Contributing Writers: Azad Ali, Tangerine Clarke,
Nelson King, Vinette K. Pryce, Bert Wilkinson, Lloyd Kam
Williams
GENERAL INFORMATION (718) 260-2500
Caribbean L 10 ife, May 10–16, 2019 BQ
By Albert Baldeo
Article 1, Section 2, the
U.S. Constitution provides,
“Representatives and direct
Taxes shall be apportioned
among the several States ...
according to their respective
Numbers ...The actual
Enumeration shall be made
within three Years after the
first Meeting of the Congress
of the United States,
and within every subsequent
Term of ten Years, in
such Manner as they shall
by Law direct.”
The 14th Amendment
mandates apportionment of
representatives “according
to their respective numbers,
counting the whole
number of persons in each
state,” as distinct from citizens
only.
An accurate census is
critical for all communities
to be provided fair
resources for services and
representation in government,
relative to the taxes,
sacrifices and the blood,
sweat and tears they shed
daily for America’s prosperity.
Caribbean nationals,
West Indians, Guyanese,
Trinidadians, Jamaicans,
Asian Americans, Latinos
and other immigrant communities
have historically
been under counted, and
this question will only lead
to fear and even more drastically
reduced response
rates, especially in places
like New York, DC and California.
Many Caribbean families
form the backbone
of these and other large
immigrant sanctuary cities
in the USA, and many
families are sponsored to
join them, via immigration.
What happens in America,
affects the entire world.
Consequently, the amount
of money remitted, medical
supplies, barrels of goodies
and other items sent to the
Caribbean will depend on
the standard of living here
in the USA.
On behalf of the Diaspora
and other people living
here in America, we must,
vehemently, oppose the
addition of the citizenship
question to the 2020 census
questionnaire, because
it will scare our communities
into non-participation.
The hospitals, schools,
social services, senior
centers, after school programs,
pre-K services, day
care, transportation and
other services are among
the worst in the nation,
although immigrants most
times have to do two to
three jobs to make ends
meet, pay their taxes willingly,
and most refuse social
and public assistance — all
in pursuit of the sometimes
elusive American dream.
The present administration’s
announcement that
it intends to include a citizenship
question is myopic
and ill-advised, and defeats
the entire purpose for taking
a decennial nationwide
census in the first place.
Indeed, it violates the
Founding Fathers motives
for gathering census data
as part of the U.S. Constitution.
In the last census count,
in 2010, despite our collective
efforts to get everyone
counted, the city’s response
rate was only 62 percent.
Fifty thousand residents
were not counted, causing
New York to lose two Congressional
seats, and it may
be worse this time around.
There are now 3.2 million
foreign-born people
in New York City, out of
8.6 million residents. Of
those foreign-born, 46 percent
are non-citizens, with
at least 500,000 undocumented,
all of whom use
public resources and services.
Millions will be under
counted.
Congress depends on
those results not only to
decide how to distribute
federal resources, but how
to determine the number
of congressional districts
in each state. It is the most
important data and economic
tool in America, and
is used to plan the provision
of health care, law
enforcement, education,
employment, transportation,
social services, like
where to build new schools,
roads, health care facilities,
By Howard Hanna
In the last eight years, I’ve
opened two restaurants: The
Rieger in 2010 and Ça Va in
2014. Throughout that time,
the federal minimum wage
remained stagnant at $7.25
despite the rising cost of living.
To me that seems profoundly
unfair.
As a restaurant owner, I
strongly support legislation
that would raise the federal
minimum wage to $15 by 2024.
I also support gradually phasing
out the tipped minimum
wage to assure all workers get
reliable living wages whatever
their position.
Two things are clear: First,
the minimum wage hasn’t kept
up with the cost of living —
$7.25 comes to just $15,080 a
year for full-time workers. And
second, paying higher wages
has real bottom-line business
benefits.
One of the industries that
would be most impacted by
raising the minimum wage is
the restaurant and hospitality
industry, and that impact will
be positive. In the past, restaurant
work was a real path
out of poverty for many. When
my mother immigrated to the
US in the 1970s, she could see
the possibility that her children
could start in the service
industry as a dishwasher, and
then years later be the chef and
owner of a restaurant. Similarly,
people needing a second
chance out of hard times could
once find work in this industry
and create a better life for
themselves and their families.
Sadly, that’s not the reality
for most today. Far too many
people work long hard hours,
yet still live in poverty. We need
wages that a person working
full time can actually live on.
In my experience, paying
above minimum wage and
treating our employees well
has been a recipe for success.
We’re looking forward to opening
two new restaurants next
year, while our existing businesses
continue to grow.
We need dedicated employees
whose goals align with ours
to provide real hospitality and
make our restaurants the best
they can be. Paying above the
current minimum wage has
helped us hire and retain people
and deliver a great experience
to our guests.
The low-wage, high-turnover
business model is not sustainable.
Training new staff is
time-consuming and expensive.
Once someone has learned
the job, we want them to stay
so we can build institutional
knowledge and a strong culture
within our restaurants.
When people are paid fairly
and feel respected, they care
more about the business and
are better team players. They
are more careful about food
waste and they’re more efficient.
They look out for our best
interests because we’ve created
a culture of respect.
Raising the minimum wage
raises everyone up. It puts more
money in the hands of those
who most need to spend it,
and it will boost the economy.
Workers who are paid a decent
OP-EDS
The present
administration’s
announcement
that it intends
to include a
citizenship
question is myopic
and ill-advised,
and defeats the
entire purpose for
taking a decennial
nationwide census
in the first place.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR are welcome from all readers. They should be addressed care of this newspaper to the Editor,
Caribbean-Life Publications, 1 MetroTech Center North, Brooklyn, New York 11201, or sent via e-mail to caribbeanlife@
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address and telephone number included. Note that the address and telephone number will NOT be published and the
name will be published or withheld on request. No unsigned letters can be accepted for publication. The editor reserves
the right to edit all submissions.
Continued on Page 14
Continued on Page 12
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Caribbean-Americans
will not collectively
benefit from the census
Raising minimum wage
is recipe for success
/schnepsmedia.com