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Editorials 1
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-?-? Raise Seems ~
Ill - Timed.
Thousands of common, everyday working people have been
laid off and thousands are expected toloosetheir jobs in the near
future. No one is quite sure of what's down the road nor if there
will be a "down-the-road" for very long. _
But, amid this gloom a little star doth shine. The shinning
star is not/, however, hope for the poor but a pay raise for the
well-off.
"The raise, which has.already been approved, will go to some
500 county-employes. They will get a seven per cent increase.
County Commissioners have cited keeping good morale in ;
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"higher ups" would feel slighted if they got only a five per cent y
raise while everyone else got IVt. They seemed afraid that if the
? few who have higher paying jobs didn't get the same raise, ' >
County operations would be negatively affected.
With the economy what it is, no one should get a raise.
Everyone is aware of the high cost of living. But, no one is more .
aware of that than those workers who have recently been laid
off. "Tough for them", you might say. Or, "They should have
found a more stable job." But, the fact is they didn't, and "/
probably couldn't. . ; 3
Although the Commissioners can not be held responsible for
the high cost of living nor poor economic conditions, they can be
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neia responsioie tor tanning the flames. One of the most directmeans
to halt rising inflation (and one which every citizen can
have a hand in) is to cut spending.
It would seem that County Commissioners and employees are
aware of the situation and would be satisfied with "keeping"
their jobs at the previous rate of pay instead of aiding and
abetting a runaway economy. The Commissioners should have
looked twi^e or thrice at granting an ill-timed raise while most
everyone else is in danger of loosingjtheir jobs.
Death- Row Filled
To The Brim
Sam Garrison, warden of Central Prison tn Raleigh, has
ordered double occupancy for North Carolina's infamous and
unique "Death Row". North Carolina has long been theTeading
state in the nation in number of men to be killed (68). Most are
young, high school drop-outs and black.
No one is holding Mr. Garrison responsible for the number of
men that the state has scheduled to execute, nor what he must
do to accomodate a system that condemns men to die. No one
knows where the blame should be placed if you must go beyond
that abstract creature called "society".
But, we're not looking for someone to blame; simply to point
out the frightening implications of having too little room for far
too many men. No matter which angle you look at it, it comes
out sick.
If the case before the courts now does not declare the death
penalty unconstitutional, what will N.C. then do? Execute 68
men, most of whom are black? Is there nothing wrong with a
system that condemns men to die and then pack them up
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0
THE WINSTON-SALEM CHRONICLE is published every Thursday
by the Winston-Salem Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc. 2208 N. Patterson
Ave. Mailing address: P.O. Box 31S4, Winston-SatOm, N.C. 27182
Phone: 722-8824
Individual copies 20 cents
Subscription: $10.40 per year payable in advance (N.C. sales tax included,
Editor-in-chief Ernest H. Pitt
Society editor Linda Murrcll
Business editor Charles T. Byrd Jr.
Publisher?Ndubisi Egcmonyc
Administrative assistant...Gloria J. Jones
Opinions expressed by -olumnist in this newspaper do not necessarily
represent the policy of this newspaper.
o
The Winston- Salem Chwlck
Co
SO OF ?Q&
v
Blacks and minorities are
caught in the middle of the _
trend of changing city and
regional government structures.
Just as blacks in some cities
have finally reached the point
where they've got some
political clout, along comes a .
"good government" movement
to dilute that political
power by broadening the base
of local government through'
merger with outlying areas.
This poses a cruel dilemma
for black people.
Oh the one hand, there is
the reality of power ? blacks
holding high local offices up to
and including the majority. On
the other hand, is the reality of
tax resources -- tapping
suburban wealth for the
revitalization of the inner-city.
The cruelest part of the
dilemma is that there are no
easy solutions. Each city is
different. Each particular case
has -to be "studied and
examined from the standpoint
of how decisions will impact
upon blacks.
Most important is the need
to avoid easy assumptions that
don't square with reality.
Many people assume, for
example that a city-county
merger will mean more funds
for city services, but isn't it
even more likely that
suburbanites will be more *
anxious to tax the city's
downtown business sections to
pay for the roads, sewer lines
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by Viinam E. Jfin
and other expenses of the
growing suburban economy^?
Another assumption is that i
blacks should not bargain,
away their political power 1
within the city, especially if it
has a black mayor. But many 1
city charters are "weak
mayor" systems in which real i
power is, held by special
districts, school boards, autonomous
agencies and regional
1 boards.
So there are pros and cons
that will change as local
factors change, but the one
important point for black
people is that'we must become
involved in the process of
bargaining and shaping plans
for metro government or for
restructuring city government.
If regionalism comes about
without reference Ato blacks,
black people will suffer for it.
mat's why it is important to
educate and mobilize the
public to deal with the issues,
so that the community's
representatives can make the
_ trade-offs that will protect the
besf interests of the black
community, and even to veto
metro government is necessary.
While restructuring loc^l
governments could have great
impact on the communities
they serve and on the services
people need, no one should
think that shuffling some
boxes on an organizational
chart will cure everything.
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Even radical change in local
government structure could
easily leave the power
arrangements within the area
Unchanged, services unaltered .
and the pattern of inner-city
black poverty and suburban _
white wealth unbroken and "
unaffected.
A lot of "good government"
forces find this hard to accept.
Like earlier pioneers for civil
service and similar reforms
they think switching to metro
government or other forms of"
regional government will solve
urban problems.
But those urban problems
can only' be solved by the
removal of racial barriers, by
full employment, and by a
massive infusion of money to
provide the housing, health
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need.
Structural reform is not a
substitute for real changes in
the way ouy^societv handles
human needs and aspirations.
But* because *it can be a force
A - - - -
tor good or tor evil, black
people must give it their
attention. Already, many
cities have switched over to
some form of metro government.
In some blacks have
fared well, in others, not so
well. ?
As yet our experience with
this new experiment in
government in tenous -- the
jury is still out. But the totality
of black experience indicates
See JORDAN Page 10
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