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. cdiiflis dconcniJ i Anti-Inflation Hypocrisy ay Moyie H. Martin, Sr. Post Editorial Writer In 1978, Mci^unaia s new big ham burger, the “McFeast”, was quietly reduced in size but increased in price and, some predict, that in 1979 the footlong hotdog and the The “Hersey” chocolate bar will be reduced in size by nearly 50 percent in order to maintain their current sales pr ce-i Such unbelievable pro uuct quantity are called, in a word, inflation Conventional wisdom tells us too, that when the consumer price index is rising at an annual rate of nearly 10 perceni, the prime lending rate is ,'upfrom 7% to 11V2percent, and mort gage rates are zooming from 9 to nearly 11 percent, as has been the case over the past year, we have inflation. Inflation has so ravaged the dol ;lar, eroded personal savings, made many on fixed ’incomes poor and created so many prophecies of doom that it - inflation- has the unique / distinction of being the nation’s number one problem. The question that many ask, but few seek" to adequately answer, is what csh we do about inflation? / 1 .*• c Many Americans believe the an swer to this question depends on how much the government can and will do. Because of this belief, President Carter told a nationwide television audience in Octobefihat we must embrace "a time of oational auste rity” through a voliqitary anti-infla ion program highlighted by wage and price limitations. His plan aims to cut the nation’jfl percent inflation rate by about 3 percent by the end of 1979. 7 The President intends to achieve this goal by reducing federal hiring, cutting f ederaispending ,'and elimi nating $30whon from the federal budget in uie next fiscal year. Futhermae, labor and manage ment areexpected to hold wages and prices increases to 7 and 6-5 percent respectively, and a "wage insu rance’', will be granted workers participating in the voluntary plan when or if the consumer price index rises/bv more than 7 percent. “If there is one thing I am asking of every American,” Carter said, “it is to give this plan a chance to work.” Despite the President’s apparently good intentions, it is the federal government itself that may hamper the anti-inflation plans’s effectiveness. Two fac tors point this out. First, as a result of Congressional action, the federal minimum wage rose from $2.65 to $2.90 this month, this has added to the pressure on higher prices and few jobs, especially among black youth. Secondly, the Carter admini stration has recently announced plans to increase defense spending Can we justify more defense spend ing while cutting domestic funding with the argument it’s inflationary and not consistent with the anti-in flationary plan? I think not. Ob the other hand, labor manage ment and consumers are caught in an inflationary merry-go-round cbmmonlycalled the “psychology of inflation.” Workers demand higher wages to offset future price rises, management boosts prices to off-set anticipated wage demands and pos sible wage-price controls, and con sumers try to buy big now in the hope of heading-off higher prices they believe are inevitable. Thus, neither the government nor the elements in the private sector are fully committed to or seeking to grapple with the problem of infla tion. There is, in effect, an anti-in flationary hypocrisy that is shared by government, management, labor and some consuming elements. This leaves the real burden of inflation on the poor, many of whom are black, those with fixed incomes, and the elderly. It is therefore past the time for labor and management to temper their demands for higher wages and higher prices. Futhermore, it is tune for the federal government to put into priority the nation’s needs and then utlize a realistic non-politi cal or bi-partisan budget to meet those needs. As individuals, we too can do our part as consumers by shopping wisely, economically and with a committment to aiding the fight against inflation. Won’t you do your part? uiiwara niui nope in wv 4 A-ieany, me pessimistic outlook for the economy - continued inflation and a possible practical off-setting recession-in 1979 appear to be influ „■ encing measurements for much that may happen in this new year. This pessimism is undoubtedly en couraged by the belt tightening programs of the Carter Administra tion, the probable slight increase in unemployment resulting from the presumed recession as well as the new federal minimum wage in crease from $2.65 to $2.90 that will initially increase unemployment. There are nevertheless, some rea sons to nave a positive outlook for . ’79. Among these are the hope for new world peace that a new Pope may help bring; the greater possibi lity for black majority rule in Rhodesia; the possibility that Mid dle East imported crude oil price increases may be off-set by our renewed diplomatic relations with mainland China and possible oil purchases there; the appointment of more black federal judges by Presi dent Carter, especially in the South; the greater awareness by blacks that the‘‘reverse discrimination”. Allan Bakke decisiondid not wipe out out all past civ»l right*- g.->:ns THE CHARLOTTE POST ‘THE PEOPLES NEWSPAPER" Established 1918 Published Every Thursday By The Charlotte Post Publishing Co., Inc. 1524 West Blvd.-Charlotte, N.C. 28208 Telephones <704)376-0496-376-0497 Circulation, 9,915 _ 60 YEARS OF CONTINUOUS SERVICE BILL JOHNSON...Editor Publisher BERNREEVES...General Manager SHIRLEY HARVEY...Advertising Director HENRY ALAKSA...Business Manager Second Class Postage No. 965500 Paid At Charlotte, N.C. under the Act of March 3,1878 Member National Newspaper Publishers Association ' North Carolina Black Publishers Association Deadline for all news copy and photor. 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 j (212) 489-1220 Calumet 5-0200 _ WASHINGTON (NNPA) Five experts in marketing and in newspaper advertising and circulation will lead the Mid Winter Workshop sessions of the National Newspaper Publishers Association Black Press of America— January 17-20 in Memphis, Tennessee, at the Hyatt Regency Memphis Hotel. The five are: Roy W. Stevens, president of Hiram Walker; Arthur Segali, Sr., general advertising sales manager of the Memphis Commercial Appeal and its lister, the Press Scimitar, largest dailies in the Mid South; Ted MacDonald, president of the Mac Donald Classified Services; Daniel Orr, circualtion director of the Boston Globe and president at International Circulation Managers Association; and Malcolm F. Mellette, director, American Press Institute. This disclosure of expanded . Workshop program plans were made this week byNNPA President John H. .*enf- * stacks, editor-publisher of the Chicago Dally Defender and other newspapers in his chain He said the program is being planned by NNPA First Vice President John L. Procope, publisher of the New York Amsterdam News. CO/WUNfTV SELF-HELP PROJECTS •*. »* 00 EDUCATION VOTER REGISTRATION ANTIPOVERTY PROGRAM POLITICAL ORGANIZATION MORALITY DEUQUENCY FIGHTAGAJNST —^crime! • TRUE WISDOM IS TO KNOW WHAT IS BEST WORTH KNOWING, AND T0 DO WHAT IS BEST worth doing; . BLACK COMMUNITIES CAN AM) MUST DO TOE JOB Business In The Black Army Of Black American Labor by Charles E. BeDc Special to The Post General Bernard W. Rogers. Chief of Staff, U. S. Army, came from Kansas. General Rogers is a bit of a wizard himself. Even looking like a Four-Star General all right enough with his steel snow hair and unblinking eyes. Every soldier saluted this Rhodes Scholar, including the black ones. General Rogers reasons the Russians are at least ready, posaibly able and almost wil ling to whip U. S. ground forces in a conventional war in Europe. Black officers ac count for 6.1 percent of the \ Array, byt Black Americans •ccount fbr 28% or one out of every four foot soldiers m the chief of staffs service. High Black American un employment of males in the' 17-25 year-old range can pro vide cannon fodder for fight ing conventional type wars. Conventional wan keep a lot of warm bodies tied up of any color until they're dead. General Rogen reasoned in a speech to the Common wealth Club of San Francisco, California that the Army's major contribution is in the conventional field. While he believes the active Army is ready, his greatest concern is for the National Guard, Re serve and civilian employees to support a total combat ef fort. What the General did not say was how much higher the casualties for frontline troops, mostly black, may be if there is insufficient back up for conventional war forces. General Rogers believes we have good men and women in the active Army. Performance is the word that pops right out of his mouth in making a soldier. Since, according to him. 83% of the Armv ner sonnel are high school grad uates getting an honorable discharge would seem a goal for the average Army guy. But Black Americans fill more of the Army's jails than their numbers dictate to be the case. In 1972, when Black Americans made up 17% of the enlisted ranks, they con stituted nearly 37% of the prisoner population on a year ly average. By 1976, Black Americans constituted more than half the prisoner popu lation. The late Rev. Dr. Martin L. King's organization, SCLC. claims to have received over 300 complaints from black servicemen who have been harassed, discriminated against, illegally confined and otherwise unfairly punished. General Rogers has ' a fact finding committee investigat ing these type of charges. Getting to the bottom of these allegations could greatly enhance the Army's image. However, rumors running out to Washington say Pentagon people wince at the idea of a totally black U.S. Army. Even with a de-emjphasis on Black Xmerican recruitment re-en Jistment by a higher percent age of Black Americans causes the color of the U. S. Army to grow blacker. Putting powerful pressure on the high command to pro mote Black American soldiers for hereto unheard of higher positions._ Black Americans have served honorably in all the wars involving this nation. Of fering one's life in the service of ' the country commands equal respect and reward which goes with such sacrifice. Black pride forces perform ance out of Black American coldiers who seek a successful r.arppr in thp A rents n»n«ral Rogers will have ample op portunity to provide equal employment opportunity for Black Americans as their civi lian unemployment situation continues to suggest a career in the armed services. Letter To The Editor Appreciates Post Support Dear Mr .’''hnson: This letter is in appreciation of your support of the North Carolina National Guard as evidenced by articles furnish ed through the Clipping Serv ice of your coverage of Guard events. The National Guard is news. Its members are continuously involved in community affairs in an effort to improve har mony and growth of the com munity. They are able to assist in many ways as a direct result of the training they receive and the economic growth is attributed, in part, to their military pay as mem bers of the National puard. Your reporting events and instances enhances their mor ale and makes the public aware of the assets available to them. I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a joyous Holiday Season with peace and contentment prevailing throughout the New Year. May our respect for mutual interests suffice to bring about continuity of effort. Sincerely, William E. Ingram Major General, NCARNG .Adjutant Gen^gj Subscribe to the Charlotte Post! Your support helos! . r*1 ui uiv niuij. vjuicibi Five Experts To Lead Black Press Workshops In addition to specialized sessions on circulation and advertising, Sengstacks said a general session will be held with the representatives of private industry, reboots and depart menu of journalism, and the government. These officials, who attend most NNPA Workshops and Conventions, are expected to join in a dialogue with the publishers on the role of the BUck Press in helping to further improve the status of blacks in America and worldwide. The Workshop will open with the President’s Reception on Wednesday evening, January 17. Following the reception, two or three short r-ipspti movies trill be shown. These will include "Dateline Procope 1 oday", • film on newspaper circulation produced by the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Sengstacke says he expects greetings to be brought during the luncheons and dinner by Senators Howard Baker and James R. Sasser of Tennessee, Mayor Wyeth Chandler of Memphis, and Biship J. O. Patterson of the Church of God in Christ. Stevens, who will address the advertising luncheon on Friday, January 19, has been president of Hiram Walker since 1973. His broad experience in the marketing field began in 194* when, fresh out of the University of Iowa, he joined Coca-Cola. Then he moved on to General Foods and Riviana Foods before entering Hiram Walker as a vice president in 1973. Segal] Orr, who will open the discussion on circulation, is one of the nation’s leading authorities in the field. He has been involved in the work since 194* when he arrived here from his native Ireland. Orr came up through the ranks at the Boston Glob*, becoming circulation manager in 1964 and director eight years later. This year he was elected president of ICM A. He holds a B A. and a law degree. Mellette will provide the important tie-in between the news and feature content of newspapers and their circulation potential. At the Institute, he conducts seminars for editors year round. Segall, who will lead the discussion on advertising, has On been an advertising executive with the Scripps-Howard chain for 23 yean. He is a graduate of Northeastern University in Boston and has done further work at Ohio State. MacDonald, who will discuss classified advertising, is an international authority on the subject. He has written two books on such adver tising: Fundamentals of Newspaper Classified Advertising, and Sales Management in Newspaper Classified Advertising. His organisation Serves the classified advertising departments of over 600 newspapers in the United States, Canada, and six other countries. He is a graduate of Notre Dame. —*Ry Vernon E._Jo wmmm E<JtiXL 9 I . . .... " : y> J 1978 - The Rightward Drift 1978 was a year marked by a rightward drift in American that blocked the resolution of long-standing problems. And it was a year of continued hardship for blacks, His panics and other minorities. It was a year of economic recovery—for everyone but black people. Despite the reduction in white unemployment figures, blacks were badly off as in the previous year. Black jobless rates remained at their incredibly high levels. The only change was that last year people were alarmed at the high unemployment rates, while in 1978, they were indifferent. That’s another example of America’s willingness to tolerate conditions among blacks that would not be tolerated among whites. If white unemployment were anything like black joblessness—with a quarter of the labor force out of work—there would be massive programs to revive the economy. But since such joblessness is primarily confined to blacks, the response is to slash the number of federally created jobs by over 100,000 in 1979. The rightward drift can be seen in Washington. Last year the Administration came up with an urban policy, a welfare reform program, and the beginnings of a national health plan. Now it is talking about cutting social programs and preaching’’austerity”. That’s a big switch, and it’s one that promises a rough year ahead. 1978 was symbolized by two events that indicate the rightward drift in the country. One was the Supreme Court’s Bakke decision. Actually, that decision fudged the issues and did not substantially harm the concept of affirmative action. But oy oiurnng me cages oi me issue, me i^ourt gave people an excuse to question the workings of affirmative action. Thus the Bakke decision, by not giving unqualified backing to the University’s minority admissions program, threw similar programs into confusion. But it should be stressed that the confusion was primarily the result of the reluctance of many schools and companies to fully » commit themselves to affirmative action in the first place. So too many people saw the Bakke decision as a chance to escape their responsibilities instead of an opportunity to go full speed ahead. . The second symbolic act of the year was the passage of California’s Proposition 13. That tax-cutting plan was • • • • • • aimed at inequities in a revenue-rich state’s property tax system. But whatever the localized reasons, it quickly became the raUying^fc for the so-called tax revolt . We’re bound to Bad more froifi that qtuklter id the coming year. Even though some states knocked down similar plans in the November elections, opposition to taxes is still strong chough to frighten legislators into a fiscal conservatism that is often unwarranted. The real target of the tax-cutters has to be made clear. It’s not cutting taxes that generates their loyalties—it’s cutting government spending, expecially spending on services that benefit the poorest peopleintheir communities. Past attempts to cut spending failed, so now they are going about it differently. By trimming revenues, they hope to force spending cuts—and it’s the poorest among us who will bear the brunt of those cuts. nuuuici aspect oi iv/o Dears mention, bucks, wno elected a President in 1976, played a minor role in tHU year's election. True, in some states such as Pennsylvania Illinois and Mississippi they materially affected the election results. But by and large, blacks voted in smaller proportions than other groups and by so doing, voluntarily gave up the political bargaining chips our society provides. Black people don’t have the economic strength that makes power-holders pay attention to their needs. But they do •have the power of numbers. Translated into votes, that becomes an inducement to political leaders to back policies needed by the group. So black nort-voting in 1978 meant a dilution of black strength and the weakening of black people’s ability to be heard and to have their needs met. That’s a self-inflicted wound the black community will have to correct this year and next. More Meals m a. Eaten Away From Home We Americans are making more and more trips to the local ptua joint, hamburger stand and cafeteria. Mora and more of our meals are being eaten away from home. Nearly a third of the nation’s food bill now consists of ex penditures outside the home, according to U. & Department of Agriculture figures. The expenditure for outside meals in 1077 was around M0 billion. The value of food served in institutions, such as hospitals, schools, nursing homaa and others, also increased in 1077 and reached nearly 112 million. Away-from-home expend itures for farm foods, therefore amounted to Ml billion, almost half as large as at-home ex penditures of 0126 billion.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Jan. 4, 1979, edition 1
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