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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 8, 1985)
editorial Two-parent families need year-round aid The 1985 Oregon State Legislature passed a measure designed to provide families in which both parents are unemployed with welfare benefits on a year-round basis. Two bills were passed, one allocating $17.1 million to the program and one providing for federal matching funds of $27 million, to fund the program. Both bills were signed by Gov. Vic Atiyeh earlier this summer. However, during a news conference last Thursday, Atiyeh surprised legislators by confirming that he was thinking of reducing the program from year-round assistance to assistance for only six months per year. Through the program, which will be implemented in 1986. qualified two-parent families with two dependent children will be eligible to receive a maximum payment of $468 per month, medical coverage, and job-finding assistance. A single parent of two dependent children receives a maximum payment of $368 per month in addition to the other services. If the program is reduced to a six-month program, a two parent family in which both parents are still unemployed after the six-month period would have only two options. They could try to survive without public assistance funds, or one of the adults could leave so that the remaining parent could receive assistance provided for a single parent. As long as a single parent meets eligibility requirements, he/she can receive public assistance year-round. Because the state does not currently provide assistance for unemployed two-parent families, this would leave many couples in the position that they are in now. Many couples would have no other choice but to separate. ■ The state does not provide any cash assistance programs ' for adults without children unless they can demonstrate that they are not eligible for any kind of employment,, due to-in-. capacitation. for a minimum of 60 days afte* applying. Therefore, the state’s assistance programs-are primarily designed to help the children of unemployed parents...But' when the programs limit assistance to single-parent families, it is the children who lose the most.' - ; If parents must separate, the children lose the-guidance and nurturing of one parent, and a valuable.role-model.' They also must deal with the stress of having their parents separate! and the burden of being raised by a parent with in creased responsibilities. ... Separation doesn't do the parents any good, either. ' Spouses lose the emotional support they receive from one another. The spouse that retains custody of the children is required to surmount the task of raising children without the help of another adult, and is faced with.the additional prob lem of finding and paying for childcare while seeking employment. Parents who cannot afford childcare may. have to leave even young children home alone.whilethey, search for a job. ° * The parent that relenquishes custody must undergo the pain of being separated from the family, and must find a way to provide child support. . The two-parent support program is an effective way to. deal with the problem of parents having to separate in order to provide for their children. Cutting the program from a year-round program to a six-month program will undermine the entire purpose. Many families will still be faced with separation. . . . ' . • • ■ . Atiyeh signed Senate Bill 350. the bill tying'the pro gram to federal matching funds, again on Friday in a .. ceremonial signing called for by the program’s supporters. He declined to comment on his earlier remarks that he was thinking about reducing the program, however, disclosing only that he would be deciding "very shortly.” By signing the bills, Atiyeh has, in effect! already given his approval of the full-year program. Legislative support of .. the program has been demonstrated, and the money to fund the program is availble. Atiyeh is stepping out of bounds by announcing that he may withhold funds from the program. We hope that he honors the wishes of legislators and the people they represent by retaining the full-year program. Letters Policy The Emerald will attempt to print all letters con taining fair comment on topics of interest to the University community. Letters to the editor must be limited to 250 words, typed, signed and the identification of the writer must be verified when the letter is turned in. The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter for length or style. Letters to the editor should be turned into the Emerald office, Suite 300, EMU. i/9 HOUNDED RELENTUSSLY ON AfWHEtD BY1« ADMlNlSTBtftoN, SOUTH APRKTA HAS \wmWN ITS AM6ASSA00R 1bTHE US. " letters Victims Unfortunately, the • Emerald . failed to adhere to its own policy of not accepting adver . tisements which' discriminate against women and people of color for the recent adsjODE Ju ly .25 — Aug. 1) placed on behalf-of''the restaurant.. China -Delight. ’ . ' There are many victims of • this type of journalism,.but the. greatest victims of these ads are the’ owners of the' restaurant. This ' family business of good . ‘people placed their trust-in an American - friend's business sense. They do not read English and did not understand the con notation of the advertisement. The advertisements were sex ist and racist. Sexist because they presented women as pro ducts to. be sold like food and music.' ‘ •’ The ads perpetuate cultural .standards which 'encourage negative attitudes . toward women as victims of violence. Racial discrimination is reflected in the characterization -.of Chinese women as prostitutes and is reminiscent of the slave trade of the early 1900s. * Just as demeaning is the-use of Pidgin English to portray. Asian people. The.use.of this type of English reinforces .the myth that’ Asians and Asian-. Americans.are incapable of cor v rect use qf. the. language; and furthermore, it contributes to the stereotype that, people who speak. broken English 'are inferior. . .Clearly,, responsibility ‘for. advertisements rests' with. the Emerald, arid Cannot be shirked by the. staff Increased staff . t fa i nin g f e ga rdIng di'scrimlhatory issues, is required. .. V • The Emerald, owes a public apology ■ for offensive jour nalism to the restaurant owners.' It's, readers,, especially to- the Asian.’ A.sian/Pactfic.'Americah . community'.,and.to all women Dianna Kale ! , (BruneiI of Minority ■ Education . ■ ' . ' Cindi Kim Asian/Pacific—American . ° ’ • Student Union ' ' ; T. I.ien Shut! Rape Crisis Network Definition Recently a petition to ban "classified research" at the pro posed Riverfront Research" Park has been circulated . While the concerns behind this petition are laudable, the petition itself . is too vague to determine what research would be permissible, . because the'.term "classified" is never properly defined, and often confused with "military" or "weapons.'.’ What does' "classified" mean? js it "classified by the U.S. governmental agencies?" Would proprietary research . restricted from-publication still' be permissable? Would research subject to the ■ lapse of * '.‘reasonable" time limits Indore the publication of' results or . methods he •“classified?" Could * reasonable ’ ’ .be detejm i ned bn a field, by field or case by case ' basis? Could research be per formed by proprietary methods!. . but its- results be published' What about "raw.data." which could not be published for pro prietary or ethical reasons, but which' could be. used for statistical evaluation?. If the results could be published: Would the research be "classified?" •. \ ' ■ 5 - : The real world Is complicated enough to deserve a well dif ferentiated treatment. Molecular biologists, just like .geologists, are not qualified to draft a workable ’‘standard of permissable research ”, ! May I therefore suggest that those coricerned about "classified" research enlist the help of some sympathetic members of the l.aw School to draft such a standard. With such.a document in hand, the planning commission could estimate its impact on the suc cess of the research park and ad dress the concerns behind the request to ban "classified research." Nikolaus von Hargen (•eulogy Oregon daily • • emerald The Oregon Daily Emerald is published on Tuesdays and Thursday during the summer session except during exam week and vacations by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co.,, at the University of Oregon, Eugene. Oregon, 97403 The Emerald operates independently ol the Universi ty with offices on the third floor of the Erb Memorial Union and is a member of the Associated Press. The Emerald is private property The unlawful removal or use of papers Is prosecutable by law General Staff Advertising Director Production Manager Classified Advertising Assistant to the Publisher Susan Thelen Russell Steele Vince Adams Jean Ownbey Advertising Sales Tim Clevenger. Michael Gray, Nancy Nielsen, David Wood Production: Vince Adams, Kelly Cornyn, Slormi Dykes. Kathy Gallagher, Steve Gibbons, Kelly Neff, Michele Ross, Peg Solonika, Karen Slallwood, Colleen Tremaine. Steven Wall. ■ fc Editor Managing Editor. News Editor Editorial Page Editor Entertainment Editor Photo Editor Night Editor Associate Editors Administration Higher Education, Community Student Activities Features Julie Shippen Diana Elliott Michelle Brence Sheila Landry Karen Stallwood Joiie Shippen Kirsten Bolin Scott McFetridge Julie Freeman Marty Schwarzbauer Reporters Sean Axmaker, Fralo de Guzman, Linda Hahn, Kim Kaady. Barbara Shaw, Andrea Skutca News and Editorial 606 5511 Display Advertising and Business 686 3712 Classllied Advertising 686 4343 Production 686 4361 Circulation 666-5511
