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November 28.2012___________________________ æ1!« ^o v tíatth ©bscrUer_______________________ Page 9 O pinion Don’t Cut Our Kids Out of the Budget Future depends on investing in children M arian W right E delman Barack O bam a won his re- election fight because A m eri cans w ho are com m itted to m oving forward turned out in record num bers to vote, espe cially in battleground states. But we can't go forward unless C on gress sits dow n and m akes the hard deci sions required to create a ju st budget that invests in children, and creates jo b s for their struggling parents while m aking sure those who have benefited from huge tax cuts pull their weight. Exit polls on Election Day m ade it clear: A clear m ajority o f voters agree that the richest A m ericans need to pay higher taxes. C h ildren, the poor, and the m iddle class cannot afford m ore devastating cuts and in stability as they co ntinue to stru g g le against hunger, hom elessness, jo b le ssn ess, and loss o f sum m er school and reg u lar school days as a result o f by this long econom ic dow nturn. T o m ove forw ard, A m erica's se curity and p ro sp erity depend on our c h il d r e n 's a b ility to d r iv e th e econom y o f the future. If a m ajority o f our kids can't read and com pute at grade level, we w on't have a strong eco n o m y . O u r leaders face cru cial budget d e ci sions. T hey m ust cra ft solutio n s that w ill protect the already porous safety nets on w hich so m any children and fam ilies rely, and invest in the health, early child h o o d developm ent, and ed u c atio n o f o u r children. T he fundam ental p rinciple o f p ro tectin g children and other vulnerable p o p u latio n s has been a cornersto n e o f d efic it reduction since the bip artisan B alanced B udget A ct o f 1985. Every autom atic b udget cut m echanism o f the p ast q u arter century has exem pted core low -incom e assistance program s from any cuts triggered w hen budget targets o r fiscal restrain t rules w ere m issed or violated. The A m erican people still strongly support this principle. Last year, a G allup poll found that 55 percent o f A m ericans oppose cu ttin g spending on an ti-p o v erty program s. A Public O pinion S trat egies poll show ed even larger num bers o f likely voters oppose cuts to M edicaid (73 percen t) or education program s (75 p e rc e n t). C utting ch ild ren from the budget now w ill cost us all m ore in the long run. On the o th er hand, econom ists agree that investing in children prom otes e co nom ic g ro w th . F or ex am p le, in v e st m ents in education that raise high school grad u atio n rates have been show n to yield a public benefit o f $209,000 per student in hig h er governm ent revenues and low er governm ent spending, and an econom ic benefit to the public purse that is 2.5 tim es g reater than the costs. Children constitute the poorest age group in the U nited States. M ore than 16.1 million children in Am erica live in poverty — more than one in five o f all children and more than one in three children o f color — so special efforts m ust be made to ad dress the needs o f these m ost vulnerable among us. Poor children lag behind their peers in many ways beyond income: they are less healthy, trail in em otional and intellectual developm ent, are less likely to graduate from high school and to find steady work as adults, and are more likely to head poor families. Every year we keep these m il lions o f children in poverty costs our nation at least half a trillion dollars in lost productivity, poorer health, and increased crim e. Rather than im posing strict austerity m easures without regard for the human consequences, we m ust invest now in children to prepare them for the future and help create jobs. Be careful what you cut. If our children aren't ready for tom orrow , neither is America. Marian Wright Edelman is the presi dent o f the Children's Defense Fund. Undeniable Victory on Election Day NAACP poll finds voters were engaged by Joi C. R idley For the civil rights com m unity, Election Day was an u n d en iab le victory. Ballot initiatives prom ot ing equality were passed in several key states and M innesota’s attem pt to restrict voting rights w as struck dow n. An N A A C P swing state poll conducted in the days leading up to the election showed that African A m ericans were engaged on these issues, and offered a snapshot o f the black electorate at this point in history. The N A A C P ’s polling found that a m ajority o f African A m ericans support the D ream A ct and m arriage equality, both o f which passed in M aryland. The data revealed m ajority support for m ar riage equality measures. Fifty percent o f jLlortlanb (Observer African A m erican voters favor a constitu tional right for sam e-sex couples to marry, with 40 percent opposing it. Ninety-three percent of respondents favor the Dream Act, which allows undocum ented youth to se ek U .S . c itiz e n s h ip (7 1 p e rc e n t strongly, 21 percent som ewhat). The poll, which interview ed 1,600 A f rican A m erican voters in Ohio, Virginia, Florida and G eorgia also suggested that, despite their very high support for the D em ocratic Party with President Obam a at the helm, African A m ericans could be convinced to vote for a Republican candi date. O nly 47 percent o f respondents were “very enthusiastic” for the next D em ocrat candidate follow ing President O bam a and 15 percent are unsure o f how enthusiastic they will be in 2016. M oreover, 14 per cent o f African A m ericans said they are m ore likely to vote for a Republican in the future if the candidate has civil rights issues on his or her agenda. Established 1970 Charles H. Washington EDiTOR.Michael L eig h to n A ssistant to P ublisher , P ublic R eiations : M ark W ashington C reative D irector : P aul N e u fe ld t A ssistant to P ublisher , O ffice M anager /C iassifieds : Lucinda Baldwin A ssistant P ublisher : Leonard Latin A dvertising M anager , P ublic R elations : Tony Washington S taff W riter /P hotographer : Cari Hachmann E d ito r - in -C h ie f , P ublisher : ----------------- “This data reveals opportunities for the G O P to im prove its relationship with our com m unity. It suggests that the Dem o cratic Party should not assum e it will see the 2008 and 2012 levels o f black turnout in 2016,” said Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and chief executive officer o f the NAACP. Jobs and the econom y topped the list o f m ost im portant issues to African A m eri can voters, earning the vote o f 60 percent o f respondents. N inety-five percent o f respondents believe the federal govern ment should engage in jo b creation oppor tunities for all Americans. Respondents also believe that the federal governm ent has a role to play in education (95 per cent), health care (96 percent), and jo b creation (96 percent). However, support for the federal gov ernm ent is not support for governm ent dependency. Eighty-one percent o f re spondents believe that success depends on self-reliance and determ ination, while USPS 959-680 --------------------- only 14% disagree. “T his poll paints a picture o f how African Am erican interests fit into our new p o litical c a lc u lu s,” said M arvin Randolph, the N A A C P’s senior vice presi dent for cam paigns. This calculus includes an African Am eri can voting bloc that m ade up more than 13 percent o f the voting electorate for the last two presidential elections, according to national exit polls. The N A A CP helped encourage this high turnout by registering more than 432,000 new voters and edu cating and activating 1.2 million voters - both historic highs for the Association. “This data underscores the decisive role our community played in key battleground states,” said Jealous. “People have said traditional America has died. In actuality, the real America, full o f diverse opinions and values, has now risen. That real America is what our nation was built upon.” Joi C. Ridley works in communications with the NAACP. 47 47 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211 The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. 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