Neil Peart
07-21-2008, 08:52 AM
http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/HarryRJacksonJr/2008/07/21/stop_the_war_on_the_poor
Last Tuesday (July 15) I stood with Niger Innis of CORE and just under 100 people from around the country at a press conference in Washington, DC. The group was comprised of congressmen, senators, grassroots organizers, and clergy. We descended on Washington to announce a bold cry for affordable energy for the poor. Our campaign is simply called “Stop the War On The Poor.” Although some leftist groups have already called our efforts partisan, nothing could be further from the truth.
Many of us have realized that most legislators on the Hill are advocating ideologically-based approaches to our energy problems. While Washington plays politics with American energy supplies, people are hurting – and the poor are hurting the most. The only hope the average poor person has is that gas prices won’t rise to $6.00/gallon. The poor cannot afford to hire advocates or lobbyists. Energy reform will be a major civil rights frontier of the next decade because the poor do not have a voice.
We call this a war on the poor because high-energy prices disproportionately impact America’s poor and low-income families. These prices are actually a highly regressive tax on America’s most vulnerable citizens. Although both McCain and Obama are making bold declarations about their plans for our future, many more specific recommendations and plans of action will be needed to address the needs of the poor. The poor in America do not comprise one homogenous group. Included in this “poverty” label are urban minorities, some rural farming communities, and many elderly of all races.
Last Tuesday (July 15) I stood with Niger Innis of CORE and just under 100 people from around the country at a press conference in Washington, DC. The group was comprised of congressmen, senators, grassroots organizers, and clergy. We descended on Washington to announce a bold cry for affordable energy for the poor. Our campaign is simply called “Stop the War On The Poor.” Although some leftist groups have already called our efforts partisan, nothing could be further from the truth.
Many of us have realized that most legislators on the Hill are advocating ideologically-based approaches to our energy problems. While Washington plays politics with American energy supplies, people are hurting – and the poor are hurting the most. The only hope the average poor person has is that gas prices won’t rise to $6.00/gallon. The poor cannot afford to hire advocates or lobbyists. Energy reform will be a major civil rights frontier of the next decade because the poor do not have a voice.
We call this a war on the poor because high-energy prices disproportionately impact America’s poor and low-income families. These prices are actually a highly regressive tax on America’s most vulnerable citizens. Although both McCain and Obama are making bold declarations about their plans for our future, many more specific recommendations and plans of action will be needed to address the needs of the poor. The poor in America do not comprise one homogenous group. Included in this “poverty” label are urban minorities, some rural farming communities, and many elderly of all races.