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FORUM
To Close the gap, tax the rich
FEBRUARY 18, 2011
By Chris Roe
Staff Writer
The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and — surprise!
— there's corruption in Washington.
In the aftershock of the financial earthquake caused
by the failed conservative fiscal policy under President
George W. Bush, the Republicans in Congress are resolute
in continuing to enrich the wealthy at the expense of
everyone else.
U.S. Census data revealed, immediately before the 2010
Congressional elections, that there is a record gap between
the rich and the poor.
This was caused by Republican philosophies of
minimal taxation for the rich and a free market economy.
In a free market economy based solely on competition,
you do not pass go, you do not collect $200. You lose the
game, and the rich win.
Prior to a tax deal with the Republicans, President
Obama advocated for preserving income tax cuts for the
bottom 95 percent. He wanted to eliminate the tax breaks
for the wealthiest. Tax the rich and you close the gap.
Instead, the Republicans are determined to extend
these tax cuts permanently. This is in line with their
determination to stop the government from assisting
those in need. They refuse to create a society of equality.
Republicans got their way in a deal with President
Obama to extend tax cuts for two years. This allowance
was in exchange for an extension of unemployment
benefits, a mini stimulus and bipartisan tax breaks.
The whole concept behind this deal underlines the
Republican objectives to enhance the power of the
rich. Stubborn indeed, they opposed the extension of
unemployment benefits as further evidence that they
won't support those in need.
It's not necessarily about punishing the rich. It's about
having them pay their fair share and contribute to society
in an equal way. It's about having financial equality and
opportunities for everyone.
Financial equity also participates in fueling the
economy.
"If the primary goal is stimulating the economy,
tax breaks to the rich are simply not cost-effective,"
wrote Richard H. Thaler, a professor of economics and
behavioral science at the Booth School of Business at the
University of Chicago, in an opinion piece in The New
York Times. "Numerous studies have shown that the poor
spend nearly all of their income, while the rich save a
significant amount of theirs."
When President Bush came into office, he distorted the
tax cuts he put into place.
"(Bush was) determined to overstate the surplus
and understate the size of the tax cuts: hiding the true
budgetary effects of the tax cuts would minimize the
danger of the fiscal tradeoffs becoming salient," said
Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson in an American Political
Science Journal article.
The Bush administration, by enacting these tax cuts,
put in place fiscal tradeoffs that prevented economic
growth and reduced government resources.
The effects of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief
Reconciliation Act of 2001 were, in fact, the opposite of
what the title proclaimed.
The immense concentration of income at the very top
robbed the middle class of spending power and the ability
to power the economy.
Richard Reich, a professor of public policy at the
University of California, Berkeley, and the former
secretary of labor under President Clinton, pointed out
in an NPR interview that there were two years in which
income was so heavily concentrated at the top.
"One year was 2007," said Reich. "The other year was
1928."
Both years were the start of two major market failures,
which were caused by too few economic actors having too
much influence in the market.
"Unless we understand the relationship between the
extraordinary concentration of income and wealth we have
in this country and the failure of the economy to rebound,
we are going to be destined for many, many years of high
unemployment, (and) anemic job recoveries," said Reich.
The tax cuts call for immediate attention. This is an issue
for the next election. Obama has saved this controversy
for his reelection campaign, and this will be a major factor.
Raise taxes on the rich, close the gap, generate revenue.
Bring it on, 2012.
Black History Month celebrates, not chastises
By David Pferdekamper
Staff Writer
In middle school I had a friend
who referred to Black History Month
as "Make-White-People-Feel-Guilty
Month."
Unfortunately, that might feel accu
rate for a lot of people. The very fact
that my friend would give February
such an epithet shows that the mis
sion of Black History Month does not
always successfully cross the color line.
In fact, that mission did not always
reach me. February would come
around and I would have to sit in
my middle school's gymnasium and
listen to lectures about the slave trade.
I was not engaged in the least, and
it did not seem like any of my peers
— regardless of their race — were
all that engaged, either. In most set
tings before Guilford, methods used
for approaching Black History Month
did not adequately match its positive
and educational purpose.
Here at Guilford, the approach is
different — the conversation is not
about reminding everyone of social
injustice for the umpteenth time, like
was the case in middle school.
The Black History Month events at
Guilford are based not around lectur
ing, but instead around celebration
and progressive discussion. Here, it is
about learning.
That learning does not just hap
pen during February, either. The
Multicultural Education Department
puts on a fantastic range of events
on campus that promote diversity all
year, albeit less frequently.
That range of events reflects on
an area of debate surrounding Black
History Month: the idea that having
one month set aside for black histor}'^
separates black history and American
history. Moreover, there is an argu
ment that Black History Month pro
motes the idea that it is OK to ignore
black history for the remainder of the
year.
There might be some truth to this
argument. However, the purpose
of Black History Month is positive.
Perhaps it is time to find a new way of
achieving that purpose, and that is a
worthy debate.
However, this debate has a different
significance at Guilford because here,
black history is not ignored the whole
year round — no race's history is.
We might not always do the best job
we could when learning about and dis
cussing race, but we try. We try unlike
any other community I have ever been
a part of, and the discussions we have
here are not something we should take
for granted. The very fact that we have
a Multicultural Education Department
is something to be proud of; such a
thing is not a feature at every college.
We are not perfect here. Sometimes
that attitude of thinking of Black
History Month as "Make-White-
People-Feel-Guilty Month" may tinge
our minds. The difference here is that
that's not good enough for us. We can
recognize that we have those unfortu
nate feelings sometimes, but we do not
accept them. Instead, we are ready to
learn and improve.
mm
Triad Jewish Film Festival
The year is 1940. The notorious Adolf Hitler has already
invaded Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium,
Luxembourg, and France. In America, 3.7 percent of the popu
lation is Jewish. In Greensboro, N.C., there are only 250 people
of the Jewish religion.
We've come a long way in the past 71 years. Hitler's dead,
and the massive'genocide of the Jewish population in Europe
is over.
Today, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 45 percent of
all Jews in the world live in America, outranking Israel by 3
percent. In Greensboro, the number of Jewish residents has
soared from 250 to 3,000.
■ In honor and celebration of the rich culture of the Jewish
people, the Greensboro Jewish Federation is sponsoring the
2011 Triad Jewish Film Festival.
Each year since 2007, the TJFF has attracted thousands of
curious viewers that want to gain some insight into the cul
ture, history, and traditions of the Jewish people, or just want
to celebrate the joys of being Jewish. The mission, according to
the festival's website, is to "enlighten, educate, and entertain."
The festival's website brags that they are "proud to feature
award-winning films — comedies, dramas, and documenta
ries — that would not otherwise be shown in the Triad."
The patron behind the festival, the Greensboro Jewish
Federation, is the proud voice of Greensboro's Jewish commu
nity. It has funded programs centered on the Jewish communi
ty for the young and old alike since 1940, providing a "lifelong
community that grows with you from childhood to old age."
Before evolving into what it is today, the Federation was
called the Greensboro United Charities.
In the 1940's, after the start of WWII, the Charities aided
eight refugee Jewish families by relocating them to Greensboro.
After the war, they worked to develop local Jewish agencies
and to support the establishment of the State of Israel.
The Charities reorganized to form the Greensboro Jewish
Federation in 1972, and incorporated the Jewish communities
of Winston-Salem and High Point. Since then, the federation
has hosted rallies, protests, fundraisers, and awareness pro
grams. The Federation now has over 1,100 contributors and
raises over $1.55 million annually.
I myself am not Jewish. And, honestly, 1 have no idea which
religion — if any — my friends practice. When 1 asked one
student — who I found out was Jewish only after she received
a Chanukah card in the mail — if I could interview her about
her thoughts on the Jewish community in Greensboro, she
responded that she honestly didn't have anything to say.
I read the Buzz almost daily, and while I have seen reli
gious services for Buddhists and Quakers advertised, I do
not remember once reading about Jewish practices. 1 was
handed a Bible on my way to lunch one day by some Gideons
International representatives, but I did not even know that
there was a Jewish club until today.
I'm definitely not for people throwing their religion in your
face, but why does the Jewish community seem so hush-hush?
I think that Guilford definitely needs to work on their Jewish
outreach tactics, and set up more activities for Jews and non-
Jews alike to embrace the dreidels and the yarmulkes, the
Torah, the menorahs and the latkes.
The TJFF is a great approach to engaging more people in the
religion and the culture. Six films are shown each year at the
festival. This year's picks, which include "Hidden Children,"
"The Matchmaker," and "Berlin '36," are sure to give you
more than a glimpse into the Jewish tradition. But more than
just educate you, they'll entertain you.
Shalom!