Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Nov. 11, 1982, edition 1 / Page 2
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EDITORIALS & COMMENTS Voters: Change Course? Last week’s off-year (between presidential elections) election was recorded as the most ex pensive in American political history with at least $300 mill ion spent on U.S. Senate and House of Representative cam paigns alone. Furthermore, es timates are that an even larger sum was spent on local races for governorships, to county commissioners and other local offices across the nation. Yet, with all of this financial outlay, the steady 20-year decline in voter turnout for off-year elec tions was expected to result in no more than a 35 percent national voter turnout at the polls when all votes are counted. in spue oi me somewnat dis appointing number of Americans who cast ballots, especially with a referendum on the future di rection of economic policy and nuclear freeze being such vital issues, voters did state in definite terms their preferences on these issues and many others. The fact is the 1982 election was a referendum on President Reagan’s political philosophy to redirect American government, particularly its distribution of. wealth for the poor and middle class to the affluent and business interests on the assumption that additional wealth would lead to expanded capital investments leading to new jobs for Ameri cans and more revenue for all levels of government. Not only has this not happened, but George Stigler, a recent Nobel Prize winner in econo mics, emerged from a White House visit with President Rea gan a few days before the elec ; tion and told new reporters that ; Reaganomics had led America into “...a depression...as serious as the Great Depression of the 1930s.” Significantly, not even liberals had referred to the nation’s high unemployment and business failures a depression. Nevertheless, Dr. Stiver’s re marks appear to have been a reflection of the views of the voters as returns indicated the Democrats had picked up as many as 25 seats in the House of Representatives; 200 percent more than the party not in con trol of the White House usually • gets in an off-year election. The • Democrats also made a net gain .• of one seat in the U.S. Senate. Sharp Contrast In related developments, the President’s policies, and more specifically Sen. Jesse Helms’ alter ego, National Congression al Club candidates-five NC Republicans--were all soundly defeated. This is in sharp con trast to the Club’s victory two years ago when it helped John East to defeat incumbent Sen ator Robert Morgan. Voter returns indicate that Democrats have won the vast majority of the 36 governorships in the election. Knowledgeable political observers consider this significant in the coming 1984 presidential election because energetic governors can help get voters to the polls to contribute to the party’s presidential can didates. Therefore, it appears evident , from a national perspective that the voters’ message to the Rea gan Administration is “change the course” or direction of our domestic and some aspects of our foreign policy and get Americans back to work. The; voters appear to be saying too that the Reagan team has had long enough to effectively im plement their policies and they now want change. District Flan At the local level incumbent Republican (Reagan supporter) Jim Martin defeated challenger Preston Cornelius; the five in cumbent County Commissioners Odom (D), Green (D), Ray (D), Walton (D), and Bissell (R) were reelected. And C. W. Kidd (D) defeated Donald Stahl (R) by a landslide for sheriff. With regard to the NC House, Mecklenburg County voters re turned incumbents Jim Black '(D), Louise Brennan (D), Jo Graham Foster (D), Parks Helms (D), Ruth Easterling (D) and Roy Spoon (R). In addition, newcomer and school board chairman Phil Berry (D) a first-time black candidate for the State House was elected. Two other black candidates-Jim Richardson and Jim Polk-list in their bids for a Stat* House and Senate seat, respectively. Another issue of paramount concern to Mecklenburg County voters was the proposed 4-3 so-called district representation plan as designed by County Commission Chairman Tom Ray with the 4-district seats and 3 at-large seats. The issues was defeated by the voters by a 53 to 47 percent margin. The plan was defeated because it did not re present true district represent ation with the proposed district candiate being selected by the districts but elected by county wide voters. Talk has already begun to get the issue before the voters again but with a format similar to that of the city’s district plan. Undoubtedly, the most signifi cant aspect of the election re turns, still being analyzed, has been the still low, but yet sig nficantly higher number of over all voters who went to the polls on November 2. As has often been raid, if and when American democracy declines it will not be from outside forces like com munism but rather from voter apathy within. Next Week: Detailed analysis of the election returns. THE CHARLOTTE POST Second Class Postage No. 965500 “THE PEOPLE’S NEWSPAPER” Established 1918 Published Every Thursday by The Charlotte Post Publishing Co., Inc. Subscription Rate $15.60 Per Year Send All 3579’s To: 1524 West Blvd., Charlotte, N.C. 28208 Telephone 704-376-0496 Circulation 10,433 104 Years of Continuous Service BUI Johnson Bernard Reeves Fran Farrer Dannette Gaither Editor, Publisher General Manager Advertising Director Office Manager necona t lass Postage No. 965500 Paid At Charlotte, North Carolina Under the Act of March 3,1878 Member, National Newspaper _Publishers’ Association North Caroifna 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 —11 ——— National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers. Inc. 2100 S. Michigan Ave. 15 W. 15th St.. Suite 1193 ( hicago. III. OOtilll New York. New York I003R < nlumet .'. 0200 2I2-1K9-I220 A CLEANER NEIGHBORHOOD IS UP TO YOU... ^ettenA % Setitasi: Save The Children? Dear Sir: This morning (Sept. 15), "The Phil Donahue Show” on the housing projects in Chicago was frightening. The white women in the audience, sitting like an army of Nazis, expressed no sympathy for black babies who have fallen to their deaths out of screen less windows and own unre paired elevator shafts. In stead, a white caller said that black women should use “birth control.” How much birth control? Total involuntary steriliza tion of all black women? When the most innocent of all victims - babies -- are the target of death threats en masse, I tremble with the fear of genocide. Having two little black children of my own, I tremble with a rage, too. I take it very personally. Look at the black baby in North America. Reagan has taken one-thin} of the dollars for school lunches, from food out of their mouths which, for many children, was their one sure meal each day. He has not reduced the budget with this "saving” but pro duced more bombs with it. He adds to the budget, not detracts from it - this smiling baby abuser. Later, American blacks took up that cry. Marvin Gaye's song was popular in the early 70s and national ly, Operation PUSH’S Rev. Jesse Jackson used that as his first slogan. "Save The Children,” Save them from What? From the racism in America which poisons its hearts as surely as anit Semitism poisoned the hearts of otherwise “good” Germans? (U.S.) racism is not some abstract attitude, some intellectual mistake; it is direct violence against black babies. Black babies do not get enough to eat. Black babies are not free of rat bites or lead in their little brains from their poisoned envi ronments. Must we just sit on our hands and watch this slow Auschwutz rise around us until some hot summer’s night we just cannot stand it any more and rebel without any hope of winning? No, there is another way. What do white folks mean when they say “save the children"? They are not concerned about food; they mean from nuclear War. Life or death for the black baby is starvation, not radiation. That the black baby is paying more for Reagan's cowboys and their worldwide death wish is clear. The money goes directly from babies to bombs. The rich, heartless ones in this world are trying to hang on to their dwindling power by H bombs. It is a policy doomed to failure. Nothing can stop the ani mal drive of hundreds of millions of starving people In their fury for food. If the world blows up, what do these starving people have to lose? So it's time to take back the slogan, “Save The Children,” and insist that the only way to save the rich children from radia tion is to save the poor children from starvation. Let’s Deal. - Dr. WilUam Bunge, Arthabaska, Que bed, Canada. PENC Dear Sir: There is an alternative for educators in North Carolina who are con cerned about the direction taken by professional or ganizations* over the past number of years. Profes sional Educators of North Carolina (PENC) was chartered by the state of North Carolina on Novem ber 20,1979. Since that tjrpg there has been a steady growth in the organization. Educators must protect their freedom to decide for themselves which organ ization to join and sup port. Educators must pro vide an uninterrupted edu cation for the students. If you believe that these are the goals educators must seek in North Carol ina, I invite you to request further information by con tacting PENC at P. O. Box 221374, Charlotte, N.C. 28222. Sincerely, Preston Guiton President small business NEWS & VIEWS Employee Separations Each employee hired by a small business is an investment in time and money. In fact it can be a sizable investment if the employee is especially trained for a techni cian job. A certain amount of turnover can help keep vitality and freshness in a business, but' an excessive number of employee separations should seriously con cern the small business owner. If you have a hig turnover in your business, you should determine the reasons and try to eliminate as many of the causes as possible. In an attempt to find out whv vour employee turnover is high, you could ask yourself the foDowing questions: Does the employee have personal problems that contribute to bad performance? If so, how can you help the employee solve his pro blem? Is there a lack of information about the employee’s job duties and company regulations? Is the employee’s perfor mance suffering from lack of direction in his job? Is the employee underachieving because there is no challenge in his job, or , discouraged because the job is too de manding? Is there a supervisor or an other employee who is making the work situation unpleasant? If you are considering dismissal of a. employee, a prior warning should be given and signed by both employer and employee. This warning may be sufficient to improve the employee’s work and attitude toward his job. One or two written warnings are usually given a month or so before the final dismissal. Copies of this written notice are made for the employee, the firm’s file, and for the union, if one is involved. In some cases severance pay is given to dismissed employees, but the decision is up to the employer. Many employers prefer to give two weeks’ notice rather than two weeks’ pay, unless it is essential that the employee leave the job at once. The employee should be terminated immediate ly if there is any danger of the employee undermining the other employees, causing damage, or removing valuable tools and materials from the firm. in an exu interview employees should be asked their opinion of the company in general and of their job in particular. This can be a good opportunity for the em ployer to get frank opinions about what employees really think about the firm. You can also learn how your job training and shop working conditions affect your em ployees. An alternative to the personal exit interview is a questionnaire to the employee who has just left your firm. Some firms find that mail questionnaire responses are often more candid and objective than those an swers given in an exit interview. An excellent 14-page booklet on “Per sonal Guidelines” is available for $2. This can be ordered from Small Business Reports, Bank of America, Dept. 3401, P. 0. Box 37000, San Francisco, CA 94137, 415 622-2491. Ask for Volume 15, Number 3. For additional information, contact the Economic Development Division, Center for Improving Mountain Living, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC 28723. From Capitol Hill Reagan Seen As Weakening Civil Rights Commission? iTiduivjn Special To The Post A few days ago Presi dent Reagan met with At-, tomey General William French Smith, Assistant Attorney General William Bradford Reynolds and Civil Rights Commission Chairman Clarence Pen dleton to discuss the Ad ministration's progress on civil rights. Larry Speakes, White House Deputy press secretary, informed the press of the meeting but told them no information would be given out follow ing the close of the meeting. Civil rights organizations feels that instead of civil rights progress having been made by the Reagan Administration, that the gains have been set back They state that President Reagan has made the greatest assault on civil rights than any President in the past three decades These groups are greatly disturbed by the Presi dent's wholesale change at the Civil Rights Commis sion R is felt the changes in nominees will destroy the Commission's indepen dence and instead turn it into the Administration's 4 moutnpiece. William Tay lor of the Leadership Con ference on Civil Rights says, “the move reinforces our concern that the Ad ministration is trying to silence the agency that has been the conscience of the government on civil rights issues all these years." The group first began to express concern over the agency’s future when Pre sident Reagan nominated Clarence Pendleton, a con servative Rlark Reoubli can to replace chairman Arthur Fleming. At the confirmation hearing, Pen dleton gave the assurance that the Commission would be active, independent and vocal in making civil rights recommendations A Commission staff member said, “Pendleton has been low key and very receptive to staff sug gestions, but he didn't have the votes to challenge the majority opinion.” The Commissioners are con cerned about what will hap pen after Mr Reagan has replaced five of the six original Commissioners Civil rights leaders are shaky about the Commis sion's future since, legisla tion passed in 1978 only Alfreda L. Madison extended its authority to September 1963. If it is not extended beyond the Sep tember date, the Commis sion will become non-exist ent. Just recently, the Civil Rights Commission ex pressed deep concern about Assistant Attorney General Reynold's state ment regarding dismant ling of desegregation plans where busing is a com ponent He acknowledged that the Justice Depart ment “is oppposed to re lying on mandatory bus ing as a remedial tech nique to desegregate pu blic school.” Reynolds in dicated that the Depart ment will give serious con 4. sideration to, and where appropriate, request modi fication of court-ordered busing plans. The agency’s position is that busing should be ac cepted and debate ended when a court of competent jurisdiction has deter mined its a necessary re medy for segregated education The Commission noted the Supreme Court's 1968 ruling that school boards must take affirmative steps to develop desegre gated plans and in compli ance, attendance zone re structuring often require busing of students who were not previously bused. The court noted in its de cision that busing has been an integral part of the public education system for years and that it was the most important factor in transition from the one room school to consolidat ed schools., The court stated that busing is just one of many tools, but that desegregation cannot be limited to walk-in schools The Civil Rights Com mission found that numer ous school districts have found busing to be a very convenient method for im plementing the “Brown" mandate. It quoted Jerry Shinn, Editor of the Charlotte Observer in speaking of integration of the Charlotte, North Carol ina schools, that all but Jesse Helms, and his co horts, say, the plan is work ing marvelously. "If de spite the constitution and the courts, politicians find a way to do away with bus ing, they will be cheating some children out of some thing very important: the experience of functioning in an integrated society, which is the kind of society their generation is going to have to live in - that, or a house divided against it self, which cannot stand.” The Commission mem bers strongly confirmed their support for manda tory busing, the Chairman, Clarence Penleton ab stained. In an interview with Mr. Pendleton he stated that he is against mandatory bus ing and that he is for finding alternatives to public schools. He said bus ing has tom the Boston school system apart. Pen dleton took a strong posi tion against the Adminis tration’s stand on tax ex * emption for schools that segregate because of race. Mr. Pendleton noted that he is against affirmative action, because he says it calls for goals, timetables and quotas. The NAACP disputes Mr. Pendleton's enterpretation, instead it says affirmative action calls for affecting reme dies for years of discrim inatory practices. Pendle ton attributes disparities in Black and white employ ment to ill-preparedness of Blacks. He feels a remedy would be to do away with minimum wage for youth between ages 16 through 19. Pendleton strongly op poses Black leaders’ op position to President Rea gan's breaking tradition of all of his predecessors of only making Commission appointments when vacan cies occur. He calls the action highly insulting. Support Oar Advertisers y )
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Nov. 11, 1982, edition 1
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