Opinion
Republican Lies on Small Businesses
“Challenging People to Shape
a Better Future Now”
B ERNIE F OSTER
Founder/Publisher
B OBBIE D ORE F OSTER
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H ELEN S ILVIS
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M ONICA J. F OSTER
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S USAN F RIED
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T
wo things always happen
when there is a debate about
whether Congress and the
president should extend the
George W. Bush tax cuts: 1)
Republicans drag out the tired and
misleading argument that any
effort to return the tax rate to the
pre-2001 levels amounts to “a job-
killing tax hike.” and 2) The
corporate media fails to cite evi-
dence that the popular GOP
talking point is, in fact, a lie.
President Obama has reignited
the debate by proposing yet again
that we return to the pre-Bush tax
rates. Individuals earning up to
$200,000 and couples making
$250,000 would be exempt from
returning to the higher rate. If
implemented, only the top 2 per-
cent of taxpayers would see a tax
increase.
But Republicans are opposing
Obama’s proposal because they
are doing what they always do
best – protect the wealthy. But
instead of acknowledging the
truth, they prefer to use the dis-
guise that they acting on behalf of
small business owners, although
we know their main interest is pro-
tecting big business.
There’s a reason the GOP takes
this approach. As the Los Angeles
Times reported, “Polls also show
that Republicans do better when
they frame upper-income tax
increases as a threat to small busi-
nesses, a group that voters tend to
like.”
There is nothing wrong with
reporters quoting Republican talk-
ing points. But there is something
wrong with the corporate media,
in an effort to appear fair and bal-
T HE C URRY
R EPORT
George E.
Curry
anced, giving equal weight to
dueling claims when one is
demonstrably false.
Fairness & Accuracy in Report-
ing, the media watchdog group,
stated: “The corporate media’s
bias toward giving credence to
official claims from both political
USA Today (7/10/12) – Head-
line: “Obama Seeks to Extend Tax
Cuts to Middle Class; GOP Critics
Say Plan Will Hurt Small Busi-
ness.”
Washington Post (7/10/12) –
Reported
that
Republicans
“charged that the president’s plan
would raise taxes on small-busi-
ness owners.” It also said,
“Obama said his plan would cover
98 percent of the working public
and 97 percent of small-business
owners.”
Los Angeles Times (7/11/12) –
Said Obama’s plan “would extend
George W. Bush-era tax cuts for
those making up to $250,000 a
year but not for upper-income
Instead of acknowledging the truth, they
prefer to use the disguise that they
acting on behalf of small business
owners, although we know their main
interest is protecting big business
parties means you have to treat
that question of facts as a matter of
opinion – which, of course, is a
problem, if you think that separat-
ing fact from misinformation is a
key part of a journalist’s job.”
FAIR added, “And the failure to
challenge Republican distortions
gives them no reason to stop mak-
ing them…This is especially true
when media don’t tell the public
that the claim is almost entirely
bogus.”
Among the examples cited by
FAIR:
Americans.” As FAIR noted,
“That is incorrect; wealthy Ameri-
cans will also receive a tax cut on
income they earn up to the
$250,000 level.”
As Media Matters, another
media watchdog group, pointed
out, Fox News makes a habit of
letting hosts and guests impart
inaccurate information about the
plan to let the Bush tax cuts expire
on the richest 2 percent of Ameri-
cans.
For example, Alex Cortes of the
Restore the Dream Foundation
said on Fox and Friends when the
issue was being debated in 2010
that returning to the pre-Bush lev-
els “aren’t just tax cuts for the
so-called wealthy. It’ll hit 50 per-
cent of all small business income.”
According to the Congressional
Budget Office, the two large tax
cuts under George W. Bush result-
ed in a loss of $1.5 trillion in
federal revenue. Obama agreed to
a deal with Republicans to extend
them until the end of this year,
which will bring the total to $2.8
trillion. Now, he’s proposing
another, more limited exten-
sion. If the Bush tax rates are
allowed to expire, the top two
income brackets will rise from the
current levels of 33 percent and
35 percent to 36 and 39.6 percent.
Media Matters said, “And
according to PolitiFact, the Joint
Committee on Taxation (JCT) has
projected that in 2011, ‘Only 3
percent of all taxpayers who
reported having positive business
income will see their taxes go up
under the proposed Democratic
initiative’ of letting the Bush tax
cuts for the wealthy expire.”
In its report on the small busi-
ness smokescreen, FAIR summed
it up correctly in its headline:
“Small Business Baloney.”
George E. Curry, former editor-
in-chief of Emerge magazine, is
editor-in-chief of the National
Newspaper Publishers Associa-
tion News Service (NNPA) and
editorial director of Heart & Soul
magazine
Read the rest online at
www.theskanner.com
Romney and NAACP: Missed Opportunity
A
s anyone who has followed
me knows, I have been
extremely critical of Presi-
dent Obama’s non-engagement
with the Black community. Obama
has deliberately ignored the plight
of the Black community while
giving preferential treatment to the
homosexual and Hispanic commu-
nities.
But I can’t in good conscience
criticize Obama and then give the
Republicans a pass when they dis-
play similar behavior towards the
Black community. I can’t excori-
ate Black Democrats for following
Obama blindly and then remain
silent when Black Republicans do
the same towards Romney.
Yesterday, as I watched Mitt
Romney address the NAACP, I
tried to force myself to be opti-
mistic about what he would say.
But my years of being an avid
Republican prepared me for the
worst. And that’s exactly what I
saw.
Romney had a golden opportuni-
ty to make a credible argument for
Blacks to support him. But
because he doesn’t have experi-
enced Blacks in his inner circle, he
thoroughly embarrassed himself
and deserved to be roundly booed.
For Romney to speak before a
Black audience and not talk about
the Black entrepreneur is like
going to church and not mention-
ing God.
This is what happens when you
don’t have the right people around
Page 4 The Portland Skanner July 18, 2012
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
Raynard Jackson
you, people who understand com-
munications, messaging and the
nuances of the audience being
addressed.
Contrary to what the White
media thinks, the preachers and
politicians are not the leaders in
the Black community – business-
men and businesswomen are. That
Black business person is typically
else, business leaders understand
the cost of capital issues and there-
fore are more likely to support a
reduction or total abolition of the
capital gains tax. He or she is more
likely to support school choice and
vouchers, all topics the NAACP
members can relate to.
So, the point is, the Black busi-
ness leaders are the most
important entry point to the Black
community and Republicans, of
all people, are totally ignorant of
this fact. And they will remain
ignorant of what’s important to the
For Romney to speak before a Black
audience and not talk about the
Black entrepreneur is like going to
church and not mentioning God
head of the board of trustees or the
deacon board of the church. So, if
you get the business leader on
your side, he or she will bring
along the minister and the congre-
gation.
Business leaders have a vested
interest in having an educated
Black community because they
have to hire people in order to
grow their business. Like every-
one else, those leaders care about
crime and don’t want employees
to be victims as they travel to and
from work. More than anyone
Black community until they have
campaign staffs that look like
America.
Like Jeremiah in the Bible, I
have been labeled as one crying in
the wilderness. And I am not about
to surrender that label now. Am I
the only one who is offended that
Romney has fewer than five
Blacks on his national campaign
staff and none in top decision-
making positions? I am talking
about someone who controls a
budget, has the final say on hiring,
and has the ability to put an event
on the candidate’s calendar or
arrange a private meeting with the
candidate.
Am I the only one who noticed
the optics of Romney not having
photos of any Black Republicans
on his campaign Web site? Am I
the only one who is puzzled as to
why Romney has never met with a
group of Black entrepreneurs?
I was stunned to learn that Rom-
ney had chosen a recent
Democrat-turned-Republican,
Ashley Bell, to be one of his sur-
rogates and to help him craft his
speech to the NAACP. Bell is a
decent guy, but am I to believe that
Romney couldn’t find any veteran
Black Republicans who have both
party credentials and relevant
presidential campaign experience
to help him craft the speech that
would define his relationship with
Black America?
Does his staff know people such
as Shannon Reeves, Allegra
McCullough, David Byrd, Aaron
Manaigo, Francis Johnson, Ada
Fisher or James House? If they
don’t, I will be happy to put them
in touch. For Romney to pick a
Republican-come-lately
over
Party vets who have taken all kind
of criticism for supporting the
Grand Old Party is a grand old
insult to those Black Republicans
who have toiled for years in the
vineyard of Republican politics.
Read the rest online at
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