14 THE CAROLINA TIMES SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1982
' . 1 . uJuauLUMUMlWf
BUCK& DESTINY IN OUHHAMS....
To Be Equal
America at the Crossroads
' ' ' By JohnE. Jacob
Executive Director, National Urban League
T SLACK FOLHS THMfiELVEf ARE GOING TO
I H4te 70 ,MWT iW THEIR OWN i.
problems, insteap of heaving it up ro
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND PROGRAMS?
1 ROY WILHIH5 : ,
However you interpret the results of the
election, it is clear that America has mov
ed into one of those crucial historical
moments when it must come together to
overcome a crisis that threatens to engulf
us all.
There are four major observations that
must be drawn from any ; non-partisan
view of the current scene. The first is that
we are in a Depression. The current
downturn started in 1980, unemployment
is in the double-digit range, and most of
the rest of the world is in the same boat.
, Recessions are relatively short, not as.
severe, and don't blanket the entire in
dustrial world at the same time. So this is
a full-scale Depression and the sooner we
face up to labeling it for what what it is,
the sooner we can dig our way out.
The second observation is that this
Depression has imposed intolerable costs.
Over $300 billion of goods and services
that would otherwise have been produced
were not. The same is expected next year.
That lost output means lower govern
ment revenues and bigger;, deficits. It
means calls for austerity and cutting pro
grams the country needs. It endangers the
social security system, which would be
fully solvent in a full-erhployme"nt.
economy. jv
The human costs are incredible
almost twenty million people out of work
or dropouts from the labor market
because of the scarcity of jobs that even
affects previously healthy industries. -
Besides loss of income, ."researchers
have found that every one per cent in
crease in unemployment results in a two
per cent increase in deaths, a three to four
per cent rise in mental hospital admis
sions, arid increases of. five per cent in
homicides, imprisonment, and infant
mortality. That's the result ' of
unemployment-induced stress and
declines in food and health care consump
tion among the jobless. ; i
The : third observation is that
Reaganomics has failed. That's not a par
tisan statement at all, simply an observa
tion that is shared by the President's ap
pointee as chairman of the Council of
Economic Advisors, who admitted in his
confirmation hearings that Reaganomics
has "been decisively proved wrong." v
It never could have worked. Huge tax
cuts for the affluent combined with
runaway military spending and deep cuts
in social programs were a prescription for
disaster. Reaganomics was supposed to
encourage investment and create jobs, but
capital spending declined and unemploy
ment rose. Instead of stimulating .
business, it just wiped out thousands of
job-creating small businesses.
So fair-minded people of all political
persuasions are concluding that the ex
periment failed and staying the course for
much longer can only inflict still more
damage. -' 1 "" "' .
Finally, inequality is growing in this na
tion that has always valued equal oppor
tunity and a fair share for all. That is a
direct result of the tax cuts and spending
cuts that are an essential part of
Reaganomics.
A recent study by the National Journal
says that the bottom fifth of American
families averaged about $3,800 in cash in
come in 1981. In 1983, they'll have about
$60 less, dropping their share of nationa'
income down to only 4.2 per cent.
The. top fifth of American families
averages about $37,000 in income. In
1983, they'll gain over $2,000 to account
.for 43.3 per cent of the nation's income.
Instead of all groups sharing in a rise in
the nation's wealth or all losing equitably
in a Depression, we have the classic situa
tion of the rich getting richer and the -poor,
poorer. '
Now that the din of the electioneering
has died down, we need a national effort
to come up with a game plan that gets us
out of this Depression and into a full
employment economy that invests in the
vast human potential of all of its citizens.
Editorial
Blacks In The Legislature
With last week's election, blacks tripled their numbers in the
North Carolina Legislature.
And after we pat ourselves on the back for turning out to vote
these men and one woman into these chief lawmaking seats, we
need, to get to work to make the effort pay off.
Black constituents must stay in touch with the legislator or
legislators who represent their district.
Black business operators should speak to these representatives
often to discuss the type of climate that is needed in North
Carolina for broader and more successful business efforts.
We believe that the state's Black Press carries a special respon
sibility to cover the actions of these elected officials, because
often, we send our heroes off to battle and then hear nothing
frnfn thm uhtil thv rftiirn hnme nprmnnent v scarred. "tv'
So now that we've won, it's time to go to work.
The Full Employment Option
By Norman Hill
President, A. Philip Randolph Institute
The Message Could Have
Been Clearer
' Without a doubt, black Democrats in the 2nd District sent the
Democratic Party a message with the recent write-in effort for
H. M. "Mickey" Michaux.
At last count, the write-in effort throughout the ten-county
district produced almost 17,000 votes. Durham, with almost
8,000 votes for Michaux led the way, followed by Vance and
Warren counties with about ; 1 ,500 votes each, followed by
Caswell with more than 1,400 votes and Edgecombe with about
I, 100 ballots.
The message was clear: black voters will sacrifice so-called par
ty unity to vote their vested interests when that is convenient. The
principle is identical to the justification for so-called "cross
over" voting that had a lot of Democrats casting ballots several
years ago for the state's two Republican Senators.
But the message could have been clearer.
If some leaders of the Durham Committee had not haggled and
wrung their hands over the prospective insurrection for so long,
practically until the last minute, the message might have rung
with reverberating impact.
As it is now, the message is subject to interpretation.
Some, like the Durham Committee's Willie Lovett and Dr.
Lavonia Allison rule the effort successful, noting that almost
8,000 votes were delivered to the write-in with only a two-day
notice. ' " '. . ' - 'v '
Others say the effort was a futile protest that runs the risk of
isolating blacks here from the political mainstream.
This interpretation problem could have been eliminated by an
earlier start and some definitive campaigning and leadership.
We do not here attempt to judge whether there should have
been, or should not have been a write-in effort. Rather, we speak
to the question of strategy.
If the write-in was a good idea, it should have been considered
in light of a victory, the sending of a booming message, rather
than an interpretive whisper.
So the next time we have to speak; let's speak more loudly.
The monthly recitation of Labor
Department unemployment figures lately
has taken on the characteristics of a dirge.
With each month's inexorable increase in
the human misery brought about by the.
recession come the inevitable grim faced
editorialists with their televised commef
taries lamenting the Administration's ,
action. From the Administration comes
the obligatory expressions of concern and
the empty promises of prosperityamind
the corner. When such cquivocatjyWKwere
first advanced, they at least had the force
of novelty behind them. Today, even the
novelty has worn thin and the unemploy
ment statistics only emphasize the
bankruptcy of the Administration's
economic program.
Each! month of Reaganomics brings
with it more of the same bad news. The
tragedy of 11.3 million out of work, and
of millions more working part-time or
dropping out of the job market, has been
ritualized.
, This record of continued failure must
test the limits of the public's tolerance.
And October's news that the unemploy
ment rate stands at 10.4 per cent indicates
where the limits of tolerance lie.nv
Yet. disastrous as it is, for black
Americans 10.4 per cent unemployment
would be regarded as a heaven-sent im
provement, For today, black unemploy
ment stands at 20.2 per, cent, practically
double the rate for white workers.
For the last two decades, through ups
and downs, under Republicans and
Democrats, black unemployment has con-
sistently stood at twice that of other
workers.
The reasons for this phenomenon are
complex and numerous. Blacks are
disproportionately located in such in
dustries as steel and auto, which have
been hardest hit by the recession. The
black workforce is younger in age and has
less seniority than the white workforce. A
large proportion of black workers are un
skilled and so are most vulnerable to lay
offs. Yet, despite such elegant and
sophisticated explanations, the fact re
mains that today black unemployment
stands nearly at the same level as national
unemployment during the Great Depres
sion. It constitutes a. national, failyi;, and
disgrace. ,0 ': -av.W,,!
The full extents of the catastrophe have
yet to be gauged. But we all know what
losing a job can do to family stability, to a
person's sense of self-worth, to a worker's
sense of motivation. This recession is tear
ing at the seams of the social fabric of the
' black community. ;
What the unemployment statistics
would seem to call for is a jobs program
that deals with the requirements of all
those who are out of work, whether they
be black or white, while recognizing the
specific needs of blacks.
Yet, according to the October 7
Washington Post, Reagan Administration
officials in the Education Department
have recommended major personnel cuts
in education programs that primarily
benefit minority and disadvantaged
children. The focus of the recommended
cutbacks is Title I, a program that pro
vides states with funds to help disadvan
taged children improve their math and
reading skills. Such skills are absolutely
essential for any worker's successful entry
into the job market.
There is, of course, a humane,
workable and rational alternative to such
inhumane proposals. It is to be found in
the anti-recessionary program developed
by the AFL-CIO. The program calls for a
massive reindustrialization and remoder
nization effort centered around a
government-supported Reconstruction
Finance Corporation which would target
loans; loan guarantees, interest rates, sub
sidies and., tax. .benefits to stimulate
j .economic growth in high"unemployment 1
areas. The program also calls for tem
porary restrictions on imports which
result in the loss of American jobs, for the
training and re-training of workers, and
for the providing of funds for new low
and middle-income housing.
The disastrously high unemployment
rate is only the latest signal that
Reaganomics has failed. Yet even with the
President and the Republican Party being
repudiated on Election Day, the momen
tum of this repudiation will soon dissipate
if it is not channeled into support for a
constructive national economic agenda
that recognizes the special needs of blacks
and other unemployed workers. Only by
linking the politics of protest to such a
program for economic growth will our
country find itself on the road to
economic recovery.
Keeping The Dream Alive
Prejudice and Politics By Don McEvoy
Senior Vice President
National Conference of Christian and Jews
"Find out just what 'people will submit to, and you have
found out the exact amount of injustice and. wrong which
will be imposed upon them; and these will continue until they
are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The
limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those
whom they oppress."
Frederick Douglass,
August 4, 1857
Pollster Mervin Field has surveyed
California voters to attempt to get a
reading on how certain racial, ethnic, and
personal characteristics might influence
the electorate against a particular can
didate. This study was undertaken to
ascertain whether or not there might be an
element of "hidden bias" which was
unrevealed in regular polling.
The process was to present potential
voters with a list of characteristics, giving
them the opportunity to indicate whether
or not they "would be disinclined to vote
for" a person who fell into these specifiel
categories.
The results? If you are a member of Ku
Klux Klan, forget it. Ninety-three per cent
of the voters are against you before you
file. Jf you are black, you've got a shot a
victory. Only five per cent are "disinclin-,
ed" on that basis. If you are a Jew, .
you've only got a four per tent
"disinclination" to overcome. Since
blacks and Jews have traditionally been ;
the primary- targets of the KKKy that in
dicates a rather remarkable turnaround in
American attitudes. Half a century ago
those percentages would probably have
been reversed. Maybe not to these ex
tremes, but certainly tilted in the other
direction.
If you have ever undergone psychiatric
treatment, are a homosexual (male or
female), or have ever filed for bankrupt
cy, this is not an opportune time for you
to be running for office Over half of the
voters indicate that these characteristics
would disqualify you in their eyes.
Approximately one-third of the elec
: torate would find it difficult to pull your
lever in the voting booth if you were con
sidered a young radical in the 60s, if you
belong to a party other than the
, Democrats or Republicans, if you are a
feminist, did not attend college, head a
. major corporation, or were not born in
the United States.'
Another major shift in public attitudes
seems to be revealed in the fact that only
; seven percent indicate that being divorced
would give them cause to consider
'withholding their support. Less than two
decades ago a divorce was considered the
'political kiss of death. Whether you con-,
sider that an indicator of growing
tolerance and liberality or a symbol of the
. society's moral decay is up to you, but it
certainly does show change.
I can't vouch for the reliability of these
findings any more than for any other. The
pollees may have misled the pollers to the
same degree they do in other: kinds of
public opinion surveys. But they do seem
; to point to the lessening, of our old pre
v judices while alerting us to some new
. biases of which we should be aware.
1
If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who propose
to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation are men who want
crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without
thunder and lightning. They want the ocean's majestic waves
without the awful roar of its waters.
-Frederick Douglass
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. Contributing Editor-Foreign Affairs
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