There are some places where you just don’t expect to see black folks in the mix. (I know, I know, but it’s true.) I don’t tune into the winter Olympics, for example, anticipating a plethora of brown faces and I surely don’t watch rodeos or Riverdance shows willing to place a bet on my certainty of seeing many, if any, of my people. Diversity is making inroads many a place, but there are still largely unchartered areas. The Republican National Convention is another one of them. In the spirit of scant African-American-ness, comedian and author Baratunde Thurston has made fun sport of on-site “#negrospotting” at the RNC and morphed it into a hashtag that has built a groundswell on Twitter. Some people find it offensive, I’m sure, but I think it’s hilarious. Then again, I think Baratunde Thurston, who wrote the handy dandy book How to Be Black, is pretty funny period. 

I am not well versed in the inner workings of Medicare. I do know that the plan, like all things related to health care and health insurance, needs some tweaking. We face an aging population and swelling health care needs. There is always room for improvement. What strikes me most about the terminology we use is the irony; there is very little focus on “care” when it comes to all things health related. Patients become numbers, statistics, and actuarial data. Doctors and insurance companies see dollars. More energy is spent caring about money than caring about people. And now we’ve come to a point in our country where our choices can impact the most vulnerable among us, the elderly. I encourage you to read what the Brookings Institute has to say on the issue of Medicare reform.

At first glance, Paul Ryan seems like a promising candidate. He claims he has an effective plan in place to balance the budget, improve the economy, and get Americans back to work. The interesting part about his plan is that during his first one-on-one interview with Brit Hume on Tuesday, Ryan admitted, after waffling around the question, that under the Romney/Ryan plan, it would take at least 10 years to balance the budget. He couldn’t provide a clear answer as to what exactly the plan entailed; instead, he chose to attack Obama rather than provide answers.

And there’s more bad news.  

During a speech on Tuesday at a campaign stop in Danville, Virginia, Joe Biden warned his crowd of attentive listeners about Mitt Romney’s intentions to undo Wall Street reforms. He spoke boldly, confidently, and authoritatively, then capped the accusation off with, “They’re gonna put y’all back in chains.” Now there are only a handful of people who might be angered by that comment: recovering masochists, inmates, POWs ... and African-Americans. Forty-eight percent of Danville’s population is black, and the audience that day reflected that demographic. You know darn good and well you can’t reference chains in a room full of black folks. Come on now, Joe. Talk about open mouth, insert foot. (And incidentally, they’re called “coffles.”)

Missourians will vote tomorrow on an amendment to their state constitution that would guarantee them the right to pray in public.

The wording of the amendment would "ensure that any person shall have the right to pray individually or corporately in a private or public setting," and polling indicates that about 80% of Missouri voters support it. This is not surprising, given that 80% of Missourians are Christians.

But critics worry the amendment could create scenarios where people feel uncomfortable not praying, or praying according to their own religion.

We're asking our political bloggers this week what they think about Missouri's right to pray amendment -- in the meantime, we want to hear from you.

Let us know what you think of the amendment in the comments. Would you support it?

I am not a fan of guns. In fact, I am scared of them. I would make a terrible gun owner. That’s why I don’t own one. I don’t begrudge (legal) gun owners. My niece’s husband is an avid hunter on his own plot of farm land and took my son out for some winter deer hunting. (My son was decked out in orange and protective gear but did not carry a gun. I should also note that my niece’s husband did not shoot at anything in an effort to be as safe as possible while my son was under his watch. For that, I am grateful.). I do grapple with gun laws and marvel at how guns hold a certain glory among some people. I question our current laws, the state of our society, and the vehement rage that ensues from both sides when the issue of gun control crops up. And I can’t help but wonder why assault weapons are necessary, enjoyable, or legal. The hobbyist sportsmen and women among us do not need such weapons in their arsenal.

Mitt Romney could announce the identity of his running mate by the end of this week.

That's according to a top advisor for the presumptive Republican nominee.

The announcement would put an end to rampant speculation from the media about his pick -- Romney is said to be vetting potential candidates ranging from former RNC chair Haley Barbour to New Jersey governor Chris Christie to former Bush cabinet member Condoleezza Rice.

This week, we're asking our political bloggers who they think will be tapped to be Romney's running mate. But first, I'm asking you -- who do you think Romney should choose? What's more, does it matter?

It is so easy to balk at other countries’ tainted elections. We grimace and groan when we talk of unethical politicians (a redundancy, right?), corrupt infrastructures, and bought elections. Oh, the mighty United States is above all that. Or is it?