"Dose of Reality" Volume.1 Issue.2

On the song "Black President," Nasir Jones samples a refrain from Tupac Shakur that says, "[and] though it seems heavensent, we ain't ready to have a black president." Apparently we are. We did it and we cannot feel more lifted. See, when you are a resident of a state, Florida, where an election can be stolen from under your nose, you hold your breath during the political process. We took five days to marinate on this historic event and as a result of being very emotional, the magnitude of this moment has yet to sink in. After spending a long night making phone calls to loved ones, most notably our grandparents, who lived through the highs and lows that signify OUR STRUGGLE as minorities in America, you cannot help but find yourself moved by how far we have come and continue to go. After the initial rush of euphoria subsided and we begin to gain clarity, we begin to think, "How will this affect our wallet?" Throughout his entire campaign, President Elect Barack Obama delivered messages of his plan to redistribute wealth and his desire to provide financial relief to the working middle class. Bottomline, as recent college graduates who struggle to fuel our cars given the sudden state of the economy, we need clarity. In an effort to explain how these "comprehensive tax plans" effect our paychecks, we came to some conclusions.

We know what you're thinking, "How do you go from reciting Nas lyrics to talking about taxes?" To be honest, the answer is rather simple. Hip-hop speaks to people about self-empowerment via the almighty dollar using laymens terms. It makes sense for us to try to decipher these economic models using vernacular that is most accessible to our audience. While the mainstream news media continues to make note of this "Tax Issue," most of us are youtubing Beyonce's new hit video. After all, who doesn't like money?

For the 95% of Americans who make 200k or less, these tax proposals may interest you. Allow us to provide you with a to the point, matter of fact, laymans version of our findings.

According to www.BarackObama.com:

1. Attention all grinders! Expect $500 individual workers and $1000 working couples for doing what you do. That's right! For all workers making less than 200k and families making no more than 250k, you will receive a phat stack for being a tax paying citizen. This is your reward for being a vital participant in our nation's economy. It doesn't matter whether you are working at Mickey D's flipping burgers or managing your local bank, expect a nice little kick back in the coming future with Barack Obama in office.

2. Do not fret college student. Obama's tax plan include a refundable $4000 tax credit for families sending their children off to college. That will make community college virtually free and cover approximately 2/3 of tuition costs at a public 4-year college.

3. For approximately 7.5 million baby mamas and daddies making it happen for you and your youngn' guess what? Barack Obama plans to increase tax benefits for child care! HALLELUJAH! Low income families can expect to receive up to a 50% credit on the first 6K of child care expenses.

4. Barack Obama also plans a universal 10% Mortgage Tax Credit that will offset mortgage interest payments making home ownership more affordable! Ownership is what it's all about.

These were some of our favorite highlights from Barack Obama's Comprehensive Tax Plan. Please take the time to think about our future and do some research on your own. Look into what you can expect from your government in the years to come!