The economic exploitation that Dr. King feared is greater than ever, as the divide between rich and poor expands. The Bush tax cuts (most of which was given to the wealthiest 1%) have created a federal budget deficit today of $500 billion dollars which is projected to lead to a multi trillion dollar deficit in a few years. It is clear that this type of deficit will make it even more difficult for the government to meet the needs of the people of this country.

It is conjectured that the cuts are not only fueled by greed but also by the desire to make it impossible for government to provide even a threadbare social safety net. Today's corporate greed and corruption surpasses even that of the twenties, another period of scandalous corporate behavior where the government seemed content to "Let the buyer and worker beware". As the salaries for CEOs soar to astronomical levels, the workers are pressured to worker faster and earn less.

The third hydra head-racism-is alive and well, being fueled by government policies, especially the War on Drugs. In 1973, there were 500,000 people in prison. Today 2 million people are in prisons-1 million Black people and hundreds of thousands of Latinos. It is estimated that 80% are there for nonviolent drug crimes. Billions of dollars needed for quality education, affordable health care and housing to name a few areas of need are being put into the hands of enforcement agencies who seem unable to arrest suppliers and money launderers while arresting the never ending stream of retailers. Coupled with the CORI laws, the War on Drugs is marginalizing an ever-increasing number of people of color, especially men while the prison-industrial complex grows richer and guards' unions more powerful.

If we are to remove the practice of disparate treatment of African-Americans and other groups of color (racism), we have to demand federal government policies that are consciously focused on eliminating the educational achievement gap, health care disparities, the wealth gap, and the other disparities that are the product of governmental policies and practices. A War on Drugs in a society that is structured to keep people of color on the bottom rung of society is a policy designed to create a new type of slavery. We need a War on Racism, designed to eliminate the disparities.