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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 2023)
Page 2 The Skanner Portland & Seattle September 13, 2023 Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now Bernie Foster Founder/Publisher FTC Hindering Black Economic Achievement Bobbie Dore Foster Executive Editor T Jerry Foster Advertising Manager Patricia Irvin Product Manaager Graphic Designer Saundra Sorenson Reporter Aurora Hernandez Digital Content Monica J. Foster Seattle Office Coordinator Susan Fried Photographer 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. ©2023 The Skanner. All rights re served. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission prohibited. Y LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS LOCAL EVENTS Updated daily online. d ay ! • L i ke u s o n F ac it Hear about it first. Sign up for Breaking News and Events at to y • ebo m me • nts o k • learn • co TheSkannerNews he Biden Administration has been pushing hard for credit for its signifi- cant economic success- es. Coining the phrase ‘Bide- nomics,’ the term is meant to direct attention towards the administration’s striking successful economic agen- da. Under President Biden, the rate of inflation has been more than cut in half, employ- ers have created more than 13 million jobs, wage growth has outpaced inflation, and the unemployment rate of Black workers is at a record-break- ing, historic low. Now, the ad- ministration wants the public to give them credit. Yet, the key to widespread public support is not through grandiose statements or flashy catchphrases. Instead, it is through the ongoing prioritization of policy that enhances the everyday, lived experiences of Americans— especially Black Americans. On this front, the FTC can play a crucial role. The Federal Trade Com- mission is charged with pro- tecting American consumers from everyday threats per- meating the domestic market- place. Appointed by President Biden, Lina Khan now serves as Chair of the Commission, and she has adopted a unique, ultra-progressive approach to the FTC’s mandate. Soon after assuming lead- ership, Chair Khan de-prior- itized the consumer welfare standard, a time-tested prec- Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist edent that puts individual wellbeing at the forefront of any and all policy discussion, deeming it “too narrow.” In- stead, the Commission has embraced a broad view of con- “ reports at a higher rate than predominantly White or Latino communities.” Beyond that, Black and Latino individ- uals have reported higher in- stances of fraud via payment methods that do not have re- fundable protections. With- out a solution from the FTC, they remain at a loss—exacer- bating income inequality for consumers already working in marginalized communities. Americans are increasing- ly turning to gig economy Soon after assuming leadership, Chair Khan de-prioritized the con- sumer welfare standard sumer well-being, focusing on antitrust cases that could theoretically have sweeping, long-term impacts on the economy. We have already witnessed the consequences of a loss of focus on fundamental issues at the FTC. As the Commission focused their energy on theo- retical risks rather than real threats posed to consumers, consumer fraud cases soared. From 2021 to 2022, fraud loss- es increased by over 30%. Last year, alone, consumers lost $8.8 billion to fraudsters— and Black Americans are disproportionately suffering from the consequences of this tragic phenomenon. According to the FTC’s Serv- ing Communities of Color re- port, “predominantly Black communities filed consumer work to make up for losses to increasing fraud, to keep up with rapid inflation, or simply to gain extra spending money. In fact, Black and Hispanic individuals are most likely to take up gig-work, compromis- ing over half of workers in the industry. Nearly one-third of Hispanic adults have earned money through the gig econ- omy, while over a quarter of African American adults have earned money through these platforms. Despite this trend, Lina Khan has now turned her at- tention to gig economy work- ers, with the commission vowing to “use its full author- ity” to investigate gig compa- nies and worker practices. At an FTC Open Meeting, app- based workers warned the Commission against pursu- ing unnecessary legislation. Advocacy groups like the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Com- merce and National LGBT Chamber of Commerce called on the FTC to consider that these apps serve as a resource to members looking empower themselves through another income stream. Yet their pleas went uncon- sidered, and Khan decided to release a policy statement giving the FTC the power to regulate the American la- bor market in the form of gig-worker regulation—de- spite the fact that opposing Commissioners claimed the decision “meanders in and out of our jurisdiction into matters of employment law.” Once again, Khan prioritized her own agenda despite what Americans were telling her they needed on the ground. In the name of individual Amer- ican wellbeing, this trend can- not continue. The Biden administration claims its goal is to “lower costs and help entrepreneurs and small businesses thrive.” To achieve this, the FTC must recommit to its most funda- mental pillar: the consumer welfare standard. This com- mitment will especially bene- fit Black Americans, who have become innocent bystanders as foolhardy legislation ren- ders them even more vulnera- ble at the hands of scammers. When Americans feel the impact of thoughtful policy, they will be vocal in support. The Security Dilemma: A Spiral of Mistrust Local News Pacific NW News World News Opinions Jobs, Bids Entertainment Community Calendar in y o u r c o m m u n Opinion ou probably couldn’t have asked for a more thoughtful Chair of the Joint Chiefs than Mark Milley, whose term ends on September 30. He was one of the good guys who repeatedly restrained President Trump from veering into dubious schemes—such as a war of choice with Iran. But there is also no mistak- ing that Milley is a general, a military person through and through. From a recent inter- view in the Princeton Alum- ni Weekly (Milley graduated from Princeton in 1980): “Milley and others believe that new technologies such as precision-guided munitions, global positioning systems, artificial intelligence, quan- tum computing, robotics, and hypersonic weapons are al- ready transforming how mili- taries are trained, supported, and operate, and that the pace will only accelerate. ‘All these technologies are coming at us very, very quick- ly,’ Milley argues. ‘And we, the United States, need to be on the front side of that curve. We don’t have to be perfect, but we have to be better than our enemy.’” In a world of hypersonic Winslow Myers PeaceVoice Columnist missiles tipped with nuclear warheads, what exactly does it mean to be “better than our enemy”? As Stephen Kinzer argues in an op-ed in Boston Globe: “In the coming years, Chi- na and its partners will work intensely to strengthen their military power—only to counter American threats, of course. So will the United States and its partners—only to counter Chinese threats. Each side insists that it seeks only to defend itself. Neither believes the other, so both prepare for war. That makes war more likely. “Because this spiral of mis- trust is so common, it has a name: the security dilemma. It tells us that steps one coun- try takes to increase its secu- rity often provoke rivals to take countersteps. That leads to competition that makes all parties less secure.” The security dilemma puts generals, no matter how cautious and intelligent, in an ever more impossible position. Is there any other way out except for military officials in opposing camps to openly acknowledge the issue and begin to talk with one another about how to re- solve their nations’ conflicts in ways other than mutual suicide? Ultimately, the only way to be “better than our enemy” is to think in a new way: to accept that security is inter- dependent: mine depends on yours and yours depends on mine. And to accept that the way to rethink global security cannot be through technolog- ical competition, which will never end except in a general conflagration. And finally, to turn to the cooperative realization of shared goals: survival and the transformation of energy sources in order to mitigate global climate change. Of the hundreds of scien- tists who worked under Op- penheimer to develop the first atomic bomb, only one ceased his research and left Los Alamos on moral grounds once it became clear that Hit- ler had been unable to make a weapon. His name was Joseph Rotblat. He is not mentioned in the popular film. Rotblat went on to be in- strumental in developing the Pugwash Conference, where scientists meet yearly to en- gage in a frank exchange of ideas—exactly as the militar- ies of the world’s superpow- ers ought to be doing. Rotblat was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995, a half-century after the first nuclear bombs were dropped on Japan. There are technologies nec- essary to confirm that arms control agreements have not been violated. And it remains crucial to further develop technologies that can help stop the illegal transfer of ra- dioactive materials. But ultimately it is not technological advance, it is only people, like Rotblat or Mikhail Gorbachev, who will enable us to move beyond the security dilemma. I wonder if Mark Milley, ideally along with equivalent military lead- ers in China or elsewhere, as they lie awake pondering the paradoxes of military force in the nuclear age, will see the flashing “No Exit” sign before it is too late. There is still time, brother. nt • lo c a l n e w s • eve
