Anderson@Large

A Change is Gonna Come to Egypt

I am following the uprising in #Egypt on Twitter and other social networks.

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When I was a USAID contractor in Cairo, I used to walk across the Qasr al-Nil Bridge to Tahrir -- or Liberation -- Square on my way to the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. There was some looting early on; fortunately, the museum is now guarded by the military and concerned civilians.

Hosni Mubarak, the last pharaoh, has enjoyed a 30-year run but the jig is up. The people say they will not move from Liberation Square until Mubarak steps down.

Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei has joined the chorus of voices saying it's time for Mubarak to leave:

Our essential demand is the departure of the regime and the beginning of a new Egypt in which each Egyptian lives in virtue, freedom and dignity. You can call this a revolution, you can call this uprising, you can call it anything.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made the rounds of Sunday talk shows. Although Clinton called for an an orderly transition to a democratic government, she stopped short of calling for Mubarak to get to stepping.

Clinton told ABC News' Christiane Amanpour:

And we have been consistent across those three decades in arguing that real stability only comes from the kind of democratic participation that gives people a chance to feel that they are being heard. And by that I mean real democracy, not a democracy for six months or a year and then evolving into essentially a military dictatorship or a so-called democracy that then leads to what we saw in Iran.

[…]

We believe that democracy, human rights, economic reform are in the best interests of the Egyptian people. Any government that does not try to move in that direction cannot meet the legitimate needs of the people. And in the 21st century, it is highly vulnerable to what we have seen in the region and beyond. People are not going to stand by any longer and not be given the opportunity to fulfill their own God-given potential.

Mubarak pulled the kill switch on the Internet. Show your support for the Egyptian people by signing the petition calling on ISPs to break the blackout of 21st century communications tools.

A change is gonna come.

UPDATE: Google has teamed up with Twitter to provide the people of Egypt with a speak2tweet service.

Alaska Native Firms Get Money for Nothing

Many in the mainstream media are in the grip of Palin Derangement Syndrome. Another Alaska phenomenon should also feel the hot glare of the media spotlight: Alaska Native Corporations.

From Day One, I have been tracking stimulus spending and minority business enterprises. To date, the total value of federal stimulus contracts awarded to 8(a) firms is roughly $2.7 billion, including $1.5 billion in sole source contracts.

Alaska Native Corporations have received a disproportionate number of 8(a) contracts. A ProPublica analysis found that through September, ANCs have received $832 million in direct stimulus contracts:

Through September, ANCs had won stimulus contracts worth $823 million for 742 projects, according to the most recent government data. More than 350 projects, or nearly half, rely on subcontractors to do at least some of the work.

By comparison, all other stimulus contractors subcontracted more than 5,600 of nearly 26,000 stimulus projects, or 22 percent. Other minority-owned firms hired subcontractors on 33 percent of their projects.

[...]

The stimulus reports suggest that ANC subcontracting sends a substantial portion of revenue to outsiders. Of the $470 million in ANC stimulus projects that are at least halfway completed, native corporations awarded about $200 million to other contractors, ProPublica found.

ANCs play by a different set of rules. A 2009 investigation by the Senate Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight found a majority of ANCs exceed 8(a) size requirements.

ProPublica notes “ANC subsidiaries have come to dominate the SBA program”:

While other firms in the program have a limit of $3.5 million on contracts for services and $5.5 million on contracts for goods, ANCs are exempt and have won awards exceeding $100 million.

The exemption makes ANCs a potentially lucrative partner for large firms acting as subcontractors. And government contracting officers turn to ANCs to avoid lengthy competitions and meet their small business contracting goals. ANCs also may compete for contracts.

And get this: While other minority firms have a nine-year limit on participation in the 8(a) program, ANCs can stay in perpetuity. In fact, ANCs are among the largest federal contractors.

If you agree with Senate Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight Chairman Claire McCaskill that ANCs' “contracting preferences also create the potential for waste, fraud, and abuse,” make some noise.

The new sheriff in town, House Oversight & Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, wants to hear from you.

Let Issa know ANC's unfair competitive advantage hurts your ability to create jobs.

Tweet This

A new Pew Internet report found that in the run-up to the 2010 midterm elections, 22 percent of online adults were “political social media users.” They used social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to get involved in a campaign, share political news and information, or encourage their friends to commit to vote.

And unlike in 2008, Democrats do not have an advantage:

Overall, Democratic and Republican voters are equally likely to use social networking sites (among internet users, 58% of Democrats and 54% of Republicans do so). This is a notable change from the 2008 campaign, in which Obama voters were significantly more likely than McCain voters to use these sites, and reflects recent overall trends in social networking site adoption by older adults (who tend to lean Republican in their voting habits). Similarly, both supporters and detractors of the “Tea Party” movement each use these sites at roughly similar rates (54% of internet users who agree with the Tea Party movement and 60% of those who disagree with the group use these sites, a difference that is not statistically significant).

Aaron Smith, a senior research specialist at Pew, said in a statement:

The social networking population as a whole has grown larger and demographically more diverse in recent years, and the same is true when it comes to political activity on social networking sites. These platforms are now utilized by politically active individuals of all ages and ideologies to get news, connect with others, and offer their thoughts on the issues that are important to them.

Read more: 22% of online Americans used social networking or Twitter for politics in 2010 campaign

The State of the Union

I half-listened to President Obama's State of the Union address. Before the first word was uttered, House Republicans said any calls for new spending “investments” would be DOA.

I am on the White House media list so I had an embargoed copy of the speech. I was eager to see whether Obama addressed black joblessness. He didn't.

But Obama did address the needs of illegal immigrants:

One last point about education. Today, there are hundreds of thousands of students excelling in our schools who are not American citizens. Some are the children of undocumented workers, who had nothing to do with the actions of their parents. They grew up as Americans and pledge allegiance to our flag, and yet live every day with the threat of deportation. Others come here from abroad to study in our colleges and universities. But as soon as they obtain advanced degrees, we send them back home to compete against us. It makes no sense.

Now, I strongly believe that we should take on, once and for all, the issue of illegal immigration. I am prepared to work with Republicans and Democrats to protect our borders, enforce our laws and address the millions of undocumented workers who are now living in the shadows. I know that debate will be difficult and take time. But tonight, let’s agree to make that effort. And let’s stop expelling talented, responsible young people who can staff our research labs, start new businesses, and further enrich this nation.

Obama's latest call for so-called comprehensive immigration reform largely fell on deaf ears.

In an e-blast, Roy Beck of NumbersUSA wrote:

Well, here was the crazy talk that all those American kids who have graduated recently and are unemployed or underemployed don't deserve protection but instead should be forced to compete with tens of thousands of foreign students for these jobs.

There was a smattering of applause, but I saw NO standing. Nice!

As bad as the language of the President's text -- and as disappointing that he would not put unemployed Americans first by reducing immigration -- I am reassured that this section of the speech basically bombed.

For the majority of Americans, that's the bomb.

State of the Union and Black Joblessnes

President Barack Obama will deliver his second State of the Union address tonight at 9 pm ET.

In a video emailed to his political supporters, Obama gave a preview of what he will say:

I'm focused on making sure the economy is working for everybody, for the entire American family.

When all is said and done, will Obama give a second thought to chronic black joblessness? African Americans are, after all, his most loyal supporters.

The Center for American Progress reports:

African Americans saw few economic gains during the last business cycle, with stagnant or declining homeownership and wages, high unemployment rates, and low employment rates even as the economy grew.

I agree with the Center that disparate problems require targeted solutions:

First, policymakers need to pay continued attention to the weak labor market to ensure there is a rising tide that can lift all boats. Second, policies intended to create more jobs need to include provisions that particularly target communities of color. Third, policymakers need to put in place policies that go beyond the immediate need for job creation for everybody to help erase differences in economic security and opportunity by race and ethnicity.

Read more: The State of Communities of Color in the U.S. Economy

Redistricting Matters

Beginning in early February, the Census Bureau will release redistricting data to the states. The data will include counts of total persons by race, Hispanic origin and voting age for each legislative district and voting district, down to the block level.

Once the data sets are released, redistricting will kick into high gear.

Last week, I attended a Brookings Institution briefing on public participation in the redistricting process. Thomas Mann provided an overview of how this round of redistricting will be more transparent.

For info about DIY redistricting, check out the Public Mapping Project.

For background info about the redistricting process, go to Tracking Change. You can also join the conversation on Tracking Change's Facebook page.

It's My Anniversary

Six years ago today, I published my first blog post. I published it on the fly at Harvard, where I was attending a conference, Blogging, Journalism & Credibility: Battleground and Common Ground.

I did not own a laptop in 2005 so I had to practically beg a staffer to let me use her computer. I'm audacious but I was not going to show up at an invitation-only event without having published a single blog post.

Three laptops and nearly 1,500 posts later, I'm still passionate about blogging.

But passion doesn't pay the bills. And you know “ain't nothing going on but the rent.”

If you value this independent source of news and information and fact-based commentary, show me some love on my anniversary and make a donation.

To paraphrase Gwen Guthrie, a fly girl like me needs an iPad. Thank you for your support!