Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Oct. 30, 1986, edition 1 / Page 2
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[ —.. ■ ebitoriate .— I r—— Vote For Your Future '** , V / ' ~ ■* V j '•/*» 1 Once again we are approaching the time when responsible, concerned and involved citizens should and will cast votes for the candidates of their choice in this “off-year*’ - no presidential candidates * election year. Among the choices are Sanford or Broyhill for U.S. Senate, McMillan or Martin for Congressman, Lanning or Shappert for District Court Judge, Moore or Kidd for Sheriff, at-large, and for the first time, district County Commission and state General Assembly seats in the Senate and House. In addition, you, the voter, will be asked to consider support for a referen dum on County Park bonds and farmland preservation bonds. As we look forward to Election Day, Tuesday, November 4, we should pause and look back over our shoulders for a reminder that in off-year elections voter turn out is usually low, and, in too many cases embarrassingly low for a nation that likes to boast about its free elections and freedom of expression. As the world can quite clearly see, black people in South Africa are suffering and giving their lives in a lengthy struggle to gain the right to vote and to hold public office. Consistent with our polidy over the past nine years, we have not endorsed any candidates. We believe we have offered you, our readers, varied opinions on many of the issues in a fair, objective, accurate, and balanced way. Therefore, we don’t think we need to clutter your minds with our opinions on specific candidates. As a community oriented newspaper, we believe that we have done our part in attempting to keep you informed about the issues. For example, the U.S. Senate race between Democrat Terry Sanford and Republican Jim Broyhill is a part of the much broader Stich political party will have a lembership in the Senate and e chairmanship of important mitees. ore, since the Senate committee lave significant influence in policy decisions, they are very important posts. In this regard, with the Republican Party currently holding a 53-47 margin in the U.S. Senate, their possible net loss of only four seats would shift the balance of power to the Democrats. Equally significant, President Reagan will probably be nominating in his last two years replace ments for many of the aging U.S. Supreme Court judges. Therefore, since the Senate Committee chairmen can often influence whether such court appointees will be confirmed by the Senate and since such appointees serve for life, they can be involved in judicial decisions that may affect the lives of millions of Americans for over the next 50 or more years. Therefore, and this is the important issue for you the voter, a vote for Republican Broyhill is a vote in support of Mr. Reagan's desire to maintain Republican control of the Senate and thus to be better able to appoint and have a greater chance of having philosophically conservative judges con firmed for U.S. Supreme Court seats. Likewise, a vote for Democrat candidate Terry Sanford would be support for the appointment of more middle-of-the-road or more liberal judges. For example, this latter more liberally thinking group of judges have historically been more sup portive of civil rights issues. Thus, you, the voter, need to be clearly aware that a vote for Sanford or Broyhill is a vote for a lot more than simply one personality over * another. Thinking of the isses beyond the rhetoric of particular candidates is. vital to being an intelligent and infprmed voter. With that, it’s now your turn to tell us, to tell the candidates, what you, the citizens, the taxpayers, want and expect through your votes. As we have said often in this column, it's your nation, your city, your neighborhood, your home, and you tax dollar, so you . decide what’s best for your future and the future of your children by voting your convictions on election day - November 4 VOTE, VOTE, and VOTE, it’s your right, your duty, and your freedom. IL \ax Law Revolution week Presidept Reagan signed into law the most significant and far-reaching federal income tax provisions in Over 40 years. The new law, a bi-partisan effort that died many deaths over the past two years, is already having some impact on the nation’s economy. The gross national product (GNP) rose 2.4 percent in the third quarter - ♦, July-August-September, and consumer spending went up at an annual rate of 7.2 percent in the same quarter. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 shifts $120 billion in taxes from individuals to business. Therefore, individual tax rates go from the current 15 percent to five percent in 1987 and effectively three percent in 1988. Wharton Business School professor Jeremy Siegel reportedly said “lower taxes (for individuals) will be good for (economic) ' However, the reyolutionary landmark tax law is expected to, touch nearly every financial decision Americans will make - from buying a home, a car, an appliance to buying stock or making a charitable contri bution. Therefore, The Washington Post states clearly, “During the next few years, the law’s lower rates and limits on many deductions will give the nation’s 100 million taxpayers a new world of choices.” * For example, the 14 million plus tax payers with Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), the 35 million people who pay mortgages or consumer loan interests may need to develop new strategies. In summary, nearly every taxpayer will find his or her rates changed in some way. SLACKS HAVE BEEN AWAKEN ED. ♦ f IT IS UP TO US, BLACKS WHO CARE ABOUT THE BLACK FUTURE, TO IMPOSE ORDER WHERE NONE EXISTS TODAY. ^ WE HAVE TO DO IT BECAUSE WE CANNOT ASK OUR OLD PEOPLE TO SPEND THE REST OF THEIR UVES PASSING THROUGH A GAUNTLET OF MUGGERS. OWE COMBS N Y MAOAZINE As I See It A Halloween Story By Gerald O. Johnson Special To The Post Back in my mid-teen years, I used to stay in trouble for an assortment of reasons. The main reason was because I. was a brat. But, I was a smart brat, and usually I could manage to steer defy from blame for the trouble I caused. One adventure I got myself and some friends into taught me and hopefully my friends, a valuable lesson. It was dusk on a very clear night when Ron Wiley, Richard Spratt and I decided to walk tbfcstB*ets of the westsidp just to see what was shaking. It was Halloween night. Ron wanted to do some trick-or-treating, but I con vinced him that we were too old for that sort of thing. Richard, who was usually a very agreeable chap, had to ; be convinced that we were indeed too old. After wasting an hour convincing two 6’5”, 15-year-olds, this 5’4” (that was stretching it) 15-year old finally won out. 1 had to promise to give, them treats from my house when we returned. Richard has procured fire «— ■ . . ■ ■ ■ —mbigaai Gerald crackers from somewhere and we thought it would be nice to scare the heck out of people using the firecrack ers. We finally ended up at Five points on the corner of Fifth and Trade. We were about to cross the street when the old light bulb blinked on in the cerebellum. “Look, guys, why don’t we go on Smith’s campus and hide behind the fence. When cars stop for the light, we’ll let them have it with the fire works. We’ll scare the heck r T T ▼ T T T A out of them.” Ron was the most innocent of the trio and thought it a bad idea. Richard was bored and figured it would add a little life to the evening. Of course, I was bored that’s why I thought of the idea. Ron .was Anally convinced it would be fun, so we dashed behind the fence on Smith’s campus overlooking Fifth Street. Initially, all of us were scared to get started. But finally the smallest guy with the biggest mouth told Richard to light one up. He did. I tossed the lit fire craker towards W unsus pecting motorist. THfe firecracker exploded. The motorist was startled. He had a look of fright and bewilderment on his face. Before he could discover what had taken place, the light changed and he had to go on. We got a big laugh out of that and decided this was fun. We continued tossing the lit firecrackers at passing motorists, carefully choosing the right time to do it We were having a bah. i ajrnea away irom the street and told Richard to light one up for me. He did. As I turned to toss the fit firecracker, to my surprise the unsuspecting motorist was the police. The look on the faces of my friends told me that they were curious to find what I was going to do. Needless to say, I was curious myself. I thought to myself, "Gerald, you-can hold this firecracker and let it blow your hand off, or you can toss it at the policemen and let them blow your head off." Interesting dilemma, I thought. The policemen were white and community rela tions between white police officers and black, bra tty kids were not cordial in the early sixties. As the burning stem made its way closer tb the cylinder, I decided to take my chances. I tossed the fire cracker. It exploded on its route to the boys-in-blue and it startled the heck out of them. A flashlight and a fun immediately were pointed in our direction as the Car sped through the red light and turned onto the campus. Needless to say, we were in the wind. I realised that 1 couldn’t out run the car. so I dove behind the nearest bush to seek refuge. I knew I was done for. As I laid huddled up and trembling, the pofice car sped by me and headed for the University ChuindM I heard the policemen get out of the car and then I beard footsteps. They were HaHoween M page »A j THE CHARLOTTE POST North Carolina’s Fastest Growing 378-04M •The People’s Newspaper” 108 Years _Of Continuous Service Bill Johnson Publisher Emeritus Gerald Johnson Co-Publisher Bob Johnson v Co-Publisher Bernard Reeves Gen. Mgr. I.oretta Manage Mng. Editor Jackie Carr t Copy Editor Fran Farrcr Bradley Adv. Mgr. Dannette Gaither Office Mgr. Published , Every Thursday by The Charlotte Post Publishing Company. Inc. Main Office: 1531 S. Camden Road Charlotte, N.C 28203 Second Class Postage Paid at Charlotte Member. National Newspaper Publishers' Association North Carolina Black Publishers -_ National Avertising Representative: Amalgamated Publishers, Inc. One Year Subscription Rate One Year-917.78 Payable la Advance I SPS No. 985see POSTMASTER Send Change of address to Charlotte Poet 1531 Camden Rd. _Charlotte. N.C. 282*3 Muter Says: Has Black Leadership Become^Dependent ? By Sherman N. Miller Special To The Post Reports out of Michigan tell of prominent Democratic leaders castigating the ' Republican Party’s black conservative gubernatorial candidate. Similar Pitts burgh, PA, reports reveal an anti-U.S. Senator Arlene Specter campaign because he purportedly double crossed the black leader ship by voting to confirm conservative U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist. Has the cur rent black leaderships sur vival become totally de pendent on preserving liberal ideology whereby they must attack any can didate, black or white, who supports conservative issues? It was extremely difficult for me to believe that an experienced politician would renege on a political promise in the midst of his re election campaign. There fore, I asked Specter if he had made a commitment on the Rehnquist nomination to Pittsburgh’s black leader ship. "I made no commitments to anyone on the Rehnquist nomination,” he replied. Miller “And I don’t make com mitments to anyone on any nomination! That goes for the President or any group. " I had heard that the Pittsburgh Branch of the NAACP was one of the groups opposed to Specter’s re-election bid, so he was encouraged to comment on his working relationship with the NAACP. “I have been a big sup porter of the NAACP on many, many matters," claimed Specter. “The NAACP came to me for assistance oh the Voting Rights Act and I was one of the principal supporters." Specter went on to broach the problem of having been caught in the philosophical chasm between the super liberal black leadership and the ultra conservative Reagan Administration. “When it came to Rehnquist, if you start to pick and choose on ideology, that is just not right. The same groups, including the NAACP, who opposed Rehnquist also opposed (Associate Justice Antonin) Scalia," though Scalia got 99 affirmative votes. Specter demonstrated an understanding of the importance of the welfare system to the black com munity. He contended, “Dr. Leon Sullivan came to me along with others from the' uroan League ana askea me to be the prime sponsor for reform of the Welfare System.” (Dr. Sullivan is the founder of OIC and the •architect of the famous Sullivan Principals which have become the code of conduct for American com panies doing business in racist South Africa.) “My bill provides if (there are) two (parental) members of a household, that household is not stripped of welfare paid to dependent children as long as one of those members is in job training,” proclaims Specter. “It also provides that they stay on welfare until their jobs pay more than the welfare payments of the state. They also stay on Medicaid.” It is nice to talk of posi tive welfare reforms, but the money to pay for it may be very difficult to find in the deficit-laden Federal budget. I wondered if Specter had a prayer of funding his wel fare proposal, so I queried him on his second term’s main goal. “The main goal I would like to see in the next six years is remove the threat of nuclear war. If that can be done, we can take millions and move them from the Defense Budget and move them in housing and jobs training and urban renewal.” * V'>1. '.\l \ '■ .•!* tt{* • 4 Specter believes we can import American jobs and export unemployment if we “insist on reciprocity” with the Japanese because they have not opened their markets to American goods. He also argues strongly that subsidised foreign goods should not be permitted in American markets. if
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