14 THE CAROLINA TIMES
V SAT., MARCH 7. 1981
Blacks Should Help Impose Order V
ft A' Ir. rkJi.AlJL 1
m 'Jp..:.
Reagan ' 4 New Economic
Plan A Design For Disaster
By Congressman Augustus F. Hawkins
Spectacles: A Closer Look
Lincoln Should Be Preserved
By Ada M. Fisher
After, a fanfare equal to a Hollywood
premiere,, the Reagan "budget cuts for the
working class and the poor, and tax breaks
for the rich" proposal has. now gone public.
If Americans think they saw their incomes
slipping away in 1980, they "ain't seen
nothing yet", that will compare with 1981,
when even their jobs will be on the line. ,
It isn't that Americans don't want to see
economy in their government. Elimination
of waste, graft, and fraud in all programs is
desirable. But, if we want to reduce welfare,
food stamps, medicaid, and other social pro
grams, why thcn don't we provide decent
jobs, at fair wages instead? If we want to
reduce wasteful Government spending, why
then, arc we increasing the Budget by
billions of dollars for unneeded military
weapons, that are already out of date?
In order to attack inflation, the Reagan
proposal says we must have over $40 billion
in budget cuts. This is based on the belief
that Federal spending for housing, employ
ment, health, education, transportation,
etc., is the cause of our inflation problem.
The truth is, this is sheer nonsense, unsup
ported by a single economist in this country
and has always resulted in depressions when
tried in the past. Actually, the budget was
cut so much iti Carter's last year, the Federal
deficit was doubled and inflaiton increased.
So, instead of attacking the real causes of ,
inflation kty-high 'interest rates,
escalating oil prices, price fixing by
monopolies, Government-generated shor
tages, etc. we are, instead, told that the
real cause of our miseries are the poor, the
ordinary wage-earners, welfare recipients,
minorities, minimum-wage laws, health and
safety regulations, and of course, the old '
"New Deal" programs. And therefore, we
need a so-called "New Beginning"! (Echoes
of Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover and
dick Nixon).
' Their "New Beginning" we are told, is a
promise that taxes will again be cut, (the
tenth time since 1 954) the assumption being
it is our taxes they are talking about decreas
ing. . Before jumping for joy, lets see just what
they really mean. If you are an ordinary
family at the median inccome level of
$20,000 per year (anyone making less will
not receive any benefits under the Reagan
plan, you may expect to pay well over $450
more this year in Social Security taxes,
higher energy and food costs. Subtracting
from that figure, your projected tax cut of
less than $300, you will end up with an initial
deficit ol $150.
On the other hand, if you happen to earn
$100,000 this year, you can manipulate over
$2000 in tax breaks.
Under the , guise of generating economic
activity and creating jobs, the Reagan plan
justifies this unnecessary raid on the Federal
Treasury, as giving the wealth to the affluent
who are "wiser and more enterprising" than
are we and being more "charitable" will
share their new wealth with the less for
tunate. It is at this point, that the plan becomes
even more fantastic. Somewhere in the
rhetoric, we are informed that 13 million
new jobs will be created (as if by magic!).
Then, in case our hopes are raised too high,
we are immediately warned that if we are
unlucky enough to be lost in the shuffle and
our present jobs are wiped out, we should
not expect unemployment compensation,
unless we are willing to take a minimum
wage job, regardless of our qualifications, or
previous job experience. This, one supposes,
is the American dream of starting from "the
bottom and working ones way up.
and in all, the worst features of the "New
Beginning" are not these examples at all,
when compared to what we are doing lo
those in our society who are already
submerged in poverty, discrimination, and
the low-wage labor market. . . .before we
even consider the new budget cuts and tax
give-aways.
Most of all, we had better take a god
look at the impact this plan will hav? c,
families and on our children, millions of
whom can't make ends meet already and for
whom these budget cuts are morally
devastating.
during the next few weeks, as debate over
the Reagan plan intensifies, wc must remain
steadfast in our support of targeted Budget
outlays that stimulate employment and
economic growth, and tax reform that will
benefit moderate and low-income persons by
increasing their purchasing power.
We must counter the blind rush to slash
domestic spending for the sake of unfound
ed theory, but pure political gain, and we
must work to see that our alternative pro
grams are enacted in place of this "design
for disaster".
Incidentally, if you locate one of those
magical 13 million new jobs, let me know. I
have a Vietnam veteran son-in-law who may
need one badly if the Reagan budget cuts are
unwittingly approved by Congress.
The efforts to improve services and
facilities I'pr the Lincoln Community
Health Center are to be applauded;
however, the decision to tear down the
old hospital should be vigorously ques
tioned. Urban renewal (black removal)
and "modernization" have almost suc
cessfully removed from Durham's map.
critical landmarks of black achievement.
So now we learn of Lincoln's designa
tion for the ax with little resistance from
the black community being offered and
with so little understanding of what Lin
coln has meant to our being.
The maroon colored core original
building of Lincoln Hospital was built in
the early 1900's by donations from the
Durham black community and through
the largesse of the B.NDuke family. As
' MoOrei 4hjVwaiiMNi fo1e ftreV'ratMahlitf
for servicing the medical needs of ihe
black community. The proximity of the
hospital to the largest black concentra
tion in Durham meant precious seconds
and minutes could be sliced from
emergency cases in a bid to save lives.
Many who needed medical, surgical and
obstetrical care were spared a premature
death by the convenience and availabili
ty of this nearby facility.
In the first phase of. Durham's new
consolidation and building process, ser
vice oriented programs conveniently
placed in the black community have,
been absorbed. The library was made a
portion of the city's system; the YWCA
was merged and then abandoned; the
churches were forced into new facilities
and higher debts; and the hospitals were
closed with a new erection in an inconve
nient location with our Lincoln land
mark now scheduled to be destroyed.
How long will black Durham sleep
before its slow castration is appreciated?-:
Our personhood rests upon our history,
our - birth, our ability to sustain ,
ourselves, and our pride in who we are. '
The removal of our landmarks and our
historical places is akin to invading the
shrines of our ancestors.
The buildings erected by our
forefathers are sacred and must not be
destroyed. Lest any think this is sheer
sentimentality, look at what the
"Sanford Group" is doing to downtown
Durham. They are buying and
renovating old buildings for they know ,
as do those with lineages steeped in
culture and history, that these edifices
have stood the test of time. Moreover,
the walls which embrace us convey a
in the rubble erected beyond the ruins. A
new building, given .the substandard
material used in many and the wear and
tear which we can inflict upon it, will
have a life-span of maybe ten years, if
we're lucky. After that we will be out in
the cold without a building, without ser
vices, and without the sense of purpose
which those old landmarks lent.
Now some may say its too expensive
to renovate and operate the old facility.
I would argue with that view for all pro
perties designated as historical land
marks are eligible for renovation loans
at a rate of three per cent interest and no
new facility can be build nowadays for
under cost plus twelve per cent interest.
Some may think they're saving money in
building a new facility, but our land
marks and history are priceless and the
expense incurred is one which we must
be willing to pay.
If the countys management and the.
Lincoln Community Health Center turn -
??yT4aeUiy mot use-aauapifieattR? eeniemw;
black community should petition the
county to declare the maroon section of
the Lincoln Hospital complex (the ;
original building) a historic landmark to
be preserved for generations to come.
(While you're at it, please get the
Stnaford L. Warren Library so
designated before its gets too expensive
to operate and some not too bright
financial genius decides that it should
come down as well). If this is done, I will
personally pledge $100. for the preserva
tion of the old building.
My affection for Lincpln Hospital is
from my, respect for the genius of Dr,
Aaron McDuffic Moore whose example
of medicine as an instrument for the
fulfillment of a social mission is seen
at Lincoln which served us well; in the
foundation he laid for North Carolina
Mutual Life Insurance Company; in his
concern for our literacy materialized by
the Stanford L. Warren Library; in his
f work with Dr. Shepard on the North
ICarolina College for Negroes at
.'Durham, and in his other works for the
.black community. It is interesting that
of all men who have contributed to
Durham's history, few, in my opinion,
have done so much for so many, yet his
name alone' adorns no building and he
died as he had begun, a servant of the
people.
Our ancestors beckon that we not
forget their . contributions, that we
remember history and preserve our land
marks, andthat we do better. Only fools
let their history .go unrecorded and
unrecognized. Black people wake up!!
We are being had! If we cannot preserve
our landmarks, what will we choose to
remember, to save, and to fight for. At
the close ofianother observance of Black
History Month, it's about time we cut
the rhetomC land fulfill the legacy be-
To Be Equal
9f
Budget Battle Looms
By Vernon E. Jordan, Jr.
The Administration's budget reflects some
sensitivity in that it stops far short of the
kind of heavy slashes in key social welfare
programs originally expected.
But the cuts it proposes still amount to
taking far more out o the hides of the poor
than is tolerable. And those cuts may wind
up being even heavier after a runaway Con
gress gets at some of those programs.
The Administration said its budget pro-
v posals would be equitable, in that all sectors ,
that formulation some sectors will not
share in the paiffinflicted on others, and it is
virtually impossible to make "equitable"
cuts in survival programs.
The wide range of federal programs facing
cuts ensures that the pain is spread fairly
widely. States and cities, energy companies
involved in the synfuels program, affluent
parents of college kids, and many others will
Ipse some of the programs subsidizing their
.activities. f
But for many, those cuts will be made up
for by the proposed tax cuts. And for others,
'such as the military and the defense
establishment, the gravy train will roll on to
even higher ground. Increasing the infla
tionary pressures in the economy.
But what about the poor? they will get it in
the neck as food stamp eligibility is tighten
ed, public jobs programs ended, and com
munity development programs phased out.
It is simply not possible to equate the
sacrifices asked from the poor with those re
quired of others. They poor have no leeway;
they can't make up the lost food stamps, the
foregone public service jobs, or the closed
health clinic.
Even more worrying than the specific pro
posals for budget cuts is the paralysis that af-
I even detect an unrealistic fatalism in
some quarters, as people say the' cuts and
other plans should not be opposed since the
Administration is bound to fail and then a
liberal program will have a chance.
I can't buy that kind of thinking. First, it
amounts to making the poor pay for the
political and ideological hangups of others.
Second, poor people and the nation have a
stake in the success of this Administration.
If it beats inflation and unemployment, as it
promised, then all Americans gain.
But that also implies an obligation to hold
the Administration to the fire, and to refuse
to let it impose unfair burdens on the poorest
and most defenseless in our society.
There is also an obligation to challenge i
? some of the assumptions behind the budget
cuts. Those cuts are not the only way to go in
trying to restore a healthy economy.
For example, it is questionable whether we
need those hefty tax cuts the Administration
wants to make. Without those tax cuts, there
would be little need for drastic slashes in
domestic spending programs.
And if the Administration feels the need
for higher revenues, it can eliminate some of
the enormous tax expenditures that flow to
the affluent. Cuts in housine Droerams for
i&Spoor fcanfldt beusWiedWrarfe,
Men the'I'Jtavreaks"J f6rr higlincOTne
homeowners amount to far more than
federal housing subsidies for the. poor.
And there is no reason why the proposed
inflationary increases in defense spending
should be a sacred cow. A lot of that new
spending will go to buy expensive weapons
systems like the MX missile and others that
experts claim will be a waste of taxpayers
money, even without the inevitable overruns
that always affect military weapons procure
ment. The coming battle of the budget will be
lost unless advocates of the poor can make
their voices heard, defending essential pro
grams and helping to educate the Ad
ministration and the nation to the needs of
the poor.
- . .
Reagan's Attack On The Working Poor
By Norman Hill
A. Philip Randolph Institute
queathed
our ancestors;
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ChfiH.
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186Mm
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Horn in Cincinnati he won his
ft S. Degree at Cincinnati University in
MM . . m Mm '
i! lwz. Aner a snort experience
teaching biology, he resumed studies
at University of Chicago winning his
y: Ph.D. with highest honors! He did ex-
tensive research ana maae many in-
valuable contributions in a field of
biology so advanced and complex that
only a few experts could fully ap-
preciate their worth!
Continental Features
Ronald Reagan's program of ciiibacks in
social services is an attempt to revitalize
America's corporations at the expense of the
working poor. While the Reagan program
does make some cutbacks in programs for
' the poor and elderly, the full force of the
Administration's budget-slashing axe will be
felt by our country's working poor: unskill
ed and semi-skilled Workers, a dispropor
tionate number of whom are black.
The Reagan approach will cut back '
unemployment insurance benefits from 39
weeks to 26 weeks. To propose this reduc-
tion in aid at a time when jobs are scarce and
unemployment is well above seven per cent is
to drive more out-of-work Americans onto
the welfare rolls. But, the Reagan Ad
ministration is not content with this
measure. It also proposes changing ;
unemployment compensation in a way that
would force workers who have been jobless
for three months to fake minimum-wage
jobs or lose their unemployment benefits.
The plan suggests precisely the kind of
federal coercion president Reagan claimed
he opposed. Clearly the Administration is
not so much interested in getting the govern
ment off the backs of people as it is getting
government off the backs of corporations
and the rich. Under the plan, for example, a
skilled autoworker or stcelworker with no
job prospects in his area of skill would be
forced to take an available job at a fast-food
restaurant or as a housekeeper, or risk losing '
1 his benefits.
The Reagan program represents a massive
effort to take services and benefits from '
working people and to transfer them to the
wealthy. This will be achieved through the .
: elimination of social security benefits for
college jge students whose parents are dead,
retired, or disabled. President Reagan also
intends to lower the minimum social security
'payment of $122 per month and to drastical
ly reduce the extent of coverage for workers '
who are disabled.
In the past two decades, education has
been the principal mechanism for black ad
vancement into the middle class. The Reagan
proposals will cut $1 billion in aid to higher
education in 1982 and will reduce spending
on vocational training programs by $200
million. The cost of a college eduction to
day is prohibitive. Without federal subsidies
to the children of middle-and-lower-income
workers, higher education would be beyond
the means of most young people. Aid to
education and support of vocational training
is not only a legitimate purpose of govern
ment it is one which enjoys a great deal of
public support.
The President's obsession with budget cut
ting will even damage America's foreign
' relations. While calling for a huge increase in
defense spending, the President recommends
a two billion dollar cut in foreign aid from'
the figure recommended by President
Carter. Foreign aid is an important instru
ment in improving America's relations with
the developing world. Indeed, what has
made America different from the Soviet
. Union in the eyes of many has been our will
ingness not only to provide weaponry but
legitimate economic aid, as well. The Reagan
cutback in foreign aid is short-sighted, will ;,
weaken American influence in the third .
world, and will, in the final analysis, serve to
undermine our country's national interest.
The real tragedy of the Reagan spending
cuts is not only in the increased suffering
that will result for the truly needy. Part of
the tragedy of the proposal is that it
represents a tremendous gamble. President.
Reagan is risking the well-being of millions
; upon millions of people to test a theory of
; "supply-side economics" that i even Its
orginator, Prof. Arthur Laffer, concedes
may not work. In fqpt the Reagan proposal .
: to cut federal taxes ;V thirty per cent over a
three year period will serve to further fuel in- '
flation and will primarily benefit those who
are in high-income tax brackets. It is
therefore not surprising that a February
survey undertaken by pollster Louis Harris
, found that by 67 to 28 per cent, Americans
. reject making "cuts in both spending and
(Continued on Page 15)
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