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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 28, 2016)
Page 2 The Skanner December 28, 2016 Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now Opinion Bernie Foster Founder/Publisher As Obama Departs, We Owe Him Our Thanks Bobbie Dore Foster Executive Editor T Jerry Foster Advertising Manager Christen McCurdy News Editor Patricia Irvin Graphic Designer Melanie Sevcenko Reporter Monica J. Foster Seattle Office Coordinator Susan Fried Photographer 2016 MERIT AWARD WINNER The Skanner Newspaper, es- tablished in October 1975, is a weekly publication, published every Wednesday by IMM Publi- cations Inc. 415 N. Killingsworth St. P.O. Box 5455 Portland, OR 97228 Telephone (503) 285-5555 Fax: (503) 285-2900 info@theskanner.com www.TheSkanner.com 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. Rev. Jesse Jackson NNPA Columnist Running for re-election in 2012, Obama recognized that income inequality had be- come “the defining issue of our time.” With his progres- sive tax reforms both in his health care plan and in the partial repeal of the top-end Bush tax cuts, and with ex- “ strophic climate change. The agreement with China and subsequent Paris Accord ce- mented a global consensus on the need for bolder action on global warming. On his watch, America began to re- duce its reliance on coal and its greenhouse gas emissions. Obama won a majority of the votes in both his election and re-election, something neither his predecessor nor successor achieved. He gov- erned with grace and dignity, despite grotesque and too of- ten racist provocations. His family provided a model for President Obama’s most historic contribution was to understand the clear and present danger of catastrophic climate change panded tax credits for low-in- come workers and families with children, Obama made a significant beginning in ad- dressing that inequality. Abroad, Obama struggled against great opposition to reduce America’s exposure in the wars without end in the Middle East. His nucle- ar agreement with Iran, not only dismantled its nuclear weapons capable facilities, it also provided the most com- prehensive and aggressive verification mechanisms in the history of arms control. In opening relations with Cuba, he helped reduce America’s isolation in our own hemi- sphere and made the historic turn from a policy of embar- go that had failed for five decades. His most historic con- tribution was to understand the clear and present dan- ger of cata- all Americans, with Michelle winning hearts across the country. He and his adminis- tration were remarkably free of scandal. His administra- tion demonstrated once more that competence could be val- ued in Washington. He did all of this while fac- ing unprecedented, unrelent- ing partisan obstruction, with the Republican leader of the Senate opposing him at every turn, intent on making him a one-term president. In part because of that opposition, much remained undone. The stimulus would have been larger and the recovery stron- ger except for Republican op- position. The national mini- mum wage would have been raised. A national infrastruc- ture project to rebuild Ameri- ca would have been launched. Progress on making America the leader of the green revo- lution, the next global indus- trial revolution, would have been greater. Guantanamo, the shameful prison in Cuba, would have been closed. The Voting Rights Act would have been revived, and much more. For most Americans, the recovery was slow; for many it was invisible. Donald Trump won election promis- ing working people a better deal. He appealed to our wea- riness with war, suggesting a less interventionist policy. He played upon divisions, rous- ing fears about immigrants and Muslims. He pledged to “Make America Great Again,” in part by undoing every- thing Obama. So it is worth marking what Trump will inherit, as we head into what is already a rocky and tempestuous pres- idency. Unemployment under 5 percent. Eighty-one months of jobs growth and counting. Average wages rising at 2.4 percent over the last year. Growth at 3.5 percent over the last full quarter. Inflation at 2 percent. 20 million more Americans with health in- surance. America, one of the global leaders in the green industrial revolution. A president respected at home and abroad, known for his thoughtfulness and his great eloquence. Let us hope that Trump can build on that leg- acy, and not lead us into a far deeper hole. PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED ©2016 The Skanner. All rights re served. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission prohibited. he final days of the Obama presidency are upon us. His popularity is rising with the econ- omy, and with the increas- ingly stark contrasts to his successor. It is worth being clear about the legacy that he leaves behind. Obama came to office fac- ing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The global financial system teetered on collapse; the auto industry faced bankruptcy; the economy was shedding 400,000 jobs a day. He also inherited the catastrophe George Bush had created with the debacle in Iraq and gov- ernment misrule dramatized by the shame of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, La. Now, eight years later, the economy nears full employ- ment, with more than 15 mil- lion jobs created and private sector job growth at a record 81 consecutive months and counting. Wages are begin- ning to rise, after long years of stagnation or worse. The auto industry has enjoyed some of its most prosperous years. This isn’t an accident. Obama helped rescue the economy by passing the larg- est stimulus in history, the most ambitious financial re- form since the 1930s, and dar- ing and direct intervention to save the auto industry. Eco- nomic growth helped lower the annual budget deficit to less than half the level he in- herited. Obama also passed the larg- est health care reforms in six decades, providing health in- surance for 20 million Ameri- cans. His reforms saved those with pre-existing conditions, provided the young with pro- tection under their parents’ programs and, although most Americans don’t realize it, slowed the rise of health care costs dramatically. Mothers for Police Accountability Harriett Walden, a social justice icon in Seattle, celebrates her birthday and the relaunch of Mothers for Police Accountability, an organization she helped start, during a Jan. 23 gathering at the Collaboratory on Rainier Avenue. Friends, family and fellow activists showed up to honor the long time fighter for justice and to help support an organization that has been at the fore front of seeking police accountability. Seattle Hip Hop Summit Renaissance The Poet joined a panel of poets and hip hop artists discussing the topic “Black Lives Matter in Hip Hop” Jan. 15 at Town Hall. The event which was presented in partnership with the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI), Town Hall Seattle and 50 Next: Seattle Hip-Hop Worldwide covered topics like gentrification, the effects of the Black Lives Movement on hip hop and ways to preserve the integrity of the music.
