Black leadership and the black community

Although there may be truth in Jonah Goldberg’s view that the Congressional Black Caucus doesn’t always take positions that square with the majority opinion of the black community (Opinion, March 30), I would remind Goldberg that being the “conscience of the Congress” means not always making the most popular choices but making the morally appropriate ones.

If he examined the positions of white members of the House Republican Caucus, he would find that although a majority of their constituents oppose continuing the current course in Iraq, congressional Republicans continue to support it. Likewise, the Medicare drug benefit plan that they enacted. And tax cuts directed to upper-income brackets. But why pick on whites in Congress? Maybe because they actually have the power to enact legislation, unlike the Congressional Black Caucus.

Attempting to blame the Congressional Black Caucus for the current state of black America is a wild stretch, even for Goldberg.

STEPHEN WAYLAND

West Hollywood

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What a pity that Goldberg is white -- all he will get is the usual brickbats for daring to address the festering sores of the black community and the pathetic inaction of black leadership, including the Congressional Black Caucus.

There are a few responsible black voices (such as that of Bill Cosby) who are not afraid to take a stand very similar to Goldberg’s, particularly with respect to the virtual abandonment of marriage by large segments of the black community. Where are the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons, and where is the Congressional Black Caucus? Why do they leave it to white observers such as Goldberg to speak the truth, at the same time distancing themselves from the likes of Cosby?

LASZLO STRAKA

Alta Loma

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Whether or not one agrees with Goldberg’s careless dismissal of the role that “slavery and historic white racism” play in African Americans’ lives today, I fail to see the relevance of the myriad issues that the Congressional Black Caucus fights for and that Goldberg appears to oppose. How does supporting the right to partial-birth abortion and gay marriage detract from finding a solution to African Americans’ socioeconomic problems?

It’s one thing to analyze and critique the causes and solutions of urban poverty. It’s another thing to attempt to link all progressive issues together to form the perfect scapegoat. I would hope that all Americans, be they Republican or Democrat, are able to see through this transparent assertion.

WILLIAM TRAN

Monterey Park