opinion
Labor Day: Beyond a Holiday
“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
H ElEN S IlvIS
Multimedia
D avID k IDD
graphic Designer
M oNICa J. F oStEr
Seattle office Coordinator
J ulIE k EEFE
S uSaN F rIED
Photographers
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IMM Publications Inc.,
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A
ppropriately 126 years
ago, the first Labor Day
holiday was established to
honor American workers and their
place and importance in our socie-
ty. It was set aside as a time for
parades and celebrations. It was a
time to honor workers, no matter
what area of labor.
In the last 60 years, this holiday
has also become a time for politi-
cians to knick off their fall cam-
paigns with speeches and appear-
ances at civic events; but now,
how things have changed.
While the nation’s unemploy-
ment rate appears to be stuck at
approximately 10 percent, official-
ly, it is more than 16 percent for
African American adults, and
nearly 50 percent for African
American youth between 16 and
21.
For what may be the first time in
this nation, with such high unem-
ployment there is no national poli-
cy, legislation or proposed pro-
gram to create jobs, as of this writ-
ing.
This lack of a jobs initiative
appears to be a part of the
Republican plan to cripple and
wipe out gains made by organized
labor, which represents the last
potential threat to the idea of help-
S aN D IEGo v IEWPoINt
Dr. John E. Warren
ing this nation’s poor and unem-
ployed at the expense of the
wealthy.
This is not a time for celebra-
tion, when one considers that more
than 40 years ago this nation
adopted a Full Employment Policy
under the Humphrey/ Hawkins
Full Employment Act. No one
appears to remember this, includ-
whether
poor
or
middle
class. Today, the Tea Party and its
Republican supporters are hiding
behind a false concern for this
nation’s debt, while seeking to
protect the wealth of the rich by
fighting tax increases and protect-
ing their tax brakes at all cost—
regardless of who is hurt.
The greatest fight for Organized
Labor is no longer for pay raises,
but the keeping of jobs for those
who are employed, while fighting
not to lose health benefits and
future retirement for those
For what may be the first time in this
nation, with such high unemployment
there is no national policy, legislation
or proposed program to create jobs
ing Organized Labor.
That policy set triggers for
unemployment assistance to areas
of high unemployment, since all of
the country was not affected
equally.
The difference between then and
now is that 40 years ago America
still had a conscience and concern
for neighbors and fellow citizens
younger workers entering the
workforce.
Labor must educate its new gen-
eration of Public Employees to the
struggles and accomplishments of
the Labor movement during the
last 50 year. The struggle now is
to obtain Collective Bargaining
under state by state attack by the
Tea Party and its Republican leg-
islative
advocates.
African
Americans in particular should not
forget the struggles of A. Philip
Randolph and the Sleeping Car
Porters who had to fight for human
dignity in their work place as well
as wages.
Today, the so called “playing
field” is still not level when one
considers the disparity in wages
that continues between men and
women and between Blacks and
Whites in particular. While other
ethnic groups like Latinos and
Asians have entered the picture,
disproportionate representation of
Blacks still exist in the Trade and
Construction industries; imported
workers are taking jobs that many
Americans refuse to do, even in
this period of high unemploy-
ment. A number of unemployed
people must come to grips with the
difference between a job and a
position.
Yes, this Labor Day is not one
for celebration. Rather, it is a day
for reflection, observance and a
recommitment to developing
strategies that will provide jobs for
our own unemployed, before
exporting jobs or importing work-
ers for existing technical jobs.
Truly the struggle continues.
republicans Attack Obama on Tax Cut
I
f there was ever any lingering
doubt that Republicans favor
the rich over poor and middle-
class Americans, it should be
removed by the GOP’s opposition
to President Obama’s proposal to
extend the payroll tax cut for
another year.
Let’s face it: Republicans
oppose almost everything advo-
cated by the nation’s first Black
president. And Republican leaders
have made it clear that their top
priority is defeating Obama in
2012, even if that means wrecking
the country in the process.
Whether it was coming up with a
budget compromise last December
or the most recent round of deficit
haggling, Republicans have
adamantly refused to roll back the
tax rate for the wealthiest 2 per-
cent of Americans to the pre-
George W. Bush level. That move
alone would cut the federal deficit
by half. GOP leaders also refuse to
close tax loopholes that allow
some U.S. companies to pay little
or no federal taxes.
Last year, Congress approved
President Obama’s 1-year plan to
reduce the share of payroll taxes
designated for Social Security
from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent.
Now, Obama is proposing adding
another year, a move that would
affect 46 percent of all taxpayers,
saving the average family $1,000.
But Republicans, who, until
now, had never met a tax cut they
didn’t like, are balking.
Republican
Sen.
Lamar
Alexander of Tennessee said: “We
don’t need short-term gestures. We
need long-term fundamental
changes in our tax structure and
our regulatory structure that peo-
ple who create jobs can rely on.”
Republicans are conveniently
ignoring the fact that the Bush tax
cuts, enacted in 2001 and 2003,
were supposed to be temporary.
Page 4 The Portland Skanner august 31, 2011
t HE C urrY
r EPort
George E.
Curry
When they were set to expire, both
Republicans and President Obama
extended them.
1985, the top 5 percent of the
households, the wealthiest 5 per-
cent, had a net worth of 8 trillion
dollars, which is a lot. Today, after
serial bubble after serial bubble,
the top 5 percent have a net worth
of 40 trillion.”
Republican National Chairman
Ed Gillespie defends the GOP’s
defense of the wealthy by contend-
ing that 80 percent of the tax relief
to the rich goes to job-creating
small businesses. FactCheck.org
debunks that myth.
“It may be true that 79% of
Republicans oppose almost
everything advocated by the nation’s
first Black president
When he was a candidate,
Obama pledged to end the Bush
tax cuts for the top 2 percent of
taxpayers – individuals earning at
least $200,000 a year and couples
making $250,000 or more. Under
pressure from Republicans, how-
ever, Obama agreed last December
to extend the cuts.
upper-income taxpayers have
some income from business, but
Gillespie’s definition of ‘small’
business actually includes big
accounting firms, law firms and
real-estate partnerships, and ‘busi-
nesses’ that are really only side-
lines – such as occasional rental
income from a corporate chief’s
According to Citizens for Tax Justice,
52.5 percent of the Bush tax cuts
benefit the richest 5 percent of
taxpayers
According to Citizens for Tax
Justice, 52.5 percent of the Bush
tax cuts benefit the richest 5 per-
cent of taxpayers.
David Stockman, the budget
director in the Reagan administra-
tion, called for letting the Bush tax
cuts expire and said the rich are
getting richer while the poor are
getting poorer. In an interview
with 60 Minutes, he said: “In
condo,” it said. “In fact, tax statis-
tics show that upper-income tax-
payers get more of their income
from salaries, capital gains, stock
dividends and interest than they do
from small business.”
The Tax Policy Center found
that slightly more than 22 percent
of income reported by the wealthy
will be derived from business
income.
According to the Congressional
Budget Office, providing tax cuts
to the wealthy is the least effective
way to stimulate the economy
because rich people are more like-
ly to save the money. A more
effective way to encourage spend-
ing is by placing money in the
hands of poor and middle-class
citizens, people more likely to
spend the funds.
And that’s exactly what
President Obama seeks to do by
extending the payroll tax cut,
which would benefit almost half of
all Americans. If it is not extended,
it will expire Jan. 1.
Social Security payroll taxes
apply only to the first $106,800 of
wages. Many people are unaware
that the rate was reduced by 2 per-
cent last year because they pay lit-
tle attention to their pay stubs. The
employer’s share was not reduced
from its rate of 12.4 percent for
each worker.
Many Republicans have put
themselves in a box by pledging to
never raise taxes. Over the past 25
years, Grover Norquist, president
of the conservative Americans for
Tax Reform, has encouraged
Republicans to sign a pledge that
they won’t raise taxes. More than
200 members of Congress have
signed that pledge.
Republicans have voted against
letting the Bush tax cuts expire
because, according to their reason-
ing, that would amount to a tax
increase. Many of those same
Republicans, however, object to
extending the payroll tax cut pro-
posed by Obama. It shows how far
Republicans are willing to go to
protect the wealthy, to oppose
Obama, and to be insensitive to
the poor and middle-class.
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