2018-05-18

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May 18 - 24, 2018 | Orlando Advocate
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Why child care costs more than college tuition – and how to make it more affordable
By Taryn Morrissey - Originally published in The Conversation
A teaching assistant helps a child with glue at Redwood Early Learning Center in North
Little Rock, Arkansas. Danny Johnston/AP
Amid the continually
rising cost of tuition, the
idea of free college has
received growing attention
over the past few years. For
instance, from 2014 to 2017,
35 states took up 80 bills
related to free college.
Early care and education
has also received attention,
but it could be given more,
especially when you consider
how child care for infants
costs more than tuition at
four-year public colleges in
28 states and the District of
Columbia. Similarly, child
care for 4-year-olds costs
more than public college
tuition in 15 states and the
District of Columbia.
The reality is that child
care in America is expensive
and out of reach for many
families. Whether centerbased
or family child care,
the average cost of child
care nationally exceeds
US$8,600 per year.
By comparison, that is
more than double the estimated
average net tuition
and fee price of $4,140
paid by full-time in-state
students at public four-year
institutions in the 2017-18
academic year.
There are other good
reasons why child care affordability
should get just
as much attention as college
affordability, if not more.
For starters, families
typically use child care for
five years per child – a
year longer than earning a
bachelor’s degree is supposed
to take.
A matter of timing
Further, child care lacks
the financing options, such
as loans and grants, that
many middle-class families
use for college costs – and
this despite the fact that
parents don’t have years to
save for child care like they
do for college. Additionally,
child care costs are typically
highest during families’
lowest earning years.
For low-income families,
public early care and
education programs provide
limited benefits, but the
system is underfunded. For
example, only 40 percent of
4-year-olds from poor families
attend Head Start and
only 4 percent of infants and
toddlers from poor families
attend Early Head Start. In
2012, only 25 percent of eligible
children received child
care subsidies. In 2016,
20 states had waiting lists
or frozen intake for child
care assistance, and many
low-income families remain
confused about eligibility
requirements and the application
process.
The federal child and
dependent care tax credit
– which allows parents to
deduct eligible child care
costs from their taxes – is
capped at $3,000 for one
child and $6,000 for two
or more children, and is
not refundable, meaning it
does not benefit the lowestincome
families that don’t
earn enough to owe taxes.
In 2015, the average credit
was $565 – a drop in the
bucket compared to child
care expenses.
What results is that
families with children aged
5 years or younger spend
an average of 10 percent of
their income on child care.
Families that live in poverty
spend 30 percent of their
income on child care.
Over the last decade,
several states and cities
like New York City, the
District of Columbia and
San Antonio have created
public preschool programs
that serve children from
low- and higher-income
families. Georgia and Oklahoma
were the pioneers on
this front, beginning their
universal prekindergarten
programs in the 1990s. Also
See Child Care- pg 10

MEGHAN MARKLE AND MOM DORIA RAGLAND HEADED TO ENGLAND

6
Orlando Advocate |May 18 - 24, 2018
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North Carolina tells environmental group it’s illegal to sell solar power to Black church
By E.A. Crunden
GREENSBORO, NC - A partnership
between a predominately
Black church and an environmental
group in North Carolina aiming to
provide solar power lost its appeal
to the state’s highest court after an
ongoing battle. The case speaks to
the setbacks environmental advocates
and proponents of renewable
energy have faced in their efforts
to promote small-scale sustainable
power in the South.
On Friday, the North Carolina
Supreme Court rejected a challenge
brought by the North Carolina
Waste Awareness and Reduction
Network (NC WARN), a cleanenergy
advocacy group attempting
to challenge the monopoly held by
Duke Energy Corp.
In a one-word opinion, the
court ruled that regulators were
within their rights when they
decided NC WARN broke electric-service
rules in the state in
selling cheap and clean power to
the Faith Community Church in
Greensboro. Duke Energy has a
government-sanctioned monopoly
and argued such efforts threatened
the corporation.
NC WARN criticized the decision
and lamented the blow to
cheap small-scale solar power in
the state.
“It’s very unfortunate that Duke
Energy remains able to protect its
monopoly against clean competition
and to keep stifling the growth
of cheaper solar power across
North Carolina,” NC WARN said
in a statement released following
the decision.
“In an age of accelerating
climate crisis, state officials, the
public, the news media and civic
leaders all must finally begin to
demand a clear and open dialogue
about Duke’s ongoing, massive
expansion of climate-wrecking
fracked natural gas while it does
the bare minimum in renewable
energy,” the organization said.
NC WARN went on to note
that Duke Energy, one of the
country’s biggest utilities companies,
plans to “reach only 7 percent
renewables over the next 15 years”
— a shortcoming the clean-energy
group says has been overlooked by
state regulators thanks to a “successful
greenwashing campaign”.
A spokesman for Duke Energy,
Randy Wheeless, said the corporation
welcomed the news. “We are
pleased with the swift decision
by the N.C. Supreme Court,” said
Wheeless.
In 2016, NC WARN was originally
fined $60,000 in the lower
court by the North Carolina Utilities
Commission — this represents
a $200 fine for each day of electric
service, meant to be paid to the
church. The Supreme Court decision
upholds that ruling but the
energy organization has indicated
they believe that penalty will be
set aside.
Solar proponents face an uphill
battle throughout the Southeast,
where efforts to break through the
monopolies held by energy companies
have proven particularly
challenging. Nine states currently
ban or restrict third-party power
purchase agreements for solar. Of
those, four are Southeastern: North
Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama,
and Florida. West Virginia,
Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arkansas,
and Kansas, the other states impacted,
are all Southern or border
the region.
As a sun-drenched, warm
region, the Southeast offers a
seemingly ideal environment for
solar power. But in states like
North Carolina, energy sales are
reserved for utility companies.
North Carolina is technically
second nationally after California
Rev. Nelson Johnson, pastor of Faith Community Church, speaks at a
ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Freedom Solar project. Credit: NC WARN
when it comes to total solar power
generation, but only 17th in smallscale
generation.
Charlotte-based Duke Energy
currently serves millions of people
in the Carolinas, Indiana, Florida,
Kentucky, and Ohio, with no
real challengers. Much of North
Carolina’s solar power is sold by
large farms to Duke, which resells
that energy.
The Smart Electric Power
Alliance ranked Duke fourth nationally
among utility companies
adding solar power and storage in
2017. Earlier this year, in April,
Duke announced that customers
can begin signing up this summer
for rebates helping with the cost
of installing solar panels, a move
that came in light of statewide
legislation supporting solar energy
last year.
But that trend still doesn’t
change the energy power structure
— something groups like NC
continued on page 10

May 18 - 24, 2018 | Orlando Advocate 7
Lifestyle
Veteran Chicago soul
band Bumpus returned in a
big way this March, with its
first release since 2007. The
band was a funk tour de force
in the 2000s, but faced some
personnel changes in the
early 2010s that sidelined new
recording projects. The group
still has performed locally over
the past few years, and the
band’s new lineup and infectious
live energy is effectively
captured on its Way Down
Deep EP.
Bumpus is perhaps most
well-known for its killer, highenergy
live show, with one of
the region’s funkiest rhythm
sections and a horn line to
match. However, Way Down
Deep showcases the band’s
vocalists, James Johnston,
Ava Fain and Tina Howell,
whose layered, soulful voices
drive the 6-song set. The
band’s bread and butter is
tightly knit guitar-driven funk
tunes like the self-assured
“Step Sure or Step Aside,” a
challenge to “suckas” that is
propelled by an active bass
groove and soulful Hammond
organ. The EP’s highlight is
the 2-part “Way Down Deep.”
Part 1 is a solid lovin’ song infused
with horn hits and funky
drumming, but the song’s
bridge gradually morphs into
the spaced-out P-Funk territory
that characterizes Part
2, with phased out vocals
and instruments as well as
an extended What’s Going
On – style saxophone solo
over gradually fading backing
vocals.
It is a great benefit to
Chicago’s music scene that
Bumpus is back and bumpin’.
Hopefully, Way Down Deep
will usher in another decade
of solid grooves and soulful
songwriting.

May 18 - 24, 2018 | Orlando Advocate 8
Food
Health & Wellness
Grocery Store Smothered Chicken
YOGA POSES TO
EASE BACK PAIN
Is there anything better
than fried chicken? Yes,
smothered chicken. We ate
it a few times a month growing
up. There’s just nothing
like smothered chicken
with a perfectly seasoned
gravy over rice or mashed
potatoes. The only problem
I have is the time it takes to
make. First you fry. Then,
you smother. I can’t tell you
the times I ended with the
fry instead of the smother
8 pieces of grocery store fried chicken
1/2 cup of diced onion
1/2 cup of diced bell pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of Canola oil
2 cups of beef stock
2 cups of chicken stock
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
2 tablespoons of all purpose flour
chopped parsley, to garnish
1. In a large skillet, sauté the onion, bell pepper, and
garlic in Canola oil until the onions are tender.
2. Then, add whisk in the flour and cook for about
60 seconds.
3. Next, whisk in the beef stock and chicken stock and
season the mixture the with black pepper, garlic powder,
and onion powder. Cook on medium high heat until the
gravy starts to come to a boil and thicken. Then, reduce
the heat to a simmer.
4. Cook the chicken in the gravy for about 20 minutes
so that the chicken picks up all of the gravy flavor.
5. To serve, sprinkle over chopped parsley and enjoy
while it’s still hot.
because I didn’t feel like
going the extra step. Well,
now – you don’t have to.
Using store-bought fried
chicken is such the move.
No one will ever know you
didn’t fry it yourself, well,
unless you tell them!
It’s no secret, our
bodies are under a lot of
stress, whether we’re standing
constantly or working
in uncomfortable shoes.
Even as you’re reading this
article, you may be sitting
down with your shoulders
hunched over and back
sloped, feeling a little
discomfort. According to
the American Chiropractic
Association, 80 percent of
Americans will experience
back pain at some point in
their lives and spend $50
billion each year to try to
alleviate it.
While you shouldn’t put
a cost to your health, it
doesn’t have to be so expensive
to help heal some
issues. Yoga is one of the
most effective ways to help
relieve back pain and it can
also ease potential stress on
your wallet. Just by staying
in each pose for only a few
breaths a day, you’re on way
to help strengthen, stretch
and improve circulation to
the spine. Here are some of
the best poses that’ll help
benefit your back.
Balasana (Child’s Pose)
Probably one of the most
loved restorative poses, balasana
stretches the muscles
of the lower back, as well as
the hips, thighs and ankles.
It also promotes flexibility
and stress relief, releasing
lower back tension as your
back returns to the small
natural curve.
How to do:
Start on your hands and
knees in tabletop position.
Inhale and spread your
knees hip-width distance
apart as you bring your big
toes to touch. Exhale as
you press back though your
hands and send your hips to
to rest on your heels. Rest
your forehead on your mat
as you keep your arms long
and extended to the front of
your mat or lay your arms
along your body with your
hand facing palms up, resting
your torso between your
thighs. Keeping your eyes
closed, with each inhale,
broaden your back. On your
exhale, melt a little deeper
into your mat and if your
arms are extended, stretch
your fingertips even more
to the top of your mat. Hold
for five to 10 deep breaths.
Adho Mukha Shvanasana
(Downward Facing
Dog)
This is yoga’s most ubiquitous
pose and deservedly
so. Adho Mukha Shvanasana
offers the ultimate,
rejuvenating body stretch by
strengthening and lengthening
your hamstrings and
entire spine.
How to do:
Start by lying on your
stomach with your whole
body flat on the floor. Begin
to inhale as you place your
hands on the floor at the
bottom of your ribs with
fingertips facing forward
and your elbows tucked in.
Exhale as you engage your
core, lift your hips off the
floor, tuck your toes under
and straighten your arms
to create an upside-down V
shape, with your hips up towards
the sky. Set your gaze
at a point behind you. Your
hands should be shoulderwidth
apart and your feet
should be in line with your
with your hips. Try to keep
your legs straight while
pressing your heels towards
the floor. Inhale as you
lengthen your spine, keeping
your neck long and your
shoulder blades down your
back. Exhale as you press
through your chest, moving
it towards your thighs. Hold
for five to 10 breaths.
This relieving stretch is
especially beneficial for
those with sciatica. It opens
the hips while stretching the
lower back, hips and inner
thighs. Since the muscles
of the lower back, hips and
glutes are connected to the
pelvic girdle, stretching
these areas help alleviate
pressure on the lower back
and reduces tight back pain.
How to do:
Begin by lying on your
back with your knees bent,
with your soles of the feet
flat on the floor. Set you
gaze towards the sky. Cross
your right leg over your
left, with your right knee
sticking out to the side.
Clasp your hands together
behind your left leg, gently
pulling your legs towards
your chest, while keeping
your lower back flat. Hold
for ten deep breaths. Repeat
on opposite side.
Salamba Bhujangasana
(Sphinx Pose)
Sometimes referred to
as the baby of backbends,
this gentle pose helps reverse
the hunched over
position many experience
after spending majority of
their day sitting at desks or
constantly looking down at
their phones. It soothes the
lower back, strengthens the
spine and also opens the
chest, lungs and shoulders.
How to do:
Start by lying down on
your stomach with your legs
hip-width distance apart.
Keep your chin on your mat
and your forearms flat by
your sides with your finger
tips facing forward. Press
the tops of your feet into the
mat. On your inhale, press
your forearms into the floor
and lift your head and chest
off the mat as your middle
fingers point forward. Align
your elbows under your
shoulders and gaze at point
in front of you. Lengthen
through your entire spine,
keep your neck long and
draw your shoulders blades
down your back to keep
your shoulders away from
you ears. Hold for up to 10
breaths.
Supta Padangusthasana
(Reclining Hand-to-Big-
Toe Pose)
As mentioned earlier in
this article, because the hip
bones and glutes are connected
to the pelvis, overly
tight hips and hamstrings
limits motion in that area.
Essentially, stretching those
body parts help ease stress
on your lower back.
How to do:
Begin by lying down on
your back with your knees
bent, soles of the feet on
the floor. Inhale and extend
your right leg to your right
arm, grabbing your foot,
calf or thigh with you right
hand (you can also use a
strap to loop around the arch
of your foot as you relax the
the upper body). If you feel
comfortable here, exhale as
you lengthen the bent knee,
placing your left leg on the
ground and pressing your
left hand onto your leg as
you ground your hips and
keep your left foot actively
flexed. Hold for up to 10
breaths. Repeat on opposite
side.a
During your practice,
remember to take deep
breaths while in the pose
and while transitioning into
the next pose. While yoga is
known to have many physical
and mental benefits,
it’s always best to consult
with your physician before
starting any new exercise. If
you feel any strain while in
a pose, listen to your body
and go easy or skip the pose
altogether.

9
Orlando Advocate | May 18 - 24, 2018
Faith
6 THINGS TO DO WHILE
WAITING FOR YOUR BOAZ
by Amber Travis
Valentine’s Day is just
around the corner, which can
sometimes be difficult for
single women who are still
waiting for their “Boaz” to
come along and sweep them
off their feet. The story of Ruth
and Boaz is arguably one of
the greatest and most popular
love stories in the Bible. It’s the
story of Ruth, whose heart was
broken after the death of her
husband but healed by her faith
in God. Ruth met the wealthy
and kind Boaz while working
in his field to “glean behind
the harvesters” (Ruth 2). In
addition to being protective of
Ruth, Boaz admired her loyalty
to her mother-in-law and her
love for the Lord. As hardworking
women of God, so many of
us often dream of meeting our
hard-working, loving—and
sometimes wealthy—Boaz,
but what are we doing in the
meantime? Here are several
things you could be doing
while waiting on your own
Boaz to arrive:
COMPLETE UNFIN-
ISHED PROJECTS
We all have them. Whether
it’s that book you’ve been
meaning to write or the new
business you’ve been planning
to launch, now is the perfect
time to regain your focus and
get it done.
ENJOY TIME WITH
FAMILY AND FRIENDS
While in a relationship, it is
so easy to spend all of your free
time with your partner, leaving
little room for time with family
and friends. Call up your loved
ones for a fun movie night, an
impromptu girls night, or even
a weekend road trip. Tomorrow
isn’t promised, so spend those
precious moments with your
loved ones while you can.
PERSONAL AND PRO-
FESSIONAL DEVELOP-
MENT
There is always room
for personal and professional
growth, so why not start now?
Sit down and make a list of all
of your personal and professional
goals. Perhaps your
goals include going back to
school to get your college
degree, strengthening your
relationship with God, receiving
some sort of certification
in your industry, or losing
weight. Whatever your goal
is, it is important that you also
write down the list of tasks that
must be completed in order to
achieve those goals.
READ A BOOK
Yeah, we know. This may
sound like an easy task, but in
this day and age, taking time
to sit down and read a book is
easier said than done. Not only
does reading serve as a stress
reliever from our day-to-day
lives, but it also allows us to
educate ourselves on a variety
of topics that we may have
never taken the time to explore
had we not been single.
SPEND TIME WITH
YOURSELF
When was the last time
you took yourself out to dinner?
What about going to see
a movie alone? Perhaps you
should give it a try. Spending
quality time alone is actually a
great way to build self-confidence
in addition to changing
your mindset about needing a
partner in order to have fun.
TAKE TIME TO EX-
PLORE WHAT YOU RE-
ALLY WANT
Before jumping into your
next relationship, now may be
a good time to sit down and
really figure out what it is that
you really want in a partner.
There’s a reason why none of
your past relationships worked
out, so perhaps it’s time to hit
“pause” and really figure out
what it is that you not only
want in a partner, but what you
actually need in a man.
Beauty
9 THINGS TO ADD TO YOUR
WATER FOR FLAWLESS SKIN
The secret to great-looking
skin isn’t all about what
you put on your skin, it’s
about what you put in your
body. And it doesn’t take a
complicated diet either. The
power of plain old’ simple
water can help do the trick.
Now, if you’re trying to
clear things up on your skin
or prevent things like skin
irritation, then adding a few
simple ingredients from
Mother nature can help.
Here are a few below:
To Hydrate Skin/Reduce
Inflammation:
Cucumber – Adding cucumber
slices to your water
not only makes your favorite
(and trendiest) spa water, but
it also soothes any irritation
and doubles the hydration.
To Rejuvenate Dull
Skin:
Strawberry – When you
add strawberries to your
water, the water sucks out
some of the vitamin C and
antioxidants in the fruit,
delivering all those glowboosting
ingredients to your
body.
Mint – Mint helps to
aid digestion, which will
help your skin glow from
the inside out. It soothes the
stomach in case of inflammation.
Chia seeds – Chia seeds
are a powerful superfood
packed with antioxidants and
Omega-3s, both of which
transform dull skin into a
supermodel glow.
To Clear Acne:
Baking soda – That’s
right, baking soda balances
pH and promote healing
of the body inside and out.
Although acidity is necessary
for the digestion of
food, too much acidity in the
body promotes diseases such
as osteoporosis, cancer, and
arthritis. All of these conditions
thrive in an acidic environment.
Drinking baking
soda dissolved in water helps
to balance pH and promotes
wellbeing and energy..
ACV – Apple cider vinegar
works similarly as lemons
do to detoxify the organs
in your body, including the
largest organ — your skin.
Add up to 1 tbsp in a glass of
water for a more mild taste.
Raw Honey – A drop
of raw honey has great antibacterial
purposes, which
can help clear up a breakout
whether it’s spread on your
face or in your water (and
can sweeten up the sour
taste of apple cider vinegar
water).
Cinnamon – The sweet
power of cinnamon improves
circulation in the blood and
helps to get rid of breakouts
(Tip: For a fall-weatherappropriate
alternative, try
boiling water with cinnamon
and apples slices to reap all
the skin-clearing benefits,
while making a tasty drink
that smells like fall)
Aloe Vera – Thanks to
the hydration properties
and high concentration of
vitamin C in aloe vera, aloe
vera water can be a powerful
fighter against adult acne.
Don’t know how to use
the ingredients above? Here
are a few simple recipes to
get you started:
Apple Cinnamon Detox
Water
– 1 thinly sliced apple
(skin on or off)…
1 stick of cinnamon
– 1 half gallon of water
– Ice
Cucumber, Lemon,
Mint Detox Water
– 1/2 Cucumber
– 1 thinly sliced lemon
– 10 mint leaves
– 1 half gallon of water
– Ice
Lemon, Kiwi, Strawberry
Detox Water
– 2 thinly sliced lemons
– 3 thinly sliced kiwis
– 3 cups of halved strawberries
– 1 half gallon of water
– Ice

10
Child Care
continued from page 3
in recent years, five states and the District of
Columbia passed laws to create paid family
leave programs. Both universal preschool
and paid family leave programs are important
for promoting children’s development.
But what warrants much greater investment
and policy attention is the gap between age
8 weeks – when parental leave ends – and
ages 3 or 4, when preschool begins.
Learning gaps start early
High-quality care during the infant and
toddler years is particularly important when
you consider the research that shows the
most rapid period of learning and brain development
takes place during the first three
years of life. There is growing evidence that
the gaps in test scores between children from
low-income and high-income families begin
well before students enter kindergarten.
One likely contributor to these achievement
gaps is the gap in center care and
preschool attendance between children
from low- and higher-income families. For
instance, in 2005, 22 percent of 1-year-olds
from families with moderate incomes attended
center-based care, compared to just
11 percent of 1-year-olds from low-income
families, federal statistics show.
Decades of research show the many benefits
of high-quality early care and education.
Right now, unequal access to high-quality
child care is exacerbating social and economic
inequality. Speaking as a researcher in
the field of child care for more than a decade,
I believe that access to high-quality early
learning opportunities needs to be expanded
to narrow achievement gaps.
Labor costs and salaries
So how is it that it costs more to drop
your baby or toddler off at day care than it
does for your young adult child to attend
college?
It’s not that child care teachers are paid
generously. The median hourly wage for
child care workers was only $10.18 in 2016
– less than the median hourly wage of $10.45
for parking lot attendants. Many earn salaries
so low they are eligible for or receive public
assistance.
But it is still the cost of teachers that
makes child care cost more than college. The
majority of child care expenses cover labor
costs. That’s because child care teachers
– for numerous health, safety and developmental
reasons – are only permitted to be
responsible for small groups of children.
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The allowable child-to-teacher ratios vary
from state to state. For example, Early Head
Start programs require ratios of four infants
to one caregiver and cap class sizes at eight
children.
Simply put, many ordinary business
principles – such as increased productivity
among workers or economies of scale – simply
do not apply in the world of child care.
Greater investments needed
So what can be done to both improve
the quality and increase the affordability of
child care? My co-authored book, “Cradle
to Kindergarten: A New Plan to Combat
Inequality,” provides a comprehensive plan
for doing so. The book recommends a mix of
paid parental leave, enhanced child care subsidies,
universal preschool and a reimagined
Head Start to begin at or before birth.
At a minimum, I believe there should
be greater investment in the early years,
particularly in expanding the child care
subsidy system to serve more children and
families and to pay child care providers
amounts that reflect the price of high-quality
care. The additional $2.9 billion for the Child
Care and Development Block Grant program
included in the recent budget deal is a great
first step, and could serve an estimated
230,000 additional children in 2018.
States should use these funds to support
child care for infants and toddlers, the group
for whom care is most expensive and hardest
to find. States could also use funds to help
train and retain high-quality teachers, including
providing compensation that matches
their educational qualifications.
But this is just a down payment in what
needs to be a sustained, substantial effort.
Parents and their employers lose out when
kids attend low-quality, unreliable child
care. When child care breaks down, parents
can’t work. A recent report from Louisiana
estimates that the state’s economy loses $1.1
billion a year due to child care issues.
Policymakers increasingly recognize
the need for more affordable child care. For
example, Sen. Patty Murray’s Child Care
for Working Families Act, introduced this
past fall, would ensure that all low-income
families and many, if not most middle-class
families, would pay no more than 7 percent
of their income on child care.
As elected officials debate potential
investments in infrastructure, child care
should be seen as an essential part of the
equation. Just like transportation, workers
need child care to get to work. Employers
and the public have vested interests in
ensuring that the workers and taxpayers of
tomorrow receive high-quality early care and
education today.
Taryn Morrissey is Associate Professor
of Public Administration and Policy, American
University School of Public Affairs
Taryn Morrissey’s work has been supported
by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,
the Bainum Family Foundation, the
Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Heising-
Simons Foundation, the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. She is also a
Non-resident Fellow at the Urban Institute
Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) is very upset
that Democrats think racial discrimination
is still a problem. Days after a House floor
clash with Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) over
the House Republican majority’s decision
to rescind Obama-era protections against
auto lending discrimination, he complained
on Tuesday morning’s Fox & Friends that
claims of modern day racial inequalities are
not American.
Kelly, an automobile dealer, argued that
at a time when the economy is good, House
Democrats should not raise this issue. “We
have seen the economy take off,” he told Fox
& Friends. “I just think that if you come to
the floor and there are 60 minutes to debate.
30 minutes on each side. But as I was sitting
there, I had 30 minutes of Democrats coming
down and talking about how bad automobile
people are because they discriminate against
nonwhite buyers. I said that’s not America.
We don’t talk about those things.”
Kelly then credited President Trump
for having united America and purportedly
ending racial strife.
Orlando Advocate |May 18 - 24, 2018
Congressman says it is un-American
to acknowledge that racism exists
Solar Setback in North Carolina
continued from page 6
WARN want to challenge. Proponents of
small-scale solar power want to expand the
options available to customers throughout
the region.
The effort, and subsequent legal battle,
began three years ago when NC WARN
paid $20,000 to install solar panels on the
roof of the Faith Community Church. The
organization then charged the church 5 cents
per kilowatt-hour, selling the community
clean solar power in the sunny state. That
price is notably lower than the equivalent
offered by Duke Energy, which charges 11
cents per kilowatt-hour, according to Inside
Climate News, an intentional difference
meant to gauge whether regulators would
allow NC WARN’s efforts to continue.
Rev. Nelson Johnson, the church’s pastor,
supported the act as an environmental
justice endeavor. “Out of our faith tradition,
when you fight the good fight, that itself is
a (way of) winning,” he said.
In 2016, a court sided with the North
byJosh Israel
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) refuses to let racism be swept under the rug in Congress.
“We are a people of diversity, but we
come together to make America great again.
When I’ve seen what President Trump has
done and you come in this area you can see
it. It is so uplifting. Look at this, you say ‘if
your only platform is hate and resistance
and not about bringing the country together
again’ — I mean, listen, we are still the
United States of America, not Divided States
of America, and if we can’t talk better than
what happened on the floor the other day.
I was disappointed and the Democrats that
came down, every single person demagoguing
and talking about how bad automobile
people are. It’s just not true.”
The rules, guidance from the Consumer
Financial Protection Bureau, were established
in 2013 after studies found car dealers
often give higher interest rates markups
for nonwhite buyers than for their white
counterparts. House and Senate Republicans
voted, almost entirely on party lines, to
eliminate the guidance. President Trump is
expected to sign it.
Carolina Utilities Commission, which
argued that NC WARN was acting as a
“public utility” and threatening Duke
Energy’s monopoly in the process. During
that case, NC WARN stopped charging the
church for the power and the system itself
will likely be donated to that community.
The organization challenged the decision,
resulting in Friday’s ruling from the state’s
highest court.
Despite the setback, NC WARN
indicated the organization intends to
keep fighting Duke Energy and working
to expand solar options in the state.
Elsewhere in the country, solar opportunities
are becoming more readily
available. Last week, California issued
a new requirement mandating that all
new homes incorporate solar power.
The requirement is the first of its kind
in the United States.