SAMUEL LOGAN
Publisher
KAREN LOVE
A Real Times Newspaper
Chief Operating Officer
BANKOLE THOMPSON
479 Ledyard – Detroit, Mi 48201
Senior Editor
cORNELiUS A. fORTUNE
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Associate Managing Editor
Fax 963-8788
JOHN H. SENGSTAcKE
Chairman-Emeritus 1912-1997
LONGWORTH M. QUiNN
e-mail:chronicle4@aol.com
Publisher-Emeritus 1909-1989
December 2-8, 2009
Page A-6
We need the Michigan
Promise Scholarship
In 2006, Gov. Granholm signed into law the students. We no longer live in an era where a
Michigan Promise Scholarship as a way to in-
high school diploma — or less — is sufficient
crease the number of college graduates in the
education to qualify for a job in a factory or on
state.
the line in an auto plant. By and large, those
Students who have taken the Michigan Merit jobs are gone. And Michigan is moving away
Examination in their junior or senior year, and
from a manufacturing economy.
have earned at least a level 1 or level 2 score
on all components, were eligible to receive the
Granholm often talks about building “The
scholarship, which provides up to $4,000 to in- Next Michigan,” but if that’s going to happen,
state students. the generation of Michiganians now in school
They also had to maintain a grade point av-
will need to get into college and get degrees in
erage of 2.5 or higher while in college.
the sciences, business, engineering and other
The state Legislature has decided to cut
such fields.
funding for the $140 million scholarship for
We all know the state is struggling finan-
Moderate Democrats
the 2009-2010 fiscal year, which will affect
cially, but cutting funding related to education
some 96,000 students.
should only be done as an absolute last resort.
According to the state’s paying for college enjoying too much
website, www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid/, all
Gov. Granholm has said she wants to focus
promise payments, for all class years begin-
on areas of advanced manufacturing, life sci-
ning with the class of 2007, will be suspended.
ences and medical devices, Homeland Security
The suspension applies to both installments
and defense, tourism and film. If Michigan is
clout in Senate
and final payments. ever going to be a true leader in any or all of
By George E. Curry most Americans,
Last week, Gov. Granholm spoke to students
those areas, its citizens will need to be educat-
NNPA Columnist
upset with rising
at Eastern Michigan University, where she told
ed.
health premiums
students that she believes the scholarship can
In their zeal to reach the 60-vote margin
If it is too late to save the Michigan Prom-
and mounting re-
be reinstated if people fight for it. She also said
needed to end an expected Republican filibus-
strictions, favor a
she wants to fight with them.
ise Scholarship, as the Jackson Citizen Patriot
ter of the health care bill now snaking its way
public option.
editorial argues, then something must be done through the United States Senate, Democrats
That’s all well and good, but saving the
to ensure that Michigan’s young people cannot
are courting four moderate or conservative
A recent
scholarship by itself may not be enough. As a
party members opposed to the public option
USA/Today/Gallup
recent editorial in the Jackson Citizen Patriot
only get to college, but can afford to remain
provision at the expense of the majority of
poll found that
states, Michigan’s public colleges are becom-
there and earn their degrees.
Senators – and the nation – who favor such an
50 percent of the
ing increasingly less affordable.
Cutting funding for education may save the
alternative.
public favors a
public option and
One way or another, post-secondary educa-
state money in the short term, but it will have a
Essentially, a public option is a government-
46 percent oppose
tion has to be an affordable goal for Michigan devastating effect in the long term. sponsored insurance plan, similar to Medicare,
it.
that would compete with private insurers in
hopes of driving down the cost of premiums.
A CNN poll
Obama in China,
found even stron-
Even though the plan advanced by Senate
ger support, with 61
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) allows
George Curry
percent in favor of
states to opt-out of the plan, a handful of Demo-
an insurance option
China in Africa
crats still oppose the bill.
administered by the federal government and 38
We’ve seen this scene before:
percent opposed.
By Julian Malveuax It is only now, as
The Obama administration, obsessed over
Although moderates and centrists are at the
President Obama has taken his populist
the Chinese econ-
gaining Republican support for its stimulus
center of this debate, progressives are finally
style to China with a town hall meeting with
omy expands so
plan, made sure that the concerns of Maine
pushing back, letting Reid and the Obama ad-
students in Shanghai that was also streamed
rapidly, that they
Senator Olympia Snowe were addressed before
ministration know that their support is not au-
on the Internet. Meanwhile, journalists and
have fully engaged
pushing the legislation through Congress.
tomatic.
others in China chafe against restrictions that
in the African con-
Now we’re having a replay.
“I don’t want four Democratic senators dic-
prevent their free speech and unfettered use of
tinent. Bilateral
tating to the other 56 of us and to the country,
the Internet.
trade between the
The difference this time, however, is that
two countries was
when the public option has this much support,
less progressive Democrats seem to be in the
While the President is to be hailed for “taking $107 billion in
that it’s not going to be in it,” Senator Sherrod
driver’s seat.
it to the people” in China, the more substantive 2008. Trade has
Brown (D-Ohio) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of
aspects of his visit will need to address the eco- risen by more than
This became clear when a procedural vote the Union.”
nomic tension between the United States and 30 percent in the
was held Saturday night to allow the bill to
Senator Roland Burris of Illinois and Bernie
China. China would have us participate in trade past eight years.
reach the Senate floor for debate and amend-
Sanders, an independent from Vermont, said
agreements that limit tariffs on Chinese goods, African imports are
ments.
they will not vote for any bill without the public
but the Obama administration, its hands full free from tariffs in
Senators Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and option.
with domestic economic issues, has not yet China.
Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Democrats from
tackled issues of trade policy. Further, the
“The overwhelming majority of Americans
two of the poorest states in the nation, held out
administration can count on opposition from
Still, as
want to be able to choose between a strong
Julian Malveaux
until the last minute before siding with their
protectionists and free trade opponents in Con-
China expands its
public option and a private insurance plan,”
party.
gress.
reach in the African
Sanders said.
continent, some in the US are alarmed about its
On a strict party-line vote, Democrats pre-
It is difficult to deny China’s growing influ- meaning in both economic and strategic terms.
“Without that competition, there is very
vailed 60-39.
ence on the world stage. It is the third-largest Can African countries ever truly be indepen-
little in this bill that would keep health insur-
trading nation, emits the most carbon gasses dent if they have no economic independence? If
In addition to the two wavering lawmakers, ance premiums from escalating rapidly.
(to the detriment of the rest of the world), and foreign powers own critical natural resources,
Senators Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Joseph
“This legislation cannot simply be a huge
actually has the most cell phone subscribers how does it affect African countries’ ability to
Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut
subsidy to private insurance companies that
in the world. The growing middle class and grow? Is the United States being shortsighted
who usually caucuses with Democrats, stated
will get millions of new customers and be able
increasing prosperity have been amazing, but in limiting our own involvement in African eco-
that although they went along with the pro-
to raise their rates as high as they want.”
there is still enormous poverty in china, and nomics?
cedural vote, neither would support a health
human rights is much further down on its
reform bill that includes the public option.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget
government’s list of priorities than economic
We’ve attempted to address the underdevel- Office predicts that because the public option
Two other Democrats, Mark Pryor of Arkan-
growth.
opment of the African continent with AGOA will be restricted to those who are not covered
(the African Growth and Opportunity Act), but
sas and Evan Bayh of Indiana, may also balk.
by their company’s insurance plan, only 3 to 4
Even as President Barack Obama travels to many describe that legislation as good but in-
As Senate Majority Leader Reid tries to million people will participate in the plan.
China for an official state visit, Chinese eco- sufficient. We shouldn’t necessarily compete
garner support for final passage, he and other
nomic leaders are just returning from Egypt, with China for influence in Africa, but it would
And because the pool being insured is likely
leaders are huddling with the wayward Demo-
where a two-day forum on China-Africa Coop- be to our strategic detriment if China were the
to have a higher percentage of sicker people,
crats and Maine’s two senators in hopes of
eration was held. China has agreed to increase dominant foreign power on African soil.
the premiums might actually be higher than
fashioning a compromise that will win them
aid to Africa, reduce or cancel debts on African
those charged by private companies.
over.
countries, and make increased investments
The issue of China’s African involvement
Some health care reform advocates don’t
in the African economy. Is this a good or bad
is not likely to come up in conversations with
The one favored by Olympia Snowe features
feel the legislation goes far enough, arguing
thing?
president Obama this week, nor should it, nec-
a trigger mechanism that would be activated
essarily. But President Obama may be too mag-
that it’s not true health reform if states have
when private insurers fail to provide affordable
Some African leaders say they pay too high a nanimous when he says, “the notion that we
the option of rejecting coverage for their resi-
choices.
price for the $10 billion in cheap loans they will must be adversaries is not predestined”.
dents.
get because of this new initiative. They say the
Like President Obama – who has vacillat-
After the Senate vote Saturday, Harry Reid
pattern of trade is that African raw materials
There are economic issues that must be
ed from calling the public option essential to
said, “We can only see the finish line. We have
go to China and cheap Chinese finished goods
resolved, and in these matters there are often
health care reform and later dismissing it as
not yet crossed it.”
flood Africa. In addition, some Chinese invest-
clear winners and losers. Despite the reality
a “slither” of a larger process – Senator Dick
If Democrats end up crossing the finish line
ment comes at a high price – last year China
of globalization, no nation can afford fully free
Durbin, the assistant majority leader, is appar-
without a robust public option, it will be a Pyr-
invested $9 billion in Congolese infrastructure,
trade when it imperils its own workers from
ently willing to capitulate to the vocal minority
rhic victory.
and got control of mining deposits in return. In-
finding and keeping employment.
in his party.
vestments in oil and gas fields isn’t free – China China’s failure to revalue the yuan, pegged In an appearance on “Meet the Press,” he
George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of
adds control of some of Nigeria’s, Cameroon’s to a weaker dollar, undermines U.S. economic said, “There are many variations on the theme.
Emerge magazine and the NNPA News Ser-
and Gabon’s oil reserve in exchange for their viability. And as China’s influence grows, in We are open because we want to pass this
vice, is a keynote speaker, moderator, and
petrochemical companies’ significant invest- Africa and elsewhere, what does that mean for bill.”
media coach. He can be reached through his
ment. the influence of the United States?
Web site, www.georgecurry.com You can also
But at what cost?
follow him at www.twitter.com/currygeorge.
In fairness to China, its interest in Africa is Julianne Malveaux is president of Bennett
not new, but dates back more than five decades. College for Women in Greensboro, N.C.
Almost overlooked in the debate is that
Junk food stores are jacked up
By Gary L. Flowers The consumption of healthy foods — par- also by jacking up their prices. On average, So successful was the store that
ticularly fresh produce — is a key element to poor people pay a territory tax on food because
“The poor pay more for less, while
a second Pathmark was sited there.
diseaseprevention. Likewise, eating bad food of the perception of crime in low-income areas Black communities have half as much access
living under stress, and die early.”
has bad health results. (of course low-income neighborhoods have to chain supermarkets than White neighbor-
Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.
more crime due to the lack of lack of jobs and hoods. Latinos have 30 percent less access to
As we prepare to advocate for universal The phrase, “you are what you eat” plays out capital, but I will save the subject for another chain stores than Whites. With the absence of
health care in the United States Senate one every day in poor neighborhoods. Predictably, column). Research reveals that poor people pay national chain stores allows for small conve-
issue that impacts people’s health is the qual- diabetes, high-blood pressure, and obesity as much as 20 percent more than the national nience stores predominate poor communities.
ity of food available to them. Wealthy people plague poor neighborhoods, disproportionately average for food.
Congress should enact legislation to end
tend to have better health in part due to their African American.
National chain grocery stores avoid poor racial redlining in retail food stores by regu-
diet of quality foods.
According to the Office of Minority Health, neighborhoods as if poor people do not deserve lating convenience stores that sell junk food.
Conversely, poor peoples’ poor health is Black women are 70 percent more likely to be high-quality food. Ten years ago I remember For example, regulating junk food in the same
usually predicated on their choices in food. obese than White women; African Americans working on a “New Markets Initiative” project manner that was done for tobacco and alcohol
One reality for poor people of all pigments
are 30 percent more likely to have diabetes in 1999 with the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition to would go along way in reducing disease diets
is that they have less choices of good food in
than Whites; and Black men are 30 percent locate a Pathmark Grocery Store in Harlem, in Black communities. Why not require junk
their neighborhoods. Unlike well-to-do neigh-
more likely than their White counterparts of New York. At that time, no national grocery food producers in convenience stores to print
borhoods with gourmet grocers and organic
acquire heart disease. chain store existed in Harlem. The reasons warning labels reading, “Eating this product
options, poor people must, in many cases, Many of these maladies arise from poor
given were the perception of crime and the could lead to diabetes, high-blood pressure or
use convenient stores to purchase produce diets. Poor diets arise from junk food. Conve-
high cost of building. Our point was that such obesity”?
and meats. For most poor people of color high nience stores jack up Black diets by selling
a store location would allow the national chain
quality meats and produce is virtually non-ex- junk food.
to do well by the residents of Harlem and do
Congress should jack up convenience stores
istent.
well by the business bottom line. Years later,
and junk food peddlers.
Convenience stores are central culprits in
the highest grossing Pathmark store in the
Gary L. Flowers is executive director and
The results are predictable. not only offering low-quality food products but nation was the one located in Harlem. CEO of the Black Leadership Forum.
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