August 22, 2011
Too Many African-Americans Lack Work, Hope, and Opportunity
By U. S. Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.)
COMMENTARY
(TriceEdneyWire.com) - As our nation grapples with wars on three fronts, enormous budget deficits, a stagnant economy, chronic unemployment, and an ever-widening wealth gap, it seems that communities of color bear the brunt of the costs. We must ask some questions: Who is fighting the wars? What communities are experiencing depression-era levels of unemployment? Whose families depend most on Pell grants, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security – the first programs on the chopping block when Republicans talk of cutting government spending? Which households have seen their assets decline in large part because most of their personal wealth is tied to their homes’ value?
In Congress, I have been deeply involved in the talks aimed at reducing our nation’s debt and deficits. I was one of the six congressional participants in the talks convened by Vice President Joe Biden to bring together Democrats and Republicans from the House and Senate to try to forge a bipartisan consensus. Although it did not work out as well as we had hoped, Senator Harry Reid said that our work formed the basis of the legislation that he and Senator McConnell finally agreed to.
I have recently been appointed to the 12-member so-called “super committee” – the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction. That panel - six Democrats and six Republicans, six Senators and six Members of the House - has until Thanksgiving to produce a bipartisan plan before the “trigger” in the law kicks in with massive across-the-board budget cuts that could devastate Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security and severely cut defense spending. As a Member of Congress who represents communities that depend both on military bases and constituents who rely on our nation’s safety nets, I am not willing to let either group suffer these painful and avoidable cuts.
I am hopeful that the prospect of those massive reductions will be a strong incentive for bipartisan cooperation to forge a balanced plan with real shared sacrifice, a plan that asks the well off to contribute to solving our nation’s economic crises rather than heaping more of the burden on the most vulnerable among us or our middle income families. Too often, the human side gets lost in the Washington debates about our nation’s debts and deficits. I will seek to keep those interests on the table.
All options must remain on that table as we begin our deliberations. There should be no lines in the sand and no hiding behind campaign pledges made to fringe political groups. Regretfully, a number of my Republican colleagues have signed a no-tax pledge to some D.C. partisan operatives who are using that pledge to argue against closing loopholes in the tax code that shield billionaires from paying their fair share. That makes no sense.
We need to use the opportunity provided by this powerful new panel to enact economic growth policies that will get our country moving again. Too many Americans, especially in our African-American communities, lack work or any hope for opportunity. We need to get about fixing that.
We still await the official dedication of the memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. When that ceremony occurs, it will commemorate the 48th anniversary of Dr. King's memorable speech expressing disbelief that the vault of opportunity in this great country was empty. Yet in 2011, the gap is widening between those who enjoy great wealth and those who struggle to get by with little thought of ever getting ahead.
I look forward to working on this committee to seek solutions to securing our nation's financial future in a fair and balanced way that requires shared sacrifice and creates opportunities for all Americans.
U. S. Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) is assistant Democratic leader and the highest ranking African-American member of Congress.