Wednesday, March ». 1994______________________________
Many welfare recipients
are now living champagne
wishes and caviar dreams
by Andrea Smith
The Print Staff
I have, at times, enter­
tained the idea of running for
political office. I am about to end
all my hopes of ever being an
elected public official by commit­
ting an act of political suicide.
Here goes nothing...
The welfare program is
bankrupting our country. Wel­
fare recipients can afford
Cadillacs and caviar and are liv­
ing high off the taxes paid by
hard-working Americans. I’m
sick of people getting welfare when
they don’t need it.
I am speaking, of course,
about entitlements. Over half the
federal expenditures go to entitle­
ment programs, the largest of
which is Social Security. Medi-'
care is second and gaining.
I’m sure I have rpade
some new and loyal enemies by
now, but the truth must be told:
Social Security and Medicare are
welfare programs.
Now, I wish to make it
abundantly clear that I am not
proposing reduction of payments
to the truly needy, poor-elderly
and/or disabled. I would actually
like to see payment amounts in­
creased for those honestly in need,
as I feel society (that’s us) has a
moral obligation to help those
who require it. What I am pro­
posing is that Social Security and
Medicare be ‘means tested’. In
short, the amount one is eligible
for should be based on the income
level of the recipient
Approximately 12 per-
centof the population in the United
States receives Social Security
and/or Medicare. About $448
billion is spent annually for these
two programs, and there are man­
datory cost of living adjustments
(COLA’s j that keep the budget on
the rise. A ballpark figure
because nobody really knows the
actual figure - for federal spend­
ing is around $1.4 trillion annu­
ally. Therefore, about 30 percent
of the federal budget dollars go
directly to 12 percent of the popu­
lation.
An estimated 30 percent
of Social Security and Medicare
recipients have annual incomes
of $30,000 or more. The average
household headed by someone 64
or over has $258,000 in assets
(real estate, stocks, bonds, etc.).
The elderly, as a whole, are by far
the wealthiest group in America,
yet they continue tocollect entitle­
ments they arer not necessarily
entitled to. •
The final point I would
like to address before going into
hiding with Salman Rushdie is'
that the average Social Security
recipient gets back every dime he
has ever paid into FICA, with
interest, after about five years.
These figures do not include the
value of Medicare benefits.-
We all pay insurance in
one form or another. Auto insur­
ance is required for all motorists,
but no one expects to be paid back
the money spent on premiums.
The insurance is there to protect
the policy holder from damages in
case of an accident. Worker’s
Compensation is an insurance
policy paid for by working Ameri-
cansto safeguard them from loss
due to job-related injury. Social
Security should be treated like-
wiseras insurance to protect the
elderly from poverty.
I see no logical reason
the system should rejmain "as is,"
especially considering the disas­
trous economic effects of main­
taining the status quo. It’s easy to
talk about cutting federal spend­
ing, but nobody wants to cut the
benefits they get. We have to do
something, and taking welfare
from the well-off seems the least
offensive solution.
Many younger people are.
concerned that the Social Security'
system will not be available when,
or if, they need it. Yet, HCA
deductions are taken from each
hard-earned paycheck. Call me
naive, but it seems to me that.those
who are getting something from
the rest of us that they don’t need
could stand to take less in the
interest of their-own families,
friends, neighbors and fellow citi­
zens.
Oh well, . I suppose I
wouldn’t have made a very good
politician anyway. I’m far too
honest...
OpiIllOIl____________ ________
The Clacfcamas Print Pg, 6
Hey Buddy, put that cigarette out
■ smokers should take a more earth-friendly approach
by Russ Jones
s
'
-¡Fta. -rotting down the
highway enjoying the start of a
new day: when some jerk or
jerkctte with a perfectly good
ashtray flips a nicbtene- ladea,
non degradaW cigarette- filter
Out into puKlic a^spacé^: -
..
: ; •
Ijustshakethelastmenv
àil. echoes of the expletives I was
using to describe their ancestory
àsï. enfer the left tarn lane that
feeds the campus. White Fm
^iihg • • ^méonë two caps up
sticksanarmoutofth^rv/indow
and flips
lineofadvancmgfraffic,
. •• I ' slip • into a parking
space, opendtodoorandsiepont
in^nso€||^kized pile of rain-
soaked remnants of someone’s
j||j|-You see,
'/ s
not smokingor
smokers / mind/
mess 5.
they ieavebetiin^
nicotene addiction. Could thfey
dump their ashtray athome^-No
way, a public parking lot will do
just fine.
‘
the momtag air aslheatf fbi my
first class. As I approach the
doorway, 1 view the usual collec­
tion of smokers,grabbingone fest
hit before they have to go inside
andbreath some clean air, . .
- ?
Asl taken deep breath
and enter the swirling, noxious
cloud, I notice the nrnnerbus
ground-out butts scattered across
the pavement Predictably, they
seem thickest around toe large
coucrcteashtrayandgraduattythin
as they radiate out in a circular
■pattern, 1 waft until I amat feast
ïïyp feetin»œ:to.ëbüiitonglfeiqre
Ibtc^toagaintoavotdtoeacrid
téùdrils of smoke ; which pursue
methrough the doorZv? / "
- Five miputes after class
begins something àéépistip on mb
from behind; Slips over my shoul­
der aùdgrabs me by the nose. Ah,
feedivirte arOmapf. Stale, smoke
itousedclothingafidhatr. Sofar,
it’s béena •¿^^^••mdrnirigf, ",
- NowbcforeyOU gettOO
excite,felmesaythatl don’tcare:
feyonsmoke.iCsypurfeisihess,If
being addicted io a substance that
kttlsmbrcpeople in America each
ypffl1 than alcohbl:, cocaine, crack,
heroin, honttcide,safcide, car ac­
cidents, fires andAIDS combined
appeals to yon, fine,. justdo. ife
' / ' . Ifbuyinghproductwhose
asfecfetedhealtocarecpsts àw*
age oUt to be rriore^pefpackthaii
toe price of toe product to begin
with,.’hey,, taï^|t£ufeélf outi
' „
'If ettojeeftog your loved'
ûnes-ïà;^ti^n^>of your’pfob*
abtenariy deathiswhcreAt’s at
with -you, \cool, 'give them à :gifi
they’d remember, 7 i '
v"7'ï .Yipu see, ft’s not smok­
ing Or smokersÏ mind sd much,
jt’fethft mess toey feavfe bçjpndf
thé smdl that follows them around
^d^smcdtetoc¥:sëem^|M|
I should: enjoy breathing, too. i
,' I know that most of you
smokers are kind. caring and con­
siderate peoplewhotrynotto
impose upon others. 1 appreciate
taahlreallydo,but there areafair
sizedbunchofsmokerswhoaren't
toerestof yfeiabadràpT
photo by Anjanette Booth
I’ve
this
but to th© ones whddotftuse the
ash trays, crowd around the doors
and go out of their way to irritate
those: of fewho don’t snioke.but
they seem unreceptiye to my point
of view; tosay (he least,
_
.
iknowihatl’innotgo-
ii^to makeanyone stop ^nd I
tatow that there will always'be
garbage cam? ?
\
/ ' 'Jtjoirtseetnato^itoatjf
smokers are tired of being picked
on as a group,, those of you who
know ;what an? ashtray is'Snd
understand toatsofee people are
honesdyphysicdlly ^afffettfe by
secondtoandrinok^sltoq^IdJfeve
a talk with those:fen^g ybu fe ho
mess it uptoreveryone.
’
Letter to the Editors
I just wanted to say thanks:
To the Editor:
I just wanted say thank you to The Print’s Co-Editor-in-Chief Jeff Kemp and to let you know how
much I appreciate his ability to stay true to the facts when writing the “Recutting the Pie” article in the
Feb. 16 edition of The Clackamas Print. I also want to thank Mr. Kemp for doing such a great job when
it came to quoting me. I know that his contribution was a key to the success I achieved. I look forward
to working with him in the future.
Thank you,
Angela Deardorff
ASG Legislative Director
Carjacking has become the 'hot crime of the 90s
"On The Sfet”
By JO. Wiseman
by J.D. Wiseman
Public Safety Superviser
As I drove to the college
today, I found it interesting to
observe the many different makes,
models, colors and condition of
personal vehicles that people drive.
Our personal cars often represent
what we are trying to project, our
own personal image, prestige, so­
cial status, group identification or
just simple, direct, inexpensive
transportation. Like cigarette,
alcohol, shoe or clothing brands,
our personal cars can speak vol­
umes about who we are, or think
we are.
« :
In today’seconomy,ourper-
sonal vehicles are the second most
expensive investment that we
make. The investment in a fete
model car can be substantial.
Personal vehicles have at­
tracted a new wave of auto theft
crime on America’s streets.
Carjacking has become the “hot
crime” of the 90s. Anyone, any­
where, driving a car, can become
a target.
This is a new crime that
knows none of the traditional
bounds of neighborhood or social
nvironment. It is just as likely to
occur in daylight as at night. Car
alarms, theft deterrent devices,
none the these preventions present
a. problem to the caijacker while
you are driving your car.
Most often, the carjacker
will display a gun or knife, which
they often will use if you refuse to
give up your vehicle. They don’t
know you or care about you, and
because of their socialpathic crimi­
nal nature, they have no empathy
for your “victim” situation. They
want to steal your valuable car.
Listed below, are several
common-sense precautions from
The National Crime Prevention
Council.
Before you enter your
car........
*** Be alert, look around,
be aware of your surroundings.
*** When approaching your
car, have your car key in your
hand, ready to unlock and enter
your car, reiocking it from inside.
*** If there is someone
loitering near your car as you ap­
proach, keep walking and contact
a public safety officer to “check
out” the situation.
Once.you’re in your
car.......
*** Immediately lock your
car doors and make sure your win­
dows are closed.
*** Don’t drive in high
crime areas, especially after dark.
*** Be suspicious of people
approaching your car when
stopped, asking about directions,
the time or seeking “spare
change.”
*** When stopped in traf­
fic, leave enough distance between
you and the car in front of you, so
that you can maneuver and pull
away quickly should you have to.
*** Be very alert when
using drive-up ATMs. If someone
is standing in the area, drive
through and return when they are
gone.
*** If you have a cellular
phone, call for “help.”
*** If you are confronted
and the criminal gains access to
you and your car, don’t resist,
give them your car. Itisnotworth
your life. Your insurance will