When I sat down this morning to read my News and Observer I was captivated from the moment I slid it out the bag.  David Bracken's article on The Mint was informative without a particular bias.  Yet after reading the article, thinking about how stingy or better stated, how uninventive our City is in helping ordinary businesses in making a go of it, especially in Downtown Raleigh, well that was an excellent sequay to the next article.

 

"Growth is missing the busses" by Rob Christensen an excellent piece.  I have been lobbying my butt off trying to get some leadership behind this whole issue of transit.  If we put the proportional money in public transit that we are putting into downtown, especially The Mint, we would be well on our way to meeting the transportation infrastructure needs if we are doubling of our current population over the next 25 years.  But finally the article about our esteem counter-part in Durham.

 

"Fight looms on Durham meals tax".  All I can say is Right On, Dr. Allison and the Durham Committee on The Affairs of Black People.  If Raleigh's support of the CIAA, the MEAC or any African American Tourist/Cultural initiative is the barometer that you are suppose to set your political course by then your distaste for the "Prepared Food Sales Tax" is logical.  Perhaps the News and Observer can crunch the numbers here in Wake County thereby providing a better analysis of how this "Prepared Meals Tax" benefits the black community.

 

My friends, the RWCA was started and has survived all these years addressing the inequities that the black community has suffered under and continues to suffer under.  Our accomplishments have been achieved by bringing a broad array of like minded people together to address the issues we have identified.  In more cases than not money and the ability to earn it has been the root cause of most of the inequities we have encountered.  That is what makes today’s articles so important.  They highlight the public policy arguments that will shape our future.

 

Here in Raleigh and Wake County we have de-emphasized the importance of commerce in the African American Community.   We lament about gangs while at the same time we know we have a generation of young black men who have re-emerged from the penal system, marked for life with criminal records, forced to live in the shadows of this great society, yet we are fearful that they have created their own sub-culture to exist in.  What did we expect?

 

With Colleges and Universities struggling to remain competitive and the importance of sports in that pursuit to have two historical institutions the that the City nor County could not come together using the proceeds from our “Prepared Meals Tax and Hotel/Motel Tax” to secure a suitable, inviting, marketable venue for their home games is incomprehensible.

 

When we could not get the commitment from our elected officials or a decent commitment for funding from our “Prepared Meals Tax and Hotel/Motel Tax” to grow the MEAC Basketball Tournament when we had demonstrated our ability to grow a basketball tournament (CIAA) in this, basketball country.

 

When we know we have to have a modern mass transit system to keep Raleigh and Wake County competitive in this global society yet are unwilling to commit the necessary leadership and funding for fear that we will be helping the poor rather than assisting the affluent.

 

When we are willing to sink over a million dollars into leasehold improvements to cater to the affluent while raising everyone else’s taxes, water rates and imposing renter fees.

 

We should all know, whether we are black or white, documented or not that we, as a city and county, “Trickle Down Economics” governs our public policy .  So if you have to use a shopping cart turned on it’s side as a bench to wait for the bus, our public transit is top shelf.  If we give you just enough money to say we gave you something though it is not enough to succeed, like the MEAC, hey, don’t fret, at least we gave you something.  And if we keep locking up your kids and then ostracizing them for the rest of their life, don’t worry, be happy, we can keep building more and more cells.

 

Dr. Allison and the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, your fight is a proxy fight for all low wealth communities across this state.  If you can not get some codification of how this money will be spent for the needy and not just the greedy then your stance will set the stage henceforth on all publicly financed efforts.

 

Great job News and Observer, your fortunes, all of our fortunes are tied to the notion that a rising tied lifts all boats.
Daniel Coleman