Newspapers / The Charlotte post. / Nov. 6, 1980, edition 1 / Page 2
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Editorials & Comments | President Ronald Reagan! What was expected to be a fairly close Presidential race turned into a landslide as Ronald Reagan capture*! 43 states and 462 electoral votes to Jimmy Carter’s four states and only 45 electoral votes (with four states yet to report). While the outcome is a sur prise, the factors leading to Reagan’s margin of victory are fairly evident. These include voters’ dissatisfaction with Carter’s policies dealing with the economy, energy and foreign policy. In more blunt terms, people were concerned about inflation, gasoline prices, the hostages in Iran and the sale of the Panama Canal. In very practical terms. Ron ald Reagan asked a basic ques tion repeatedly during his cam paign - “Do you feel you are better off now than vou were four years ago?” Apparently enough voters felt they were worse off than in 1976. This resulted in votes AGAINST Jimmy Carter as much as it did in votes FOR Ronald Reagan. Given the outcome, the ques tion now arises as to what kind of President will Ronald Reagan be? Interestingly, we can look at a development in our own state to see the basic question in a Reagan presidency. That is the role of the Congressional Club, a very conservative political or ganization created by Sen. Jesse Helms. Helms used tne organization to take the states’ Republican Party machinery away from party lines and then to subvert the party to his greater interest in conservative principles. This was a key factor in senate candidate John East’s victory over incumbent Robert Morgan. Reagan was elected on many conservative policy issues. How ever, history tells us that can diates elected to the presidency an conservative platforms usual ly shift to a moderate position once in office. Thus, the ques tion is whether a Reagan pre adency will function from a moderate position or continue with conservative policies. Regardless of which way Reagan moves, it is highly probable that the new President will not support national health insurance, labor reform, ex __J_a a a • a (M11UCU WCllCliC UI CA[MlllUtAl aiu for the cities. Probably more significant than all of these will be Reagan’s impact on the Su preme Court. He may have the opportunity to appoint as many as four justices to the High Court. If these appointees are conservative, as they probably will be, the Court’s decisions over the next 10 or 20 years could profoundly affect the rights of black people through the year 2050. S' What we can be absolutely sure of is that things in America will be different under a Reagan presidency. Let’s hope these dif ferences lead to a better America for all its citizens. New Grief Has Impresave Gedenriak un Tuesday Mack M. Vines, Chief of Police of St. Petersburg, Florida was named Chief of Charlotte’s 757-member police force. Charlotte City Manager David Burkhalter said his four-mem ber staff advisory committee was particularly impressed with Vines’ activity in community relations, relationships with the news media . and his “high character” in running a “pro gressive, accountable depart ment.” Fortunately, underlying the City’s concern with Vines’ re cord in community relations and a progressive department un doubtedly is the auestion of police relations particularly with the black community. The dia logue between local police of ficials and black leaders and youth following the Miami riots confirmed the continuing exist ence of friction between some segments of the black commun ity and the police department. Undoubtedly, too, in consider ing Vines’ qualification, City officials were concerned with a recently released report that notes excessive use of force by policemen nearly doubled in the fiscal year ending on September 30,1980. The Federal Community Relations Service received 249 »- ------ — complaints about excessive police force. This represents a whopping 92.8 percent over the previous year. Furthermore, 63 percent of the complaints came from blacks, 32 percent from Spanish-speaking people and four percent was from American Indians. This, 99 percent of the complaints about excessive use of force by the police came from minority group members. Data on how many of these complaints came from Charlotte or North Carolina is not avpiiP able. However, the size of the increase in such complaints should be cause for concern by any city concerned with pro gressive government and equal justice for all citizens. We believe Charlotte officials acted wisely in listing commun ity relations and a progressive police administration as high priorities in the selection of a new police chief. Mack M. Vines has been credited with improving police department moral in St. Peters burg and with making his per sonnel more responsive to public concerns. We hope that Mr. Vines can meet the challenge of bringing to the Charlotte Police Department those qualities he is leaving with the St. Petersburg men in blue. , " r\ '■ THE STREETS ARE HADE FOR YOU, NOTFOt TRASH OR GARBAGE. ’ A Cleaner Neighborhood Is Up To You_ Proposed Plan Seeks Relief For Low Income Families By Allan Thurman Special To The Post A plan to bring property tax relief to low and moderate income residents of North Carolina has been proposed by Carolina Action. Carolina Action is a statewide organization of low and moderate income families, working on a variety of economic and “quality of life" issues. According to Carolina Action spokesperson Rick Larson, here is how the property tax relief propo sal would work. Called “circuit breaker”, the plan sets a “fair tax level” for each family, based on that family’s income. The “fair tax level” represents that percentage of a family’s income which could fairly be taken for property taxes. The higher a family's income, the higher its “fair tax level.” For example; a family earning $5,000 or less would have a Stair tax level” of one-half of one percent, while a family making over $15,000 would have a “fair tax lever’ of 2.0 percent. No family with an income over $25,000 would be eligible for tax relief under the “circuit breaker" plan. Since the “fair tax level” would be that percentage of a family’s income it could be required to pay in pro perty taxes, it would be issued a refund for the amount paid over the “fair tax-level.” For instance, if your family's income for the year was $8,000, your "fair tax level” would be 1.0 percent. One percent of $8,000 is $80. If you paid $138. in property taxes, you would receive as a refund the difference between $138 and $80 - or $58. The maxi mum refund under the “circuit breaker” plan would not exceed $200. Not just homeowners would be eligible for tax relief under this plan. Renters, who pay property tax in their rents, could also apply for refunds. Provisions in the pro posed law take note of the special situation of small farmers, and of those re ceiving the homestead exemption. Although property taxes are paid on a local level, the refunds would come from the State treasury thus assuring no loss of vital local services. Ac cording to Carolina Action, revenues lost through cir cuit breaker could be made up by; 1) more stringent state auditing of corpora tions; 2) closing up tax loopholes through which oil companies avoid paying their fair share; 3) making public the meetings of the Tax Review Board, the state agency which decides tax appeals. If you would like to know more about the “circuit breaker” plan for low and moderate income tax relief, call the Carolina Action office at 332-2541. Interested In Going Into The Health Care Field? Interested in going into the health care field? North Carolina's Educational Loan Program may be able to Help yeti with education costs. The Educational Loan Program provides loans for students going into me dical and other health re lated studies such as den tistry, medicine, optome try, physical therapy, nurs ing, dental hygiene, pharmacy, nutrition and several others. Loans range from $500 to $6,000 per year per indivi dual depending on the par ticular field of study. The loans are repaid through practice in medically underserved areas of North Carolina or in cash. Interest, academic standing and motivation for service are examined carefully in selecting stu dents to participate in the loan program. Financial need is also a criterion when the number of ap plicants exceeds the avail ability of funds. The Educational Loan Program, which began in 1945, is the oldest and largest health education Inn i\i>/uti>om in tkik not inn more man y.aoo students have studied under the pro gram since 1945,90 percent of them since 1965. The loan program currently has $8 million invested in people who are in training or practice to repay their loan obligations. Jane Proctor, head of the Educational Loan Pro gram, says, “This type of program is good because we can consider the needs of both the state and the student. We work very closely with out students while they are in training as well as practice. We get to know each one of them and their families, and they know us:” If you are interested in the program and would like an application packet, con tact the Educational Loan Program, Division of Facility Services, N. C. Department of Human Re sources, P. O. Box 12200, Raleigh, N.C. 27605; tele phone 919-733-2164. Kitchen Counters For most activities at kitchen counters, a home maker needs a work sur face three inches below her Vernon E. Jordan, Jr.=525Sa To « J - Be Equal mm? OMSK Vernon E. Jordan Jr. Black Survey Explodes Myths A major barrier to social progress lies in the yawning gap between white perceptions and black experience. That’s why the National Urban League’s Black Pulse survey is so important. It represents a massive, systematic process of face-to-face interviews with about 8,000 black heads-of-households. \ That makes Black Pulse far more repre sentative than polls using relatively small numbers of people. And unlike opinion polls, Black Pulse is a needs assessment survey, focusing on people’s needs and experiences. The first findings are important guides to policy directions the nation should follow. Although the interviews were made be fore the full impact of this recession hit, unemployment was clearly identified as the number one problem in the black community. Discrimination ranked second, and inflation a poor third. The concern with the problem of un employment cut across class lines. In fact, a slightly larger proportion of middle income blacks identified unemployment as the number one problem. That finding is contrary to opinion polls in the white community, where middle income people show greater concern with inflation. Secure in IV* iL. —_l;a. __t _a m • **• vttu juuo, uiv mine liuuuic Udbb JUbl doesn’t rank joblessness high on the list of problem areas. Most blacks are concerned with inflation. The vast majority report their incomes have not kept pace with inflation and nearly half say they are worse off financially than a year ago. So the inroads of inflation have resulted in a decline in black living standards, but uniting all classes in the black community is'. a shared realization that astronomical' unemployment rates are having an even greater devastating effect on the com munity. All income classes in the black commun ity are also united in identifying discrimin ation as second only to unemployment among the problems black people face. Many Americans believe in the myth that * blacks have made it into the middle class and that discrimination is no longer a major problem. But Black Pulse found that over two-thirds of all blacks say blacks today face a great deal of discrimination. Seventy percent of the over-$20,000 income group agreed - an even higher percentage than among those in the under-$6,000 income group. That finding reflects continuing discrim ination in jobs, housing, loans and contacts with public and private officials. Again in sharp contrast to current myth ology, three-fourths of blacks say the push for equal rights is “too slow.” Ten years ago a public opinion survey found less than half of all blacks saying the push for racial equality was “too slow.” That indicates that while many Ameri cans think the nation is traveling on the road to greater equality, black people know it is not. And again it is among middle income blacks that there is the most dis satisfaction with the pace of progress. Another myth Black Pulse explodes is the extent and nature of black unemployment. Most Americans are dimly aware of a black VAlith iinamnloirmAnl — THE CHARLOTTE POST Second Class Postage No. 965500 “THE PEOPLE’S NEWSPAPER” Established 1918 Published Every Thursday by The Charlotte Post Publishing Co., Inc. 1524 We»t Blvd., Charlotte, N.C. 28208 Telephone (704)376-04*6 Circulation *,200 62 Years of Continuous Service Bill Johnson...Editor, Publisher Bernard Reeves... Genera I Manager " Second Class Postage No. 96550 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 photos is 5 p.m. Monday. All photos and copy submitted become the property of the POST _ and will not be returned. National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc. 2400 8. Michigan Ave. 45 W. 45th St.. Suite 1493 Chicago. III. 60616 New York, N.Y. 10036 ^ Calumet 5-0200 ( 212 ) 489-1220 -I----- ---Kivilk UU1V1I1, From Capitol Hill 96th Congress Turns Clock Back On Civil Rights Alfreds L. Madison Special To The Post Members of the 96th. Congress have seized the opportunity to set back civil rights of minorities, by attaching extraneous, anti-civil rights amend ments to appropriations bills. These actions usually take place without any committee hearings. This is labeled a “back door method” by the civil rights commission. Women, black and His panic voters should take serious cognizance of the members of Congress who initiated these unjust amendments. Representative Robert Walker of Pennsylvania, attached an amendment to the Health and Human Services and Education Department appropriation to prohibit use of funds to implement programs which include racial quo tas or requirements in em ployment and admission policies. Senators Eagleton and Biden have had an amend ment in effect for three years which prohibits the — _ Alfred* L. Madison Education Department from transporting students to a school other than the school nearest their homes. Representative James Collins of Texas intro duced an amendment to prohibit the Justice De partment from bringing action to require the trans portation of students to a school other than the school nearest their homes If this amendment together with the Eagleton-Biden amend ments becomes law, the Federal government will be required to, unconstitu tionally, fund segregated school systems where stu dent transportation is the last available desegrega tion remedy. An amendment by Re presentative Robert Dor nan of California was at tached to the Treasury De partment’s appropriation bill. This amendment will prohibit the Internal Re venue Service from imple menting proposed revenue ' procedures pertaining to the tax-exempt status of private, religious or church schools unless such pro cedures were in effect prior to the enactment of this appropriation bill. These two amendments can cer tainly lead to the estab lishment of little private academies to get around integration of schools. Bills have been intro duced in Congress to op pose school busing to cir cumvent integration, but no alternatives to improve equal school opportunities have been proposed. Trie civil rights commission highly opposes all of the afore-mentioned amend ments as measures for turning the clock back on civil rights gains, and it urges defeat of these. The commission strongly urges this 96th Congress to enact the following civil rights bills: The Fair Housing Amendments of I960, which gives Housing and Urban Development (HUD) a strong enforcement mech anism to combat discrimin ation in the rental and sale of housing. Youth Act of I960, to alleviate unemployment among minority and dis advantaged youth through improved skills-training and basic education pro grams. Domestic Violence Act, which provides Federal support and stimulation for state and local programs aimed at curbing violence and assisting its victims. The commission has con tinuously urged repeal of the Eagleton-Biden amend ment which has already passed the Senate. The Ashbrook, Of Ohio amend ment which differs only with the Boman amend ment in that it prohibits IRS from taxing any pri vate school at all. These two amendments along with the Walker and Col lins amendments have al ready passed the House, but the commission is call ing upon the Senate to defeat them. In assessing the civil rights accomplishments of the 96th Congress, the commission strongly em phasizes its opposition to the series of anti-civll rights measures adopted by the House. It is encum bent upon the senate to defeat these bills because they represent a serious retreat from this nation's commitment to the achievement of equal op portunity for all Ameri cans. To achieve these fair and just goals, all citizens should contact their sena tors and strongly urge them to vote for defeat ol the Ash brook, Walker, Collins and Doraan amend ments, the repeal of Eagle ton-Biden amendment and vote for passage of the Fail Housing 1900 Act, Yout* Act of 1900 and the Do mestlc Violence Act. Sexual Assault Discussed continued from Page 1 sional counseling to vic tims with problems * caused by criminal actions of others - including as sault, rape, robbery and murder. It a Iso offers crisis support, information about the criminal justice system and help families of vic tims (334-5656 or 332-3993). The Shelter and Victims Assistance are operated by Family and Children Ser vices, 301 S. Brevard St. The Rape Crisis Center is a voluntary group which assists victims of rape and their families with counsel ing, support and referrals to appropriate medical and legal help. mi v it it Ml MiW *f»e Ittfr* , A_I
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