cmiofiou t COB1WJ ■
Is There A Presidential Ahemative?
U.. IT_I T. .. _ ... -
Kfj uujic n. marun, or.
Post Editorial Writer
In the annual State of the Union
Message,President Jimmy Carter
continued what was evident earlier
in his proposed “lean and austere”
budget for fiscal 1980 by declaring
that inflation is the nation’s No.l
problem. He added that extrava
gance in government, while often
with good intentions, is nevertheless
a part of the inflation problem.
Carter used a catch phrase within
the tradition of the Democratic Party
like “Roosevelt’s New Deal,’’
“Kennedy’s. New Frontier” and
“Johnson’s Great Society.”
He told the American people that
we must build a “New Foundation”
for the future. The “Foundation,”
the President said,, would have to
have it roots in austerity. “We
cannot afford to live beyond our
means to create programs we can
neither manage nor finance,”
Carter said.
Ironically, Carter’s speech ap
pears to have moved him to center
stage politically and thus angered
both Democrats and Republicans.
—He upset his own Democratic Party
members, particularly the liberals,
py abandoning his earlier commit
ments to national health insurance,
by reducing the jobs programs that
have kept umemployment to re
duced levels and by cutting funds to
aid the urban centers and social
security.
Rupblicans applauded Carter’s
efforts to offer plans to reduce
inflation. However, many were
angry that the President had in
effect seized the GOP’s initiative
by presenting a budget and state of
the Union Message that appeared to
come from their notebook.
While many Democrats privately
praised the Presdent for trying to
curb inflation, some were openly/
critical of cuts In social programs,
especially when increases are plan
nea in aeiense spending. House
Speaker Thomas P. (Tip) O’Neill
(D-Mass) said, “I didn’t become
speaker of the House to dismantle
programs I have fought for all my
life.” Sen.Edward M. Kennedy
(D-Mass” criticized “wasteful in
creases” in defense spending and
said, “Thke budget asks the poor,
the black, the sick, the young, the
cities and the unemployed to bear a
disproportionate share of the reduc
tions.”
Kennedy’s words were consistent
with a study called1 The State of
Black America - 1979” drafted~by
The National Urban League. In
reflecting on the content of the
studv, League president Vernon E.
Jordan said, “It is our grim duty to
inform you that the State of Black
America today verges on the brink
of disaster. 1979 promises to be a
year of crisis for American’s black
people.”
Thus, with the Carter Administra
tion setting forth as fiscally a
conservative budget and “State”
message as might any of the Repub
lican Presidential hopefuls of lwju,
black Americans must »«k the
question, Is there a Presidential
alternative?
This question is particularly signi
ficant because much'of the nation’s
black leadership has already ex
pressed a feeling that blacks should
not support Carter in 1980. However,
such pronouncements have usually
been without any reference to the
alternative Presidential hopeful and
his party’s philosophy. Therefore,
blacks may find themselves with a
dilemma on the next Presidential
election day. This points outs again
the need for blacks to pool their
resources and plan a political
strategy that calls for encouraging
the support of that party and
candidate that ‘best responds it>
community needs and interest.
k Colleges Attended By Choice?
The long verbal war between the
16-campus University of North
Carolina System and the U.S.
Department of Health, Education
and Welfare appears to have
centered on the status of the five
predominately black state uiflver
sities.
HEW wants to eliminate course
duplication that will encourage
white students to enroll for some
degree programs at the formally
all-black campuses and black
students to enroll at the white
campuses.
While these concerns may be of
merit, there are two overriding
issues in this dispute that have been
overlooked or ignored. First, is the
fact that the 5 historically black
universities - even without the 10.2
percent oi white students they cur
rently have - are not as such
segregated institutions. To "seg
regate^MVeteter^Dictiona^^eUs
us is “to compel racial groups to go
to school apart from each other.”
Fortunately, in public higher educa- ,
tion in North Carolina there is longer
forced separation of the races
The majority of the state’s black
college students attending the 5
so-called black colleges do so out of
personal choice, not because they
must. Furthermore, these students,
their parents and the alulmni of
these institutions are as proud of
their heritage and contributions as
are others who have attended UNC
Chapel Hill. Because of this herit
age these institutions may be pre
dominately black for years to come'
by choice not by command.
Secondly, as the casual observer
looks at the phenomemal growth
and development of some of the
younger campuses - UNC Charlotte,
UNC Wilmington etc. - it becomes
quite evident that insufficient funds
have been and continue to be spent
^j^mjfcSblack schools.
TOE CHARLOTTE POST
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h*ues Order To Aid Black Colleges ' ' ' T
President Carter Responds To Minority Private Sector
WASHINGTON, DC .
National Buaineai League
President Dr. Berkely G.
Burrell acknowledged today
that President Carter has
issued an Executive Order to
all federal agencies to take
affirmative action to increase
the share of federal procure
ment and research and deve
lopment dollars to Black col
leges and universities. The
order, tailored after the Presi- 1
dent’s 1977 order on minority
business procurement, was
viewed as a positive response
to the urgings of NBL’s Natio
nal Council for Policy Review
(NCPR).
In a statement today, Dr.
Burrell, NBL’s tenth Presi
dent and Chairman of the
NCPR, said: "On June 7,1979,
the National Council for
Policy review met with top
Administration Officials and
called for a more equlabie
distribution of federal re
sources to the minority
private sector. Of particular
concern then was the evident
disparity in the level of re- s
sources being channeled to ft
our Black colleges and univer- c
slties. This gross disparity <
places our Black colleges at a i
competitive disadvantage
with their white counterparts.
Of the billions of dollars that
low trom uie tederai govern
nent to educational institu
ions annually, only a minute
cercentage reaches our Black
nstitutions.
‘‘These federal funds repre
lent the kind of capacity build
ng resources so desperately
leeded in our Black instltu
ions. Council representatives
challenged the Administration
ind the Department of Health ,
education and Welfare to do a
jetter job of allocating re
lources to Black educational
institutions by going beyond
the traditional Title III fund
ing source. The President s
iction indicates that our mes
lage did not fall on deaf ears
ind that the movement to
itrengthen and expand our
Black colleges may now re
ceive some much needed im
petus from the federal govern
ment.”
Dr. Burrell indicated that in
the Fiscal 1980 budget, more
than 190 billion will be expend
sd by the federal government
ihrou«h
3f*ssns5
f tbe President »^.Ue, may
oUe***‘tn opportulnity to
SSSlKWi- other
major white institutions.
He added: "Black colleges
continue to produce the majo
rity of educated Blacks in this
country. By accessing the
vast pool of federal resources,
our colleges will be able to
w
expand their facilities, com
pete on a more equal footing
for top flight instructors and
managers and produce a more
competitive graduate. This
may well be the first step
toward breaking the Title III
syndrome (Title III of the
Education Act where Blad
colleges have traditionally
sought federal assistance) am
penetrating the enormous
resources of the federa
government.”
The National Council for
Policy Review is a coalition of
I more than fifty national
minority business, trade and
I professional associations
jJnUuaney: ,
44Good Nutrition Is Base Of Healthy Bodies. Teeth”
SPECIAL TO THE POST
RALEIGH - “Good muni
tion Is the base of healthy
bodies and healthy teeth,” Dr.
George Dudney, head of the
Dental of Human Services
Program, Division of Health
Services, North Carolina
Department of Human Re
sources, said.
"But what most people don’t
realize is just how damaging
constant Intake of sugar is to
teeth and gums. An indivi
dual, particularly a child,
would be better off eating all
of the sugar he or she is going
to eat during the day at one'
time rather man eating small
amounts of sugar several
times during the day
"So many things have sugar
In them-cereals, juice, soft
drinks, canned vegetables,
Btc In fact, people don’t
realize that sugar is added to
many things they ear includ
Ing, in tome instances, table
salt. # _
"People can recognize the •
hidden sugars in foods b)»
reading labels. Sugar is listed
under several names such as
sucrose, glucose, com syrup,
coconut oil or dextrose. All of
them can be changed to acid in
the mouth producing, over a
period of time, dental
diseases
‘' What happens wheit people
eat sugar is that it breaks
down rather quickly in the
mouth to form acids which
cause dental cavities and gum
diseases." Dudney said. This
can be counteracted to a great
extent by proper brushing and
flossing
"The problem can be
particularly severe in very
young children. One dental
health problem we see often in
North Carolina is a condition
w
called bottle decay. Thia may
happen when a mother leaves
a bottle In her child’s mouth
for a long period of time to
comfort the infant. The bottle
may contain juice, soft drinks
or even milk. Soon the upper
teeth have decayed because
the bottle containing liquids
with sugar is repeatedly left
In the baby’s mouth," Dudney
said.
“This causes several pro
blems. Secondly, since the
child’s baby teeth guide the
permanent teeth, the child
with bottle decay may develop
problems with the formation
of permanent teeth. This
could lead to speech problems
and later socialization
problems," Dudney said.
Sound dental health nutri
tion education is a major
component of preventive
dentistry programs in schools
and health departments
•crow North Carolina. ^
Sewing Machine
A balky sewing macmne
may Just be a machine that
needs oiling.
Using an oil made specifi
cally for this purpose, oil the
machine in areas specified by
the sewing machine manual,
suggest specialists with the ,
North Carolina Agricultural
Extension Service.
^COMMUNITY
JELF'HELP PROJECTS
EDUCATION
VOTER REGISTRATION
ANVFOVERTY PROGRAM
POLITICAL ORGANIZATION
MORALITY
DELINQUENCY
FIGHT AGAINST
CRIME 4
— Bv Vernon E. Jordan, Jr.
TO
BE
EQUAL
J.
Federal Budget Slows Growth
Living up to its advance billings, the adminis
' - tration has proposed a tight and austere Budget.
Too tight. Too austere. If Congress passes it in
all its particulars, chances ofr a recession by
year-end will be increased, and our social
problems will worsen.
But the Administration does deserve credit for
its emphasis on targeting programs. Given the •
President’s mandate For a relatively low deficit
and for slashing the domestic side of federal
spending, the budget-makers acted with a
degree of compassion often missing in
Washington.
A serious attempt seems to have been made to
keep services to the poorest citizens intact.
Spending has been cpt, but programs have been
reshaped to try to make maximum use of the
available funds for those most in need.
For example, while trimming expenditures for
education the Administration is planning in
creases in subsidies to schools with dispropor
tionate numbers of poor children. Public service
jobs are being cut back, but those aimed
primarily at the neediest will be preserved.
As austere Budgets go therefore, this one could
have been worse. But that doesn’t mean it is
good. In fact, the opposite is true.
The Budget is based on the assumption that
federal spending has to be trimmed to get
inflation under control. But the Budget’s impact
on the inflation rate is minimal. And even if a
tighter Budget was necessary, why does all the
trimming have to come out of necessary
domestic programs?
There’s no belt-tightening at the Pentagon, for
example. Defense spending will get a ten
percent boost in the coming year. And this is on
top of an enormous backlog of unspent appro
priations from previous years. In fact, there’s a
real danger that the Pentagon will start spending
some of that huge backlog of funds, with the
result that inflation really might heat up.
The Administration prides itself on a zero-bas
ed budgeting process that puts all federal
spending on a priority basis, elimination and
cutting where priori ties are lowest.
Then how come funds for jobs, housing, and
urban programs will shrink while military ip
spending goes up? Almost $600 million will be ^
cut out of public service jobs for example, less
than- the cost of the new MX missile expendi
tures in fiscal 1980.
That reflects distorted priorities. So too, does
the deep cut in the number of subsidized housing
units. So too is the failure to initiate new
programs needed by the poor. The Administra
tion won’t renew its plan for soft public works
projects - the kind of labor-intensive public jobs ,
- that puts unskilled workers on the payroll.
Given the public mood about spending and
taxes, the federal Budget has to be air tight, with
every penny targeted to programs that deliver
essential services. Few would argue that even
this auster Budget has programs that might
trimmed or eliminated with no great loss to the
nation.
So, calling for a more pronounced tut toward
programs that benefit the poor, the sick, the
jobless and distressed cities isn’t a plea for
budget-busting; it’s a call for minimum efficient
use of our nation’s scarce resources.
Some voices of protest are being heard. House
Speaker O’Neill complained about cuts in
ciimmAr inkn f 2—. 1 _L___
Blacks’s Destiny In Own Hands_
Ben Brown:
“Blacks Made Tremendous
Investment In Jimmy Carter”
by John W. Templeton
Special To The Post
RALEIGH - Ben Brown,
deputy chairman of the Demo
cratic National Committee,
sees himself as somewhat of a
stockbroker for black
Americans.
“Blacks made a tremendous
investment in Jimmy Carter,”
said Brown durin&an inter
view following his speech to
the N.^Association of Mino
rity PnbliqtOfficials last Week
end.
“I want to make sure they
receive their share of the
dividends.” said the architect
of Carter’s successful black ~
vote strategy in l97fe'.
. Although there are many
who think that the 95 percent
black vote on Carter’s behaB'
has not yet been adequately
repaid, Brown remains
staunchly behind Carter.
“There is some dissatiatac-'
tion, Brown acknowledged,”
because the adminitration can
not possibly meet all the ex
pectations of our consti
tuencies. _ _
“If you look at the positive
side, the record of the Carter
administration had been ap
plaudable,” he said. “There
have been significant gains
made.as.a result of action by
this administration. - —
He cited the 15 blacks work
ing as professional staff at the
White House and blacks ap
pointed to non-traditional jobs
such as under secreta ry of the
interior and U.N.ambassador.
However, he acknowledges
some bias on his part. During
his speech, Brown told the
officials, “I’m on the Carter
team; I will defend the Carter
team. When rt gets too hot for
me to defend them, then I’m
going to find myself a new
team.”
Brown is a fortyish Georgia
State Senator and former
SNCC organizer who joined
the Carter campaign early
and became part of what some
termed the “Atlanta Black
Mafia.” As the highest rank
ing black in the Carter transi
tion team, he was said to have
'wjeMi'<f<rerften<k>OS pov^jf in
deciding which blackB got
which posts in the admini
stration.
jiut now. as a .party official
in the middle of a presidential
term, his role is one of bring
ing administration policies out
to the grassrootsJeveL
So, when Brown spoke to the
officials, he didn’t talk about
grand new programs, he pick
ed up the theme of a number of
administration officials
during the Carter anti-infla
tion campaign.
The deputy chairman spoke
of "hard, new realities”
facing the black officials. His
list of.fivejncluded the inabi
lity. of the federal govern-' ";
ment to pick up the tab for all
social services and the
tax-cutting mood sweeping the
country.
Brown said the anti-tax
mood "simply means reorder
ing priorities for government. ^
.Pepple are not so much con-r
cerned about how much
government is spending as
they are about whether re
sources are properly spent. ”
He told the officials, “We
cannot let bigots take the ball
and frighten people into
massive cuts in social ser
vices. We have to be smart
enough to have an
alternative.”
Looking across the crowded
ballroom at the Raleigh
Holiday Inn, Brown noted
approvingly the more than 150
black officials
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Mrs. Holmes
Is Totally1
Professional
As former P.T.A. members
and teachers of Wilrtiore
school, we wish it known that
we agree with the transfer ol
Mrs. Holmes; however, we dc
not agree with the manner ir
which it was done.
It is true that Mrs. Holmes is
totally professional, so pro
fessional that she tries to
caiTy out every facet of Board
policy.
Mrs.Holmes’ first concern is
the education of the child.
After all, isn’t that what edu
cation should be?
Working with Mrs. Holmes
over the years we never found
her inadequate. She was
always willing and eager tc
hear what parents and teach
ers had to say.Children al
ways received individual at
tention from her in spite of her
busy schedule.
We know Mrs. Holmes’
capabilities and we wish for
her the very best In her new
assignment.
The Wilmore Schnnl Fnmti..