WACO - President George W. Bush chose to hold an Economic Forum on the campus of one of the country’s wealthiest, church-owned universities. Baylor and Waco, the county seat of McLennan County are located 16 miles from Bush’s Crawford ranch.

The Forum consisted of eight groups of 25 to 30 panelists discussing eight topics for 90 minutes. The President and Vice President Dick Cheney spent 20 minutes each at a session. (The media were not allowed in the panel discussion rooms, but did attend the closing plenary session.) The forum provided a clear contrast between the concerns of the President and his administration and the day to day issues affecting African-Americans. Bush selected the panel on Small Investors and Retirement Security for his first stop. He said, “ We want to see how the people in Crawford look at Wall Street and the numbers. How do you simplify the numbers so people understand?’”  Each panel included “real working people” who were mostly African-American or Hispanic to balance the input of presidential cabinet secretaries, CEOs of major corporations, union leaders, university professors and business students. However, Rev. Robert Campbell – the African-American mayor of Crawford, was not invited, he said.

Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill began the plenary session by asking the panel on Economic Recovery and Job Creation to report on their discussion. Phyllis Hill Slater, President of Hill Slater Inc. in New York City, was their spokesperson. Ms. Slater discussed how she was affected by the September 11 attack on the world trade center towers, how the economy is small-business driven and that all children are vulnerable. But she failed to share what her panel decided relative to economic recovery and job creation. Twenty five percent of McLennan County’s population lives below the poverty line. This is an economic issue that Ms. Slater’s fellow African- Americans who live in Bush’s area are interested in.

Arizonia’s Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President, Delia Garcia reported on Corporate Responsibility, after Commerce Secretary, Don Evans’ introduction. Ms. Garcia said, “What’s the role of corporations in a democracy? Greater responsibility. We need to teach ethics in business. They go together and are not incompatible. Business is not just about the bottom line ..it’s about being good corporate citizens.” While Garcia’s comments were warmly received, protesters on the edge of Baylor campus discussed the impact of Enron on Texas’ economy, especially workers’ retirement and savings.

The Education and Workers panel included Labor Secretary Elaine Choa and Education Secretary Rod Paige. Secretary Choa said, “Eighty of the projected jobs for the future require training beyond high school. The Depart ment of Labor spends $12 million a year on job training.” By contrast, it costs $30,000 a year to attend Baylor. For the current school year, beginning teachers in the Waco ISD will make $29,000 a year. And Baylor University has advertised job vacancies requiring a bachelor’s degree for a salary less than $10 an hour. According to the US Census, less than 20% of McLennan county residents have bachelor’s degrees or higher.

President Bush ended the Economic Forum by stating, “The people here are the people who really make America work. We are here to get a report from what I call the front lines of the American economy. We’ll read the reports and react. We have heard from Americans who are concerned but not discouraged. Listening to our fellow Americans, we will find good ideas and we will implement those ideas.”

After the forum, Mayor Campbell said he was concerned about how Bush’s moving to Crawford has increased costs of maintaining the streets that were not designed for the heavy traffic of a President's entourage. He’s worried about the town’s capacity to provide water for its 730 residents and whether they will receive federal grant money for basic infrastructure. The Economic forum never addressed those real life issues.