VOLUME 88 - NUMBER 49
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2009
TELEPHONE (919) 682-2913 PRICE: 30
CBC Members Rebuke White House on Unemployment
By Chris Levister
Special to the NNPA from Black
Voice News
(NNPA) - In whai is being por-
ira\ed as a direct rebuke of the
White House's lack of response
to the deepening unemployment
meltdown. Rep. Maxine Waters D-
California, ranking CBC member
on the powerful Financial Services
Committee killed a scheduled No
vember 19 vote on President Ba
rack Obama's financial regulation
reform bill.
Instead, the congresswoman
from Los Angeles called on the ad
ministration to do more to put the
nation's most vulnerable workers
back to work. *'The recession has
created a unique systemic risk that
threatens all parts of the African-
American communitv. including
the poor and the middle class." said
Waters in a statement after shutting
dow n the vote. I have alwav s been
committed to addressing that risk
and 1 w ill continue to do so. This is
a critical issue."
Waters led a bloc of African-
American House Democrats an-
giy and frustrated that the Obama
administration is mired in heated
paiiisan battles over healthcare re
form. war troop levels and fixing
Wall Street and is not doing enough
to address the plight of Blacks and
Brow ns on Main Street. The groups
have been hit much harder than an\
other by unemployment.
The Black unemployment rate
is officially 15.7 percent nation
wide compared to 9.5 percent for
whites. Members of the Congres
sional Black Caucus are troubled
b\ what they believe is the lack of
response to the economic situation
that is confronting them on the pan
of the administration and therefore
do not feel that they could in defer
ence to -the various constituencies
that the\ resent - vote for passage
of Mr. Obama's financial reforms.
•This is an affront to the people we
serve." said one member.
"When it comes to addressing
Joblessness in our poorest neigh
borhoods, there are a lot of heads
in the sand." said another member.
Joblessness for l6-lo-24-year old
Black men has reached Great De
pression proponions — 34.5 percent
in October, more than three times
the rate for the general U.S. popu
lation according to the Center for
Labor Market Studies.
The CBC met before Thanksgiv
ing with Treasury Seci'etaiy Geith
ner and expressed dissatisfaction
w ith the administi'ation's response
to the unemploNiwent situation
particularly in Black and Brown
communities. House Financial Ser
vices Committee Chairman Barney
Frank. D-Mass.. said the full House
w ill not vote on financial ovei'haul
legislation until the second w eek of
December at the earliest.
Fi*ank originalK wanted the
House to vote on the bill when it
reconvened after the Thanksgiving
recess. The legislation is expected
to focus on regulating systemic
risk, w inding dow n failing financial
firms and creating a feder'al insur
ance office.
Accoi'ding to the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics, construction,
manufacturing and retail experi
enced the most severe job losses in
this down economy, losses that are
disproportionately affecting men
and >oung people who populated
those sectors.
Traditionally the last hired in
general and first fired, young Black
w orkers have taken the brunt of the
difficult economy, with cost con
scious employers eliminating the
apprenticeship, internship and on
the Job training progi'ams that gave
thousands of minorities a nurturing
environment and level playing field
in the workplace.
Unemployment continued to
climb in Inland Southern California
last month, but some employers in
Riverside and San Bernardino coun
ties - and across the state - were hir
ing in October, according to a U.S.
nefVTiiimmt eepnitw
The Union Independent SchooL a state-of-the-art, 49,000-square-foot facility, opened across from Union Baptist Church during the summer.
A formal ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Dec. 6 at the school. The school opened w ith 75-80 students in kindergarten through second grade
and operate on a year-round calendar. The school will add a new kindergarten class each year mull it becomes a K-8 school. From left to right
are: Dr. James H. Johnson, Jr. chairman of the Board; Rev. Kenneth Hammond, pastor. Union Baptist C hurch and inspiration for the school;
Mrs. Hammond, and Charles H. Stanback. Jr. (Photo By Lawson) Related photos on page 3.
Economy 101: Long-term unemployment worsens
By Christophers. Rugaber
WASHINGTON (AP)- Within the vast pool of 15.4 million unemploy ed
workers, a split is emerging; The number of long-term Jobless - those out
of work six months or longer - is growing, while the number of short-term
unemployed is declining.
The trend highlights a considerable challenge for the economy and poli
cymakers: finding a way for the millions of Americans laid off last fall and
early this year to get back to w ork.
The data, buried in Dec. 4's unemploy ment report, are stark: The num
ber of Americans out of work for 27 weeks or more reached 5.9 million last
month, the most on records dating from 1948. That's 18 percent more than
Just three months ago. w hen the total was just below 5 million.
The tally of those out of w ork for 14 w eeks or less, how ever, has dropped
to 6.3 million from 7.1 million in August, a decline of about II percent.
Looking at it another way. the long-term Jobless now make up 38.3
percent of the unemploy ed population, not that far from the 41.1 percent
accounted for by those out of work for 14 weeks or less. (The rest are in
the l5-to-26 weeks'bracket.)
That's a sharp change from August, when the short-term unemployed
made up nearly half the total, while the longer-term Jobless were only a
third.
In some ways, the dichotomy is good news, in that it reflects a slow
down in layotTs. The Labor Department said Dec. 4 that employ ers cut a
net total of 11.000 Jobs in November, down from ! 11.000 the previous
month. The unemploy ment rate dropped to 10 percent from 10.2 percent in
October, the first decline since July .
That gives analy sts hope the economy could begin generating Jobs in
the next few months, after shedding 7.2 million in the past two years.
Still, "new hiring may not be picking up all that much." said Lawrence
Mishel. president of the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal think tank.
"So what y ou're seeing is less people throw n into unemploy ment."
And w iihout more Jobs, the long-term unemployment problem is likely
to linger. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has expressed concern
that people caught in long spells of unemploy ment could see their skills
atrophy.
"It really is the most difficult challenge facing us." he said in testimony
to a Senate panel Thursday.
Here, by the numbers, are some more details you can find deep in the
emplovment report.
LESS THAN ZERO. BUT GETTING CLOSER
II, 000: The net total of Jobs lost in November
III. 000: Jobs lost in October
139.000: Jobs lost in September
691.000: Average monthly loss in first three months of this year
7.2 million: Total decline in U.S. payrolls since recession began in De
cember 2007
UNEMPLOYMENT STILL HIGH
10 percent: November's unemployment rate, in double digits for only
the second time in 26 years
10.2 percent: October's jobless rate, the highest since April 1983
10.8 percent: Unemployment rate in December 1982. the highest since
AVorld War 11
WHERE THE JOBS ARE
52.400: The number of lemporaiy Jobs added in November, the biggest
increase in fixe years
I l.lOO; Jobs added in educalioii
21.000: Jobs added in hospitals, nursing and other health care sectors
I. 000: Jobs added in coinpuier serxices
5.600: Jobs added in maiuigement and technical consulting
7.500: Jobs added in department stores
UNDEREMPLCni.D
9.2 milliiui: Number of part-time xxorkers xxlio xvould have prefeiTed
full-time xxork last month
2.3 million; People without Jiibs who xxani to xxork but have stopped
looking
17.2 percent: "I nderemploymeni" rate in November ifyou include the
above tw o categories
17.5 percent: Underemploy ment rate in October, the highest in records
datini! to 1994
THE-HE-CESSION"
10.5 percent: Unemploy ment rate for adult men
7.9 percent: [ nemplox ment rate for adult xxomen
NOVEMBER UNEMPI.OYMENT RATE BY GROUP
II. 4 percent; Female heads of households
7.3 percent; Asians
9.3 percent: Whites
12.7 percent: Hispanics
15.6 percent: Blacks
26.7 percent; Teenagers
ACORN prober
finds no illegal
pattern on
videos
Bv Pete Yost
WASHINGTON (AP)-An inter
nal investigation of the communitv-
organizing group ACORN found no
pattern of intentional, illegal con
duct h> ACORN staffers on under
cover videos shot b\ conservative
critics of the group.
In a 47-page assessment that for
mer Massachusetts Attomev Gener
al Scott Harshbarger was commis
sioned b\ the oiganization to do. he
criticized ACORN'S management
as not moving fast enough to insti-
ttite reforms after an alleged eight-
sear coverup b\ ACORN founder
Wade Rathke of an embezzlement
by his brother.
acorn's leaders are "now
reaping what Rathke sowed." wrote
Harshbarger. w ho was brought in to
investigate.
The organization's leadership
has made reforms in finances and
governance a priority, the Harsh
barger report stated. However, it
added, this focus has not yet been
matched b\ similar attention to de
livering services to ACORN's cli
ents.
The videos of ACORN staff'ers
offering advice to a woman and a
man posing as a prostitute and her
boyfriend triggered a firestonn
of criticism this fall, with some
ACORN employees appearing
willing to support illegal schemes
involving lax advice, misuse of
public funds and illegal trafficking
in children.
The videos "feed the impression
that ACORN believes it is above
the law." staled the Harshbarger
report, intended as an independent
examination of the issues.
"We did not find a pattern of
intentional, illegal conduct by
ACORN staff involved: in fact, no
action, illegal or othenvise. was
ever taken by any ACORN employ
ee on behalf of the videographers."
Harshbarger said in a statement.
"Instead, the videos represent tlie
by product of ACORN's longstand
ing management weaknesses, in
cluding a lack of training, a lack
of procedures and a lack of on-site
supervision."
Harshbarger's report says
ACORN, which stands for the As
sociation of Community Organiz
ers for Reform Now. should return
to its roots, focusing on community
organizing and should hire an inde
pendent ethics officer to oversee an
internal governance program that is
already under w ay .
ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis
called the report "part vindication,
part constructive criticism and
complete roadmap for the future"
on behalf of "the interests of the
communities we represent - low-
and moderate-income. African-
American and Latino families."
Ex-GOP Chair says party can ease immigration tone
By Andrew DeMillo
LITTLE ROCK. Ark. (AP) - New immigration reform efforts will ott'er the Republican Party a chance to
soften its tone on the issue and possibly attract more Hispanic voters, the former chairman of the Republican
National Committee said Tuesday.
Without naming names. Ed Gillespie said in a speech at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public
Service that he believes some Republicans came oft'as anti-immigrant the last time Congress debated efforts to
reform the nation's immigration sy stem. He said future immigration debates could give the party a chance to
redeem itselfwith Hispanic voters.
"1 think there's an opportunity there for Republicans to get the tone right in this debate and not come across as
anti-immigration, but pro-legal immigration." Gillespie said. "As a whole. I think our party was poorly positioned
on the immigration debate."
President Barack Obama has promised to push for immigration legislation, including an eventual path to
citizenship for some 12 million people in the countiy illegally. Gillespie did not say whether Republicans should
specifically oppose offering such a path, and said what he called "a rare opportunity for a do-over." was more
about the tone of the debate.
Gillespie, who also served as a counselor to former President George W. Bush, declined to say who in his party
he considered as coming across harshly w hen immigration refonn eft'orts failed in 2007.
He said Republicans also have to do a better job of connecting with minority voters if they want to succeed in
future elections.
"We have to do a better job of reaching out to African-American voters. Hispanic voters. Asiatt-American vot
ers. minority voters ofall kinds." Gillespie said. "We're the party of Lincoln and we have the right to compete for
the African-American vole, and we should."