"More Blacks in the Black Under Bush?" is the fourth in BlackAmericaWeb.com's five-part The Bush Report Card series examining the impact of George W. Bush's presidency on black America. Coming Tuesday: scandals of the Bush presidency.

Click here to read "The Bush Report Card, Part One: How Has Urban Black America Fared?"
Click here to read "The Bush Report Card, Part Two: Blacks, Iraq and the War President."
Click here to read "The Bush Report Card, Part Three: Blacks at the President’s Table."

"We're not going to rest until every American who wants a job can find one."  President George W. Bush, December 2005

Despite assurances by Bush that America's economy is strong and jobs are abundant, some economists say job growth is at its lowest point since WWII, that black unemployment remains twice as high as the rate of whites, and that black homeowners could face foreclosures at a time when the nation’s top automakers announced plans to eliminate 50,000 jobs in cities that include St. Louis, Detroit and Flint.

The economy, according to political observers, will likely play a prominent role in Tuesday’s State of the Union address as Bush seeks to reassure Americans the job market is rebounding.

Black congressional leaders, however, say many blacks are suffering as a result of the Bush administration’s economic policies and are asking constituents if they are satisfied with the quality of their lives.

"Some segments of the economy are doing well, but by and large, we're not doing well," Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, told BlackAmericaWeb.com.

"We’re losing lots of jobs, even high-tech jobs, to outsourcing to other countries like Mexico and China. I don’t see lots of jobs being created except for service jobs, minimum-wage jobs where health-care benefits are not associated."

"The question becomes how do we assess the state of our nation?" Watt asked. "How do we assess our own health care? Do we have jobs? Are we feeling secure? Are we moving forward with equity for minorities? Are we more in debt? How would we rate this administration?"

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, black businesses increased from 800,000 in 1997 to about 1.2 million in 2002, but Democrats say Bush plans to cut funding for the Small Business Administration, which helps minority-owned small businesses grow, by $85 million. The budget also provides no resources for the Microloan program, Democrats contend, even though this program is critical to aiding minority communities by supplying small loans to start up newly established and growing small businesses.

Democrats say America experienced the weakest job growth on record in 2005, the slowest of any comparable post-war recovery. Political pundits also note that Bush’s poll numbers are sagging as he prepare for Tuesday's speech, with a majority of Americans saying they do not approve of the president’s job performance.

"You can’t evaluate the state of the nation without evaluating the state of the people," Watt said. "And right now, people are not feeling very positive." But the White House insists that America has weathered a recession and claims that employers are hiring workers in record numbers.

Black conservatives like Alvin Williams, president of Black America’s Political Action Committee, told BlackAmericaWeb.com that many black business owners and home buyers have benefitted from Bush’s economic initiatives.

"Under the Bush administration African-American business owners have benefitted from the repeal of the estate tax, the bush tax cuts, and an additional infusion of resources aimed towards funding entrepreneurial endeavors," Williams said. "In the area of home ownership, the administration has been working vigorously towards their goal of increasing minority home ownership which has led to African-Americans figuring prominently among the over two million new minority homeowners since 2003."

But Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) told BlackAmericaWeb.com that, according to the 2002 Census, only 92,000 black-owned businesses -- not less than 10 percent -- had earnings of more than $1 million. And he added that about 48 percent of black Americans are homeowners, compared to 75 percent of whites.

"So, while our earning power has increased and many social barriers have been eliminated, the ownership rate of an asset that is the prime indicator of wealth and stability in this society has not changed for African-Americans," Thompson said. "Unfortunately, I cannot point to any efforts of the Bush administration that are likely to bring about any increase in home ownership rates for blacks."

Bush, however, has told black civil rights organizations like the National Urban League that his economic policies will benefit all Americans, including blacks.

Earlier this month, Bush addressed the Economic Club of Chicago and discussed his economic initiatives for 2006. The economy, the president said, added 108,000 new jobs in December and has added more than 400,000 jobs in the last two months. More than 4.6 million new jobs have been created since May 2003, Bush said.

"We have every reason to be optimistic about our economic future," Bush said in a speech last month. "I mean, when you think about the news that's come in, the jobs report, the recent report on strong economic growth, low inflation, strong productivity, lower gasoline prices, a strong housing market, increases in consumer confidence and business investment, our economic horizon is as bright as it's been in a long time....The foundation for growth is strong."

The unemployment rate, Bush said, is now down to 4.9 percent -- lower than the average of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

"We have a sturdy job market," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com. He expects another 2 million jobs will be created this year and the average unemployment rate for all of 2006 will drop to 4.9 percent.

But Democrats contend that the Bush-backed tax cuts mostly helped the wealthy and thrust the nation's balance sheets into red ink. The middle class, they say, is getting squeezed by high health care and energy costs. Democrats also insist the majority of the jobs recently created are low-paying, minimum-wage jobs with no health-care benefits.

"The Bush administration's call for another round of tax cuts for the wealthy few when middle-class families are struggling to pay their bills is another example of misplaced Republican priorities," said House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California.

Democrats also say the White House has already indicated that the budget deficit for fiscal year 2006 will likely top $400 billion, and Goldman Sachs has projected that federal government deficits will be $5 trillion over the next decade.

Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) said Americans need only to look to last week’s announcement by the Ford Motor Company that it intends to cut 30,000 jobs and close 14 plants by 2012 as a glaring example of how the economy is failing Americans. Ford’s announcement comes as two other major automakers, General Motors and Diamler Chrysler, also recently announced thousands of job cuts.

"They [Bush administration] use Wall Street and the stock market to argue that the economy is doing well when the automotive industry is taking a nose dive," Conyers told BlackAmericaWeb.com.

Conyers said the plant closings and layoffs will impact many American workers, but will also disproportionately effect black Americans since the nation’s black unemployment rate is already twice as high as that of whites. He added that evacuees from Hurricane Katrina who are still displaced will only add to the expanding list of black Americans who are unemployed.

Amaya Smith, deputy press secretary for the Democratic National Committee, told BlackAmericaWeb.com that too many blacks are still experiencing severe financial hardships.

"President Bush," Smith said, "has ignored the widening gap between the rich and the poor."

---

Associated Press contributed to this story.