Black Orphans of the Beltway

It is clear that some shocking truths have been exposed by the introduction of transparency into the earmarking appropriations process. Following the Party's usual pattern of taking Blacks for granted, House Democrats treat Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) members like orphans. A few favored ones are allowed to feast at the main table; however, most CBC members are left in the kitchen with the crumbs.

But could it be that since most CBC members have seniority, they have already dined at the "regular" budget banquet where the beef is served? Do the most needy districts get their fair share upfront? A comprehensive review of three decades of the appropriations process demonstrates that the answer to this question is a resounding NO.

The more recent charts, statistics and impressive dollar figures (published in the October1st Congressional Weekly) related to earmarking are mere exposures of the tip of an old ugly iceberg of neglect. A more thorough investigation of the budget management over the past three decades will show that equal opportunity has been a very low priority indeed.

Under Gingrich, DeLay and the Republicans the shortchanging of the ninety-nine percent Democratic CBC was punishment to be expected. But the lopsided record shows that during their forty year domination of the House, the big spending by the Democrats was seldom shared with their most loyal minority. Except for Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon Johnson Blacks have always been treated like orphans of the Beltway.

Defying the polls, ignoring the members of his cabinet and risking his reelection, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and set in motion a process of freeing the slaves that later could not be reversed. Lincoln is undisputedly the greatest benefactor of slaves and their descendants. By granting slaves freedom he appropriated to them ownership of themselves.

Franklin Roosevelt, as the champion of the poor and all of the bottom of the economic ladder, also provided critical aid to Blacks. But this was coincidental to combating a depression that smothered the total economy.

President Bill Clinton appointed more Blacks to government than any other chief executive, but with a 220 billion dollar surplus he refused to provide adequate job training and day care for demonized welfare families. And Clinton made no budget allocation for the school construction and modernization which he advocated in his last State of the Union Address: "So tonight, I propose to help, 5,000 schools a year make immediate and urgent repairs, and again to help build or modernize 6,000 more to get students out of trailers and into high tech classrooms."

The true champion of the Beltway orphans and second only to Lincoln, Lyndon Johnson specifically targeted the power and dollars of the federal government to meet the needs of the nation's struggling Black population. Head Start, the Community Action Program, Job Corps, Medicaid, Model Cities, The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, etc. never mentioned race but by formula were focused on the areas of greatest poverty where Black populations were most dense. At the height of its brief sojourn Johnson's Economic Opportunity Act commanded an annual appropriation of about three billion dollars.

Racism is a complex evil that defies accurate quantification; however, when evaluating the mind- set and policy positions of a government a measurement of the amount of appropriation dollars approved or denied to a specific constituency is a legitimate integer for the equation. The consistent and escalating denial over the last 30 years of funds for programs which most directly benefit Blacks is a monstrous fact that can be objectively documented. The draining of federal funding from poor inner city and rural poverty areas can be clearly charted. Both the beef and the pork have been severely rationed.

And now, in 2007, the House Democrats have been responsive enough to provide earmarking transparency for a public left in the dark far too long. Instead of being overwhelmed by the shocking revelations of inequity we should applaud the action of the Democrats and go on to further reform a system which could provide local constituent groups with the opportunity to influence the direct allocation of a tiny fraction of the nearly two trillion dollar national budget. Transform "pork earmarks" into ten dollar per person "constituent choices" and we will launch a major innovation to counterattack the bloated, bureaucratic, impersonal aloofness or our present complex modern democracy.

At the same time such continued appropriation transparency will make it possible to force the Washington powers to address the needs of the Black constituencies who are presently the orphans of the Beltway.

Comments

[cloudy]

(continued from previous post) ...

(Incidentally, the same sort of thing, parrallel, needs to be done in looking at police behavior over a whole slew of American cities, looking at specific cases of all sizes AND at the statistics of the whole, plus commentary & policy prescription, would be essential as well. These issues that aren't being sufficiently raised in the mass media can still be pursued by those without massive media access in ways -- including links -- that can then hook up with mainstream media fora, including this one on the web.)

This is NOT to limit politics to 'reformism' at all, but simply to concretize the battles that need to be fought in the short term -- like N.O. and statehood for New Columbia -- which are the specifics that connect to mass publics and real life concerns for those with a progressive TRANSFORMATIVE vision.

[cloudy]

Yes, indeed, the 'sunshine' laws for earmarks exposes a LOT about the reality of governance; I suppose that expansion of the points raised &evidence alluded to in this column will someday (hopefully soon) be gathered together with a book of knowledgeable essays and commentaries as to what kinds of specific earmarks WOULD be of great benefit to the black (as well as a parrallel study of Latino) community.

It is noted that these things can be
"charted". I think that if some really crackerjack researchers who are familiar with how DC works (eg present or former interns, not of Monica but of wonky variety) put together all this data about earmarks and the money flows from all Congressional legislation, together with some more specifics on HOW federal aid is 'drained' out of communities that need it, then a range of legislative remedies could be proposed and be one of the banners of progressive political organizing (along w/ I can't stop myself from mentioning, national mobilization in support of the 'battle of New Orleans) overall.

As for the idea of equally distributing the earmarks to all districts, my guess is that, just like the proverbial "fat" in the budget that is always (supposedly) cut out, leaving the "bone", the political forces that have generated the injustices remain in full force -- usually the 'bone' gets cut while plenty of that well-prote­cted-by-po­litical-ma­chines
"fat" still remains. The inequalities of earmarking are not just a 'problem', but a 'solution to a problem' just like the whole range of issues for grassroots organizing to confront.

At any rate, having some picture put forward of the myriad of SPECIFIC programs and earmarks that progressives would LIKE to see embodied in policy spelled out, with a full-book-length study with various essays on it (unless something close to it is already out there, in which case PLEEZ private message me with the details) that I have suggested here would really add a needed pillar to the various demands that are already on the boards.

(continuation in a subsequent post)

[Elliott32]

The Democratic Party has kicked African-Americans to the curb years ago. It's all about Latinos now. The Democratic Party see its future with Latinos, not African-Americans, that's why the party pushed so hard for amnesty for illegal aliens. The CBC has no one to blame but itself because last I checked all the CBC members and even Obama supported amnesty for illegals despite the high unemployment rates and over-crowded in schools in African American communities. Pretty soon all the CBC members will be out of a job and Latinos elect their own for Congressional office. Bravo! (snark)

Obama is the new black American leader. (He actually won a national primary in a mostly-white state, unlike the rest of the so-called black leaders!) I hope he succeeds because recent studies and all economic indicators sugggest the CBC, Revs. Jackson, and Sharpton have failed the black community miserably!

Blacks deserve quality leasders like everyone else. CBC members should do the honorable thing and resign, so the next generation can get the black community out of its current malaise.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/06/17/MN121185.DTL
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/january2007/230107Gangs.htm

[Jazz42]

Desperate times.
Will say and do anything.

[Researchguy66]

I'm happy that transparency in earmarks is helping to provide some relief. Too few understand that the most insidious racism isn't the nooses in the treets in Jena, nor is it Rodney King's treatment. Not that those things aren't important issues, but they pale in comparison to the everyday, institionalized economic racism reflected on the black population.

I've never seen a march like that in Jena to protest the rat and roach-infested concrete bunkers that often pass for schools in majority black neighborhoods. No one marched to my knowledge for better job training or more adequate daycare for those single mothers forced off the welfare rolls and into minimum wage servitude.

Those are the everyday issues that should have Black America, hell ALL of America, up in arms. Should, but don't. Sadly.

[esl]

Please talk to my representative, Brad Ellsworth, from Indiana. He has gotten two earmarks for Ameriqual, a company that has huge contracts with the Defense Dept to provide MREs. If any company should be rolling in dough, and I'm sure Ameriqual is, it should be the companies profitting from war.