t I
Views / Opinions
urgence of Reaganism
harp contradiction
ofint t bet n
of BI and poor
.M·chigan
Citfze
Pu s ed eac S ay by
NEW DAY
ENTERPRISE
PO Bot. 03560
Publisher. C ar es e I
Contributors:
Bernice Brut n ary
Golliday - Allison Jones
Jacquelin a In - Ao
Seigel. a el Sco
V1anaglng Editor
cl" '8<- "
Proauc Ion.
cI � s
y 0
gan-B h
nth rich
nd orking peopl in urb n
America nd th in ingly
uburb n hit middl cl
To m ny within BI ck Amer
ica trong intervention by th
fed ral government 0 promote
civil rights and affirmative ac
tion, government pending on
ocial programs and govern
ment/public sector employment
h repre ntro a way out of
aparth id and poverty.
At an earlier stage in Ameri
can history government pro
grams also provided a path to
"th mainstream for impoverish
white immigrants.
HAVING AClllEVED rela
tive affluence, however, what
has become the white middle
class sees its interest differ
ently. Government programs for
poor and working people are
now perceived to be programs
for Black people and people of
color and a burden on the backs
of the (white) taxpayers. There-
fore, cutting government spend
ing and reducing the size of gov
ernment plays well in white
uburbia.
But in Black America cutting
government spending often
means choking off vital re
sources urgently ne ded for
job , programs, housing. educa
tion nd social saf ty net pro!
gram like food stamp and
welfare: And reducing the size
of government often means in
creasing unemployment within
the Black community wh re th
unemployment rate is consis
tently two to three times higher
than in the white community.
Thus the Contract for Amer
ica which Republicans promote
to propel them into power is at
base a white agend , a white
agenda calculated to appease
middle class white voters while
the rich and super-rich continue
to enrich themselves at the ex
pense of poor and working pe0-
ple and the middle class of all
races and ethnic.
. READERS WRITE
By Bernice Powell Jackson
T k for xample their posi-
on h Voting Rights of
1 0 E ry on of them vot
gamst it We could look at th ir
p t r cords on oth r 1 gislation
Impacting p ople of color
w 11 Th records would b irni-
e ryon, with a two y r con
ecutiv m xirnum lirmt
standing what, it means for
th mselves.
For instance, N wsweek
D1 gazi reports that only one-
hird of all government entitle
m nt moni s to th IX><>r
and that the Con ract with
rica would in lude radical
in farm ub idi and in
communi-
tl
o
g
H IR
educational servi to undocu
mented immigrants and th ir
children, ev n if the children are
citizens. While white mal in
California voted 2 to 1 in favor
of Proposition 1 7,50 percent of
th African American popul r
tion in California voted for it as
well. It IDS that th -old
ta ic of divid and conqu r i
till ali nd w 11
our own
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