Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 31 May 2002 — Page 26

THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

FRIDAY, MAY 31,2002

PAGE D2

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TECH Continued from D1 puter user to access files and programs on someone else’s computer at a different location. Emulation is not necessary in this situation but certain softwear unique to cross platform networking is essential. This type of data sharing is almost the same in concept that the Internet is built on, but the Internet refers to data sharing on a global scale. Again your particular computer platform is not a concern to surf the Web since the data is uniform across all platforms. The Internet refers to computers around the world being linked or networked together in such a way as to allow you to have the advantage of being able to access information stored on all of those other computers around the world from your desktop or laptop. If you have this type of networking system in place within a company structure then it’s then referred to as. Intranet instead of - the Internet. Remember, (Intranet, company network), (Internet, global network), I think you’ve got it!

Women of color & Social Security

It si uallly PRINTING

Keith Rand Joyce Rand Owners LattsrhMd, Envalopra, Multi-part forma, Buainaaa Card a, oto. 5410 Emerson Way, Suite 3 .Indianapolis, IN 46226 Phone 255-2748 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m Monday - Friday

lively, and 87 percent and 74 percent of the earnings of white women, respectively. Moreover, African-American women’s median weekly earnings are just 87 percent of African-American men’s, and Hispanic women’s earnings are just 88 percent of Hispanic men’s. Especially for women of color and their families, Social Security is more than just a retirement program: its disability and survivor benefits provide comprehensive family insurance in the event of premature death or disability of a worker. While African Americans make up 9 percent of all female beneficiaries, African-American women constitute 18 percent of female disabled worker beneficiaries. Social Security’s children’s benefits are also especially important to the African-American community. Whereas 7 percent of all Social Security beneficiaries are children, 15 percent of AfricanAmerican beneficiaries are children. Privatizing Social Security would require deep cuts in all

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types of Social Security benefits, even for those who choose not to participate in private accounts. Diverting revenue from Social Security to fund private accounts, as the plans proposed by President Bush’s Social Security Commission would do, takes trillions of dollars out of the Social Security program and thus would require deep cuts in Social Security’s guaranteed benefits. The plan advanced by the commission that relies least on transfers of general revenue to finance the high cost of transitioning to a system of private accounts would cut Social Security benefits for future retirees by over 45 percent. Because Social Security makes up a larger percentage of the retirement income of women of color than it does for white women or men of color, these cuts would have a disproportionate effect on them. Moreover, women of color and other low earners are especially unlikely to be able to make up for these cuts through their private accounts. Private accounts, especially small ones, are unlikely to make up for cuts in retirement benefits. In contrast to the progressivity built in to Social Security, the size of a private account depends on the amount a worker has to contribute, the return'6n investments, and administrative costs. The low lifetime earnings of women of color would translate into meager accounts upon retirement. Based on their median annual earnings, with a plan diverting two percentage points of payroll taxes into private accounts African-American women would be able to invest about $398 per year, and Hispanic women would be able to invest about $296 per

Continued from D1 year — hardly enough to build a large nest egg, especially when

Life Expectancy by Race, Ethnicity and Gender, 1999

management fees are deducted.

ALL RACES ‘

at birth

at age 20

at age 65

For example, the Social

women

Security Administration’s Office of the Actuary estimates that a

men WHITE

lifetime low-earner, who still

women

earns more than the median Hispanic woman worker, could

men BLACK

81 '

expect to accumulate about

women

$57j000 by retirement in an account created by investing 2

men HISPANIC

percent of earnings. Such an

women

amount, stretched over an

additional 17 or 22 years (for the

average African-American or

men NA * not available Sources:

NA , . ’

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Hispanic woman, respectively), is unlikely to make up for the cuts in Social Security benefits required by privatization for such

an earner.

Private accounts, especially small ones, would be insufficient to make up for cuts in disability and survivor benefits. The formulas for calculating retirement, disability and survivor benefits are tightly integrated with one another, making it virtually impossible to change one without affecting the others. As a result, despite promises by various members of President Bush’s Social Security Commission that their plans would protect disability and survivor benefits from benefit cuts, the reduction in retirement benefits required by the commission's plans means a similar reduction in disability and survivor benefits, as the commission’s final report acknowledges. Improving retirement security for women of color can best be

National Center for Health Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau

accomplished by adding to, not privatizing, Social Security. Social Security benefits have reduced poverty among elderly women of color by about 50 percent, but disproportionate numbers of women of color are still poor. In 2000, 26 percent of older African-American women, 20 percent of older Hispanic, and 11 percent of older white women lived in poverty, as compared to 17 percent of older AfricanAmerican men, 18 percent of older Hispanic men, and 7 percent of older white men. Social Security benefits can and should be improved to reduce poverty further. For example, improving Social Security’s minimum benefit could provide women of color and other low-wage earners with substantial work records a Social Security retirement benefit that would keep them above the

poverty level. Women of color need greater access to pensions and savings in addition to, not as a substitute for, a secure, lifetime stream of income from Social Security. Strengthening Social Security is feasible, if privatization schemes do not divert trillions of dollars into private accounts and we make it a priority. The longterm cost of the tax cut passed last year is more than twice as large as the long-term shortfall in Social Security, and its benefits go overwhelmingly to the wealthiest 5 percent of taxpayers, and the largest 2 percent of estates. Postponing the parts of the tax cut that have yet to take effect and that benefit only the wealthiest taxpayers would enable us to increase economic security for women of color and other vulnerable populations.

BUSINESS EXCHANGE

Stop treating symptoms and address causes of Black ills

By WILLIAM REED Black doctors say the health care industry needs more diversity in its outreach and administration. To narrow health disparities between African Americans and whites, federal health officials have adopted a program to get American minorities to “take a loved one to the doctor” this fall. Whi le the Department of Health and Human Services' purpose of getting African Americans to “Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day,” Sept. 24 is good; its medium lacks sufficient community-level participation. HHS’s partnership with ABC Radio Network “to promote health awareness among Black Americans” is akin to feeding an elephant to reach sparrows. A better move would be to economically empower more AfricanAmerican communities’ health care professionals, businesses and media in their outreach. Narrowing the enormous disparities between African-Ameri-can and white communities requires Blacks getting more than educational reach through corporate giants like ABC Radio Networks. Blacks trail whites in health quality and industry revenues and need broader administration and participation from, and with, the health care industry to prosper and grow.

Black Americans’ lifestyles can increase as more of our economic situations increase. Lack of money causes Black infant mortality rates to be twice as high as it is for whites. More money among us will bring African-American average lifeexpectancy upfrom 71.2 years, more in alignment with that of whites, who live an average of 77.4 years. HHS officials are of the impression they are practicing diversity in using the Tom Joyner Morning Show, which reaches 17 million African Americans each week via 119 affiliates, to promote “Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day.” But, the lack of Black-owned media in the mix shows the case is really about the rich getting richer via problems of the poor. ABC/ Capital Cities is a $50 billion firm, of which Joyner’s show is an affiliate of an affiliate. This deal is the second such African-American outreach effort struck with HHS by ABC’s Radio Network’s Afri-can-American executive vice president and general manager Daryl Brown. Brown says the campaign will “galvanize” African Americans on the importance of health care. Albeit true that Joyner’s program has helped people marketing issues and consumer products take note of the Black marketplace, much more must be done to circulate such dol-

lars inside our communities. The National Bar Association (NMA) touts a better and broader way to boost Black capitalism in health care. Saying the pharmaceutical industry’s radio, television and print ads don’t reflect diversity. Black doctors suggest the industry to boost cultural diversity in direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising and place more ads in traditionally African-American media outlets. Manufacturers’ ads targeted di-rect-to-consumer advertising is a popular promotional tool technique that only reaches Blacks through mainstream media. Last year, prescription drug manufacturers spent almost $2 billion on this type of advertising, less than 1 percent with Black-owned media. Huge numbers of African Americans suffer from cardiovascular disease, diabetes and HIV/ AIDS and should be proportionately reflected in ads promoting treatments for those diseases. Boosting Black capitalism is a much better treatment toward narrowing health and economic disparities experienced by Blacks. The health care industry can capture the attention of Black health care consumers, and help more of us feel better, with dollars that empower African-American groups and individuals at the local and community level.

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including long distance phone service. “During this time of economic slowdown, it is essential that Americans fight back when these giant companies raise their rates,” says Matt Coffin, founder and CEO of LowerMyBills.com. “This is the reason I started the Web site in the first place-to compare and pay less even when the rates are increasing." The Web site compares brand name and Internet exclusive deals so the savings, including fees, are easy to understand. LowerMyBills.com offers a wide

range of discounted rates and plans that charge as little as 41/2 cents per minute with no monthly or minimum fees which include some of the lowest rates available for the big companies. LowerMyBills.com has also expanded the comparison service to 13 other, unavoidable bills including cellular, auto insurance and credit cards. The Web site has saved over 330,000 Americans over 100 million dollars. To team more, visit wwh’. LowerMyBills.com.

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