Bill Clinton did more than any other human being, of any race, to bring prosperity to Harlem. Does that undisputed fact of history obligate black people to support his wife? No. But it does, I think obligate the people of Harlem to show him some respect. Calling him a plantation owner, as did NY State Senator Bill Perkins in February of 2008, is disgusting and indefensible. We must never forgive or forget. From Time magazine , 1994: Along Harlem's main thoroughfare, 125th Street, business is booming, a function of indigenous forces mostly but of Clinton's policies as well. The vacancy rate for commercial property is less than 2%, and space is renting for more than $30 per sq. ft., about the same as in midtown Manhattan, an astounding surge. New stores will soon dot the cross streets, and nearby housing units are being rehabilitated. The private investment responsible for most of this growth is following rising incomes and the return of better-off families. "EZs," as they are known, are the latest incarnation of an old idea formerly called enterprise zones. What Clinton's added to the notion beyond tax incentives for businesses is a panoply of social services (day care and job training being the most prominent) designed to produce a work force capable of staffing the enterprises likely to be attracted by the tax breaks. After the Harlem-South Bronx EZ is formally approved later this year, the Federal Government will pour $100 million int ...
Anytime
