Atention Obscures larger concerns for Poor Americans

The Rev. Jesse Jackson's presence in the turmoil surrounding Terri Schiavo highlights a simmering debate among black politicians: While Jackson's appearance on behalf of Schiavo's parents reflected a strain of social conservatism, others say the attention on one tragic case is excessive and unfair because it obscures larger concerns for poor Americans.While noting that he thought the tube should be reinserted, Jackson said the government should do more to feed all hungry and disadvantaged Americans. "I implore them to apply this same passion for Terri Schiavo to the young infants and children dying of starvation and lack of prenatal and postnatal care," Jackson said in a statement released by the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, his Chicago-based group. "Those on food stamps need a feeding tube to fend off poverty." Of the 23 members of the Congressional Black Caucus who voted — 17 did not attend — 10 supported the Republican-sponsored bill. They included Jesse Jackson, Jr., D-Ill., and Albert Wynn, D-Md., who in a statement said it was a "question of conscience." Rep. Melvin L. Watt, a North Carolina Democrat and chairman of the CBC, disagreed. "I'm wondering how many children are going to bed hungry tonight and how many we could feed with (the) amount of money" that Congress has spent on the case, he said on the House floor. "How many feeding tubes have we withdrawn by our own indifference in this body?" [more]