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By Laurence A. Elder Stirring words, as usual, Mr. President. But, as to your University of California at San Diego "Let's Rap About Racism" speech, a few questions, sir. First, you say that you seek "one America." Then, why do you insist on calling blacks "African-Americans"? We call Mario Cuomo, the former governor of New York, an American, not an Italian-American. We call Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State, an American, not a European Jewish-American. You, Mr. President, claim Scotch-Irish descent. But we do not refer to you as our Irish or Scottish or Scotch/Irish-American president. You seek a "one America," yet hyphenate blacks, who have been here since the 17th Century, longer than virtually any other group. African-Americans? What are we, tourists? Vulcans? Second, you have appointed a seven member panel to conduct a year long "dialogue" on race relations. Perhaps the hottest "race" issue of our day is affirmative action. 54% of Californians voted to eliminate it, as did 3 in 10 blacks. Tell us, of your seven commissioners could you not find a single person opposed to race and gender-based preferences? How about a little "dialogue" between committee members? Third, you say that race is our "greatest challenge," our "oldest yet, in many ways, newest problem." Given the issue's importance, why then, out of your numerous pre-1996 election-year visits to California did you give but one speech on affirmative action? You angered even your California supporters by refusing to speak out more forcefully in defense of affirmative action. Guess dealing with "America's greatest challenge" seemed a little less important than securing America's greatest electoral votes. Your staff characterized your San Diego race relations speech as the most important of your presidency. If so, why now and not then? Fourth, you properly called education the foundation towards "full participation" in our economy. Yet you oppose school vouchers (while initialing supporting them), denying a chance to give children the quality of education that, say, your daughter, Chelsea, received. When the average grade in the Oakland Public School System is a D+, perhaps it's a little late for "dialogue." Vouchers work in Milwaukee, and serve to nudge the Milwaukee Public Schools to improve. And, finally, Mr. President, President Kennedy, whose hand you shook in the frequently played campaign videotape, understood the importance of tax cuts. He said that it may sound "paradoxical," but in order to increase tax revenues, we must cut tax rates. He also said, "A rising tide raises all boats." Blacks benefited disproportionately by the Reagan income tax cut, yet you raised income taxes. You also raised minimum wages, increasing the cost of hiring those at the bottom of the economic scale. Economist and Nobel laureate Milton Friedman called minimum wage laws perhaps the most "anti-black" laws on the books. Mr. President, do you really think urban crime, poor inner city schools, and teen pregnancy result from a lack of meaningful "race dialogue"? There's a relationship between no dads and more crime, between no dads and more high school dropouts, between no dads and more teen pregnancy. Yet you staunchly defend the welfare state. Your election-year opponent, Senator Bob Dole, said it right. It doesn't "take a village to raise a child." It takes a family. And we increase the strength of families by lowering their tax burden, by removing incentives to live off the government, and by encouraging parental choice for the education of their children. Dialogue, anyone? |
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