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Editorials & Comments Conservative Entitlement As America was struggling to emerge from the Great .^Depression and seeking to salvage the free-market economy in 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt put the urgency of the time in perspective when he said in his second inaugural address, ‘The test of our progress is not whether we add more to abundance of those who have more it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” That philosophical statement of entitlement was to remind those who ‘‘have” that our success as a nation and in deed the very survival—of—our free market democratic society can only be measured, to use Mr. Reagan’s words, by ‘‘safety net programs” that assure the basic - needs of life ‘‘for those who have too little.” As Mr. Roosevelt’s entitlement commitment to the needs of the ' poor became a cornerstone to the American domestic policy, numerous programs were instituted over the next 43 years to provide some degree of a minimum standard of living for the poor and minority groups. Among these were-- fair employment practices, medicaid, medicare, job training, legal services, ' subsidizeu nousing and higher social security benefits. However, these benefits to the poor became crumbs from the table as the psychology of entitlement also led to huge corporate subsidies, high tariffs to protect against foreign competition, and lower taxes for the rich. Excesses among the rich and corporate community has resulted in the Reagan administration seeking to end the nation’s sense of entitlement. This is evident by the recent statement mAde by David Stockman, director of the Office of Management and Budget. Speaking on ABC-TV’s “Issues and Answers” news program, Stockman said, “I don’t believe that there is any entitlement, any b&sic right to legal services or any otherkind of services, and the idea that’s been established v over the last 10 years that almost every service that someone might need in life Ought to be provided, financed by the government as a matter of basic right, is wrong. We challenge that. We reject that notion.” Ironically, the way Mr. Stockman and the Reagan administration have chosen the presumed ending of the entitlement psychology is to reaffirm entitlement to the corporate rich through the jrickle down theory that means only the poor and minorities will see their entitlements lost. This is evident by attempts to tamper with the Social Security payment level program, reduclionsjn the CETA job training program, lower student aid loan funds, reduced funds for housing, the urban cities and human service programs, and proposals to eliminate legal services for the poor. As these reductions are taking place with the support of most Republicans and many southern Democrat members of Congress, minorities and the poor are seeing many of the gains won over the past 15 years being of this is that these lawmakers don’t fear a retaliation from the voting booth because they also plan to end the Voting Rights Act which is scheduled to expire in August of 1982. These developments are real causes for alarm as they point out that the new direction of our government is to sav to the citizens - especially if you-are poor, black or hispanic - you are not entitled to anything from ,our government and that only the well-to-do shall survive because they shall be entitled to something. Let us hope that somewhere, somehow rational progressive thinking may prevail, if not we may see a return to riots in our streets as people become desperate in the struggle to airvive as they question an abandonment by the very government they have helped to create. Voting Rights- Hie Last Outpost As the battle over tax cuts and (He Reagan budget, with it threats to the well being of the poor and blacks mounts, an even more significant battle is heating ip over the question of extending (he Voting Rights Act of 1965 another 10 years. A prelude of this vital issue is a crucial legal battle over southern blacks, voting rights in Mobile, Alabama. Last week a federal judge began hearing testimony in a case aimed to (fetermine if Mobile’s election fews were designed to keep Hacks from holding public office For example, while blacks make up 40 percent of Mobile’s p>pulatioh of nearly 200,000, no Hacks have been elected to piblic office in that city since he present form of government was established in 1868. The key fesue in die case is the at-large election system under which all viters in a political jurisdiction nay vote on all candidates seeking public office. Blacks argue the system dlutes black candidates’ strength and they want a district voting system. COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS POLITICANS BUSINESS HEN DOCTORS LAWYERS ARTISTS TEACHERS MINISTERS WORKERS SOCLALWORKERS_{ FRATERNAL GROUPS BLACK I PRESS / We Have The Tools To Do The Job ® Let’s.^Use.^Them! Tips From Urban Bankers Forum Personal Financial Planning There is much being said about the economic climate in which we find ourselves today. The times are said to be volatile, uncertain, and, by some, chaotic. What ever became of the "good old days” when in terest rates were relatively low, when inflation was under control, when we seemed to know where things were headed? The present state of affairs af fects all of us and points to an increasing need for one very important function — planning. in tne business arena, the same problem exists, and the organizations which will be able to cope are the ones engaged in an effec tive planning program. Big and small businesses, are putting more time and money into deciding their future direction -and organizing their companies based on what they think will happen. The same must be true of us as in dividuals. We hear people saying “How can I expect to save, plan or budget when I can’t make it from day to day?” The times are indeed tough and for some, unfortunate ly, life must be a hand-to mouth situation. But for some of us, our planning methods, or lack of some, have put us in those situa tions. — Have you ever wondered bpw two people with the lame relative income seem to be different in their financial position? Have you noticed that people with modest beginnings have been able to build their holdings while others simply say it can’t be done? The difference is •planning! It is true that most of us don’t have enough time or money to do everything we would like, but we must set our goals early and often if we want to achieve anything. We must have priorities — decide which things are most important. This becomes more necessary when we have fewer resources to work with. Budgeting is necessary for the management of our finances. No matter whether you’re a highly paid professional or fixed income recipient, you have a certain amount coming in and certain amount going out. The first thing you must do is sit down and list your fixed expenses on a weekly or monthly basis, thus giv ing you a picture of the minimum amount of in come needed. A good rule for any type of financial management is to “put it on paper" instead of generalizing and approx imating with your finances. When you make pur chases, make sure that you have shopped for the best deal. Certain food items, for example, are less ex pensive at different points in time and you should plan to take advantage of these discounts. Credit is also something for which you should shop, and federal truth-in-lending laws make it possible to compare rates effectively. In general, we would recommend that you take financial planning serious ly in order to have suffi cient dollars to meet your lofty financial goals or just to eat. People will say that times are tough and they are. People will say that they only have time to worry about survival — and that’s right. But remember, tough times are exacty when these things are even more critical. Caution! When you fail to plan, you plan to fail. 4,000 Job Applicants Registered For Work Special To The Post RALEIGH - Thirteen North Carolina counties had more than 4,000 active Job applicants registered for work with Employment Security Commission of fices in March with Mecklenburg and Guilford Counties registering over 11,000 each. Mecklenburg County’s Job Service office in Charlotte had 11,739 active job applicants registered for work in March (5,794 males and 5,945 females). Of the males, 5,686 had substantial work ex perience, 106 had limited or no work experience, and 773 were high school graduates. There were 5,770 females with substan tial work experience, 175 females with limited or no work experience, and 712 females who were high school graduates. The job applicants are persons who are con sidered available for refer ral to job openings or train ing situations and the ap plicants are registered for work by their county of residence. The report of active job applicants, prepared quarterly by ESC, serves as an indicator of available labor supply throughout the state. The ESC report pointed out that all poten tial job seekers do not app ly for work at its local Job Service offices and many applicants do not keep their applications alive. Therefore, the data in the report does not represent the total available labor supply. The total number of ac tive Job applicants registered at the 90 Job Service offices in March was 214,217 (112,140 males and 102,077 females). TO . BE EQUAL Vernon Jordan Jr. ^ | PBS Is In Grave Danger? The public school system is if grave danger. The major push now under way for tax credits for parents who svni their children to private schools could bwe first step in a tragic scenario that create; a two-class system of education, with inferior, resource-starved public school^tor cne poor and private schools for everyme else. There is wide support for a bill in —Congres&ihatwouid take $250 off the tax pill of families with children In private schoHs That would rise to $500 later. And in yeari to come, the sky would be the limit, becaW once the principle is established the credos likely to go up in lockstep with tuition ries. So an economy-minded Congress bat slashed aid to public schools is preparing a $4 billion giveaway to entice middle inccpe families to desert the public schools. * The drive for the tuition tax credit go|a big boost recently from a highly publicizd study by sociologist James S. Coleman tht found private high schools are better t£n public ones. The real-world value of such a findirii is minimal. Why the surprise that selecfve schools largely drawing children fim better-educated and motivated famtes would come up with better achievemnt results than public schools that must accpt and retain all comers? But the point is whether the natinal commitment to quality education fill include the vast majority of children ’ho will continue to be educated in the pulic schools. , - The tragedy is that such mass studies pll us nothing about the many public schols with committed principals and teachrs who do educate their pupils, and withoutihe resources many private schools enjoy. \ . And it maskes the deficiencies of niany private schools that are little more Km segregations academies panderinraio parental prejudice. The fact i& that some private schools, like some public schools, do the job they are supposed to be doing, while others do not. An no one in his right mind would argue that all public school are fulfilling 0ieir obligations to educate the poor. The obvious need is to make the public schools better, not to abandon them. •• . But that is what a tuition tax credit would encourage. Its proponents claim the credit would give poor families an alternative to public educatioin, but that is not true. By definition, a tax credit goes only to people whose taxes exceed the amount of the credit. By definition, poor people would be frozen out. And even moderate income families would not benefit since they would have to make up the difference between the credit and the full amount of the tuition. The kicker here is that once a tax credit is passed, tnition bills would rise. The credit would encourage inflation in private education. It would also encourage* proliferation of second-rate schools out to exploit a newly created market. * - . - If public education is to be Saved, it will not be enough just to fight the tuition tax credit. ' 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 West Blvd ., Charlotte, N.C. 28208 Telephone *704 ) 376-0496 _ ^Circulation 9,200 _ 63 Years of Continuous Service Bill Johnson . Editor, Publisher Bernard Reeves General Manager Fran Farrer .Advertising Director Wayne Long.Circulation Manager Dannette Gaither. Office 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 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 S. Michigan Ave. 15 W «*•» St.. Suite I4S3 C hicago. Ill 60610 New York. N.Y. 10030 Calumet . 0200_«2I2) 4SS-I220 I trom Capitol Hill Lack Of Congressional Reasoning Fails People? ALTREDA L. MADISON Special To The Post The President’s budget could not have passed the House unless some con gressional Democrats ap parently rolled over and succumbed to a NPAC fear of not being reelected, a Reagan charm., bqipg on the wburning vote side or one of giving the GOP a self-hanging rope. The Democratic budget which bore Just a scant dif ference in the Reagan budget and the bi-partisan Gramma-Lgtta amend ment which gave support to . the Reagan tax bill, all show the Democratic retreat from a stand of car ing for the nation’s citixens to one of the rich getting richer by riding the backs of the door. The only real alternative to the President's budget plan, and one which lowered the deficit, con tained provisions for in creasing productivity, employment, a more equitable tax plan and lowering inflation was the Congressional Black Caucus Alternative budget. Representative Shirley Chisholm, who is on the Allrrda I.. Madison House miles committee, put up a very strong fight to get the committee to even agree to the budget’s being introduced on the House floor. In introducing the Caucus alternative budget, Representative Fauntroy, the Caucus chairman said, "It is the one budget resolu tion among the four being considered by the House which responds most suc cinctly and directly to the mandate given by the con gress and the President by the American people on November 4, 1900 Of the four alternative budgets, it does the best job of eliminating deficit spen ding, reducing level of federal spending, pro viding tax relief to the American people, and spurring jobs and economic recovery for American businesses and American workers." Of coarse Mr. Fauntroy ex plained in detail how each aspect of the budget would be accomplished. Congressman Rangel said the American dream of a better quality of life — ■ending children to college, owning a home, job op portunities, not being denied medical care, is be ing challenged by the same people who have been beneficiaries of govern ment intervention. The challengers were benefac tors of 01 bill, government supported mortgages and raised their families on government subsidies. Mr. **ngei criticized the Presi dent’* "truly needy list," as being hard to identify when the cost of living is not being indexed, and that there are broad groups of Americans whom the Ad ministration dares to touch. Representative Ford ■aid he was greatly bothbred by the Ad ministration’s failure to even acknowledge that in order to offset its huge tax cut that there must be some tax expenditures, so that all budget cuts will not be shifted to the aged and children of the nation. Representative Shirley Chisholm stated that th» Congressional Black Caucus was the first group to respond to President Reagan's challenge of an alternative budget. The Caucus immediately went to work in terms of research and analysis and came up with constructive alternatives that dealt in the areas of equilibility across the board. Mrs. Chisholm spoke of the in ability to get the alter native budget in the preaa. The reason for the lack of press exposure was because, it waa Drought forth by eighteen Black members of the House of Representatives, inspite of the work put into it, even though it is not a budget that deals only with black people and poor people but one that affects the quality of life of many Americans, some black and some white. She said that it was only during the liter days that people began to realise that the Caucus was serious about their budget that others began to come up with budgets. Shirley stated, that congress should have recognised that middle income peopbn in this country are, at UflT very moment, in deep trou ble. Representative Crockett of Detroit gave a sad but detailed account of the unemployment growth and the sufferings that will be caused by Reagan’s budget cuts in social programs of the people in his district, and howths Caucus budget alleviates those conditions. Representative John Con yers of Detroit concurred with Mr. Crockett, that the same is true of his congres sional district. congressman Bill Clay told the House members that a win of either the Jooee budget proposal or Gramm-Latta amendment would be a loss to the American people. He stated that moat congress persons were viewing the November election as a mandate to destroy wor thwhile people programs. To do this will bo to a ben don the concepts of the Con stitution. He stated that members of congress have the obligation to provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare apd insure' domestic tranquility. Clay further stated, "for a substantial segment of our population .housing is deplorable, employment Imaginary, health care Illu sionary and eduction a farce.” V Representative Weiss deplored the reasons why. some of the Caucus measures were hot Inclfl od in the DombdfWc budget ; A Congressman Obey d "the lack of the Cong] ■ -
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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May 28, 1981, edition 1
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