
Sandra Prentice
I will address a few of my concerns about this article. The writer in my opinion sees a nation where the playing field is totally equal. Her statements would be totally true if we had a legal system that prosecuted and sentenced Black and white offenders equally. Her statements would be totally true if access to opportunity and capital was equal for everyone. Her statements would be true if all schools, regardless of zip code, had equal resources and tools to educate our kids. And the list goes on and on…. It is easy for some to say just forget the past and move on, go get a job, start a business, and just shut up and stop complaining if they don’t understand that there are some systemic barriers for some people. A friend once shared this analogy with me. Three people line up to race, all of them in cars, but one is driving a Ferrari, one a Ford Focus, and the other a Chevrolet Chevette. Who is going to win the race? Of course, the Ferrari. You get my point.
Statistics show the following:
According to the New York Times, Black Americans were nearly four times as likely as whites to be arrested on charges of marijuana possession in 2010, even though the two groups used the drug at similar rates, according to new federal data.
Black men were more than six times as likely as white men to be incarcerated in federal and state prisons, and local jails in 2010, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.
In 2010, the incarceration rate for white men under local, state and federal jurisdiction was 678 inmates per 100,000 white U.S. residents; for Black men, it was 4,347. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Black men were more than six times as likely as white men to be incarcerated in 2010.
In no way am I giving African-Americans a pass for committing crime and doing stupid things like looting, and yes I believe that if you do the crime you should do the time. We only ask that we all operate under a system of justice that is fair. I say to Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, keep marching. We need individuals to bring attention when attention is due. African-Americans want to work, but most often Africa-Americans are last hired and first fired.
I encourage my people to do better and want better. We must restore hope in our disadvantaged communities. John Hope Bryant, Founder and Chairman of Operation Hope, in his recent book ‘How the Poor Can Save Capitalism’ states that there are three things that define poverty and struggle. They are self-confidence, self-esteem, and belief in oneself; role models and environment; aspiration and opportunity. Or the lack of these things.
Without these things you create a hopeless people and when people lose hope you have just created the most dangerous person in the world. The kids in these communities are only modeling what they see when they act out with negative behavior. Crime and poverty create a vicious cycle: A child raised in a chaotic environment is not likely to learn the habits that foster success. Black children afflicted with these disadvantages often take the wrong path as teens or adults. And when they turn out badly there’s an important conversation to be had about violence in poor Black neighborhoods, but not without also talking about the inequality running through all parts of residents’ lives.

(Mahari A. McTier is a Financial Advisor with Tier 1 Advisors, LLC and can be reached at maharimctier.tier1@gmail.com.)

By Stephen Blank

Russia shows no sign that it is willing to de-escalate tensions with the West. Troops remain in Ukraine and continue to violate the cease-fire there, even as the Kremlin launches multiple military probes into the Baltic littoral states. Virtually every day, the United States and its allies are forced to scramble military assets in response to Russian incursions.
This state of affairs requires a broader U.S. strategy. America’s response cannot be confined to Europe. It must also incorporate investments in deterrent technology that keep our citizens safe, specifically missile defense.
Domestic constraints abound, to be sure. The pressure on the Pentagon’s finances has never been greater. Budgetary concerns are now driving a debate about whether to continue production of the exo-atmospheric kill vehicle (EKV), an essential component of modern missile defense. Some argue that the EKV program should be shelved and a new interceptor built from scratch.
That proposal is both fiscally imprudent and strategically dangerous. Because missile threats from Russia, as well as China and rogue state actors such as Iran and North Korea, already exist, the United States simply cannot afford to remain undefended for the years that would be needed to erect a new system.
Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis was fond of noting that, when formulating military strategy, “the enemy gets a vote.” When it comes to missile defense, this is sage advice; numerous nations already pose a threat to the United States, and they certainly won’t wait for American officials to navigate our long and costly procurement cycle.
Russia is just one such nation. There are many others. North Korea continues to process nuclear material for a long-range weapon. Iran’s relations with the U.S. remain unstable, and the Islamic Republic is closer than ever to nuclear capability.
The chaos wrought by the Syrian civil war could open a power vacuum in the Middle East, making it even easier for terrorist groups to get their hands on dangerous missiles. Meanwhile, China continues building its defense capabilities.
Investing in improving existing systems – the EKV prominent among them – is the most effective way to meet these threats.
The science behind the current approach is sound. The EKV catches a ride with a rocket into space, then has the job of targeting and destroying an incoming enemy missile. This technology was originally introduced by the Bush administration in response to the threat posed by North Korea.
At the time, the EKV was little more than a complex prototype. However, it has evolved considerably since, and a series of successful tests have demonstrated that ongoing design upgrades are making the EKV more accurate.
This year, the Missile Defense Agency will decide whether to spend an additional $300 to $400 million on near-term improvements to the EKV or to pledge more than $1 billion for a competition to build a new one. Some critics are already claiming that continuing investment in the EKV would be tantamount to throwing good money after bad.
But that thinking doesn’t fit the evidence. The technology behind the EKV has steadily improved in recent years. And the military can bring insights from other successful missile programs – such as the highly effective SM-3 interceptor – to further expedite EKV refinements.
What’s more, spending $1 billion on a brand-new interceptor is fiscally irresponsible. The Pentagon should be looking for ways to trim budgets, not inflate them.
Russia, China, North Korea and Iran are all building up their military capabilities. Some of their leaders are dead-set on attacking the United States. We must answer this threat by keeping our missile defenses progressing, thereby sending a clear signal that America is prepared to protect itself and its allies. Defense officials must ignore the calls to start from scratch.

Stephen Blank is a Senior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council.