EDITORIALS &
The Roundball Finale
It’s here again, the annual
sports ritual and roundball finale
with household names as well
known as the NCAA and NIT
Basketball Tournaments.
As basketball, and even non
basketball buffs alike waited
impatiently to hear what big
time colleges and universities
would earn or be selected for
berths in these grandest of all
collegiate sports extravaganzas,
we witness many favorite sons
receiving a temporary set-back
as they become victims in their
respective post-season basket
ball conference tournaments.
Branded as upset victims were
such roundball powers as Vir
ginia, North Carolina, Missouri,
Syracuse, Kentucky, Maryland -
to name just a few!- but alas, to
avoid losing such “glamour”
universities and their talent
laden teams to arch rival NIT,
the NCAA rules allow these non
conference winners to gain tour
nament berths based on the
season long record in spite of a
one-time late season loss.
The roundball finales are a
time of year when men and
women of all ages join college
students and set aside - at least
temporarily - their cares and
concerns with the world about
them and join in the hoopla and
joy of basketball with its “joy of
victory and the agony of defeat.”
It is a time when we throw
reason to the wind, engage in
hero-worship, arid let our
emdtioris float with every roll,
bounce and net pass-through' of
the cowhide covered, air-tight
object a team possession called a
basketball.
It is a time not to expect, but to
joy in the kind of sport drama
tics that allowed millions of ACC
fans, sports writers arid TV
commentators to witness un
ranked N.C. State squeeze out a
one point victory over Wake
Forest University arid then, on
successive days, write a story
book Cinderella] finish as they
defeated top 10 and ACC arch
rivals North Carolina and Vir
ginia to win the ACC Tourna
ment td gain an automatic NCAA
Tournament spot.
It is a time for even non
Wolfpack fans to applaud and
congratulate coach Jim Valvano
Pay For Play?
As the somewhat ridiculous
emotion and reaction to Herschel
Walker’s decision to play foot
ball for the New Jersey Generals
for pay as opposed to the Univer
sity of Georgia for one more year
without pay, subsides and gets
lost in the seasonal post-season
basketball tournaments, William
Raspberry reminds us of an
for leading his team to a con
ference championship that has
eluded N.C. State for eight years
and has brought them from the
shadows of Virginia and North
Carolina as a team of destiny in
its own right.
The NCAA and NIT grand
finales are a time too, but least
this year for ACC supporters and
North. Carolinians in particular,
to be proud that Michael Jordan,
Sam Perkins and Ralph Samp
son were selected as UPI All
American team members. We
can be equally proud that
Sampson, Virginia’s 7’4” center,
has been selected for the third
consecutive year as the “ACC
Basketball Player of the Year”
by the Atlantic Coast Sports
Writers Association.
these young men are just a
few of our heroes for the mo
ment. Joining these God-given
talented youth are others we will
include in our hero-worshipping
such as N.C. State’s Sidney
Lowe, Virginia’s Othel Wilson,
Wake Forest’s Anthony Teachey
and Georgetown’s Pat Ewing.
Yet, as some collegiate teams
fall in the agony of defeat, and
we move toward the NCAA
“Final Four,’r our heroes begin
to fade into the dust and the real
world of study and grade, work
or the struggle to find work,
worry or apathy over' nuclear
war, inflation and a host of other
day-to-day concerns reappear as
the joy or task of living and
surviving returns to center
stage.
In all of this, let us hope and
pray for the physical safety and
emotional well-being of the *
American youth who make these
sports spectaculars called the
NCAA and NIT Tournaments
possible. Let us pray, too, that
players, coaches, sports writers,
fans, university administrators
and others keep in perspective
what this often called sports
mania is all about. It’s about, or
should be in the final analysis,
charafcter-building and the pre
paring of youth for survival in
the real world.” '
Let us hope that the game of
real life will be as sweet for
many of these youths in later
years as it is or will be during
these days of excitement and
tournament play.
increasingly important issue.
That issue, clear and simple, is
the suggestion, as stated in
proposed legislation in the State
of Nebraska, that big-time
college athletes be paid for their
services to the universities
where they "work” as basketball
and football players for the
substantial financial benefit of
those universities
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Moratorium Needed Oh Fcredoeurm
Dear Editor:
In January, National
Urban League President
John E. Jacob urged Con
gress to declare a state of
national economic emer
gency and to enact a full
employment jobs program.
He pointed out that eco
nomic conditions in the
country are so bad for the
overwhelming majority of
the people that broad coa
litions embracing poor and
non-poor, farm and city
dwellers, black and white,
are now possible to mobi
lize in the streets and halls
of Congress to make this a
reality.
I believe the suffering
people of our country need
to spell out what we need
and to make our demands
known at all levels of go
vernment - local, state and
national.
We need extension of
unemployment benefits to
cover all weeks without a
paycheck. We need exten
sion of these benefits to
youthful first job-seekers -
an application for a job
should serve also as an
application for unemploy
ment compensation.
We need enactment of a
$100 billion federal con
struction project to rebuild
the infrastructure of our
crumbling cities. This will
create unlimited demand
for steel and construction"
materials and help revive
Pennsylvania’s depressed
industries.
We need a moratorium
» all home, farm and
mortgage foreclosures and
an end to all evictions
(homeowners and renters),
utility shutoffs and repos
sessions for families suf
faring from unemploy
ment. There is ample pre
cedent for such morato
riums in the Depression of
the 1930s. %
We need a six-hour day
with no cut in pay. Hiis
would create 33.3 million
jobs (reducing the hours
from 40 to 30 of a work
force of 100 million).' Con
gressman John Conyers
(D-Mich.) has introduced
such legislation.
Passage on a state level
of the work-sharing plan
(HB No. 1) supported by
the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO
is a positive step toward a
permanent shorter work
week. This plan would im
plement a four-day week,
with the fifth day’s pay
coming from the unem
ployment compensation
fund.
We need to stop plant
closings and . runaway
shops through public take
over and natimblixation of
sick industries operating at
less than 60 percent capa
city.
In the immediate period
before full employment
could be implemented, we
need restoration of full
funding for all survival pro
grams, such as food
stamps, welfare, social se
curity, nutrition, school
lunch, education, Medicaid
other health programs.
We need government-paid
health coverage for all the
unemployment and un
insured.
Hie above elements of an
Economic Emergency
Jobs Program could be
funded by cancelling the
Pentagon’s blank check:
by closing tax loopholes
used by the rich to avoid
paying their fair share:
and by declaring a mora
torium on payment of inter
est on the national debt to
banks and financial institu
tions - so long as millions of
Americans are Jobless,
homeless, cold and hungry
Arlene Tyner
Should Youngest
Students Bear
The Burden?
Dear Sir:
I cannot understand to
save my life why some
people applaud when the
School Board decided not to
close Northwest Junior
High School. In this de
cision, in the same breath
they (the School Board)
closed University Park
Elementary School.
Now to those who ap
plauded, I want to remind
you that University Park"
Elementary School is the
last elementary school in
our community. Should the
youngest students bear the
burden of being packed into
smaller schools?
Given a choice of Uni
versity Park Elementary
School and Northwest
Junior High School - I
should think University
Park Elementary School is
the better facility.
We nded to wake up and
realize the difference be
tween achieving a goal and
having a cheap compro
mise thrust upon us. In a
few years the Board pro
bably will say the facilities
of Northwest Junior High
School needs condemnation
and it, too. will dose.
James E. Palmer, Pasta
University Park Baptist
■"■WITH SABRIN^O^^^^
MS.Jonnsoitff column
1
Belie State Of
Black America
By Honorable Go* Savage
Member of Congress
Special To The Post
As administration econo
mists prepare to revise
their slow-growth econo
, mic forecast for 1963, to
take account of declining
oil prices and signs of a
stronger-than-expected re
covery, black America is
still grappling with the
forces of recession reality.
The current slow-growth
forecast, a one percent
first quarter growth rate
and a 3.1 percent annual
rate, was one of the pro
jections on which the bud
get for the fiscal year 1964
was based.
Now that administration
officials foresee a “mini
mum three percent gain”
in the composite index of
economic indicators sig
naled by a sharp drop in
world oil prices, inventory
cuts and a 4.1 percent
growth in real sales, the
Commerce Department's
chief economist, Under
secretary Robert De
derick, is predicting a five
percent growth rate this
year and a decline in the
nation’s unemployment to
undo-10 percent.
It seems ironic that such
optimistic projections are
being made at a time when
black Americans are worse
off today than they were a
year ago.
According to the Nation
al Urban League’s annual
survey “The state of Black
America’’ black unemploy
ment was 15.5 percent at
the end oM981 but at 1962’s
end, it had climbed to a
staggering 20 percent.
Urban League President
John E. Jacob said' 1982
“was not a good year, and
of course, no year is, to be
black and poor in
America.”
The report went on to
point out that one in three
black people live below the
official government pover
ty line, compared with one
in 10 whites. Here are
some other statistics and
major findings detailed in
the survey:
-Black unemployment
was 20 percent in October
1982, and among teen
agers, 50 percent. Personal
income was falling and
living standards were de
clining. Black people gen
erally earned about $69 for
every |100 that whites
earned for Jobs. ffc
-Life expectancy' for”
black people in 1979 was
68.3 years to 74.4 years for
whites; high unemploy
ment and poverty tended to
create depression and low
self-esteem, resulting in
high rates of alcoholism,
drug abuse, suicide, men
tal illness, child-and-wife
abuse and crime. Five
times as many black
youths die from homicide
per 100,000 population (42)
as whites (8), and 46 per
cent of all people in pri
sons are blacks.
-About 42 percent of
black households were
female-headed ih i960, up
from 30 percent in 1970.
About 44 percent of black
children under 18 lived in
such families, double the
1970 figure.
-Black people are 12 per
centof total population, but
make up 33 percent of the
Army, and within the Army
have a high proportion of
combat roles, where they
learn few skills market
able in civilian life.
-In 1960 there were 927,
700 black undergraduates
in colleges, with .7 in non
black colleges, but recent
cuts in educational aid
made further growth diffi
cult, especially in priv*
colleges.
Hie Reagan Administra
tion must bear much of the
blame for our high unem
ployment and the hard
ships resulting from his
administration’s drastic
cuts in domestic spending. .
I hope this is an economic
lesson we learn well and
remember in 1964.
Earn College Credit
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Front Capitol Hill
President Reagan Administration
Is Imposing Gag Rule
By Alfreds L. Madison
Special Tn The Post
The Office of Manage
ment and Budget, which
hoped to make a catas
trophic sneak attack on
many of those who question
the Administration, ended
up by having its plan in
tercepted by a tremendous
army. OMB has attempted
to change circular A-122,
which at present, contains
allocation rules of cost
items for non-profit organ
izations such as; travel
costs, compensation, and
depreciation. It assures
that federal money is not
used for lobbying purposes.
Under the new rule the
enterpretation of "political
advocacy" prohibits an at
tempt to influence govern
mental decisions through
attempting to affect the
opinion of the general pu
blic or any segment, in
fluencing government de
cisions through com
munications with any
member or employee of a
legislative body, or with
any government official or
employee wfro may par
ticipate in decision pro
cess, or contributing
money, services, or any
thing of value to an or
ganization that has politic
al advocacy.
This revision of A-122
would prohibit even one
telephone call to be made
or one letter to be written to
Alfred* L. Madison
a member or employee of a
legislative body. While or
ganizations may be receiv
ing some federal funds, of
ficials of these funded or
ganizations would be for
bidden to communicate
ideas and evaluations of
their programs to legis
lative bodies. It even pro
hibits members of the or
ganizations from com
municating with each other
concerning legislative
matters. These organiza
tions will not be allowed to
lobby in defense of their
own programs.
The House Committee on
Government Operations,
chaired by Representative
Jack Brooks held hearings
on the new OMB A-122
changes. Representatives
of 31 organizations testi
fied before a crowded
room against the pro
posals, while numerous
other groups submitted
written oooosing testimon
ies.
Mr. Brooks said two
years ago in Mr. Reagan’s
fund slashing he claimed,
"Nobody really would be
hurt by those budget cuts.
The truly needy would still
be taken care of by the
Administration’s safety net
and that the gap left by
federal cutbacks would be
filled by local non-profit
social service agencies. It
appears now that the Ad
ministration would deny
these groups the oppor
tunity to comment on re
gulatory reforms and Im
plementation of the grants
and legislation that affect
them.” The chairman was
vexed by David Stock
man’s failure to appear,
himself, but instead he sent
Joseph Wright, who admit
ted that he had no part in
formulating the changes It
seems that Michael Horo
witz of OMB and Phillips,
editor of Conservative Di
gest were the chief archi
tects.
All witnesses felt that the
changes made by OMB
represent a concerted ef
fort to defund anyone who
is likely to disagree with
this Administration. They
called the change a "gag
rule.’’
Moot witnesses empha
sized that the circular is
structured in a way gua
ranteed to hurt liberal or
ganizations more than con
servative ones, small busi
nesses more than big busi
nesses, and poor organiza
tions more than rich ones.
Organizations receiving
any federal funds, whatso
ever, are prohibited from
using buildings, tele
phones, typewriters or any
office equipment for con
tacting anybody in the
government. Small busi
nesses, and the poor can’t
afford separate accom
modations for government
official contact.
Catholic Charities said
its ironic that this Admin
istration which calls for s
partnership with private
voluntarism, would silence
the voluntary sector from
coming forth with a de
fense of its programs
It was stated that A-122
changes were ill-advised
because they strjke at the
heart of two basic con
cepts: (l) the right of the
public, Including non-profit
organizations, to have full
access to the governmental
process, (2) the need of
government officials for In
forms tion on which to
make sound decisions.
National Association of
Manufacturers, as well as
all others, agree that tax
payers’ money should not
be used for lobbying, but It
stated that OMB’s proposal
cure will prove far worse
than the disease Wright
showed that no widespread
abuse occurs.
Ms udine Cooper, Vice
President of National Ur
ban League said, "We are
baffled at the seeming con
tradiction between the Ad
ministration’s professed
desire to encourage the vo
luntary sector and this ef
ofr to thwart any capa
bility we might have had to
respond to that charge. Ms
Cooper said that small Ur
ban League chapters will
be hurt by the changes
since they can’t duplicate
the facilities.
Ed Townes, a new Black
Caucus member, said,
"OMB has exceeded its
power to adopt regulations
to carry into effect the will
of Congress as expressed
by statute The so-called
mandate of 1M0 did not
give the Administration li
cense to become a mon
archy with no role for the
legislative and Judicial '
branches."
All witnesses and mem
bers of the bipartisan com
mittee registered their dis
approval of the circular
changes; as denying Pint
Amendment rights of free
speech and prohibiting a
two-way conversation be
tween members of Con
gress and their constitu
ents.
OMB was criticized for
formulating this change
without consulting anyone
outside the executive
branch. Joe Wright was
advised that the best way
to establish credibility is
for OMB to say, “We
goofed." He was told that
instead of revising A-l£ to
withdraw the proposal al
together \ •
Real Prphlem
To The Editor
Most people to real
ize that we live in a
competitive y which
causes the avenge person
to live to always mani
pulate and deceive, which
explains why so many peo
ple fear truth anti realty.
That itself is ready not the
problem
The problem with the _
overage person is that such
habit of always) deceiving
causes them tombver make
contact or they lose contact
with reality imtii what is
truthful, real and right ap
pears to them as being
strange, unreal, innocent,
stupid and naive •
especially fat human atti
tudes, expressions and
actions
Pauli