Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Dec. 21, 1978, edition 1 / Page 2
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amis a. cmmii Christmas Forever _ by Hoyle H. Martin, Sr. Poet Editorial Writer Nearly 2,000 years ago, God sent Hi» greatest gut to mankind. As a forerunner to this, the Greatest Event in human history, God com missioned an angel to tell the troubled world. ,lFop unto you is born this day in the cny of David a saviour, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11). "Suddenly," THE LIVING BIBLE tells us, "the angel was joined by a vast host of others-the armies of ; heaven - praising uod : 'Glory to God in the highest heaven,' they sang, 'and peace on earth for all those pleasing Him!" (Luke 2:13-14). In spite of this background and these meaningful Biblical words, modern man's general attitude toward his fellowman is one of scorn for the needy, the institutionalizat ion of the oppressed, balking at the creativity of the young, and in general, offering expressions of self ishness, hostility, and apathy toward his fellowman for all but the few days each year during the Christ mas season. Upon a second look, we should realize that the historical setting from which our Biblical phrases come is one of leading 20th century man to say in this season that recognizes the birth of the Christ, "Peace on Earth—and—Goodwill Toward Men." This phrase, in a practical sense, means that during the Christmas season, we give to the needy, sing carols to the oppressed, encourage the young to laugh and in * · " * " general, offer affectionate express ions of togetherness, forgiveness and thankfulness. These can be summarized in the word "brother hood." "Human brotherhood," the late John F. Kennedy said, "is not just a goal. It is a condition on which our way of life depends." "The question for our time," Kennedy continues, "is not whether all men are brothers. That question has been answered by the God who placed us on this earth together. The question is whether we have the strength and the will to make the brotherhood of man the guiding principle of our daily lives." It is the latter part of Mr. Kenne dy's statement, "the guiding princi ple of our daily lives," that should cause us some concern during this, the 1978 Christmas season. This concern should center around the fact that true brotherhood-concern for the needy, oppressed and the young—cannot be limited to a few days anchored around the birth date of Jesus Christ. Brotherhood must be "the guiding principle of our daily lives." Thus, in the Christmas sea son, compassionate feelings for oth es must be extended to being year round, that is, Christmas forever. To do less would be to degrade the meaning of Christmas and to reject the love of Jesus, a love without which there can be no brotherhood, and without brother hood there can be no Christmas. Let's practice brotherhood, let's have Christmas forever. The Economy: Up Or Down? The Congressional ttuoget uttice (CBO), has projected a decline in ' the nation's output of goods and services during the second half of 1979, thus, resulting in a recession. 'Noted economist, Alan Greenspan has also predicted a recession, but - he views it as occuring in mid year. Two local economists, NCNB's 'Alfred G. Smith and First Union's G.B. Carrier, Jr., taking a cue from the CBO also, concluded that the prospects of a recession in 1979 are âiwlIlÎMO; Concerned that predictions by private economists that the recess ion is eminent in 1979 led President Carter to state last week that such statements may become "a self-ful filling prophecy" if the American people believe them. Then the Pre sident said bluntly, "We do not anticipate a recession next year... our nation is strong." The observation about the econo my reveals three important things about political economy or econo mics. First, there's the ever present difference between the views of private economists and those em ployed by goverment who must keep their views within the context of the administration it works for. Secondly, for obvious reasons, the administration in Washington, re gardless of the political party in power, will rarely if ever, admit that the economy is not responding to the going monetary and fiscal which is supposed to keep the. economy in a state of progress. Thirdly, and most importantly, the psychological theory of the business cycle suggests that recess ions, and likewise prosperity, are caused in part by the mental atti tudes and human emotions of peo ple. Thus, general optimism, based upon favorable economic conditions, could stimulate economic activity. On the other hand, pessimistic views about the economy's output such as noted here by private economists tend to cause consumers to act more conservatively, thus aggravating and possibly creating the development of a recession. Therefore, it behooves the consumer to gain sufficient information and understanding about the economy to make his or her own economic decisions. This is the American way. It is at least partly your decision to determine whether we have a reces sion or reasonable levels of prosper ity. j Al» Why The Lives Of Elderly People le One Of Passing Through A Gauntlet Of Muggers? Carter9» Budget Proposals Carter's Inflation Program: by Bayard KusUn I Special To The post President Carter's anti-in flation program, to put it rather bluntly, suffers from a warped sense of fairness. In stead of coping with the real sourcëg of inflatiuu, the Piesi dent's approach penalizes-un intentionally, I believe—the most brutalized and most de fenseless victims of steadily rising prices. Rather . than offer hope and aid to poor people, workers, and the un employed·, the President's strategy increases the alrea dy heavy burden shouldered by these groapa. By compari son, business gryups and wealthy individuals - those who suffer least from inflation - are asked to do little or nothing. Once again, their, victims are blamed for their own victimization. By saying all this, I am not suggesting that the Carter Administration is mean-spiri ted, insensitive, or a willing tool of business interests. On the contrary, I believe that President Carter has made a sincere effort to dea with inflation, a dangerous problem that especially tor ments working people and the poor. But while I refuse to question President Carter's good intentions, I do not refuse to question the wisdom of his economic policies as they re late to blacks and workers. Those policies,. to be blunt once again; are disastrous. While the Carter Admini stration certainly took precau tions to insure that its anti-in flation program would be just and workable, it seenu> to mc that its strategy has threu serious and potentially fatal flaws; first, it is a voluntary assume that wage increases are the principal, if not exclu sive cause of inflation; and, third, the proposal for fiscal "austerity" will have an espe cially disproportionate impact "on Individuals -and- groupe least responsible for inflation. By its very nature, a purely voluntary system of wage price controls-as proposed by President Carter-results in major inequities, and places a disproportionate burden on workers. Under the proposed guidelines, wâgé increases are capped at 7 percent. But the formula for regulating price increase· is**MMflous and confused. Without some sort of simple and easily en forceable price guidelines like those in forçe during World War II-workers receive virtually nothine in return for their sacrifices. Moreover, a system widely perceived as unjust win breed even more distrust, resent ment, and political cynicism. Considering the weakness of Carter price controls it seems fair to conclude that the Ad ministration has bought the idea that wage increases have been the leading cause of inflation. While that analysis surely has wide popularity, an examination of recent econo mic trends clearly indicates that inflation has other less Obvious sources And by con centrating attention on wages, the easiest target, we ignore the far more troublesome sources of inflation especially in the areas of interest rates, food, housing, energy and health care costs. Wage incre ases have had little or no effect in boosting the costs of dm» Β""*1* MPtei In light of all this it seems somewhat misguided to place such a strong emphasis on a 7 percent cap when, in fact, inflation arises from predo minantly non-wage sources. Wagg guidelines without strong price controls - especi ally in the problem areas I mentioned-will simply pre vent workers and poor people from making up lost income. And since real wages (in terms of 1967 dollars) are already significantly lower than they were in 1972, employer-enforced wage lim· aswrs victims of the economic disea ses that seem'to permanently afflict our system. President Carter's proposal for fiscal austerity makes his overall strategy even less attractive. For whenever we hear about "austerity bud gets" it means austerity for the poor. It means, quite simply, that those who have the least in our society will be asked to sacrifice the most. If one believes the recent hints from various Administration officials, next year's federal budget will probably have about $15 billion tees for social programs and Jobs. And those programs are already scanda lously under-financed. if Carter's program is inadequate, what can replace it? To begin with, we win never control Inflation unless we have a program viewed as equitable and effective. Presi dent Carter has produced a set of proposals that have been rejected by the key constituen cies that elected him, blacks nivt lnhnr :By Vernon Ε. Jordan, Jr. —— TO » BE EQUAL A Time For Coming Together Christmas, a time for coming together, for sharing joys and comforts, arrives this year as the nation seems trapped in a sullen mood. Americans and their leaders seem to be enmeshed in daily problems whose magnitude is sometimes blown out of all proportion. This is a good time to reflect that the faith and dedication to the ideals of freedom that made this country great, can keep it great—if we don't abandon our best instincts as a people. To hear some people talk, America is supposed to be a pitiful giant, weak at home and weak abroad. The dollar is laggard, inflation- is rampant, taxes are high, the Russians are iœa&sBGEssss&M public services willhave a shut down-as long_ag_ they've got their personal transportation, their private schools, and"their high incomes. So why care about those who depend on public transport, [public schools, and subsidized services? _ Maybe this Christmas some of those people will take a long, hard look at their priorities and responsibilities. Maybe they'll come to realize that a society is made up of all kinds of people living in a state of interdependence with others. Maybe they'll reflect a bit on the principle of "goodwill to all men and peace on earth," and come to see that the real problems of our society are not the ones that get the biggest press play and media coverage. Inflation, taxes and reviving the Cold War are the chief issues in the rightward drift in our country. But ending unemployment, providing necessary social services, ending discriminat ion, and saving our cities are the real problems that beset us. And all of those problems can be licked if we recapture the sense of shared responsibilities ' and a common destiny. Overcoming selfishness, racism, and anti-oocial attitudes are never easy. But if we are to come out of this period of national drift, all segments of our society will kAaiA m««11 ■ ■■ THE CHARLOTTE Pifer "THE PEOPLES NEWSPAPER' Established 1918 Published Every Thursday By The Charlotte Poet Publishing Co., Inc. 1524 West Blvd.-Charlotte. N.C. 28208 Telephones (704)076-0496-376-0497 Circulation, 9,915 β0 YEARS OF CONTINUOUS SERVICE BILL JOHNSON . Editor Publisher BERNARD REEVES...General Manager SHIRLEY HARVÇY...Advertising Director HENRY ALAKSA . Business Manager Second Class Postage No. 965500 Paid Af Charlotte, N.Ç. under the Act of March 3,18f78 Member National Newspaper Publishers Association North Carolina Black Publishers Association Deadline for all news copy and photos is 5 p.m. Monday. All photos and copy submitted becomes the property of the POST, and will not be returned. National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc. 45 W. 5th Suite 1403 2400 S. Michigan Ave. -New York, N.Y. 10036 Chicago, 111. 60616 (212)489-1220 Calumet 5-0200 Our New Day Begun Significance Of National Monuments by Benjamin L. Hooka Special To The Poet For Black Americana, ever so preoccupied with the con suming struggle for civil rights, jobs and equality, re • creational pastimes such as visiting national parks and monuments often seem a lux ury that are hardly worth the effort. The simple task of scraping a living leave· little energy, money or desire to do anything else than meet in a neighborhood bar, on a street .■orner or visit friend· and relatives. But the cultural and educational Iom, as Ira Hutch inson, deputy director of the National Parks Service, not ed, 1· real. Commenting on this gap in he live· of so many people, Mr. Hutchinson suggested re cently that a national confer once be called to determine why black· do not visit these area· as much aa whites. Some people might not be willing to go as far aa calling for such a conference, seeing im> Immediate material gain. Nevertheless, Mr. Hutchin son's observations do merit aerious consideration Most significant in the cont inuing Cultural development of blacks, the traditional vic tima of racism and deprivat Benjamin L. Hooka ...Executive Director ion, is the mere presence of Mr. Hutchinson in a high policy-making position in the Department of the Interior. Federal agencies such as In terior, Agriculture and State have for too long been regard ed as white preserves. So his presence here, as well as that of James A. Joseph, undersecretary of Interior, should be applauded. Their positions underscore Pre sident Carter's desire to bring more minorities Into policy making within his administra tion. That Mr. Hutchinson haa been able to direct attention to the need for blaotas to visit America's national parka and monuments In the capacity «s an official of Interior provides even more reason why dem ands should be intensified for more appointments of this kind. At the same time, one is reminded of other painful aspects of the American dilemma. One is the history of Jim Crow and its continuing psychological Impact on so many American citizens. No doubt, this history of humiliat ion affected the way people continue to behave and the heritage that is transmitted to upcoming generation· It wss only a few short years ago that blacks were barred by law, custom and fear from drinking at water fountains reserved for whites, staying at white hotels, and sharing most other public facilities that were designated lor whites. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 changed that. But up until then, blacks were limited in their travel by the mere logistics of having to plan for resit stops where they knew they would be accepted. For blacks, the mere use of toilet facilities was a trip (pun intended). Even the lowly ser vice station most often offered no comfort. The attendant, of course, would sell blacks gaso line. But they were barred from using restrains. Worth mentioning, also, is the severe flaw in American history. So much of construct ive involvement and contribu tions by blacks have been washed out of U.8. history, that few national shrines or public mommranta have any relevance or provide an emot ional upiiftment for blacks. When It ia remembered, alio,' that much of American hist ory contains another type of pain for blacks-the pain of slavery and centuries df dis crimination - one Is left to marvel that blacka really bot her to visit some of these monuments st SO. Yet, however unpleasant Vnt experience might be, It la incumbent on black· to visit and learn about any and every American monument and shrine. Hlatory la not only knowledge; but it la strength, which la a prerequiaite for survival and progreea in any culture or society. - Burrefl Presses For Controls - Special To The Poet . Washington, D.C...."Wage and price control· (nay not be a long terra solution, but peo ple «at in the abort run," declared National Bualnaea League President Dr. Berke ley G. Burreil, in a recant public statement about the nation's number ooe economic problem inflation Delivering the keynote address to a capacity crowd at the Ninth Annual Awards Banquet of the Metro politan Business 1 «signe in Richmond, Va., Dr. Burreil urged the imposition of mand atory wage and price controls as the only way to halt Inflat ion now. Already on record in support of controls, Dr. Bur reil reiterated Ms view that "People are afraid of the term, but love the results." Further explaining his posit ion, the leader of the nation's oldest business association said: "Voluntary wage and price guidelines do not protact the disadvantaged. Without mandatory wage and price controls. Blacks and other minorities cannot afford to eat, let alone catch up with the free market economy." In refersnce to a recant White House meeting between the Présidant and members cf the Black Leadership forum, Burrefl warned that "this Ad ministration seems to fight inflation at the ex pense οf minorities and the poor." According to BurreU, the impending cuts in social welfare programs mean that "the disadvantaged sectors of our society are being UOd to bear the brunt of the anti-in flation fight. Ιο our view, we . must deviae program· that are equitable (or all Mjmiwt· of the nation, and more impor tantly, we muet aeak the adop tion at mmmmm that clearly addreea the needa and protect the URnwtfref our people." Burrell continued: "Like other members ci the Black I eaderehlp Forum, I am diat urbed by what we heard At the White Home. ' < J j m ■ M M « H MUWW» ΛΜβ· tAf*» | strong. Well, maybe the prophets of doom are righlH but I won't buy that package of despair. Some of the problems they identify are the wrong ones, and none of them squares with the truth-that this Christmas finds us in full possession of the capabilities of righting what's with us. Inflation worries many of the pessimists, and bothers everyone else, especially any (me who's been out shopping for Christmas presents and remembers what last year's prices were like. But our inflation rate is low compared with that of some other countries. And given a spirit of cooperation and a determination to get a handle on the problem without imposing unjust burdens on poor and moderate income people is nwii mMHq our society's means. But to do so, we've got to come together as a people and work together constructively. In other words, a little more of the Christmas spirit all year round is needed. Too many of us spend the rest of the year looking out for ourselves and - fnrg»Hing tho nhUgnHnn tr> holp nfhofg The spirit of selfishness is behind a lot of our nation's problems. When people are saying,. "I've got mine, I don't care about you," the stage is set for trouble. And that's what's been happening. Those who have, want more—and they're not concerned about those who have nothing.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Dec. 21, 1978, edition 1
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