Think Things Through with Clayton Craddock

Read more HERE: https://claytoncraddock.substack.com/p/thinking-for-yourself

Clayton Craddock is a father, independent thinker, and the founder and publisher of the social and political commentary newsletter Think Things Through and host of the Think Things Through Podcast. He's an alumnus of Howard University and is the drummer for the Broadway musical Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times Of The Temptations.

Other musicals include: "Tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical, and Lady Day At Emerson's Bar and Grill. Also, Clayton has worked on: Footloose, Motown, The Color Purple, Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, Spongebob Squarepants, The Musical, Evita, Cats, and Avenue Q.

Follow him on Instagram, Twitter or read more on his website: claytoncraddock.com

The Bradley Amendment was named after its sponsor, Democratic Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey, and was passed as part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986. The Bradley Amendment prohibits the retroactive modification of child support arrearages by the state or any other state. 

No matter the circumstances, a child-support debt cannot be retroactively reduced or forgiven even if the debtor is unemployed. The same applies if the person is hospitalized, in prison, sent to war, proved not to be the father, never allowed to see his children, or loses his job, or suffers a pay cut. 

Show Notes:

Petitioning the Government to Erase State-Owed Child Support Debt

The Bradley Amendment

NBC News. (2015, April 11). Walter Scott had bench warrant for his arrest, court documents show. https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/walter-scott-shooting/walter-scott-shooting-warrant-over-child-support-court-records-show-n339151

Washington, D. (2020, December 16). 6 penalties for parents who fail to pay child support. The Balance Small Business. https://www.thebalancesmb.com/failure-to-pay-child-support-penalties-2997972

Weimer, D. R. (2000, July 27). The Bradley amendment: Prohibition against retroactive modification of child support arrearages. Every CRS Report – EveryCRSReport.com. https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RS20642.html

Clayton Craddock is a father, independent thinker, and the founder and publisher of the social and political commentary newsletter Think Things Through and host of the Think Things Through Podcast.

He's an alumnus of Howard University and is the drummer for the Broadway musical Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times Of The Temptations.

Other musicals include: "Tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical, and Lady Day At Emerson's Bar and Grill. Also, Clayton has worked on: Footloose, Motown, The Color Purple, Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, Spongebob Squarepants, The Musical, Evita, Cats, and Avenue Q.

Follow him on Instagram, Twitter or read more on his website: claytoncraddock.com

I think everyone should read the Moynihan Report. This document, known then as "The Negro Family: The Case For National Action," held that many of the problems of American blacks resulted from the instability of black urban families. The report was leaked to the media in July 1965, one month before the devastating riots in Watts, and called for more government action to improve the economic prospects of black families. 

Daniel Patrick Moynihan was a sociologist and assistant secretary for policy planning and research at the Labor Department. He became a prominent U.S. Senator representing New York and later served as an adviser to President Richard Nixon. 

Moynihan urged that the Federal Government adopt a national policy for the reconstruction of the black family. He laid out clear arguments, noting that the real cause of the troubles in the black community was not so much segregation or a lack of voting power. He recognized the structure of the Negro family was highly "unstable and in many urban centers…approaching complete breakdown."

Read more HERE: https://claytoncraddock.substack.com/p/the-moynihan-report-52f

Clayton Craddock is a father, independent thinker, and the founder and publisher of the social and political commentary newsletter Think Things Through and host of the Think Things Through Podcast.

He's an alumnus of Howard University and is the drummer for the Broadway musical Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times Of The Temptations.

Other musicals include: "Tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical, and Lady Day At Emerson's Bar and Grill. Also, Clayton has worked on: Footloose, Motown, The Color Purple, Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, Spongebob Squarepants, The Musical, Evita, Cats, and Avenue Q.

Follow him on Instagram, Twitter or read more on his website: claytoncraddock.com

A $900 billion “relief” package was signed into law in December of 2020. Included in that bill was $16 billion for the Save Our Stages Act. Many independent venue owners thought they could breathe easier and figured their eight-month battle to secure financial assistance to stay afloat had finally come to an end. Unfortunately, that never happened.

Show Notes:

Sending Out An S.O.S. For Music Venues

Chicago Venue Owners Still Waiting For Relief Funds From Save Our Stages Act

Clayton Craddock is a father, independent thinker, and the founder and publisher of the social and political commentary newsletter Think Things Through and host of the Think Things Through Podcast.

He's an alumnus of Howard University and is the drummer for the Broadway musical Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times Of The Temptations.

Other musicals include: "Tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical, and Lady Day At Emerson's Bar and Grill. Also, Clayton has worked on: Footloose, Motown, The Color Purple, Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, Spongebob Squarepants, The Musical, Evita, Cats, and Avenue Q.

Follow him on Instagram, Twitter or read more on his website: claytoncraddock.com

It’s Freedom Day here in New York State! You can go maskless in the state of New York.

Show Notes:

Juneteenth: http://juneteenth.com/history.htm

A guide to New York's new rules on masks and distancing - https://www.msn.com/en-my/news/us/a-guide-to-new-yorks-new-rules-on-masks-and-distancing/ar-BB1gU3jy

PODCAST - Episode 7 - What's The Point Of Vaccine Passports? - https://claytoncraddock.substack.com/p/podcast-episode-7-whats-the-point

PODCAST: Episode 10 - I Tested Positive For COVID-19. Here's My Story. - https://claytoncraddock.substack.com/p/podcast-episode-10-i-tested-positive

They’re Vaccinated and Keeping Their Masks On, Maybe Forever - Face coverings have been a political flashpoint for more than a year. But now, the backlash is directed at people who don’t plan to take them off.

Don’t throw out that mask yet - https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-masks-must-not-disappear-yet-20210518-r57rppgusbcobn5dd6d3lls5ra-story.html

Washington Post Vaccine Tracker:

Tourism in NYC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_New_York_City

A "Progressive" Approach To Handling The Coronavirus - OPEN EVERYTHING! - https://claytoncraddock.substack.com/p/a-progresive-approach-to-handling

Take Off That Mask - If you are fully vaccinated, the time to resume normal life is now.

Clayton Craddock is a father, independent thinker, and the founder and publisher of the social and political commentary newsletter Think Things Through and host of the Think Things Through Podcast. Clayton was formerly co-chair of the New York affiliate of National Parents Organization and has written for several online publications. 

Clayton is also the drummer of the hit broadway musical Ain't Too Proud. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Howard University's School of Business and is a 28 year veteran of the fast-paced New York City music scene. 

He has played drums in several hit broadway and off-broadway musicals, including "Tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical, and Lady Day At Emerson's Bar and Grill. Also, Clayton has worked on: Footloose, Motown, The Color Purple, Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, Spongebob Squarepants, The Musical, Evita, Cats, and Avenue Q.

Follow him on Instagram, Twitter or read more on his website: claytoncraddock.com

In this episode, we continue our discussion about racism and tackle a few new hot-button topics connected to racism in America.

Some think it’s racist to read books that examine racism written by white people. Do you? Should books about racism only be written by those who are affected by it? 

If a white person chooses to move to a Black neighborhood knowing that this could be the beginning of gentrification, is this racist?

Is it racist for a white person to laugh at the jokes of a Black comedian whose performance, which is before a Black audience, centers around poking fun at the foibles of Black people? What if it were someone like Bill Burr?

Thought-Provoking Articles:

* Children Need Both Parents - A short documentary I participated in to support shared parenting.

* Groupthink And Mass Hysteria - Fear is a powerful motivator.

* PODCAST - Episode 8 - Single Fatherhood In New York City

* The Harm Principle - How much freedom should people be entitled to?

* PODCAST - Episode 7 - What's The Point Of Vaccine Passports?

Clayton Craddock is a father, independent thinker, and the founder and publisher of the social and political commentary newsletter Think Things Through and host of the Think Things Through Podcast. Clayton was formerly co-chair of the New York affiliate of National Parents Organization and has written for several online publications. 

Clayton is also the drummer of the hit broadway musical Ain't Too Proud. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Howard University's School of Business and is a 28 year veteran of the fast-paced New York City music scene. 

He has played drums in several hit broadway and off-broadway musicals, including "Tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical, and Lady Day At Emerson's Bar and Grill. Also, Clayton has worked on: Footloose, Motown, The Color Purple, Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, Spongebob Squarepants, The Musical, Evita, Cats, and Avenue Q.

Follow him on Instagram, Twitter or read more on his website: claytoncraddock.com

In this episode, we tackle a few different hot-button topics connected to racism in America. Josh Blumenthal and I continue our conversation about cultural appropriation. We also talk about whether or not it’s racist to vote for a black candidate over another simply because of their skin tone and discuss if comedians are racist when they make fun of other groups.

Thought-Provoking Articles:

* Defund The Police Is "A Snappy Phrase" - Only a small vocal minority of ideologues wants to actually abolish police forces - certainly not the people who need them.

* Resmaa Menakem - ‘Notice the Rage; Notice the Silence’

* Grade Inflation Is Ruining Education - A recent study conducted at the Naval Academy showed that students learn less from easy teachers. As the researchers state, “Instructors who tend to give out easier subjective grades… dramatically hurt subsequent student performance.”

* Expelling Asian Americans from top schools proves NYC education is off the rails. The most serious threat to Asian American New Yorkers is the Department of Education’s ill-disguised effort to eliminate merit test-based admission to the city’s eight highly selective high schools.

* When Journalism Blurs Into Activism—A Canadian Case Study - This all began with an imaginary teachers’ manual. It ended with us challenging Canada’s self-described “national newspaper” about a range of stories in which ideologically-driven narratives seemed to trump fact.

Clayton Craddock is a father, independent thinker, and the founder and publisher of the social and political commentary newsletter Think Things Through and host of the Think Things Through Podcast. Clayton was formerly co-chair of the New York affiliate of National Parents Organization and has written for several online publications. 

Clayton is also the drummer of the hit broadway musical Ain't Too Proud. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Howard University's School of Business and is a 28 year veteran of the fast-paced New York City music scene. 

He has played drums in several hit broadway and off-broadway musicals, including "Tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical, and Lady Day At Emerson's Bar and Grill. Also, Clayton has worked on: Footloose, Motown, The Color Purple, Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, Spongebob Squarepants, The Musical, Evita, Cats, and Avenue Q.

Follow him on Instagram, Twitter or read more on his website: claytoncraddock.com

I tested positive for COVID-19. Here’s my story.

Show Notes:

Herd immunity and COVID-19 (coronavirus): What you need to know

PODCAST - Episode 7 - What's The Point Of Vaccine Passports?

What Is The Point Of Vaccine Passports?- Any documentation that limits individual freedoms on the basis of biology risks becoming a platform for restricting human rights. It threatens, rather than protects, public health.

Clayton Craddock is an independent thinker, father of two beautiful children in New York City. He is the drummer of the hit broadway musical Ain't Too Proud. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Howard University's School of Business and is a 28 year veteran of the fast-paced New York City music scene. He has played drums in several hit broadway and off-broadway musicals, including "Tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical, and Lady Day At Emerson's Bar and Grill. Also, Clayton has worked on: Footloose, Motown, The Color Purple, Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, Spongebob Squarepants, The Musical, Evita, Cats, and Avenue Q.

You can also follow me on Instagram and Twitter.

Is racism the idea that a person’s race determines one’s characteristics, values, or abilities that are superior or inferior to those of another race? Or, is racism discrimination or prejudice based on race?

Anti-racism is a process of actively identifying and opposing racism. Anti-racism aims to challenge racism and actively change the policies, behaviors, and beliefs that perpetuate racist ideas and actions. Anti-racism is rooted in action. It is about taking steps to eliminate racism at the individual, institutional, and structural levels. What do you feel it means to be anti-racist?

These questions and many more are answered in another conversation with my friend/colleague and resident Old White Guy, Josh Blumenthal. It’s an interesting conversation, and I think you’ll find the discussion quite thought-provoking.

Show Notes:

Josh’s OpEd: OPINION  - New York’s a disaster for shared parenting

Clayton Craddock is an independent thinker, father of two beautiful children in New York City. He is the drummer of the hit broadway musical Ain't Too Proud. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Howard University's School of Business and is a 29 year veteran of the fast-paced New York City music scene. He has played drums in several hit broadway and off-broadway musicals, including "Tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical, and Lady Day At Emerson's Bar and Grill. Also, Clayton has worked on: Footloose, Motown, The Color Purple, Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, Spongebob Squarepants, The Musical, Evita, Cats, and Avenue Q.

You can also follow me on Instagram and Twitter.

I often wonder why people today still feel mothers should have more time with children post-separation or divorce than fathers. What makes a mother any more worthy than a father? Who should be the custodial parent when there are two mothers? What if there were two dads raising kids? If both parents are working 10 hours a day and a nanny is caring for the kids all day, who should get custody if the parents want to split?

Why must kids miss out on certain family relationships when parents separate? It's cruel for children, who love both parents, to suddenly lose access to everything they once knew when their parents no longer want to live together. Does a child's love and need for both parents suddenly end when parents decide to separate?

Show Notes:

Clayton Craddock is an independent thinker, father of two beautiful children in New York City. He is the drummer of the hit broadway musical Ain't Too Proud. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Howard University's School of Business and is a 29 year veteran of the fast-paced New York City music scene. He has played drums in several hit broadway and off-broadway musicals, including "Tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical, and Lady Day At Emerson's Bar and Grill. Also, Clayton has worked on: Footloose, Motown, The Color Purple, Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, Spongebob Squarepants, The Musical, Evita, Cats, and Avenue Q.

You can also follow me on Instagram and Twitter.