OPINION
v ___
Chronicle
Ernest H. Pitt PuWikher/Co-Founder
ELAINE Pitt Business Manager
- T. Kevin Walker Managing Editor
On poverty,
candidates should
follow their followers
George
Curry
Guest
Columnist
As presidential candidates,
both Democrats and
Republicans, actively pursue
middle-class voters, there is
growing evidence that when it
comes to the issue of support
ing the poor, they may be well
behind public opinion. In this
era of extensive polling, per
haps this new data will force
the would-be presidents to fol
low the lead of their followers.
In a recent article on how
Democratic candidates are
speaking to the needs of the
poor, Washington Post
reporter Alec MacGillis con
cluded, "Sen. Hillary Rodham
Clinton (D-N.Y.), who has
upset some poverty advocates
by supporting tougher welfare
work rules, talks about help
ing the poor by raising the
minimum wage, reforming
immigration and promoting
savings. Sen. Barack Obama
(D-Ill.) proposes expanding
the earned- income tax credit
and subsidizing temporary
jobs but leavens this with calls
for more personal responsibil
ity, particularly among
African Americans. Edwards,
on the other hand, calls pover
ty 'morally wrong' and a
'national shame,' and he pro
poses paying for his plan by
immediately repealing the
Bush tax cuts for the rich." To
be fair to underdog Dennis
Kucinich. his anti-poverty
proposals are bold, rivaling
those of Edwards.
A survey conducted by the
Pew Research Center for the
People & the Press, made pub
lic this month, reveal some
startling findings. Chief
among them: "Support for
government programs to help
disadvantaged Americans, as
well as sympathy for the
plight of the poor, have surged
since 1994 and returned to the
levels last seen in 1990 prior
to welfare reform, with gains
occurring among virtually
every major social, political
and demographic group."
The report found that the
biggest gain occurred among
political conservatives.
Southern Whites and older
Americans. In 1993, only 28
percent of conservatives
agreed with the statement:
"The government should help
more needy people even when
it means going deeper into
debt." By this year, however,
that figure had risen to 48 per
cent.
Concurrently, there was an
increase in the number of
Whites who sympathize with
the plight of the poor. In 1994.
only 35 percent of Whites
agreed that the poor "have it
hard." Today, almost half - 49
percent - agree with that sen
timent. The share of Whites
who say the poor "have it
easy" declined from 56 per
cent to 37 percent over that
same period.
The softening attitudes of
Whites toward the poor still
trail those of African
Americans. In 1994. for exam
ple, 65 percent of Blacks said
the poor have hard lives. In
2005. that figure was virtually
unchanged at 64 percent.
Overall support for the
poor was measured by those
who agreed with three state
U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich
ments: The government
should help the needy, even if
debt increases; food and shel
ter should be guaranteed by
the government to all people
and the government should
take! care of people who can't
take care of themselves.
Using that measurement,
the greatest gain in support
from 1994 and 2007 was
among those 65 and older, a
jump from 16 percent to 38
percent. Those in the lowest
income quartile ($19,000 or
less) improved from 29 per
cent to 38 percent. Support in
the South increased from 29
percent to 49 percent. College
graduates support increased
from 20 percent to 36 percent.
And support from
Independents improved by 15
percent (from 27 percent to 42
percent). Democrats by 14
percent (from 41 percent to 55
percent) and Republicans 9
percent, from 16 percent to 25
percent.
Among the announced
presidential candidates, only
former Sen. John Edwards and
Rep. Dennis Kucinich have
produced detailed plans to
fight poverty. The two plans
call for universal health care
for all Americans, increasing
access to pre-school pro
grams, expanding affordable
housing, and either safeguard
ing workers' rights or expand
ing jobs. Each candidate has a
different approach to protect
ing the Social Security Trust
and dealing with the Bush tax
cuts that mostly benefit the
wealtf\y.
Although it's still early in
the campaign season, it's not
too early to begin addressing
this critical issue.
There are 37 million peo
ple living in poverty, about
13.7 percent of the U.S. popu
lation, according to the
Census Bureau. The poverty
rate declined every year of the
Clinton administration, from
15.1 percent in 1 993 to 1 1 .3
percent in 2000. However, it
has increased every year under
George W. Bush, who has
diverted large sums of money
to fund the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
After todgher work
requirements imposed by Bill
Clinton, a Democrat, and the
hardening of public attitudes
toward the poor under the
Republican Ronald Reagan
and George W. Bush adminis
trations. this is an ideal issue
that could galvanize bipartisan
support. But we must first get
the leaders to follow their fol
lowers.
George E. Curry, former
editor-in-chief of Emerge
magazine and the NNPA
News Service, is a keynote
speaker, moderator, and media
coach. He can be reached at
george@georgecurry.com or
through his Web site,
www.georgecurry.com .
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Letter tojhe Editor
House smoking bill
To the Editor:"
Drifting tobacco smoke
kills more people than motor
vehicle accidents. AIDS, all
crimes, illegal drugs, etc.
Studies show that even very
brief exposure to second hand
smoke can restrict blood flow
to the heart and cause a heart
attack as well as create-a host
of problems for our lungs,
because unlike our other
organs, lungs are very vulner
able as they have no protec
tive barrier as a shield from
the elements. According to the
EPA, babies and children are
especially at risk because of
their faster breathing rate and
developing lungs and bodies
and many thousands of them
develop pneumonia or bron
chitis every year from breath
ing second hand smoke.
It is therefore amazing
that on May 2. the N.C.
Legislature choose to focus
on private property rights
while ignoring a chance to
prevent all these needless
deaths as well as the wishes of
a majority of state citizens to
breathe clean air by voting
against HB259, which would
have created clean air work
places statewide. Of our local
representatives, only Larry
Womble cared enough about
our health and our right for
clean air to vote for the bill.
As for private property rights,
laws against public smoking
would not be as nearly as
restrictive as our many other
common sense laws designed
to reduce needless deaths and
injury such as the law that
requires us to wear seat belts
or having special car seats for
children in our private auto
mobiles.
Interestingly, N. C.
Legislators have banned
smoking at all legislative
buildings in order to protect
their tender hearts and sensi
tive lungs but there are many
in my opinion that are too
busy picking the large, very
deep and far reaching pockets
of big tobacco to care about
our health.
But, until we can get some
protection on a state or local
level, our elected leaders like
Larry Womble as well as our
local business owners who
care enough about their
employees and patrons to cre
ate clean air workplaces
deserve our continued grati
tude and support.
Barry Carlton
Did Barack Obama lie?
Harry
Alford
Guest
Columnist
This caught us by sur
prise. The Washington Post
quotes Barack Obama, "In
Chicago, sometimes when I
talk to the black chambers of
commerce, 1 say, "Vbu know
what would be a good eco
nomic development plan for
our community would be if
we make sure folks weren't
throwing their garbage out
of their cars."'
? First of all this sounds
very derogatory - like^mos
'n Andy or Stepin' Fetchit.
Our chambers have sound
and progressive economic
development plans and they
are far more intricate than
stopping litter. Second and
most importantly. Senator
Barack Obama refuses to
meet with any and all Black
chambers of commerce.
There are 21 Black
chambers of commerce in
the state of Illinois which is
the most for any state in the
nation. They are well run.
hardworking and dedicated
to the economic develop
ment of Black communities
throughout the entire state.
They are respected by their
Governor, the entire Illinois
Legislative Black Cauciffc
and the powerful Chicago
political machine. But they
get no props from Senator
Barack Obama. He appears
to despise Black chambers
of commerce.
There are 1 00 senators
on Capitol Hill and the
National Black Chamber of
Commerce , pan make
appointments with 99 of
them. "Brother Man" refuses
to allot time while we inter
act with the leadership of the
Senate on a daily basis. I
guess it's the syndrome "The
White man's ice is colder."
Yes. I think it is clinical.
The best example of his
problem happened in New
Orleans last July at our 14th
Annual Conference. It was
coincidental that three U.S.
Senators were in the area.
Sens. John Kerry. Mary
Landrieu and Barack
Obama. Two of them.
Senators Kerry and
Landrieu. jumped at the
The Obama family is seen here on a retant Christmas card.
opportunity to visit our con
ference. In fact. Sen. Kerry
gave an inspiring keynote
address while Sen. Landrieu
was eloquent with her wel
coming remarks. They
stayed one and a half hours
networking with chamber
executives and entrepre
neurs from around the
nation.
Where was Barack? He
refused to come. He actually
peeled off from their touring
party while the other sena
tors met with us. He just
couldn't do it even though
15 Black chambers from
Illinois were there.
At first, we thought it
might be a heritage thing.
He isn't a descendent of
slaves, sharecroppers and
victims of Jim Crow like us.
But no that can't be it
because he will run from the
Kenya National Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, an
affiliate of ours, in like' fash
ion. The next time he goes to
Kenya he might want to allot
15 minutes with them.
They will tell him that
the Africa Growth and
Opportunity Act. AGOA. is
Hawed with serious loop
holes. China brings in raw
materials such as cotton and
produces fabrics to be sold
to US companies tariff free
under AGOA. This assault
has killed jobs for hundreds
of thousands of African
workers and has decimated
agri-business in various
nations including Kenya. It's
kind of insulting to go over
there, smile and give out
some cheers but be brain
dead on the economic
issues.
If Sen. Obama ever
decides to really speak to
any of the Illinois Black
chambers, he had better
come correct. The topics
will be Tax Incremental
Financing, TIF, for neigh
borhood developments; the
$280 million in annual con
tracts the Chicago Housing
Authority denies local
Black-owned businesses; the
front scandals at O'Harc
Airport that denies real
Black owned franchises; the
terrific job the Black cham
bers have done in Central
Illinois by employing every
Black contractor at 100 per
cent capacity on Illinois
highway projects (this
should be expanded state
wide); the opportunities
along the rebuilding of the
Dan Ryan Expressway in
Chicago; restructuring and
improving our dismal school
system. It can go on and on
but be assured it will be real
business. It won't be about
"throwing their garbage out
of cars."
We don't need him! We
are doing fine and making
great strides. The NBCC
accounts for more Black
dollars in the Gulf
Rebuilding than the federal
government. We are provid
ing opportunities at every
level of the American econo
my. The NBCC is the largest
Black business association
in the world and no one sen
ator who has a phobia about
meeting a group of Black
business persons is going to
stop us. The Illinois State
Black Chamber just took 60
Black business owners to the
capital, Springfield, and met
with the Illinois Legislature
to discuss a business agenda.
We are having proud
moments and great success
es. He has a problem but it is
his problem not ours. Let's
pray for him.
Senator, you don't have
to meet with us. But don't
say you do, when you don't.
We don't need the lies or the
jive.
Harry Alford is the
cofounder, president and
CEO of the National Black
Chamber of Commerce,
www.nationalbcc .org .