I Editorials & Comments
Politics And The Olympics
by Bayard Rustin
Special To The Post
Across the United States hun
dreds of young athletes, many of
them black youngsters, have
invested an enormous amount of
time, energy and spirit in pipe
paring for the 1980 Summer
Olympics. For many of these
young people, a good perform
ance in Moscow offers the best
possibility of recognition, fin
ancial reward and an incompar
able sense of personal achieve
ment. If America boycotts the
Olympics as now seems likely,
dreams will be shattered, and
opportunities may be lost for
ever. But I think that the sacri
fices required of our athletes
will, I believe, prove to be more
than worthwhile in the long run.
By their conspicuous absence,
our athletes will be demonstrat
ing their solidarity not only with
the poople of Afghanistan, but
also with the principles of human
decency, principles which mean
so little to Soviet authorities.
Long before the Soviet in
vasion of Afghanistan, the idea
of holding the Olympics in Mos
cow disturbed me. I could not
blot out of my mind the old film
clips of the 1936 Olympics held in
Berlin under the Hitler regime.
Like the Soviet government of
today, the Nazis used the inter
national sports festival to exalt
and to win world-wide accept
ance of their own murderous
regime. Hitler, who treated
black athletes like Jesse Owens
and Ralph Metcalfe with utter
disdain, hoped to demonstrate to
the world that white “Arayans”
were indeed superior in physical,
mental and cultural terms when
compared with “sub-humans”
like blacks, Orientals, and any
other human type differing from—
the Nazi ideal of the superman.
Violates Rights
Although the Soviets are not
using the Olympics to prove their
racial superiority, they are
nevertheless using the games to
achieve a key political objective:
worldwide recognition of the
Communist regime as a humane,
modern society where the
Olympic ideals of sportsman
ship, human fellowship, and free
competition are respected and
promoted. But it is difficult to
understand how these traditional
Olympic ideals can be show
cased in a host country whose
leaders suppress human rights,
organize massive invasions of
small countries like Afghan
istan, and support the inter
national starvation of Cam
bodia’s hapless people.
While the Soviet move into
Afghanistan is by itself enough
justification for an Olympic boy
cott, the stepped up campaign
against political dissidents, is
another powerful illustration of
the basic incompatibility of the
Soviet political environment
with the kind of free and open
atmosphere needed for the
Olympics. How can athletes
from the United States and other
democratic countries participate
in the summer games while a
fine man like Andrei Sakharov is
arrested without warning and
hustled off to Gorky, a city
completely sealed off from
foreigners? And how can in
ternational friendship, under
standing and goodwill be pro
moted in the Soviet Union when
its government fears and blocks
human contact even among
some of its own citizens?
Of course, I have no illusions
about the ultimate effectiveness
of an Olympic boycott. Surely,
the Soviets will not opt for
American athletes in place of the
strategic advantages of an oc
cupied Afghanistan. But as
someone who learned about the
power of nonviolent witness
through the American civil
rights movement, I feel confi
dent that the absence of our
athletes will produce something
worthwhile. First, it will remind
the Soviet leaders, as well as
other governments which violate
human rights, that Americans
win not Decome unwitting ac
complices in efforts to distract
world attention from injustice
and human misery. And second,
President Brezhnev and his
friends will be forced to explain
to their own people why the
Americans are absent from the
Moscow Olympic parade, the
tracks, the pools, the basketball
courts and the indoor arenas. As
the Soviets offer their explan
ation perhaps at least a few
morsels of truth about Afghan
istan will reach the Soviet
people. That in itself would be an
accomplishment.
Finally, we should not lose
sight of the young men and
"Women who hfl V* lr^p
in this unfortunate situation. We
have an obligation to treat our
young Olympians as true heroes.
We must make it clear to them
and-to the world that we value
their unselfish and principled
defense of human decency even
more than we value their speed,
strength, agility, or prowness.
Whereas a gold medal won in a
race or game is forgotten quick
ly, we will remember the cour
age, sacrifice and solidarity of
our Olympic team forever. They
are standing up for justice and
decency; they deserve our sup
port and admiration.
Something On Your Mind?
“Something on your mind” is
the name of a column devoted to
you - the young at heart readers
of this newspaper - as long as it
relates in some way to young
people, regardless of age.
Remember, it’s your column.
Your article should be at least
250 words, typewritten and
double spaced preferred. Include
your name, age, school, and a
clear photo, and send it to the
Editor, The Charlotte Post
Newspaper, P. O. Box 30144
Charlotte, NC 28230.
kTA*fl B
PROGRAM
■ ■ ffi
Black’s Destiny In Own Hands._
As I See It
What Should 1 Do With My Money? J
. Dy uerald o. Johnson
It will take a lot of people
by surprise to find out that
their life savings is pea
nuts. With inflation rates
ranging from 13 to 15 per
cent, a 5 percent passbook
savings account is costing
you money. Let’s look at
this and review alterna
tives to savings.
Let’s assume you are
saving money to purchase
an automobile. If you are
fortunate enough to ac
eiiwwlntn fSQQ jn g
you receive a 5>/< percent
interest compounded daily
then you would have
earned $27.17 (assuming
the $500 was on deposit tor
365 days). The price of the
car would have increased
by more than $1,000 during
the same period. Hence,
the cost of the car is rising
much faster than your
earnings from savings.
Consequently, you will
never be able to save
enough to buy that car.
From this oversimplified
(somewhat stupid) ex
ample it is easy to see that
in order to effectively save
you must get a higher
interest rate than the rate
of inflation. This is next to
impossible in these times.
Therefore, savings
should not be a part of your
capital appreciation plans.
You should only save
money to prepare for
emergencies. Most experts
use the "three month’s
salary” rule of thumb. Tnis
means that you need only
accumulate three months
of your annual salary in a
savings account. A person
earning $15,000 annually
should only have about
$3,750 saved. Anything over
this should be invested in
higher yielding investment
instruments.
Gerald O. Johnson ~
If you don t own your
home then this is the first
investment you should
make. Homeowners have
seen the value of their
property double irv-5 years.
Property values historic
ally outpace inflation. Con
sequently, it is the best
hedge against inflation.
Moreover, home ownership
allows substantial tax
benefits which is another
topic.
mu, suppose you already
own a home and you still
have a lot of money saved.
What then? I thought you
would never ask..
There are a number of
alternatives.that are avail
able. But before discussing
them, you must realize that
investments should be
viewed as capital preser
vation and not capital ap
preciation. You are invest
ing to preserve the value of
your money against infla
tion and not to get rich. If
you become rich, fine, but
it is not the primary object
ive. I state this because it is
the key ingredient for
building the correct tem
perament for investing.
Without the right tempera
ment you could lose your
shirt.
I, personally, prefer the
stock market over other
types of investments. The
stock market is the only
mechanism that will alfcw'
you to invest to meet any
objective that you might
have. However, the risks
are greater. So before at
tempting to play the mar
ket, decide if you are will
ing to accept the possible
risk against the potential
rewards.
There are several stocks
that- currently pay over 10
percent in dividends and
have the potential for sub
stantial priceappreetatturr—
For instance. Ford Motors
is- selling for approxi
mately $32.40 a share. The
stock pays $4.00 per share
in dividends. A person pur
chasing ioo shares of Ford
Motor would pay $3,240
(excluding commissions).
The stock within two years
should be selling in the
$50’s, meaning your invest
ment would be worth more
than $5,000. Also, during
the two year period vou
would have received 800 in
dividends. Hence, your
gross earnings would be
over $2,560 (excluding com
mission) or a 79 percent
increase.
Real estate is still a good
investment. Purchasing
land or property for income
is quite sound. But that,
too, is another article.
Remember fortunes
aren't made overnight,
legally; so, to invest re
quires patience and sound
advice.
Don’t be detered by Mark
Twain’s famous quote,
“October is not a good
month to invest. Other bad
months are June, Septem
ber, April, January, De
cember, February, May,
July, November, March,
August.”
f - by Vernon
TO
BE
EQUAL
I* *
Affirmative Action Decision Due
The Supreme Court will rule on the
constitution of an important federal affirm
ative action program. £
The case, FULLILOVE vs. KREPS, deals
with a provision of the 1977 Public Works
Employment Act that set aside ten percent
of the $4 billion in the Act for minority
businesses. That provision made good sense
at the time, and similar setaside programs
make sense today.
The Act was designed to get the sluggish
economy moving again by infusing federal
works projects into communities suffering
high unemployment. Because previous
federal efforts resulted in a freezeout of
minority contractors and had little effect on
high black jobless figures, it was wise to
ensure full minority participation.
As in the BAKKE and WEBER cases,
many people are fighting affirmative act
ion. They’re trotting out a lot of arguments
we’ve heard so often.
But, as the brief filed in the FULLILOVE
case by several civil rights and black
business and professional groups makes
clear, those old arguments are the same
ones we heard back in Reconstruction days.
When the Congress set up the Freedmen’s
Bureau in 1865, and passed other post-war
measures aimed specifically at blacks, it
came under criticism for racial favoritism.
Opponents charged that Congress didn’t
pass comparable aid for whites, that it was
“unfair,” and that it gave blacks a competi
tive advantage over whites. Those argu
ments were ridiculous in the context of the
1860’s, when blacks were fresh from cen
turies of slavery, without a decent chance to
make their way in a hostile society.
And they are ridiculous today, when the
black community is comparably disadvan
taged in relation to the white majority.
Blacks lag far behind whites in every
category or measurement of -welLbeing.
The only advantages blacks have are
negative ones - they are “favored” by
being more likely to be poor, to be jobless, to
be in bad health, or to be poorly educated.
fact, affirmative action today is.
designed to complete tfie unfinished job of
the Reconstruction, to bring parity between#
the races.
Both Congress and the Courts have
consistently made the distinction between
“invidious discrimination” and “benign
discrimination.” The aim of the latter is to
make up for past discrimination, to elim
inate its continuing effects, and to help its
victims catch up with other Americans who
never had to compete with blacks in a
discriminatory society.
Just as contemporary opponents of af
firmative action claim such programs will
actually harm blacks, Reconstruction era
critics charged that it would hurt blacks by
making them dependent or by arousing
white resentment.
In other words, blacks were being advised
to starve quietly rather than take advant
age of affirmative programs or risk anger
ing whites.
Such concern for black people is touching
but then as now, it was motivated by the
desire to retain white 'advantage and to
supress black competition.
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trom (xipilol Hill
Black Caucus Bounces On The President’s Budget
Ujr /ini rua L.. iTiauiSOD
Special To The Post
The Congressional Black
caucus has strongly de
nounced President Carter's
1981 budget as an “unmiti
gated disaster,” for the
poor, the unemployed and
minorities". This budget is
deceptive and misleading
to the American people.
Mr. Carter would have the
citizens believe that the
current domestic pro
grams are continued, and
that it contains a modest
defense increase. Nothing
is further from the truth.
The locked-in military
budget which requires a
defense increase for the
next five years will have
increased to a trillion dol
lars by 1985 In referring to
the around >20 billion mili
tary proposal, included in it
is a 13.2 percent increase
for research, development,
test and evaluation; a 9 8
percent increase in pro
curement programs and 32
percent increase in mili
tary construction.
The CBC challenges the
President s defense budget
as being predicated on the
claims that the Soviet in
«
Alfreds L. Madison
vasion of Afghanistan
poses the most serious
threat to world peace since
world War II This budget
was planned before the
Iran hostage-taking and
the Afghanistan invasion.
This was really done to
placate those in Congress
who yelled for a huge de
fense spending before they
could vote for SALT II
Now that Mr Carter has
abandoned SALT II, the
astronomical military bud
get appears here tor at
least 5 vears
Mr Carter’s $2 billion
youth employment pro
gram has an outlay of only
$300 million for youth em
ployment in fiscal year 1981
and only 9.8 percent above
the current outlay will act
, ually be spent in fiscal 1981
$900 million of the entire,
youth program budget will
be spent for training
through the same public
schools which have failed
to train too many minority
youth in past years. Under
this program, youth un
employment will actually
increase, and being void of
safeguards to really target
these funds to the dis
advantaged the gap can be
expected to continually wi
den between the black and
white youths
The CBC said that the
President, instead of using
the Humphrey-Hawkins
and Balanced Growth Act
to reach the stated goals of
price stability and full em
ployment, he illegally sus
pended the Act because his
deficient policies are mov
ing in the opposite direct
ion The Caucus, says Mr
Carter, is using OPEC as a
scapegoat for his sorry
unemployment and inflat
t
ion performance. Low eco
nomic growth, adminis
tered prices, climbing in
terest rates and domestic
oil decontrol are the real
causes of the country’s
economic problems.
The present inflation, ex
cluding energy related
items is over three times as
high as it should be and will
become worse under Pre
sident Carter’s budget
programs.
The Congressional Black
Caucus stated that, “we
must not over react to
international crises and
commit ourselves to a mili
tary budget 5 years from
now based on today’s
crisis.” This is exactly
what President Carter is
doing in his yearly military
budget increase for the
next five years.
These black congress
persons say they cannot
support a budget that pro
jects 15 percent black un
employment and 40 percent
black teenage unemploy
ment, and provides no pro
per increase which ad
dresses this problem. They
say the poor are the vic
tims of deficit politics,
manipulation and mis
allocation of monetary
priorities.
In this budget President
Carter appears to have
stolen the most conserva
tive elements and war
hawks Dlatforms
Service And Rally Set *
continued from page l
mg a grocery store. Chavis
was considered the real
target of the state, and
many believe he was im
prisoned in an effort to
suppress black activists
When Chavis returns to
Charlotte this weekend he
will find the struggle for
social justice is still going
on People United for Just
ice plans to announce a
Unity March for March 30
and a new campaign to free
black prisoners John
McCombs, Jr.
"We will be building a
march for racial justice.
We believe in acting and
organizing, before the Klan
comes here," said Rev.
James Barnett, head of
PUJ
Barnett, who went to see
Gov Jim Hunt 4 times to
ask for a pardon of in
nocence for the Wilmington
10, says it was a combin
ation of marches, letters,
petitions, delegations and
international pressure that
finally got the 10 out of
prison [
“But remember they are
on parole, not free,” cau
t
tioned Barnett. "We didn’t
win exactly, but we didn’t
lose either."
(Canvas Shoes
To clean rope-trimmed
canvas shoes, rub with a
toothbrush dipped in rug
shampoo
r '