Time to remember donations of African Americans
Black History Month began Monday and continues through Feb. 28. This is a special time to recognize the struggles and prejudices faced by African Americans throughout the history of this country and the invaluable contributions many of them have made.
It’s an opportunity to expand our understanding and appreciation for their contributions.
Black History Month was first observed in 1976 and in 1983 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday was declared a federal holiday.
Two major events planned in Monroeville are the Black History Month Program at the Monroe County Heritage Museums on Feb. 20 and the Heritage Arts Festival to be held Feb. 27 on the Monroeville Square.
Huge strides have been made to erase all racial barriers in Monroe County over the years. This can be seen through the way black and white elected and appointed officials work together to make this county a better place for everyone.
We have discovered over the years that only by working together as one people can we truly grow as a community. And, during these extremely hard times, helping each other is more important than ever. We must continue to lift each other up and find ways to overcome this economic bump in the road. We’ve done it before and by working together we will do it again.
Congress can stimulate economy and create jobs with a better tax table
When President Obama said he wants to shift the burden of paying the most income tax from the middle class to the rich, he hit the nail square on the head.
In the last 20 or so years, the middle class has carried much of the tax burden while our current tax code helps some billion-dollar businesses and industries legally avoid paying their fair share.
During his visit to Monroeville Saturday, U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby of Tuscaloosa said the current federal tax code should be written where everyone pays an equal share of income tax.
In the past, Shelby has supported the idea of every American paying a level tax of 10 to 15 percent in lieu of the present tax laws where tax rates vary from individual to individual.
If President Obama and Congress want to stimulate the economy they’ll find ways to put money back in consumers’ pockets to create a demand for products. They’ll continue the tax breaks for homebuilders and possibly increase those cash breaks.
Giving small business owners $1,500 to hire additional workers is great, but it is not going to be taken advantage of in this economy. It costs far more than $1,500 to pay an employee’s salary and benefits even if the employee makes minimum wage.
So, employers are not going to hire someone to sit around and take up space, which is what would happen in this economy, just to get $1,500 off his tax bill.
Our economy was created on supply and demand and until the demand for products increases, there will be minimal hiring and little growth. It would be even better if those products were American made.
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From the Thursday, February 4, 2010 edition
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