Opinion
“Challenging People to Shape
a Better Future Now”
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Many Conservatives Seek To Destroy
Programs That Aid The Poor, Working Class
I
n listening to President
Obama’s “State of the Union
Address” this year, one of the
things that struck me is how many
of us have been taken in by this
whole hoopla around “…big gov-
ernment is bad; small government
is good…” In fact, much of what
Obama suggested was a contradic-
tion in terms whereby he was
advocating greater investment in
the future, while at the same time,
slashing budgets and freezing
wages. So, let me offer a few
thoughts.
First, what no one in elite poli-
tics seems to want to talk about is
that the budget
deficit and debt
are largely the
result of the reck-
less spending of
the Bush admin-
istration in get-
ting us into two
wars, compound-
ed by declining
revenues as a
result of the Great Recession.
Thus, the discussions about cut-
ting domestic spending in order to
address the deficit miss the point
entirely. To address the deficit, we
really need to end the wars and
occupations.
Except for one thing. The con-
servative politicians who are rais-
ing this issue know full well that
domestic spending is not the root
of the problem. What they wish to
do, however, is to cut programs
T RANS A FRICA
Bill
Fletcher Jr.
that are to the benefit of poor and
working people. It all goes back to
the conservatives attack big gov-
ernment you have to ask them
what are they talking about. Are
they suggesting cutting the mili-
tary? Usually not. How about
police and prisons? Almost never.
So, what are they talking about?
What is being attacked as so-
called Big Government are things
like veterans’ programs and bene-
fits; the postal service; food safety
inspection (to make sure that we
are not poisoned); housing pro-
grams; occupational health and
safety programs at work; environ-
mental protection to make sure
that we are not contaminated by
the waste left
over by corpo-
rate America;
jobs for those
who lack them;
not to mention
any significant
investment in
rebuilding the
infrastructure of
this
country.
What these programs have in com-
mon is that they are focused on the
average person, rather than the
rich. They are programs that, when
they work well, decrease the
polarization of wealth and
strengthen the ability of working
people to stand on their own. This
is what the conservatives wish to
undermine.
So, what is at stake is really a struggle
between two different conceptions of
government.
a strategy introduced by Reagan
and his advisor David Stockman
whereby they sought to cut the
ability of government to increase
resources to address the poor and
working people by bringing about
a budgetary crisis.
So, what is at stake is really a
struggle between two different
conceptions of government. When
There is nothing particularly
wrong with Big Government. It is
more a question of what govern-
ment is doing or not doing, and the
extent to which government is
serving the people rather than act-
ing as a weight on top of them.
Thus, when the conservatives
attack healthcare reform, they are
not saying that the legislation that
passed did not go far enough. No,
they are saying that government
should stay out of the way of the
insurance companies and health-
care industry in their quest for
profits on top of our bodies.
The next time someone says
something to you about so-called
Big Government ask them what
they are prepared to see shut
down. If they are able to answer
coherently, their answer will tell
you a great deal about their char-
acter and, indeed, about their
humanity.
Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a Senior
Scholar with the Institute for
Policy Studies, the immediate past
president of TransAfrica Forum,
and the co-author of “Solidarity
Divided.” He can be reached at
papaq54@hotmail.com.
You can post your comments
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Social, Economic Progress in Egypt Will
Affect The Entire Continent
The cry for change and freedom
across Egypt sheds a prophetic
light on the future of the entire
continent of Africa. As the media
from around the world continues
to be focused on the massive street
demonstrations that called for a
change of the leadership in Egypt,
it is incumbent for African
Americans to see the broader
socioeconomic, political, and cul-
tural implications. Egypt is one of
the oldest nations in the world. It
has a diverse population of more
than 80 million people. While the
Western media characterizes
Egypt as an Arab nation located in
the Middle East, it is actually
located in Northern Africa and is
an African nation.
African people on the continent
and throughout the Diaspora of
African people should be interest-
ed in the ultimate outcome of the
current crisis in Egypt. In the 21st
Century, the majority of people in
Egypt and throughout Africa are
demanding an end to centuries of
poverty. All governments should
be critically aware that the elimi-
nation of poverty has to be a top
priority. The failure of political
leaders to take effective steps to
end poverty will only certainly
encourage the cry and demand for
political change.
If you looked at what demo-
graphic of people that mainly got
the movement for change going
inside of Egypt, it was over-
whelmingly young people. The
Page 4 The Portland and Seattle Skanner February 2, 2011
youth of Africa are demanding and
taking social action for change.
Such was the case in Egypt,
NNPA C OLUMNIST
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis
Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, the
Ivory Coast and in the Sudan.
How are the youth taking social
action? First through the use of the
Internet and social media: Twitter,
Facebook, YouTube and other
Internet services. The first peace-
matched with their ability to use
technology in a sustained, disci-
plined manner.
The end result of what will hap-
pen in Egypt is in the hands of the
Egyptian people. The emerging
leadership of new youthful leaders
is encouraging. When the govern-
ment of Egypt led by President
Hosni Mubarak made a decision
early in the crisis to cut off the
Internet access to millions of
Egyptians, it only showed the
Egyptians and others throughout
the world how useful the Internet
can be as a tool to bring about
The truth is more must be done also
here as well to end poverty and
injustice.
ful street protests in Egypt were
actually organized by the April 6
Youth Movement.
The point here is to emphasize,
once again, the importance of
youth consciousness and youth
activism. Whether it is in Africa,
Europe, Asia, or in the Americas,
the youth of the world are justified
in their demands and actions to
end poverty, corruption, war and
injustice. The youth of Egypt
should be saluted for their sense of
moral and political outrage
social change.
Of course, we all remember how
useful and game-changing it was
in 2008 for the election of
President Barack Obama to use the
Internet and social media to mobi-
lize millions of new young voters.
But, the Tea Party and others in
opposition to President Obama
will be using that same technology
to benefit their politics. It would
be well if millions of African
American, Latino and other youth
who are witnessing what is now
taking place in Egypt to remember
that 2012 is next year and their
voices and votes need to be count-
ed in the next national elections in
the United States.
The truth is more must be done
also here as well to end poverty
and injustice. While what is now
happening in Egypt and in other
parts of Africa or in other nations
may seem like a far away place,
we live in a closer global village.
We should learn from the situation
in Egypt. We should be more than
a distant witness. We offer our
prayers and support to the people
of Egypt. We hope that the final
transition of leadership and out-
come will serve the interests and
aspirations of the Egyptian people.
The future of Africa will be
determined by African people.
Poverty should be eliminated
everywhere. We all have to work
harder to ensure more social and
economic progress. The cry for
human freedom and a better way
of life is a universal cry. Because
of our history, as an African peo-
ple, we cannot and should not ever
turn a deaf ear to others who yearn
and struggle for freedom, justice,
and equality. We stand in solidari-
ty with our Egyptian brothers and
sisters.
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr is
Senior Advisor to the Black
Alliance for Educational Options
and President of Education Online
Services Corporation.