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.
President's
Day
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