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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 2005)
B lack H istory M Page A 6 onth .W s p e c ia l c o u e ra a e February 16, 2005 Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views o f The Portland Observer O pinion Congress Should Cut Corporate Welfare Heath and education services are wrong target by J udge G reg M athis In the recent proposed federal b u d g et. P resid en t B ush rec o m m ended that C ongress elim inate or reduce 150 governm ent program s. C ongress m ust now decide be tw een cutting social program s that benefit the poor and m iddle class or to elim inate and reduce program s that aide the corporate class. For decades we have seen Republican adm inistrations cut social program s and w elfare for the prxir w hile co r porate A m erica continues to re ceive billions in corporate w elfare by w ay o f federal grants. T he Bush budget proposes d ras tic cuts in education and healthcare program s. In fact, nearly h alf o f all the proposed cuts are in areas that provide education and healthcare assistance to the poor and m iddle class. All from a president w ho cam paigned to im prove education and healthcare for A m erican citizens. Every year, billions o f tax dollars are given to m ajor corporations to advance research and technology for their com panies. T he federal grant m onies are not returned to the ' The most vulnerable in our society are going to suffer in areas that address our most basic human needs. -Judge Greg Mathis governm ent. Instead, the co rpora tions use the m oney to increase their profits. O n e fe d e ra l g r a n t- f u n d in g agency called the A dvanced T ech nology Program has cost taxpayers m ore than $2 billion in the last 15 years. Even som e right w ing co n servative republican g roups are com plaining! Brian Riedl, a federal budget analyst at the C onservative H eri tage F oundation, studied this pro gram and concluded that w ith the returns on investm ents the co m p a nies receive, they could have fi nanced their ow n research w ithout governm ent grants. Indeed he re ports that over 4 0 percent o f the grant m oney has gone to Fortune 500 com panies, such as IBM , G en eral E lectric and G eneral M otors. C ongress should place the needs o f taxpayers ahead o f the corporate giants w ho can pay their ow n way. T he m ost vulnerable in o u r society are going to suffer in areas that ad d ress o u r m ost b asic h um an needs — healthcare and ed u ca tion, if the budget cuts are approved. M eanw hile, the corporate h and outs will continue to go unnoticed as our society scoffs at poor people living on governm ent assistance. Som ething is certainly w rong with the values o f ag o v em m en t that will cut program s for the poor w hile giving billions to rich corporations. In to d ay ’s society, w here “v al ues” appear to be the flavor o f the day, it is becom ing m ore and m ore clear that the current adm inistra tion places the values o f corporate greed o ver hum an needs. Accepting, hope-filled adults start as children E vers -W illiams 1 am hum bled by the reality o f the world in which I live, a world that does not em brace diversity on the level that it should. R ecen t new s that Edgar Ray Killen, the white suprem a cist indicted for the 1964 murders o f civil rights workers, M ichael Schw em er, Jam es Chaney and A ndrew G oodm an in Philadel phia, M iss., was released on bond to aw ait his trial in freedom, may not have resonated with many. B ut to see som eone accused o f the m ost heinous o f crim es w alk aw ay on a m ere pittance o f $ 250,000, w as a fla sh back to the m ost u nspeakable n ightm are o f m y life, th e day w hen my ch ild ren and I w atched my husband die before our very eyes. W e live in a w orld o f contrad ictio n s. F o rtu n ately not all o f them are d isc o n certing. Not 60 miles from the site o f the murders, stands the Boys and G irls Clubs o f East M ississippi, a place w here youth com e together to celebrate their individuality, pursue their dream s and encourage diver sity. A few m ore m iles dow n the road is the Boys and G irls Clubs o f M ississippi Band o f Choctaw Indians, a place that not only shares in the differences betw een black and white, but betw een black, white, red and brown. Both clubs are beneficiaries ofThe Allstate Foundation’s “Youth for Unity” initiative, a national effort to promote tolerance to mil lions o f Am erica’s impressionable youth. Through programs like “Youth for Unity,” and organizations such as the Medgar Evers Institute in Jackson, Miss., we are working to break down the very contradictions that remain a hindrance to our growth as a nation, through the eyes o f the newest generation of Americans. Research shows that children w ho are exposed to diversity and tolerance at a young age, at places like Boys and Girls Clubs, grow up to be m ore accepting and hope-filled adults, creating the leaders o f tom orrow , and ultim ately bettering our mutual quality o f life. W edon’tknow ifEdgarRay Killen will be convicted when he again stands trial for murdering those three innocent young men more than 40 years ago, but justice may be served if his trial provokes a national discus sion about race. Because the only reason to relive such a tragedy is to leam from it, so that it never happens again. C hanging perceptions and contradic tions m ust begin with our youth. If this can be done in M ississippi, it can be done anywhere. A nd it is being done. Let injus tice linger in the old, but let us infuse our youth with hope and righteousness each and every day. Myrlie Evers-Williams is the widow o f civil rights activist Medgar Evers, and Chairman Emeritus o f the NAACP. Today she serves as founder o f the Medgar Evers Institute and is a member o f Boys and Girls Clubs o f Am erica's National Diversity A d visory Council. Judge M athis is chairm an o f the Rainbow P U SH -E xcel Board and a national board m em ber o f the Southern Christian L eader ship Conference. Budget Proposal Extremely Disappointing Our Painful Progress for Diversity b y M yrlie Judge Greg Mathis by U .S. R ep . M elvin L .W att Blueprint offers no solutions to end disparities O n first review o f President B ush’s budget proposal, I find it extrem ely d is appointing. Mr. B ush’s proposal rec om m ends severe cuts in education, food and nutrition program s, and literacy ini tiatives for youth and young adults. The proposed budget neglects su g gestions offered by the C ongressional Black C aucus for ending disparities that exist betw een A frican A m ericans and w hite A m ericans in every aspect o f life. T he C B C gave the President three distinct opportunities to respond favor ably to o u r A genda: (1) during a m eeting with the president on Jan. 26 w hen the C B C delivered our agenda w hich o u t lined these disparities and offered w ays to elim inate the gap; (2) during the State o f the U nion address; and (3) in his budget proposal. U nfortunately, the president m issed all three opportunities. T his budget appears to offer no real solutions for change and falls short o f w hat the C B C hoped w ould be included in the docum ent. In sum m ary, m em bers o f the C B C are e x tr e m e ly d is a p p o in te d w ith th e P resident’s budget proposal and will work w ith our colleagues on the Hill for a budget that reflects the values and concerns o f all A m ericans: education, health care, eco nom ic opportunity, ju stice for all, retire m ent security and foreign policy. U.S. Rep. Melvin L. Watt, D-N.C., is chairman o f the Congressional Black Caucus. 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