Page4A - THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday, May 27,1993
®he Cfiarlotte
The Voice Of The Black Community
Gerald O. Johnson
Publisher
Robert L. Johnson
Co-Publisher
Herbert I* White
Managing Editor
FARSi3dT^P
Fighting Back For Ourselves
By Fess Bradley
SPECIAL TO THE POST
In their editorial "Village Is Needed To Raise
Child" (The Charlotte Post May 6) Sunya Fo-
layan and Dr. Paula Newsome pointed out
that "as long as Fighting Back stays under the
auspices of Mecklenburg County, lightning
will continue to strike again, again and
again." Last week's "Contradiction In Pro
gram Effort" was an attempt to point out
some of the historical and psychological rea
sons why that lightning has struck down two
African Americans who were Fighting Back
project directors and why the white power
structure will continue to hurl betrayal, con
fusion, and disruption towards the efforts of
the dedicated grassroots people who desper
ately want to solve their problems, as long as
they (the white power structure and their
black political flunkies) remain in control of
this program.
One of the real ironies of social change in
America, is that the people who attempt to
bring about social changes all too often rely
on support from the very people who have a
vested Interest in maintaining the status
quo. As a result, the status-quo powers have
become masters of deception— making pow
erless people believe that they also want
change, when in reality they are seeking a
more proficient method of continuing their
control and influence over the masses who
are seeking social change.
A good example of this Is the use of the buzz
word of the 90's "empowerment." Everyone
from President Clinton on down talks about
the necessity of "empowering" people at the
grassroots level to take more responsibility
for their lives. However, when the grassroots
actually attempt to empower themselves be
cause they are the ones actually suffering
from the proliferation of drugs, crime and vi
olence, their efforts are negated by the power
structure and lambasted by black political
apologists. The powers that be talk
"empowerment" while they really mean "a
Bradley
Limits To Set-Aside Programs
By James Strong
SPECIAL TO THE POST
Black entrepreneurs can
not afford to think in terms
of improving America until
they first think in terms of
improving black America.
Reality has taught me that
business activities which
benefit America may not ne
cessarily benefit black
America and business activi
ties which benefit black
America may not necessari
ly apply to America.
A recent court decision in
Washington, D.C. concerning
the District of Columbia's
minority contracting set-
aside law substantiates my
point.
As a result of a suit by Ar
nold O'Donnell, the white
owner of O'Donnell Con
struction Co., U.S. District
Judge Garrett Penn struck
down the District's minority
contracting law as unconsti
tutional. The judge said the
District carmot rely on gen
eral allegations of discrimi
nation to defend setting
aside about a third of all its
contracts for minority-
owned firms.
The decision could pave the
way for the legal resanction-
Ing of discrimination
against black contractors,
and ultimately all black
businessmen, in the award
ing of federal, state and local
government contracts.
The District of Columbia's
court decisions are moni
tored by the legal profession
nationwide. They carry
much, some would say exor
bitant, weight In other judi
cial districts and among the
many bar associations, pros
ecuting attorneys, and state
and local legislatures in the
country.
Penn agreed with
O'Dormell's contention that
the law provided no accepta
ble means of measuring dis
crimination against minorl-
Fundraising Isn't Congress' Job
"I am not going to pay for
any politician's campaign.
Those guys take me to the
cleaners all the time. They
are not going to take any
more of my money. Let them
pay their own way."
Is that what you are sa3dng
about President Clinton's re
cent election campaign re
form proposals? It is a typi
cal on-the-street reaction.
What upsets many people is
the President's suggestion to
provide federal funds to sup
port the political campaigns
of congressional candidates
who agree to limit their cam
paign spending and fund
raising.
Political campaigns are the
kind of activity that the pub
lic regards as very distasteful
So the idea of the public
funding these campaigns
lights up inside many tax
payers a slow intense burner
fueled by a belly full of sup
pressed anger.
The reactions are under
standable. But, to me, it is
very unfortunate that our
emotional reaction to paying
for elections might keep us
from doing something that
would really help us get back
our government from the rat
race for money that controls
it now.
In North Carolina, state
government It is not so bad.
Our legislators have prohib
ited most of their own fund
raising activities during the
legislative session. And it is
a very good prohibition. It
would be an unholy mass If
the legislators allowed them
selves to raise campaign
money directly while they
were considering laws that
affect the prospective contri
butors. And if fundraising
were permitted during the
session, legislators would be
tempted to spend a lot of
their time raising money
rather than tending to their
legislative responsibilities.
In summary, campaign
fundraising during the North
Carolina legislative session
would be demeaning to the
public and to the legislators.
But that is the way it works
in Washington. Congress is
in session almost all the
time. And political fundrais
ing goes on all the time.
The way it works in Wash
ington is not to our advan
tage. Mo^t Senators and
Members of Congress under
stand that their first priority
is to get reelected. To get ree
lected most of them have to
campaign pretty hard. Cam
paigns cost money. Money
comes form campaign con
tributions. Contributions:
have to be raised. Raising’
money is hard, time consumr -
Ing work. That work Is easier.
if you raise money from peo-,
pie who have a stake in deci- ’
slons that you are going to'
make. If you can help or hurt ■
them, they are willing to give’ •
(or should I say pay) a lot to ■
get access to you.
This massive sale of access
to raise money for political
campaigns is a fire sale of'
the nation's most valuable.
asset - its government. It is.
the worst bargain since Esau-
gave up his birthright for a.
bowl of porridge.
I don't know whether or not
Bill Clinton's proposals are
the best way to save the in
tegrity of our government..
But I am convinced that any.
effective campaign finance
reform must include some
kind of public funding.
So, are you really interest
ed in getting Congress out of
the business of full time
fundraising and back to the •
business of full time work as
a public servant?
If you are, keep an open
mind about public funding
elections. It may be a bitter
pill. But it is probably the-
way to work a real cure.
D.G. MARTIN is vice presb
dent for public affairs for the
University of North Caroli
na system.
Black Drive For U.S. Automobiles
better method of control."
The problem here is that
m you can never have true em-
0^ powerment as long as one
r « group is politically, econom
ically dependent on another
group. Thus, breaking the de
pendency cycle becomes one
of African America's most
critical needs of the 1990s.
^,,But, given our current orien
tation that becomes a diffi
cult task to say the least.
As much as I admire young
African-Americans who immediately come
forward to protest what they thought was an
injustice - the barricades at Freedom Park
which prevented cruising, I must regard those
actions as symptomatic of our orientation
to jump on any issue which has blatant ra
cial overtones, while neglecting the more im
portant self-destructive issues, such as black
on black crime and violence.
Regardless of the principles involved in the
Freedom Park issue, the end result was to
achieve something trivial - cruising. It's
really mteresting to note that the power
structure always seems to capitulate on these
trivial Issues like cruising, but they will fight
you tooth and nail on serious Issues such as
the firing of Nathaniel Rock. They will even
give these trivial issues a lot of press coverage
so that it has the appearance of being some
thing Important. Thus when the power struc
ture capitulates, the people will think that
they have accomplished something. Pacifica
tion is still the best method for preserving
real oppression.
As difficult as this is for all of us, breaking
the cycle of dependency and changing our or
ientation are two of the keys to preventing a
reoccurrence of these types of situations
where European-Americans can disrupt pro
grams which are beneficial to African-
Americans. Our young people are d3dng. We
simply do not have the time to continue in
the present mode any longer.
FESS BRADLEY is a Charlotte writer.
By Randi Pa5don
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
ty firms in the government
contracting arena and that it
stifled open competition.
O'Donnell claimed the law
discriminated against him,
because it prevented his com
pany from being considered
for many city road contracts
on the basis of his race.
What is fair to me may be
unfair to another, but clearly
minority set-aside programs
do not discriminate against
whites. They give black busi
nesses the platform they
need to compete fairly, open
ly and unrestrictedly for the
casserole of government con
tracts.
Yet, despite this noble pur
pose, many whites have
found demonic excuses to
criticize the need for minori
ty-set programs. This reality
only strengthens my argu
ment that blades need to
look out for themselves be
fore caring about others.
JAMES STRONG is a syndi
cated columnist.
Why is it in the best interest
of African Americans to "buy
American" cars? Is It because
the quality of domestic auto
mobiles have Improved, or is
it because most domestic fac
tories are located in Metrop
olis areas where large per
centages of blacks make up
their work force?
The question was answered
by a senior fellow of the
Brookings Institute, Robert
W. Crandall, who recently
spoke to members of the
Washington Automotive
Press Association (WAPA).
He said that many foreign
automotive manufacturers
are building factories in
America, however, "most of
them are located in rural ar
eas and the work force Is
comprised of mostly young
whites."
The situation is reversed in
the inner cities where the
"Big Three" plants are locat
ed. There, older blacks make
up a huge portion of the work
force. Although the foreign
companies are moving to the
U.S. to avoid import taxes,
they are reluctant to locate
close to irmer cities because
they believe black workers
may not produce quality
work he said.
"Given the situation, blacks
should support the Big
Three," Crandall said. He
pointed out that Ford, Chrys
ler and General Motors are
prevented from moving out
of the inner city because of
labor relation laws.
In addition to the economic
benefits of choosing a car be
cause it means more jobs for
blacks, there is a personal
award— owning a good car.
American manufacturers are
just building better automo
biles.
The proof is in the pudding.
In 1992, Ford Taurus took
first place in the race for
best-selling car, by outselling
the Honda Accord, which
held the title from 1989 to 91.
Ford continues to be No. 1 in
light trucks and the F-150 is
the best-selling vehicle. The
new Lincoln Mark VIII is get
ting rave reviews and sales of
the Lincoln Town Car con
tinues to climb.
GM, which is recovering
from huge losses and execu
tive changes, is also earning
some bragging rights. Saturn
is setting new sales heights.
The Cadillac Northstar sys
tem, available in Seville and
Eldorado, is considered a
"technical marvel."
Chrysler has received high
marks for its new LH cars:
the Dodge Intrepid, Chrysler
Concorde and Eagle Vision.
Chrysler still dominates the
minivan market with the
Dodge Caravan, Plymouth
Voyager and Chrysler Town
and Country. In addition, the
new Jeep Grand Cherokee is
selling well.
To prove their point, the
"Big Three" sponsored a test-
drive event called "Drive
American Quality," for Mem
bers of Congress, adminis
tration officials, and Con
gressional staff members
this week on the Mall of the
U.S. Capitol. It will give them
"the opportunity to experi
ence the high-quality cars
and trucks produced by the
domestic auto companies,"
announced United Auto
Workers (UAW), Chrysler,
Ford and GM.
'The Importance of the U.S.
auto Industry to the nation's
economy," is the theme of the
event. And the Industry will
have their top brass on hand
to stress the point. In atten
dance will be UAW President
Own Blber, Chrysler chair
man and CEO Robert Eaton,
Ford Chairman and CEO
Harold "Red" Poling, and GM
CEO and President John F.
Smith, Jr.
"Drive American Quality";
will include more than 120
brand new Chrysler, Ford,
and GM cars and trucks
available for test drives over
a pre-determined course
around the Mall during the
two-day event. Each vehicle
will be staffed by a UAW or
company representative who
will discuss Its features and
unique characteristics.
There will also be displays
highlighting the technologi
cal leadership of the domes
tic auto companies, includ
ing an exhibit by the United
States Council for Automo-*
tive Research (USCAR), the
umbrella organlzatioii
formed for cooperative reT
search and development ac-;
tivltles for Chrysler, Ford
and GM. ;
The U.S. auto industry supl
ports 1.4 million U.S. jobs
and an estimated $50 bUllori
in annual wages. It alsq
creates 15,000 jobs for every
100,000 vehicles produced
and its supplier, manufac-!
turing, and assembly netl
work comprises 4,400 facili
ties in 48 states, says the
UAW.
RANDI PAYTON is author
of "African Americanstyon
Wheels."
Chrysler continues its comeback with its selection of minivans, part of America's "Big
Three" automakers' efforts to win back U.S. customers for domestic products. They're also
pushing for more black consumers to buy American.