2 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, July 26, 2004
NEWS
BUSH
Continued from Page 1
2002, Bush pledged to increase minor-
ity homeownership by 5.5 million fam-
ilies before the end of the decade.
Since then, the U.S. Census Bureau
estimated that 1.53 million more
minority homeowners exist. The
minority homeownership rate is now at
a new record of 50.6 percent, the
bureau reported.
Bush moved on to talk about trans-
forming education from a system
that used to "shuffle kids through"
its ranks.
"That's what you get when you get
low expectations. It's what I call the
soft bigotry of low expectations," Bush
said, adding that he has tried to change
that system with the No Child Left
Behind Act.
Increased spending, reading inter-
vention programs, rigorous standards
and higher expectations would all go
towards bettering the educational sys-
tem, Bush said.
Such words seemed disingenuous to
the Rev. Al Sharpton - who unsuc-
cessfully ran in the Democratic primar-
ies - and attended the address with
Rainbow/PUSH Coalition President
Rev. Jessie Jackson.
"Bush never funded No Child Left
Behind, so he doesn't believe in it,"
Sharpton said. He added that it was
one part in a larger cache of dishonesty
and failed promises Bush made to the
black community.
The act has been funded, although
below authorized levels.
Senator John Kyl (R-AZ) wrote in
an April report that he doesn't think
full funding and sufficient funding
are the same.
"It is relevant to note that an
increase in spending does not always
result in an increase in achievement.
Despite the billions of dollars in
increased appropriations between 1975
and 2000, the National Assessment of
Educational Progress reading scores
for nine-year-olds stayed the same,"
Kyl wrote.
Grade schools aside, the president
said he believed that better higher
education was also necessary. More
than one million new students can
now attend college because of the
dissemination of additional Pell
grants, Bush said.
Urban League member Wynell
Neece said she wasn't swayed by
the statistics.
"Like most politicians, he can take
numbers and make them say what he
wanted them to say," said Neece.
But she said she respected him com-
ing and presenting his point of view.
"I appreciated hearing (his ideas)
first-hand."
Sen. Kerry got a more enthusias-
tic response from his speech to the
Urban League the day before,
expressed by three standing ova-
tions. The senator addressed black
unemployment, which at 10 percent
is a little less than double the
national rate. Kerry also stressed
government aid programs.
"We have an obligation to stop being
a country that's content to spend
$50,000 a year to house young people
in prison for the rest of their life, rather
than put $10,000 a year into Head
Start, early start, smart start (pro-
grams)," Kerry said.
Bush challenged the Democratic plat-
form and its history with black voters.
"Does the Democrat party take
African American voters for granted? I
know plenty of politicians assume they
have your vote. But do they earn it and
do they deserve it? Have the traditional
solutions of the Democrat party truly
served the African American commu-
nity?" asked Bush.
But the president did not let his
party off the hook either.
"The Republican Party has a lot of
work to do. I understand that," he said,
speaking of efforts to get votes and be
inclusive. He cited his nomination of
17 black judges, his appointment of
cabinet members Rod Paige, Colin
Powell, Condoleezza Rice and chairs
of the Federal Communications Com-
mission and of Housing and Urban
Development Michael Powell and
Alphonso Jackson, respectively, as evi-
dence of the party's wider reach.
Indiana native Oliver Crawford, who
was in attendance at the speech, said
he noticed Bush's departure from his
party in regards to his view on blacks. 6
"President Bush has had a more liber-
al approach (to minority concerns) ver-
sus past Republicans," said Crawford.
Bush finally asked the crowd to look
at his agenda, their own beliefs and the
idea of voting for him on Nov. 2.
"I believe in my heart that the
Republican Party, the party of Lin-
coln and Frederick Douglass is not
complete without the perspective and
support and contribution of African
Americans," Bush said. s
President George Bush spoke to The Urban League Conference on Friday, July 23
at the Renaissance Center in Detroit. Bush emphasized education, home-ownership
and the importance of minority entrepreneurship.
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