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October 9, 2003
A sophisticated slur
The attention of the African-American leadership
has become riveted on the unfortunate remarks by John Dennis of
WEEI. Coming as they did, so soon after Rush Limbaugh’s
absurd racial attack on Donovan McNabb, the Philadelphia Eagle’s
black quarterback, Dennis’ attempt at humor was not at all
well received.
While attention is focused on Dennis’ bad joke, an insult
of more serious significance goes unnoticed by community activists.
The state treasurer has the responsibility of managing the state’s
$29 billion pension fund. Since his political future depends in
part on the fund’s performance, board members usually grant
the treasurer his choice to head the fund.
Treasurer Tim Cahill has chosen Steven Weddle, a black financial
professional, to lead the fund. Cahill’s choice has come
under attack and a Globe column by Steve Bailey on October 3 asserts
that support for Weddle’s appointment by a black “good-old-boy”
network is inadequate and of little consequence.
Recommendations come from H. Carl McCall, who as New York comptroller
managed the state's $99 billion Common Retirement Fund. David
J. Grain, a board member of the Massachusetts Fund, who spent
10 years on Wall Street mostly at Morgan Stanley and was executive
vice president of AT&T Broadband in New England before the
merger with Comcast, recommended Weddle for the job. Also, board
member Alexander Aikens III, with five years of banking experience
at Chase Manhattan and 20 more at Bank Boston where he achieved
senior level status, is certainly qualified to opine as to Weddle’s
qualifications.
A white candidate with Weddle’s sterling qualifications
and the support of a white “good-old-boy” network
would not have his competence questioned. For whites to challenge
Weddle’s qualifications despite the enthusiastic endorsements
of peer blacks is a more offensive racial indignity than John
Dennis’ bizarre comment. Blacks in Boston should be outraged.
It benefits you to vote!
On Tuesday, November 4, Boston voters will go to
the polls to elect the 13 members of the Boston City Council.
There are only three candidates of special importance to African-Americans
and Latinos: Felix Arroyo for one of the four at-large seats,
Charles Yancey in District 4 and Chuck Turner in District 7.
If the past is prologue, then too many blacks and Latinos will
be missing in action on Election Day. Unfortunately, many minorities
still do not understand the connection between politics and their
standard of living.
Conservatives in power are determined to cut government costs,
especially in those programs that benefit those with lower incomes.
The object is to be able to cut taxes without incurring a budget
deficit. As a result of tax cuts the gap between rich and poor
was the greatest in the US since 1929. The after tax income of
the wealthiest one percent of Americans was greater in 2000 than
that of the bottom 40 percent. The richest 2.8 million Americans
had more after tax income than the poorest 110 million.
Is it any wonder, then, that the nation’s poverty rate rose
from 11.7 percent in 2001 to 12.1 percent in 2002? And the number
of Americans without health insurance rose by 1.5 million in that
period. Roughly 15.2 percent of the population had no health insurance.
Medicare, Social Security, welfare reform, tax policy, low income
housing benefits, support for public education and many other
programs are the result of political action. There is a big price
to be paid for staying home on Election Day.
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