Senator Jon Kyl has the audacity to imply that folks receiving unemployment compensation, really don’t want to work. What kind of idiotic, self-delusional rhetoric is that for someone who, as a three-term Senator and now Republican whip, is suppose to be connected with the pulse of the people?

To suggest that the millions of out-of-work citizens think they can somehow thrive, get over even, on the meager, short-term checks, is to suggest that at our core we, as Americans, are as out of touch with reality as many of the bureaucrats who are suppose to represent us.

The Arizona pol summed up his ignorant rant by attesting that unemployment insurance, overall, “does not create new jobs. If anything, continuing to pay people unemployment compensation is a disincentive for them to seek new work.”

I wonder if Kyl remembers that hard work, for better or worse, has always been one of the beacons this country was founded upon. In fact, mine own ancestors were stolen and brought over in chains for this express purpose. Historically, this nation’s fictitious promise revolves around the myth that every man (or woman) will get the opportunity to work hard and earn enough to keep bread on the table and a roof over his or her head.

How ironic that even that measure of security has now largely evaporated—based on the job of a man who would now have you believe that it’s everyone else that doesn’t want to work?

Now that the Academy Awards have been announced and distributed for ‘Best in Show’ in Hollywood, it’s time to take a look at the real winners and losers when it comes to shaping the course of our nation. For better or worse, the players in D.C. are the real heavyweights. When all is said and done, let’s just hope that we, the American public, aren’t deemed and shown as the only real losers.

1. Best Director: Barack Obamba. The Prez wins a statuette for juggling two wars, being steadfast in attempting to rebuild a tattered economy, and finding ways to heal and treat more of the sick and feeble.

2. Most Deceitful Monologue: Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck share this honor. These two evil-spewing spinsters win based on the vile performances they wage each day in opposing anything even remotely championed by the world’s most powerful man.

3. Best Actress: Sarah Palin. Anyone that can essentially abandon one of the few political offices she’s actually held to write books, give speeches and host tea parties, yet still manage to look presidential to anyone at all easily merits this trite distinction.

4. Most Delusional Performance: John Edwards. So dog, what’d you think— they do background checks at the White House? Oh snap, you thought Desiree Rogers was in charge of them, right?

5. Best Movie: The Remaking of America. Granted this is a screenplay still in development, you have to admit that thus far it’s been one hell of a storyline.

6. Best Performance in a Foreign Film: The Republican Party. Led by the fric and frac leadership of Mitch McConnell and John Boehner and, based on their words and actions, they’ve got to be from another planet.

7. Best Costume Design: Michael Steele, as the Republican Party chairman. Enough said.

8. Best Animated Character: Republicans Joe Wilson and Jim DeMint. On the heels of Senator DeMint’s infamous quote of “If we’re able to stop Obama on this [health care] it will be his Waterloo” line, Congressman Wilson shouted “You Lie” during Obama’s attempt to address all the distortions.

9. Best Supporting Actress: Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi. While she and the administration haven’t always been in lockstep in articulating their respective visions, she has been the loyalest of loyal soldiers in trying to bring Obama’s agenda to fruition.

10. Best Screenwriter: Best selling “Game Change” authors John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, who through their words have laid the wheeling-and-dealing machinations of D.C. bare.

Al Sharpton and a contingent of African-American leaders recently staged a summit where they stopped just short of fully endorsing embattled Gov. David Paterson, but were sure to urge him not to resign. The out-spoken civil rights leader convened the group at Harlem’s well-known Sylvia’s restaurant and, over platters of soul food and ice tea, he and the likes of former Mayor David Dinkins and one-time gubernatorial candidate Carl McCall, chewed over the fate of the state’s first African-American leader.

In the wake of the latest scandal besieging NYC’s top executive, this one in which he is accused of intervening in a domestic violence dispute involving his closest aide, top state officials have urged the conflict-prone Harlemite to immediately vacate his office. And, in an effort to appease his harshest critics, Paterson has announced that he will not run for election. Yet, he remains steadfast in asserting that he will continue to serve the people of New York by completing the term he assumed just two years ago following the prostitution sting that spelled the end for his predecessor, Eliot Spitzer.

Not everyone, however, seems impressed with Paterson’s sense of valor. Even many within his own Party have called for his ouster, leading some of his supporters and minority pols in general to wonder if race may be at the root of their somewhat hasty rush to judgment.

“This is not the first time a governor has been under scrutiny. This is not the first time a governor has been investigated. To prematurely call for him to have his powers circumvented or have him removed, I think it’s unfair,” argued Senator Eric Adams, a Democrat based in Brooklyn.

Critics want Paterson to resign ASAP, or at least turn over a portion of his authority, particularly the power to negotiate the state’s budget, to his lieutenant governor Richard Ravitch. In the case of Paterson, race may or may not be a factor in the sudden and forceful push to instantly and disgracefully strip the state’s first black chief exec of his power to legislate. But certainly, bias dogging powerful Black men in America would be nothing new.

Or perhaps, it’s merely a problem of conceptualization—smoke and mirrors. As Senator Liz Krueger put it, perhaps it’s merely “a problem of perception.”

Illustration: Cartoonist Sean Delonas‘ latest and most unfortunate depiction of Gov. Paterson and his current trials.

The House finally passed its $15 billion jobs bill in an effort to get this nation back to work. This latest legislation is predominantly made up of tax breaks for businesses that hire unemployed workers, and still has to get final approval from the Senate. This small but noteworthy effort comes on the heels of the not-so-startling news that unemployment figures for last month remain stagnant.

Bureau of Labor Statistics data indicates current national unemployment still hovers around 9.7 percent, an unacceptable figure considering the longevity of suffering inflicted upon the American public already. In fact, a sizable number of Democratic ‘liberals’ voted against the effort, saying it’s too small to have real impact. Further, Rep. Tom Price, a prominent conservative Republican, called this bill “pure fraud,” claiming it wouldn’t even make a dent in our current crisis. “Today we received yet another reminder that the President’s agenda is anathema to robust job growth,” Price insisted.

Well, economists and politicos alike can spend their time predicting whether or not the liberals’ attempt to put forth piecemeal jobs-creation legislation will ultimately mean real progress in this area. Meanwhile, the majority of out-of-work Americans have to spend their time just trying to survive.

She regally reigned over 300 White House events with flair, grace and glamour. Though critics say that extra glitz may have been the problem. For under Desiree Rogers’ undutiful watch, three outsiders infamously crashed the president’s very first State Dinner. In the aftermath, and following months of heightened speculation about her Oval Office standing, Rogers has announced she will step down as social secretary.

The Secret Service was also lambasted for their dereliction in the duty of protecting the nation’s first African-American president at all times and cost. Still it was Rogers, a former corporate executive and longtime friend of the Obamas, who was under particularly intense scrutiny for her reportedly diva-ish behavior in what is commonly viewed in upper-government parlance as a low-key position. And her lavish photo spreads and picturesque profile haven’t done much to quell that image.

Rogers has admitted to not having proper staff at vital security checkpoints that could have identified guests or booted crashers like Carlos Allen or, even more notably, Tareq and Michaele Salahi. Alas, the talented Chicago transplant is now expected to return home, re-enter the corporate world, and prayerfully stimulate the Secret Service to step up their own game and do their job of keeping our president safe and protected.

Reuters Photo

New York’s Governor David Paterson, who vowed to work tirelessly for the under-served of the empire, has decided to throw in the towel.

Just last week, Paterson was defiant in his protestation that he would fight to the end in a bid to win re-election, and now has done an about-face, and will quietly step down. Following allegations that he interfered in a domestic violence claim in order to protect an aide, the two-year stint of New York’s first African-American governor will come to an end.

Ironically, the feisty then-lieutenant governor came into power due to scandal, involving his predecessor, Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who was enmeshed in a volatile sex scandal involving prostitutes, and it appears he will leave with that unfortunate cloud still hovering. Paterson has shown an amazing grasp of issues facing the state, including healthcare and fiscal initiatives. However, even the Obama administration is said to have been active in pushing the embattled governor to step down in an effort to procure a more winning Democratic candidate for the upcoming election.

Paterson, it seems, is a good man, and a great politician—yet perhaps a little too prone to scandal.

Once again President Obama reaches across the aisle, and ends up going heads up with partisan-laden Republicans as he tries to move healthcare reform forward. During today’s heated healthcare summit, called by Obama to find real ways to bridge the gaps in differences over policy, Senate Republican John McCain has already come out swinging. The ‘08 presidential campaign loser argued that the current bill was created by backdoor bargaining, and thus needs to be trashed. And further, he and his cronies argued, a totally new legislation should be crafted from the ground up.

“The election’s over,” Obama immediately retorted, reminding the Arizona curmudgeon that the time for talking points is over, and that the time for true reform is now. Moreover, the GOP makes the legitimate argument that the nation simply cannot afford the cost of the bill—nearly $848 billion over 10 years. And, although cost is an extremely important factor, especially as our nation faces a current trillions-dollar deficit, the cost of the loss of quality-of-life for us all, far outweighs the dollar bill.

Republican leaders prepare for action @ Healthcare Summit. From left: Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Sen. John McCain, and Jon Kyl. (Photo courtesy CBS.News.Com)

Overall, our Prez may have the heart of a gambler—just maybe one not quick enough in throwing the dice to pass both job creation and healthcare reform legislation anytime soon. Our esteemed leader would rather make serious and somber judgment calls about such decisions that will affect our nation for decades.

As for taking a hit, Obama was criticized by Nevada business leaders and local government officials alike after suggesting companies that had gained access to bailout capital should not blow it at Vegas gambling spots. The embattled leader went on to hint that struggling Americans, in general, should not blow their hard-earned benjamins in similar fashion.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, in particular, took stark offense, charging that Obama’s comments only serve to feed into the “unjustified stereotypes” of the city. “I … understand the need for accountability, but your comments are harmful to the meetings and convention industry as a whole and Las Vegas specifically,” Goodman ranted.

Ever quick on the shuffle when countered, Obama responded by proclaiming his undying love for the financially ailing gambling metropolis, further appeasing the offended with his smooth and calming words: “Let me set the record straight, I love Vegas.” He even went on to joke that the night before he “drew a flush on the river and cut the budget deficit in half.”

Our greater majority took a gamble on Obama. And yes, we’ve taken a few hits. But, at least we know we have a shot at a jackpot in the new game he is mastering.

So many talking-heads are calling Joseph Stack a nut for writing his vitriolic-filled manifesto against the government, then setting fire to his home, all before suicidally crashing his plane into an office building housing tax workers. Yeah, on the surface these actions are those of a man who is torn apart by insanity; and, as authorities speculate, begrudged of the IRS. Yet, if we dare to peer beneath the veneer of this tragedy, which reportedly caused both the deaths of Stack as well as an office employee, we may find a quite obvious link between this man and our nation’s evolutionary frailty.

After all, this Texas software engineer had a family, and had tried to start a few businesses (though unsuccessfully) in his attempt to live out the American dream. Remember this dream, the one where you’re taught that if you work hard and long enough, you can get that nice home for your family, and a car (maybe two), and even that nice fence? Well, many now acknowledge that this “dream” is no longer (if ever) plausible as we face extraordinarily dire economic conditions that now plague our majority.

However, most do not go out and kill once this reverie falls apart. “Sane” folks gather themselves, and their thoughts, and try and pull the pieces back together. Joe Stack took a route less taken—horrific and disturbing.

In his own statement, Joe Stack defined insanity for himself: “I saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different. I am finally ready to stop this insanity. Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let’s try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well.”

These are the fatal words of an ordinary man ravaged by his own dream…

The number of unemployed in our nation has actually dipped .3 percent to an overall 9.7 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Yet as it stands, it is estimated that there remains an astonishing— nearly 15 million folks yet out of work.

Further scrutiny illustrates that Blacks are even more non-void, disturbingly weighing in at a 16.5 percent clip of unemployment. And, if you can believe it, the reality of the numbers sting even more within the depths of the ‘hood.

President Obama’s White House insists that the stimulus package saved or created up to two million jobs; and, in an effort to trumpet that success, are now sending out the troops, among them V.P. Joe Biden, to shake hands and exchange pleasantries with those fortunate and blessed enough to still be hanging on. All this comes as part of an effort to convince the ever-tiring public that job creation is in fact on the upswing.

As for how to pay for any further job-growth agenda, the administration has suggested using remaining TARP funds from the bailout program initiated by the prior administration. And of course, the Republicans have countered by doing what it is they do best: opposing.

The time for such political chicanery has painfully come and gone. We, as a nation of deserving Americans, demand at least that much.