Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (July 13, 2011)
opinion President Obama must defend Safety Net “challenging People to Shape a Better future Now” B ERNIE f oSTER Founder/Publisher B oBBIE D oRE f oSTER executive editor T ED B ANkS advertising Manager J ERRY f oSTER account executive l ISA l oVINg news editor B RIAN S TImSoN reporter D AVID k IDD graphic Designer m oNIcA J. f oSTER Seattle office Coordinator J ulIE k EEfE S uSAN f RIED Photographers The Skanner Newspaper, established in October 1975, is a weekly publica- tion, published each Wednesday by IMM Publications Inc., 415 N. Killingsworth St., P.O. Box 5455, Portland, OR 97228. Telephone (503) 285-5555. E-mail: info@theskanner.com World Wide Web site: http://www.theskanner.com Fax: (503) 285-2900 the Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Association and West Coast Black Pub - lishers Association. All photos submitted become the property of the Skanner. We are not re - spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicited. © 2011 the Skanner. ALL RIGHTS RE SERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION PROHIBITED. knowing What’s Important can change Your life! Subscribe to The Skanner – don’t miss an issue! Please sign me up for: q 1 year $74 q 2 year $140 q New Subscription q Renewal ________________________ Name _________________ Address _________________ city _________________ State ______ zIP ________ Phone Mail with check or money order to: The Skanner P.O. Box 5455 Portland, OR 97228 R ecent unemployment reports have given the crit- ics of President Obama another excuse to blame him for the economic problems of the country. Those most critical of him are the Republicans, the Tea Party and every conservative American and business interest who would like to put the interest of the wealthy above the interest of all Americans. History shows us that unemploy- ment has been no stranger to America since the Great Depression. During the Depression, President Roosevelt responded with a Public Works Administration program that put Americans to work on roads and other public projects; World War II geared up the War Machine in terms of manufacturing and pro- duction that provided jobs for all those not actively serving in the military; the G.I Bill with loans for education and home purchases coincided with the Korean War and using the War Machine for business productivity while G.I. benefits went to those in school and not fighting in that undeclared war; the Vietnam War once again geared up the War Machine in terms of both using manpower in drafting men into service and pro- ducing all the items needed for a war. With the end of the Vietnam War, once again America was faced with high unemployment. This time America responded with the Manpower Development and Training Act, providing job train- ing along with veteran benefits to unemployed former soldiers and V oIcE AND V IEWPoINT John E. Warren training for those individuals with low job skills. These efforts coin- cided with the Great Society that Lyndon B. Johnson picked up after the death of John F. Kennedy. The Great Society brought a number of programs and services to help the unemployed and the under employment and funded the cre- ation of community nonprofit organizations which also provided jobs. Manpower Development and Training Act was replaced by the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act known as CETA. One of its strongest points was its Public Service Employment provi- sions under Title II that provided jobs for police, firemen and teach- ers at a time when cities were hav- ing great financial difficulties in the 1970s. It was also during the mid-1970s that Congress passed the Humphrey/Hawkins Full Employment Act establishing trig- gers for the implementation of unemployment insurance benefits to areas reaching a 6.5 percent unemployment rate in pockets of single member statistical areas (SMSA) using census data. During periods of high unemployment, benefits were extended to help the chronically unemployed. President Obama engaged in the extension of such benefits last December when the Republicans held the measure hostage until they got tax benefits extended for the wealthy. during the Great depression of the 1930s middle-class Americans were so needy they needed food handouts The point of all of this is that interests, have decided that President Obama is not responsi- President Obama, with his concern ble for this period of high unem- for all Americans, is a threat to the ployment which will get even tax credits, subsidies and tax worse if the debt ceiling is not breaks. The oil companies, drug extended in the weeks ahead. The companies and insurance compa- Republican leadership in the nies fear the fact they must change House of Representatives wants how they do business because of the cutting of entitlement pro- the Affordable Health Care Act grams which include social securi- and regulatory changes Obama ty, Medicare and aid to children has implemented. President Obama, hold your and the elderly; It must be remem- bered that the legislative powers of ground on entitlements, health the nation rest with the U.S. care and the domestic programs Congress under Article I of the you have supported to benefit all U.S. Constitution. The President Americans. Americans, regardless does not make laws; he signs of your color or ethnic identity, if you are not wealthy, you are them. Finally, let us remember that already a victim of the attacks on U.S. businesses are sitting on over President Obama. $1 trillion in cash with which they Dr. John e. warren is the pub- could hire layoff or unemployed workers and boost the economy. lisher and Ceo of the San Diego But big businesses, like the Voice & Viewpoint newspaper Republicans who represent their Justice Says the richest must Pay Fair Share R arely have the divisions in American politics been more clear - or more oner- ous. In less than a month, on Aug. 2, if Congress refuses to raise the nation’s $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, the United States economy could be thrown into a fiscal tailspin that would eviscerate America’s credit rating, lead to sky-high interest rates, rip a giant hole in the social safety net, jeopardize the well- being and savings of millions of working and middle class citizens and result in the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs. Majority leaders in the House and minority leaders in the Senate have taken the unprecedented step of linking a raise in the debt ceil- ing to the debate about deficit reduction and spending cuts. In effect, they are attempting to extort big cuts in programs bene- fiting working and middle class citizens while protecting exorbi- tant tax breaks for oil companies, corporate jet owners, and hedge fund managers. They say this is the only way they will agree to increase the debt limit. Fiscal experts such as Nobel Prize win- ning economist Paul Krugman, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warn that if such extortions happen, severe disruptions will occur. Beginning Aug. 2, social security checks may be halted. Medicare, Medicaid, and unemployment benefits may Page 4 The Portland Skanner July 13, 2011 T o B E E quAl Marc Morial stop. Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan may not get paid. And hundreds of thousands of government workers may be lishment in 1917. Former President George W. Bush raised it seven times without objection while racking up tril- lions of dollars of new debt for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and big tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. The Obama administration is not oblivious to the need for spending cuts. For months, Vice President Joe Biden has led bipar- tisan negotiations aimed at agree- Some in Congress suggest protecting the wealthiest Americans by taking from the middle class laid off. This is no way to run the most trustworthy and powerful government in the world. And, it is no way to honor the hard work ing on a sensible deficit reduction plan. Progress has been made. But recently several mem- bers of the so-called “Gang of Six” “We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and sacrifices of its people. It should be noted, that prior to this current showdown, the debt ceiling has routinely been raised almost 100 times since its estab- walked out of the negotiations because of ideological resistance to balancing spending cuts for the middle class with ending some tax breaks for the wealthy. As they defend the rights of working-class Americans, I would urge them also to consider the rec- ommendations included in the National Urban League’s 12-Point Jobs Plan, “Putting Urban American Back To Work.” The creation of Urban Jobs Academies to train the critically unemployed, or Green Empowerment Zones to locate manufacturing jobs in urban areas, could ease the transition to spending cuts. So far, the president and sensible members of Congress have stood firm in their refusal to give in to ideological extortion. As the President said in last week’s press conference, “Any agreement to reduce our deficit is going to require tough decisions and bal- anced solutions. And, before we ask our seniors to pay more for health care, before we cut our chil- dren’s education, before we sacri- fice our commitment to the research and innovation that will help create more jobs in the econ- omy, I think it’s only fair to ask an oil company or a corporate jet owner that has done so well to give up a tax break that no other business enjoys.” We agree. Raise the debt ceiling, but not on the backs of working and middle class Americans. Marc h. Morial is President and Ceo of the national urban league.
