syracuse ny september 19 - 25 2013 2 www.cnyvision.com | september 19 - 25| 2013 CALENDAR september to include your events visit cnyvision.com click on the events tab! 3 www.cnyvision.com | september 19 - 25| 2013 LocaL office: 2331 South Salina Street Syracuse, NY 13205 PH: 315-849-2461
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CNY Vision invites news and story suggestions from readers. Call 315-849-2461 or email info@cnyvision.com {COVER P 6 Democrats take Republicans to Court in Lawsuit {local P 3 - 4 Syracuse, NY native crowned Miss America Former Syracuse Basketball Stars Attend Local Clams for Cancer Republicans Hand in the Towel for Mayoral Race NY towns rethink political lawn sign rules Syracuse breaks ground on new practice facility {State P 4 - 5 NY medical schools increase enrollment Small businesses temporarily sidestep health law {national P 8 Shooting of a Another Unarmed Black Man Raises Ire in Charlotte House votes to cut $4B a year from food stamps {OPINIONS/EDITORIAL P 8-11 Let Us Recommit to the HBCU Mission of St. Pauls College By Ben Jealous Shared Prosperity?
By William Spriggs In This Issue: LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! Leave us a comment! facebook.com/cnyvision LOCAL ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) The new Miss America will start the frst day of her reign the same way most of her predecessors did with a frolic in the Atlantc City surf. Nina Davuluri will also speak at a news conference Monday at Boardwalk Hall, where she became the frst contestant of Indian heritage to win the crown Sunday night. The 24-year-old natve of Syracuse, N.Y., wants to be a doctor and is applying to medical school, with the help of a $50,000 scholarship she won as part of the pageant ttle. She is the second consecutve Miss New York to win the Miss America crown, succeeding Mallory Hagan, who was selected in January when the pageant was stll held in Las Vegas. The Miss America Organizaton will compensate Hagan for her shortened reign. Moments afer winning, Davuluri described how delighted she is that the nearly century-old pageant sees beauty and talent of all kinds. Im so happy this organizaton has embraced diversity, she said in her frst news conference afer winning the crown. Im thankful there are children watching at home who can fnally relate to a new Miss America. Davuluris pageant platorm was celebratng diversity through cultural competency. Her talent routne was a Bollywood fusion dance. Davuluris victory led to some negatve comments on Twiter from users upset that someone of Indian heritage had won the pageant. She brushed those aside. I have to rise above that, she said. I always viewed myself as frst and foremost American. Her grandmother told The Associated Press that she cried when she saw the news on television. I am very, very, happy for the girl. It was her dream and it was fulflled, 89-year-old Vege Koteshwaramma said by phone from her home in the city of Vijaywada, in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. She said there are numerous doctors in the family, both in the U.S. and India, and that if her granddaughter wants to become one, I am sure she will do it. Asked about her granddaughter appearing in a bikini, given the conservatve attudes about such things in India, Koteshwaramma said: I havent seen any such thing. This must be all part of the competton. Davuluri had planned to go to the scene of a devastatng boardwalk fre in the New Jersey communites of Seaside Park and Seaside Heights on Monday afernoon. But pageant ofcials canceled that visit afer learning that Gov. Chris Christe was making cabinet ofcials available at that same tme to business owners victmized by the fre. Davuluri will visit at an unscheduled future date, pageant ofcials said. Syracuse, NY native crowned Miss America Nina Davuluri 4 www.cnyvision.com | september 19 - 25| 2013 LOCAL Former Syracuse Basketball Stars Attend Local Clams for Cancer By Delani Weaver Three of the greatest former Syracuse University basketball stars of all tme will come together for the 2nd annual Clams for Cancer beneft event on Sunday 22. The event will be held at the Spinning Wheel restaurant in North Syracuse. Syracuse star alumni, Dwayne the Pearl Washington, Billy Owens and Lawrence Moten will be taking pictures, signing autographs and mingling with local residents to raise funds for the Jonathan Cancer Fund. Fans and supporters can enjoy a full clambake from 1 to 6 p.m. with steamed and raw clams, side dishes, desserts, draf beer and soda. There will be live music by the band Code Red, featuring Gary Dunes. There will also be rafes, prizes, games and a silent aucton. The Jonathan Cancer Fund, which was established in 1993, is a locally-based charity that helps families of children diagnosed with cancer. Tickets for the Clams for Cancer event cost $40 per person. Republicans Hand in the Towel for Mayoral Race By Delani Weaver It seems as though Democrat Stephanie Miner was handed the mayoral seat by the GOP Monday when Tom Dadey announced there will be no Republican candidate running against her in November. The GOP had been using every strategy they could to fnd someone to run for the seat, from Dadey placing his own name into the pot, then being disqualifed due to moving outside the city of Syracuse, to turning to atorney Kevin Kuehner, who made it clear he had no intentons of running for mayor. Each atempt has been unsuccessful. Rumors that Pat Hogan, who challenged Miner in the Democratc primary, was going to run on the Republican tcket if he lost to Miner were setled in a statement from Hogan. Shortly afer last Tuesdays Democratc primary, I personally decided that I was not interested in acceptng the Republican line to challenge Stephanie Miner in November. At the end of the day, I am a proud life-long Democrat. I am disappointed that the people of Syracuse will not have a choice for mayor this November, he said. Dadey said there are two reasons why there will be no Republican candidate for the frst tme in almost 100 years. First, Democratc voters dominate the city of Syracuse, making it difcult for someone to step up and run on the Republican tcket. Second, with the challenges facing Syracuse including, crime, educaton, collectve bargaining agreements and consolidaton of service with county government and employment, Dadey said he doesnt believe that anyone wants to make those decisions because they are so challenging. Dadey said the focus for the party going forward will be getng Republicans into the seats in the city council. Kevin Bot of the Green Party and Conservatve Ian Hunter will be running against Miner in November. Dadey said he didnt consider Hunter a viable candidate, and Hunter will let everyone know why in the coming weeks. Stephanie Miner NY towns rethink political lawn sign rules SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) Some towns in central New York are abandoning laws restrictng the placement of politcal lawn signs amid concerns that they unconsttutonally restrict free speech. The town board in Manlius voted unanimously Wednesday to repeal a law that had outlawed campaign lawn signs except in a 37-day window around electons. The purpose of the law was to make lawns cluter-free, but a town resident and former dean of Syracuse Universitys communicatons school, David Rubin, fled a lawsuit in August challenging the regulaton. The local media reports that the village board in nearby Skaneateles took note and on Thursday scheduled their own public hearing on a repeal of a similar law. Skaneateles Trustee James Lanning says the village cant aford to fght a lawsuit it is unlikely to win 5 www.cnyvision.com | september 19 - 25| 2013 PUZZLES Across 1. Shade of blonde 4. Street feet 8. Girls youth org. (abbr.) 11. Baseballs Durocher 12. Caspian Sea feeder 13. Tax month, for short 14. Philosophy 15. Str, with up 16. Congeal 17. Write extra 18. Bug blaster 19. Hawaiian welcomes 20. Bunked with 22. Deeply 23. Aussie lizard 25. Small fy 26. Letuce variety 28. With competence 30. Hardly a brainiac 33. Putdown 34. Go back into business 36. Novice 37. Style 39. Time of antcipaton 40. Card type 41. London gallery 42. Crows call 43. Civil aviaton controllers 44. Mideast ruler 45. Commercials 46. Winter contagion 47. Frilly 48. Islet Down 1. Shrine 2. Experienced sailor (2 words) 3. Jinx 4. Britsh pounds for example 5. Gave Theseus a thread to escape the labyrinth 6. Island east of Java 7. Go downhill 8. MO city 9. Gone bad 10. Pretentous 16. Clutch (2 words) 21. Where leters are delivered 24. Alphabet 25. Shrubs, trees, etc 27. Inconsistent 28. Creature 29. News ofce 31. Medicinal syrup 32. Renos state 33. Rod 35. Gossipy 37. Library catalog abbr. 38. Buddhist priest STATE Syracuse breaks ground on new practice facility SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - Syracuse University has broken ground on a $13 million indoor practce facility for the football team. The 102,258-square-foot facility will be built at Lower Coyne Field and is slated to be fnished within nine months. The feld inside the building will be named afer John F. Phelan, who played for Syracuse in 1940 and died in France during World War II in 1944. Board of Trustees Chairman Richard L. Thompson and wife Jean, Phelans daughter and a Syracuse graduate, helped fund the facility. They donated $1 million to the universitys athletc programs in July when Syracuse ofcially moved from the Big East to the Atlantc Coast Conference. Its a boost for the football team, which has to share the Carrier Dome with the basketball team when the seasons overlap. LOCAL NY medical schools increase enrollment MICHAEL VIRTANEN ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New Yorks 16 medical schools have enrolled 120 more students this fall than last year, including the frst classes in a pair of three-year programs that allow students to graduate faster and with less debt. More than half of the 2,424 new medical students are state residents, nearly half are women and 3 percent are internatonal students, according to Associated Medical Schools of New York. Most programs last four years with annual tuiton ranging from $30,000 to $50,000. Demand for physicians has intensifed in New York due to its aging populaton, rising costs, and state and federal policy changes, associaton President Jo Wiederhorn said. A new state marketplace, established in response to a federal mandate, is expected to enroll 1.1 million more New Yorkers in health insurance programs over the next few years, increasing the need for primary care practtoners. New York Universitys School of Medicine has 162 new students, including 16 in its new three-year program who are all ofered acceptance into an NYU Langone Medical Center residency program. Their academic year starts six weeks earlier and they spend the summer between the frst and second year on a fellowship. With 168 new students, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons has four who already hold doctoral degrees in biomedical sciences in a new three-year program. Theyll have the same 18-month preclinical training as the others and 16 months of clinical training. Their fourth-year scholarly project will be waived and theyll be encouraged to pursue an abbreviated residency. The Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Educaton enrolled 74 students this year for its seven-year program, all state residents coming directly from high school out of 705 applicants. The City College of New York schools frst fve years fulfll bachelors degree requirements and the pre-clinical medical school curriculum, followed by two years of clinical training at a collaboratng medical school. SUNY Downstate Medical Center enrolled 188 new students, 80 percent from New York, while SUNY Upstate Medical University enrolled 165, 90 percent of whom are state residents. Albany Medical College reported 143 new medical students from nearly 9,000 applicants, while Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai enrolled 140 students out of more than 5,000 applicants. Other schools and enrollments for their Class of 2017 were Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, 183 students; Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, 80 students; New York Insttute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, 315; New York Medical College, 200; University of Rochester School of Medicine, 102; Stony Brook University School of Medicine, 124; School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Bufalo, 144; Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, 135; and Weill Cornell Medical College, 101 students. 6 www.cnyvision.com | september 19 - 25| 2013 COVER By Hazel Trice Edney (TriceEdneyWire.com) -The Congressional Black Caucus Foundaton, kicking of its Annual Legislatve Conference (ALC) with the theme, It Starts With You, this week aimed to illustrate that theme through economic acton. The organizaton deposited $5 million into fve Black-owned banks, contnuing a natonal movement, fueled by the Natonal Bankers Associaton, to reinvest in the community by supportng Black and minority-owned banks. Our $5 million investment is part of a new efort at the Foundaton to strengthen the economy and Black communites. We saw a need and an opportunity to support much needed progress in economic recovery in African-American communites and we seized it, said CBCF President/ CEO Shuanise Washington at a press conference Tuesday. Todays announcement is truly historic. This investment is a critcal initatve in lifing the economic fortunes of African-American and minority communites. Historically and stll today, minority and women-owned banks have been an important source of credit and accessible fnancial services. minority-owned banking is key to reaching unbanked, under banked and fnancially underserved African-American communites. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have long pointed to the scourge of economic sufering and unemployment in Black communites as being among the chief issues across America. Two years ago, CBC members even held job fairs around the country, watching as African-Americans lined up around entre city blocks. The Foundaton wants to set an example. And we think the best way to do that is not rhetorically but through acton. And where we invest our money, we think will lay a pathway for others who want to follow and support the work of the Foundaton, said CBCF Chairman Chaka Fatah (D-Pa.). So African-American fnancial insttutons play an extraordinarily important role in the eco-system of the development of entrepreneurs in our communites; also to help families seeking to send a young person to college or a group of people who are trying to organize and develop a religious insttuton, a family trying to buy a home a get a mortgage, these insttutons are vital. The fve Black banks receiving $1 million each are Industrial Bank in Washington, D.C.; Liberty Bank & Trust Company in New Orleans; Mechanics & Farmers Bank in Durham; Seaway Bank & Trust Company in Chicago and City Natonal Bank of New Jersey in Newark. The movement to reinvest in Black banks actually started in earnest last year when the U. S. Black Chamber of Commerce and the Washington, D.C.- based Natonal Bankers Associaton, led by President/CEO Michael Grant, established a partnership to establish the Chambers primary account with Industrial. Grant praised the CBCF for its historic vision of a world free of economic disparites datng back to greats like Congressional Representatves Shirley Chisholm, Parren Mitchell, Louis Stokes, Charlie Rangel, John Conyers, Ron Dellums, and others. He quoted Dr. King, who, in his fnal days fought for economic justce. Dr. King was known for his prophecy. In closing, I would like to predict the future as well. If Black Americans will signifcantly increase their support of Black businesses, in a single generaton, we would witness a drastc reducton in unemployment, an increase in high school graduaton rates and a decline in crime in our neighborhoods, Grant said. The millions will go a long way in helping individuals in communites that have been hardest hit back the economic downturn says Doyle Mitchell, NBA chair and president/CEO of Industrial Bank, which will turn 80 next year. I have put the numbers together and I see nowOver 50 percent of our loans that we make go into underserved communites and nearly 80 percent of our loans go right here in Metropolitan Washington. According to the FDIC, small banks, community banks, make almost 50 percent of all small business loans. We know that small businesses in this country employ nearly 80 percent of the all the countrys individuals, Mitchell says. Most of the communites served by African-American banks are urban and disadvantaged. And while banks of other ethnic groups, Asians and Hispanics do an excellent job at that we do the same job right here in African-American communites. U. S. Black chamber President/CEO Ron Busby stressed the need for strong banks to undergird small businesses that in turn fuel the economy. When we surveyed our businesses, the common concern they all had was access to capital, said Busby, who oversees 112 chambers in 24 states, representng over 240,000 Black-owned business natonwide. If the number one concern for our businesses is access then capital; then the number one concern for our businesses is unemployment. There are roughly two million African-American owned businesses in America and approximately 14 percent unemployment for African- Americans. The African-American unemployment rate in this country is almost double the natonal average. If we can grow our frms to where they have the capacity to employ just one additonal employee, we can quell the high unemployment that plagues our community. The benefts of Black-owned banks when they are proftable and supported within their own communites are extensive, experts say. Minority-Owned Banks and specifcally Black-owned Banks - are a foundatonal business in Americas urban area, says Dr. Russ Kashian, an economics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, who partcipated in the press conference. They serve several key roles. They provide banking services to areas that are ofen barren of any other mainstream banking services. They atract monies into the community through reasonably aggressive interest rates on CDs. They are a source of valuable jobs with ladders for the neighborhood - these jobs for tellers, loan ofcers, mortgage originators ofer family wages and the opportunity for training and skill enrichment. President Obama has made it clear that support for the middle class is a key strategy to strengthen the economy. But, Washington says she hopes the move to strengthen Black banks will also draw the traditonally unbanked poor into the mainstream economy. Fatah says he hopes other insttutons will take heed to the example that has been set. The pillars of power have to be both politcal and economic, he said. And we are leaning forward to say that were going to make an investment and we expect that others who are our allies and our friends and support the foundaton will follow likewise. CBCF President/CEO Shuanise Washington announce historic deposit in Black-owned banks. In the back ground, Natonal Bankers Associaton President President Michael Grant and CBCF Chairman Chaka Fatah look on. PHOTO: Rodney L. Minor/BRTV 7 www.cnyvision.com | september 19 - 25| 2013 STATE Small businesses temporarily sidestep health law NEW YORK (AP) _ Many small businesses have found a way to temporarily sidestep some of the headaches brought on by the new health care law. One of them is Huber Capital Management. The asset management frm is renewing its health insurance policy early, in 2013 instead of 2014. By renewing its policy this year, the company doesnt have to buy insurance that conforms to the requirements of the new health care law. And it wont have the surge in premium rates expected under the Afordable Care Act. ``We can just push this whole thing of and defer it for essentally one year, says Gary Thomas, chief operatng ofcer of El Segundo, Calif.- based Huber Capital, which has nine employees covered by insurance. The Obama administraton says it wont force employers with at least 50 workers to comply with the ACA untl 2015, but the law will stll afect businesses. The administraton has delayed only the paperwork requirements for those companies. But any company that ofers health insurance, including very small businesses, will stll have to contend with the rest of the law startng Jan. 1. And that includes new insurance policies with government-mandated types of coverage. Many insurance companies are raising their premiums sharply because they dont know yet how many people will be covered by insurance. Its expected that many young people who are healthy wont want to pay for insurance, or sign up for it. Authors of the ACA are countng on a larger pool of insured people to bring down overall insurance costs, but if people forgo coverage, that may not happen. Thomas got the idea to renew early from Huber Capitals health insurance broker, who said the frm would likely have an 8 percent increase in premiums if it did renew in 2013, compared to an estmated 30 percent under a policy that complies with the ACA. The idea is also appealing to many companies because they can put of dealing with the laws complex requirements. For example, companies with 50 or more workers must do calculatons to determine whether theyre providing adequate insurance coverage. If they have employees who work less than 40 hours, owners need to determine whether those workers must be covered. By renewing in 2013, owners will get more tme to educate themselves about the law. ``Some of the things that might be guesswork or estmates will be more of a known quantty than they are today, Thomas says. Quantum Networks, an online seller of high-tech items, is also renewing on Dec. 1. Its broker says its premiums may be unchanged from this year under a renewed policy. ``We want to drag this on as long as possible, says Bita Goldman, vice president for operatons. ``For a small company like ours, every litle bit helps. Quantum Networks, based in New York, has 24 stafers. Health insurance accounts for about 15 percent of its expenses. CEO Ari Zoldan wants extra tme to understand the impact of the law on his company. ``With the health ecosystem as complicated as it is, even the brightest of the brightest dont understand this, he says. ``Over the next year, were going to educate ourselves, were going to shop around, were going to speak to other business owners and ask, `what are you guys going to do? Anthony Lopez, a small business specialist at online broker eHealthInsurance, says half the clients hes spoken with are renewing early. He expects more afer Oct. 1, when rates for 2014 are published. But Lopez warns that insurance companies have diferent expiraton dates for the opton to renew their policies this year. While some allow small businesses to decide as late as December, others have earlier cutof dates. But businesses that miss the deadline might stll get insurance at 2013 rates if they switch to another carrier. Higher Logic, a social media and mobile sofware company based in Arlington, Va., faced the specter of increasing insurance costs although it doesnt have 50 workers yet. The company is growing rapidly, having hired 15 people this year. And its 45 stafers are scatered across 15 states, which makes buying health insurance complicated because states have diferent rules. President Andy Steggles has moved up the renewal date for the companys insurance from Feb. 1. ``If we lock in now, well know we have a 14 percent increase. If we hold of a renewal tll Feb. 1, who knows what its going to be? Steggles says. His broker said she cant estmate the increase in his premiums under the ACA, but she gave him a range of 20 percent to 40 percent. PURR-fect Solutons insurance policy doesnt expire untl next May, but general manager Chet Boxley is renewing fve months early, in December, because the premiums will stay the same. He hopes to set aside money to pay for future rate hikes for the four employees of his Salt Lake City-based company, which manufactures cat liter. Boxley faced a 20 percent to 25 percent rate increase under the ACA. ``When I heard `no increase, I was prety stoked to hear that. It was a no- brainer _ we said OK. NY electric customers will get credit of up to $3 ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ New York electric customers will be getng a small credit on an upcoming bill. The state Public Service Commission on Thursday approved a one-tme credit to electricity bills of up to $3, depending on usage. Regulators say the credit stems from a 2012 setlement that included a $110 million civil penalty on Constellaton Energy Commodites Group on grounds that the power producer manipulated wholesale energy sales in three regional markets, including New York. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission determined that $78 million be used within New Yorks wholesale electricity market. The state commission approved paying $48 million to customers of New Yorks six investor-owned utlites, the New York Power Authority and the Long Island Power Authority. The credit will be passed on afer utlites receive the funds. www.cnyvision.comFacebook:searchcnyvision 8 www.cnyvision.com | september 19 - 25| 2013 NATIONAL Shooting of a Another Unarmed Black Man Raises Ire in Charlotte (TriceEdneyWire.com) Yet another police killing of an unarmed Black man has sparked outrage in Charlote, N.C. This tme, a former college foot ball player, 24, was shot 10 tmes by a police ofcer while he sought help following a car accident. According to widespread reports, Jonathan Ferrell was shot Saturday, Sept. 14, by a White Charlote police Ofcer Randall Kerrick. Kerrick was arrested and was arraigned Tuesday on volunteer manslaughter charges. Reports say Kerrick fred his weapon 12 tmes as Ferrell ran toward him, apparently seeking help afer involvement in a car accident nearby. Ferrell had reportedly stopped at the home of woman, whod opened the door around 2:30 a.m. thinking he was her husband; then called 911 when she saw he was a stranger. The scourge of police and law enforcement violence against unarmed Black males has been a consistent problem in America. Civil rights leaders have pushed for greater citzen oversight of police among remedies that have been tried in some cites across the country. Ferrell was a former football player for Florida A&M University. He reportedly moved to Charlote last year to be with his fance. Any day in this country, an African- American man can be killed for no reason by the people who are supposed to be protectng him, Kojo Nantambu, president of the Charlote chapter of the Natonal Associaton for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), said at a press conference Monday, according to the Associated Press. Thats not an anomaly in this country. Theyre never given the beneft of the doubt, and that has to change. Jonathan Ferrell, 24, was shot 10 times by police Saturday morning while looking for help after a car crash. House votes to cut $4B a year from food stamps WASHINGTON (AP) _ The House has voted to cut nearly $4 billion a year from food stamps, a 5 percent reducton to the natons main feeding program used by more than 1 in 7 Americans. The 217-210 vote was a win for conservatves afer Democrats united in oppositon and some GOP moderates said the cut was too high. Fifeen Republicans voted against the measure. The bills savings would be achieved by allowing states to put broad new work requirements in place for many food stamp recipients and to test applicants for drugs. The bill also would end government waivers that have allowed able-bodied adults without dependents to receive food stamps indefnitely. House conservatves, led by Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., have said the almost $80 billion-a-year program has become bloated. More than 47 million Americans are now on food stamps, and the programs cost more than doubled in the last fve years as the economy struggled through the Great Recession. Democrats said the rise in the rolls during tough economic tmes showed the program was doing its job. Finding a compromise _ and the votes _ to scale back the feeding program has been difcult. The conservatves have insisted on larger cuts, Democrats opposed any cuts and some moderate Republicans from areas with high food stamp usage have been wary of eforts to slim the program. The White House has threatened to veto the bill. House leaders were stll shoring up votes on the bill just hours before the vote. To make their case, the Republican leaders emphasized that the bill targets able-bodied adults who dont have dependents. And they say the broader work requirements in the bill are similar to the 1996 welfare law that led to a decline in people receiving that government assistance. ``This bill is designed to give people a hand when they need it most, Cantor said on the foor just before the bill passed. ``And most people dont choose to be on food stamps. Most people want a job ... They want what we want. The new work requirements proposed in the bill would allow states to require 20 hours of work actvites per week from any able-bodied adult with a child over age 1 if that person has child care available. The requirements would be applicable to all parents whose children are over age 6 and atending school. The legislaton is the Houses efort to fnish work on a wide-ranging farm bill, which has historically included both farm programs and food stamps. The House Agriculture Commitee approved a combined bill earlier this year, but it was defeated on the foor in June afer conservatves revolted, saying the cuts to food stamps werent high enough. That bill included around $2 billion in cuts annually. Afer the farm bill defeat, Republican leaders split the legislaton in two and passed a bill in July that included only farm programs. They promised the food stamp bill would come later, with deeper cuts. In order to negotate the bill with the Senate, Republicans said Thursday that one more step is needed _ the House will have to hold a procedural vote to allow both the farm and food stamp bills to go to a House-Senate conference together. It is unclear whether Republicans who pushed to split the two bills will oppose that efort. Once the bills get to that conference, negotatons with the Senate will not be an easy task. A Senate farm bill passed in June would only make a tenth of the cuts to food stamps, or $400 million, and the White House has issued a veto threat against the House bill. The two chambers will also have to agree on policy for farm subsidies amid disputes between diferent crops. Every Democrat votng on Thursday opposed the bill. Many took to the foor with emotonal appeals. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the bill is a ``full assault on the health and economic security of millions of families. Texas Rep. Lloyd Dogget called it the ``let them starve bill. White House spokesman Jay Carney said Thursday that House Republicans are atemptng to ``literally take food out of the mouths of hungry Americans in order to, again, achieve some ideological goal. The Congressional Budget Ofce says that if the bill were enacted, as many as 3.8 million people could lose their benefts in 2014. Around 1.7 million of those would be the able-bodied adults who would be subject to work requirements afer three months of receiving food stamps. The 1996 welfare law put that limit into law, but most every state has been allowed to waive that requirement since the Great Recession began in 2008. The other 2.1 million would lose benefts because the bill would largely eliminate so-called categorical eligibility, a method used by many states that allows people to automatcally qualify for food stamps if they already receive other benefts. Some of those people who qualify that way do not meet current SNAP income and asset tests. The Census Bureau reported this week that just over half of those who received food stamps were below poverty and 44 percent had one or more people with a disability. By state, Oregon led the naton in food stamp use at 20.1 percent, or 1 in 5, due in part to generous state provisions that expand food stamp eligibility to families. Oregon was followed by more rural or more economically hard-hit states, including Mississippi, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan and Tennessee. Wyoming had the fewest households on food stamps, at 7 percent. 9 www.cnyvision.com | september 19 - 25| 2013 LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! Leave us a comment! facebook.com/cnyvision ADoption ADOPT: The stork didnt call. We hope you will. Loving family of 3 looking to adopt another litle miracle. Contact Robin and Neil: 866-303-0668, www. rnladopt.info Drivers Drivers HOME WEEKLY & BI-WEEKLY EARN $900- $1200/WK BC/BS Med & Major Benefts. No Canada, HAZMAT or NYC! SMITH TRANSPORT 877-705-9261 Help wAnteD AIRLINE CAREERS begin here Get FAA approved Aviaton Maintenance Technician training. Financial aid for qualifed students Housing available. Job placement assistance. Call AIM 866-296-7093 Home improvement HAS YOUR BUILDING SHIFTED OR SETTLED? 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Take the preview tour at www. obhomebui l ders. org then come visit! vAcAtion rentAls OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND. Best selecton of afordable rentals. Full/ partal weeks. Call for FREE brochure. Open daily. Holiday Real Estate. 1-800-638-2102. Online reservatons: www. holidayoc.com wAnteD CASH for Coins! Buying ALL Gold & Silver. Also Stamps & Paper Money, Entre Collectons, Estates. Travel to your home. Call Marc in NY 1-800- 959-3419 WANTED: Pre-1975 Superhero Comic Books, sports, non sports cards, toys, original art & celebrity memorabilia especially 1960s. Col l ect or / I nvest or, paying cash. Call Mike: (800)273-0312, mikecarbo@gmail.com notce to Bidders: economy paving co, inc will be preparing quotatons for the following City of Syracuse project: Erie Blvd Bridge reconstructon over Onondaga Creek that bids 9/25/13. Obtain plans from the Ofce of management and Budget 223 City Hall, Syracuse. We are also bidding the Town of Geddes Farrell Rd Reconstructon project that bids 9/17/13. Obtain plans from the Town of Geddes, 1000 Woods Rd, Solvay, NY 13209. We encourage certfed DBE frms to send quotes for services and/or supplies. Please fax quotes to 607-756-4742 or email to jjump@economypaving.com. Tuition Assistance Jobs Training 10 www.cnyvision.com | september 19 - 25| 2013 OPINION/EDITORIAL The views expressed on our opinion pages are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position or viewpoint of MRMG or CNY Vision The AFL-CIO recently held its quadrennial const i t ut i onal conventon in Los Angeles. The conventon had commitees that included many nonunion partners to create an agenda directng the AFL-CIO toward a movement that can include the voices of all working people-those covered by collectve bargaining agreements, those who are retred, those who are unemployed and those who work without the beneft of a union contract. Shared prosperity, the goal of the AFL-CIO, must be inclusive. The challenge is huge. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statstcs (BLS) shows a labor market that isnt growing fast enough to provide shared prosperity. The payroll numbers that are released at the beginning of the month are preliminary. Additonal data becomes available later. So, the payroll numbers are adjusted later. Recently, the preliminary numbers for June and July were both adjusted-downward. June was knocked down from 188,000 to 172,000, and July went from 162,000 to 104,000. That means the preliminary number for August of 169,000 needs to be interpreted with some cauton. So, despite promising news of acceleratng job growth that even reached 332,000 jobs in February; since April job growth is deceleratng. Slow job creaton has contnued the trend that started in the spring of 2009 of unemployed workers being more likely to exit unemployment by dropping out of the labor force than fnding a job. And, that was clear in the household survey released by the BLS showing the unemployment rate fell because of a drop in the size of the labor force-those people who are employed or actvely searching for work. And, among the employed, a discouraging sign is the growth of workers who could only fnd part-tme work. In August, 2.7 million workers were in part-tme jobs because they could not fnd full-tme work, up from 1.1 million back during the labor markets last peak in January 2008. The frustraton of workers can be found in their declining job mobility. The BLS recently reported that the median tenure of workers with their employer contnues to trend up and is now at 4.6 years. In part, this refects the aging of the workforce-older workers tend to stay put with their employer, but it also refects data in the BLS Job Opening and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) showing that employed workers are not switching jobs. Those shifs also help create openings for other workers to fll; fewer shifs mean fewer job openings for unemployed workers to fll. In July there were 3.1 unemployed workers to each job opening, a slight uptck from June. Movement among employed workers shows a heated labor market, it helps workers shif to higher paying jobs, and it shows that frms are actvely expanding trying to fnd highly productve workers. So, this helps to explain the low pressure on wage growth in the economy now. And the quality of the jobs created has also been discouraging. Manufacturing, which helped to get the growth in jobs launched, has added only a net of 20,000 jobs of the 2.2 million created since August. On the other hand, retail trade has added 392,000 jobs and fast-food and restaurants has added 353,000 jobs. These are industries with lots of part-tme and low-wage positons. The realizaton that these jobs may signify the new normal has made workers in these industries start to fght back. On Aug. 29, they staged walk outs demanding decent pay. Roughly 30 million workers languish at low pay while Congress fails to act on legislaton that would raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. The AFL-CIO Conventon heard from Economics Nobel Laureate Joseph Stglitz that the problem the U.S. economy faces is simple: low aggregate demand. He said we could boost demand by raising wages and government investment. The current fxaton of Washington on debt and defcits is a harmful divergence of tme and politcal space from getng job growth back up and wages up. The gap between what the naton could produce at full-employment and where we are now with 58.6 percent of Americans employed, below the 62.9 percent during the peak in January 2008 and the 64.7 percent of April 2000, is the defcit policy must focus on closing. The AFL-CIO Conventon passed resolutons to create a new set of actons so the labor movement can respond to this environment where all workers are under atack-from negligence of their key issues of more jobs and higher pay to their rights at work and their rights to organize. Clearly the movement has to broaden itself to include the un-organized because only if workers are united can new policies be put in place to change the situaton. Americans are not sufering from the laws of economics; American inequality is exceptonal. It is not possible to explain the level of American inequality using the theories of market supply and demand; the same forces of globalizaton and technological change afect all countries. But, American policies are unique. Low minimum wages, the lack of collectve bargaining in wage setng and corporate governance that lets corporate CEO pay skyrocket are uniquely American. The current level of inequality in the U.S. is bad economics. It is the creaton of raw greed-market power, not market forces. The shrinking share of income for the botom 99 percent is not a system that is healthy. And, it is not sustainable. Unless the defcit of jobs and wage incomes is addressed, it will fuel another downturn in the economy. If we understand the cause was inequality we can fx this economy, but if we contnue to create more inequality we will break the economy. Shared prosperity, not this weak recovery, is what will get us to sustainable growth. Shared Prosperity? WILLIAM SPRIggS vision cny without a vision THE PEOPLE PERISH SUBSCRIBE TO CNYVISION FOR ONLY $65 A YEAR! CALL US @ 315.849.2461 OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.CNYVISION.COM/SUBSCRIBE Check us out online! www.cnyvision.com 11 www.cnyvision.com | september 19 - 25| 2013 This fall, as college campuses open their doors to the bustle of students, one historically Black insttuton will remain silent. In the old colonial town of Lawrencevi l l e, Va., Saint Pauls College has shut its doors afer more than a century of operaton. The college had fallen on hard tmes in recent years, and it serves as a canary in the coal mine for other historically Black colleges and universites that face an uncertain economic future. Saint Pauls College was founded in 1888 by my grandfathers uncle, James Solomon Russell. A former slave who died an archdeacon and university principal-emeritus, Russell understood the transformatve power of educaton. He opened Saint Pauls Normal and Industrial School with fewer than a dozen students and a mandate to train teachers. Over the next 125 years, the school became a hub for educaton training in the region, producing many teachers in Virginia and neighboring states. Many of the students who atended Saint Pauls over the years were the frst in their family to atend college. The vast majority came from poor families. The school even ofered a child-care program for single parents enrolled in classes. Like so many other HBCUs in underserved communites, Saint Pauls was a lifeline. The recent recession hit Saint Pauls especially hard. Like many HBCUs, the college lacked a wealthy donor base or strong endowment that could help it weather the fnancial storm. Faced with mountng bills, college ofcials closed the child-care program, laid of top teachers, and watched enrollment numbers fall back to near-1888 levels. Last fall, St. Pauls opened its fnal academic year with just over 100 students before shutng its doors for good. Saint Pauls demise should serve as a wake-up call to those who care about the future of HBCUs. For more than 175 years, the insttutons have played a crucial role in African-American advancement. HBCUs make up just 3 percent of the natons colleges and universites, but produce 50 percent of Black public school teachers, 80 percent of Black judges and 40 percent of baccalaureate degrees awarded to Black students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematcs, the STEM felds. Martn Luther King Jr. was a Morehouse man; Thurgood Marshall studied at Lincoln University and Howard University School of Law; Oprah Winfrey atended Tennessee State University. However, even the wealthier HBCUs are struggling fnancially. Morehouse College was recently forced to furlough some of its staf, and Clark Atlanta and Hampton Universites have both announced budget shortages. This June, a Howard University trustee, Renee Higginbotham-Brooks, wrote an alarming leter about Howards genuine fnancial trouble. The recession only partly explains this crisis. Part of the reason is politcal. In 2011 the Department of Educaton tghtened the standards for its Parent PLUS federal loan program. The program has historically been an important service for parents of HBCU students, who are more likely to need fnancial support. The new standards have had a devastatng efect. In the 2012-13 school year alone, the volume of Parent PLUS loans to HBCU families dropped by 36 percent, according to an analysis by The Washington Post. Parents of 28,000 HBCU students were initally denied loans under the stricter standards, causing HBCUs as a whole to lose $150-million in expected revenue. This slow bleed will contnue as long as the tghter standards are in place. As the president of the UNCF, Michael Lomax, has recommended, the Department of Educaton should fnd a way to preserve fnancial aid instead of undercutng the students it is supposed to serve. Meanwhile, it is encouraging to see that the department is allowing families with small-scale debt-Black, White, or otherwise-to become eligible for PLUS loans through an appeals process. The loan program is only one part of the soluton, however. Congress should also increase funds for Pell Grants, fnancial subsidies for low- income students that do not have to be repaid. According to a UNCF study, 42 percent of all HBCU students come from families with incomes lower than $25,000. More than half qualify for Pell Grants. HBCUs are only as strong as their students, and their students ofen need signifcant fnancial support. An expansion of the Pell Grant program will help support historically Black colleges and, for many frst- generaton college students, help disrupt generatons of family poverty. Historically Black colleges and universites like Saint Pauls College are an integral part of African-American history, and they need to remain an integral part of our countrys future. As we write Saint Pauls obituary, we must not allow other colleges to sufer a similar fate. Let us recommit to James Solomon Russells vision, which mirrors the larger vision of the HBCU community: a school for every student, a lifeline for every dream. OP/ED Let Us Recommit to the HBCU Mission of St. Pauls College BENJAMIN JEALOUS CNY Vision 1/4 page 5 x 6.75 (color) Upstate is hiring experienced RNs in our ICUs and ED. Come work with the best! Also hiring experienced Pediatric RNs in our Peds Float Pool and Peds ED. Be a part of the Golisano Children's Hospital! We oer excellent state salary and benefts. To learn more about career opportunities at Upstate and apply on-line www.upstate.edu/jobs UPSTATE IS HIRING Syracuse, New York I www.upstate.edu Learn the Branchs Method NY 5 Hour Pre-Licensing Course National Safety Council (NSC) Defensive Driving Course Private or Group Driving Lessons NSC - Alive at 25 Class Road Test Assessment & Rental Drivers Education NOW Available OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK Register Online www.Branchsinc.com NOW 8 Convenient Central New York Locations! 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Reception For Women On The Road To The Senate: 12 and Counting For Dianne Feinstein, Amy Klobuchar, Shelley Berkley, Tammy Baldwin, Mazie Hirono, Maria Cantwell, Kirsten Gillibrand