Prometheus 6

LATER: What I'm doing here is giving enough of Bush's address to provide context to my reactions, which are in the blockquotes.
LATER-LATER: Okay, apparently I need to be consistent. Who knew? So Bush is now blockquoted and I'm not.

Part 1.

…We've got to have affordable health care. We must have trade policy that enables small businesses to sell products overseas. That says we're going to level the playing field.

Which playing field? For who?

Listen, we can compete with anybody, anyplace, anywhere if the rules are fair, which is precisely what this administration is doing. They need less regulation on small businesses.

But remember about the tax policy in terms of small businesses. Most small businesses pay tax at the individual income tax rate. See, that's reality. Ask your friends and neighbors who are entrepreneurs. They will tell you they're either a sole proprietorship or a subchapter S corporation, which means they pay tax at the individual income tax rate. And so when you cut the individual income taxes, you're really helping small business owners. It's an entrepreneur -- we're stimulating growth and the small business sector of America today is alive and well. And more minorities are owning their own small businesses, and that's really good for the future of the country.

I think you should look at this. It documents exactly where the 2001 tax cuts will go if made permanent as Bush would like. You'll see it simply doesn't do that much for those businesses he discusses in this paragraph.

See, if you own something, you have a vital stake in the future of America. This administration promotes what I call the ownership society. When people tell me statistics, they say, more people are owning their own small businesses, and a lot of minorities are owning their own small businesses. That's really good news for the future of the country. It also happens to be really good news for the economy. The more small businesses there are, the more likely it is people are going to find work.

And that's what's happening right now in our society. We've rewarded $6 billion in new markets tax credits.

To whom?

Those are important. They promote economic and community development in low-income areas. And when you do that, the spinoff is more ownership for businesses. When there's a vitality in a neighborhood that has been -- that needed help, new businesses spring up. That's all part of a vital tomorrow. Our plan is to help people help themselves, is to create an environment where the entrepreneur can flourish.

There is, of course, the implication in all this that the owners and beneficiaries of this economic development will be the locals.

Not likely.

It's a matter of financing. Very few people in the Black community have the capital and experience to take advantage of this new property…the repercussions of being excluded from "The Greatest Generation."

Marc, I read your comments, and the National Urban League is a partner in the $127 million reward we announced in May this year just to do that, to create an environment where people have a chance to realize their dreams by owning their own business. (Applause.)

An interesting project that's going on inside inner cities, which makes life better but also helps the entrepreneurial spirit, is the cleanup of brownfields. Since I've come to office, we've cleaned up more than 1,000 brownfields. Those are old industrial sites which have been abandoned. They're not only eyesores, they're blight in the communities. They've been cleaned up. They're now viable pieces of property. Businesses are springing up -- businesses around, businesses are springing up. An integral part of stimulating economic growth and activity to give people a chance to start and own their own company is wise policy in the inner city, such as brownfields cleanup policy. We've been aggressive with brownfields, just like we have with empowerment zones.

Not a lot to say about brownfields…it's not like this cleanup is done to benefit Black folks and it's not like you really have the option to ignore them forever.

What I'm telling you is, the role of government is to create an environment where people from all walks of life have a chance to realize their dream. And that's precisely what's taking place in America. And the economy is better for it, and more people are finding work, and we must not go backward to the days of high taxes, high spending, more regulation and more lawsuits, if we expect more people to own their own business.

Secondly, we've got work to do to encourage and train a new generation of entrepreneurs. And that's why I'm pleased to announce today that we're joining with the Urban League to expand minority business ownership. (Applause.) It's an interesting project. You can't say to somebody, you must be an entrepreneur. You can't say that. But you can say, if you want to start your own business, we'll help you. And I want to thank Marc's leadership on this and the board's leadership in understanding the need to work with the federal government to set up what they call one-stop centers where minority enterprise can receive business training. It's one thing to say, let's go be an entrepreneur. But if you're not certain how to do it, people need help. You may have a great idea, but you're not sure how to keep the books. It's a practical application of federal assets to help people understand how to own and run their own business. You can develop contacts there. You get advice on financing. It's practical ways to help people realize their dreams, is what we're talking about here.

This is actually a good thing. It could be an element in the wealth-building education and subsidization effort the USofA owes Black folks, and Kerry should honor the commitment when he wins.

It's also interesting because it could (as the Republicans obviously intend) greatly enhance the NUL's position in the upscale Black communities. I can definitely see an NAACP/NUL turf war, or at least a turf jockeying-for-position.

[Two paragraphs of babble redacted]

When I first came to the Urban League, I vowed to change that attitude in Washington. It was one of the things I said. I said, give me a chance to work the education system. And we have. We passed good law. Listen, the government has got a funding responsibility. We have. We've increased federal funding for K through 12 by 49 percent from 2001. I label that significant. (Applause.)

That 49 percent statistic doesn't sound right either. I need to check that.

But you know what else has changed? For the first time, the federal government is asking the question, can our children actually read? And see, I feel comfortable asking that question, because I believe every child can read. You don't ask that question if you believe certain children cannot read; you say, okay, fine, shuffle them through, the consequences of which, when people get out of high school, they're illiterate, they're lost, they're frustrated. They don't have a chance to realize the great promise of the country. We're changing that attitude in public schools.

So do you believe they can read or that they graduate illiterate?

[Several paragraphs sucking up to the Black belief that education solves all problems redacted]

The several paragraphs were redacted because it's all noise beyond the two claims made

• we've increased the number of men and women who will be receiving Pell Grants to nearly one million.
• And why, under my budget, funding for historically black colleges is at an all-time high.

I was proud to support Mayor Tony Williams. He's my Mayor right now. I've got one mayor in Crawford and one mayor in Washington. (Laughter.) Tony is the Mayor of Washington. He's a very good Mayor, by the way. He's a good man. Maybe you know him. But he and I -- (applause.) I work with Tony. And I signed a bill into law creating taxpayer-sponsored scholarships for students in Washington, D.C. And let me tell you why. I believe this: If school choice is good for the wealthy, it's good enough for disadvantaged children in America. This is a good piece of legislation. (Applause.) It's a good piece of legislation, which is going to help improve education for all children in the nation's capital.

I spent a while googling for this "scholarship program" until a light went on.

Vouchers.

Okay, move along, nothing to see here…

Progress for African Americans and all Americans depends on more citizens living the dream of owning their own home. There's nothing better than somebody saying, welcome to my house; I'm putting out the welcome mat in my piece of property. (Applause.) And this has been a focus of this administration, because we want people owning their own home. It's a vital part of the -- of the American experience, isn't it.

So we're providing downpayment assistance, good counseling. Listen, people walk in, first-time home buyers, and they take a look at the contracts and the print's about that big, and they say, forget it. You know? They get driven away by the complexity of the situation. Sometimes they get skinned by loan sharks, you know? And we're doing everything we can to make sure the loan application process is understandable and fair and open. We're proposing tax credits to encourage the building of more affordable housing, particularly in inner-city America. In other words, we want there to be a greater supply of homes. (Applause.)

Let me tell you something hopeful about the country. For the first time in our history, a majority of families and minority groups own their own homes. We're making progress. People are saying, this is my home. And we must continue the progress we're making. (Applause.)

Sounds like he's got an advisor that reads P6. If so…

You don't get to say "we" are making progress when your cohort resisted and continues to resist every systemic effort to correct the damage caused by racism. You don't get to say "we" are making progress when your cohort's most successful campaigns are based on fear or hatred or jealousy.