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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (May 31, 1995)
OPINION/FEATURE Writer feels that welfare state needs to be changed The Clackamas Print Page 3 Wednesday, May 31,1995 Staff Writer I think we’ve become «‘wel fare nation. And that’s not good, especially when we don’t have the money to keep it up. That’s a ma jor reason our deficit is about the $4 trillion mark it is now. And Social Security, welfare and the like, is a political sacred cow. If politicians touch it, even with a 10-foot pole, they die - or, more accurately, their careers do. Since I’m a columnist who expresses his opinions, I’ve nothing to fear. I believe the welfare state has gotten to be so big of a boondoggle that a major overhaul is needed^ Welfare is supposed to be a tem porary solution to a temporary problem - and then, only as a last resort. I personally believe charity begins with friends, family and community (and a majority of us has at least one, if not a combina tion of more than one, of these el ements). But all too often, I’ve seen the Washington porkers (the city, not the state - and most of these are Democrats) fill in all those roles. And yes, they have something to gain out of this, in particular po litically, for they’ll then say they brought home so-and-so’s welfare check and if they don’t get voted back to Washington, that check won’t go so - and - so’s way any more. Thus, they build a constitu ency. (I’m not sure it worked in November, though; I’m certain that if it had been used, it wouldn’t have.) And, morally, people have downsized their standards. As an example, some young women get pregnant just so they can collect more welfare. In some states, New Jersey for example, that practice is be ing cracked down upon. And all the welfare benefits-”handouts,” they should be referred to, - sap the recipients of their work ethic and/or incentive. And then there are those unscrupulous types. They’ll use the money for things it wasn’t meant to be used for. (There are other problems re lated to this habit I’ll call “wel fare kids.” These problems are moral, physical and most cer tainly psychological.) 4 C I believe the welfare state has gotten to be so big a boondoogle that a major overhaul is needed. California Angels on the way back up by Jesse Sowa Sports Editor After nine long years of waiting for another playoff base ball team, the fans of the Cali fornia Angels will finally be granted their wish. Since 1986, when the An gels were led by such “oldies, but goodies” as Rod Carew. Reggie Jackson and Rupert Jones, the Angels have suffered through some horrible rebuilding years and many terrible mistakes by management. Over the past five years, California has dealt away such players as Wally Joyner (Kansas City), Dante Bichete (Colorado), Jim Abbott (Chicago White Sox), Luis Polonia (New York Yankees), Chad Curtis (Detroit), Devon White (Toronto) and Mark McLemore (Texas). Now the Angels are led by up-and-coming stars like 1993 American League Rookie of the Year Tim Salmon, J.T. Snow, Damion Easley, and Gary DiSarcina. California looks for leadership in veterans Chili Davis, Spike Owen, Mark Langston and Chuck Finley. Davis who was the lone hit ting threat in the lineup last year, has been joined by Snow and DiSarcina in the .300 range. With Snow and Davis among the league leaders in runs batted in and Salmon going those two with eight home runs, California Will have no holes in the lineup this year. As of May 30, the Angels were 20-11 with a two and one- half game lead over the Seattle Mariners in the A.L. West. A road record of 10-4 has helped Cali fornia get off to their best start since that glorious 1986 season when the Angels made the divi sional playoffs, but fell to the Bos Sure air bags work great in front-end collisions, but only a safety bMt can protect you from side an.d K rear-end collisions. So buckle up. And you’ll cover all the angles. Also, the money these wel fare checks are written for is a fraction of what the recipient could be earning as a productive ton Red Sox in six games. Pitching has been the key to the season so far. With Mike Butcher at 4-0, Shawn Boskie and Langston 3-0, and Finley starting to get the upper hand on the mound, California has no reason to look back this season in a relatively weak division. Newly acquired all-time saves leader Lee Smith already has 12 saves and has yet to give up a run. As all the sports fans who follows major league baseball this summer will find out, the California Angels are ready to come out of the ashes and make a run to the World Series. With an experienced pitching staff, a powerful bullpen, and a hitting crew to match any other in the major leagues, California will push its way through the Ameri can League to the cream of the crop. member of the workforce. Not to mention work can help build character. The difference, then, or so my observations lead me to be- leive, is that people work for wages, but live the life of Kaelin for a welfare check. Draw your own conclusions about which will be chosen. To further the problems, some services are duplicated by the state and federal governments, leading to unnecessary ad- ministrative costs. Hence, I sup port the block grant system. For those who don’t know, a “block grant” is instead of paying fed eral welfare, the money will be divided among the 50 states ac cording to each state’s population. In so doing, it can save on admin istrative costs and go a long way toward cutting the red tape - and the red ink. Besides, state governments, centered in places like Salem, Olympia, and 48 others, are closer to the people than the Wash ington, DC-centered federal gov ernment. So how do I believe we can overhaul the welfare system? I believe the first thing we need to do is to integrate work into any welfare reform package. No more handouts; we now need hand - ups. We need to continue cracking down on habits such as “welfare kids.” But most impor tantly, we also need to increase the efficiency of payment by using block grants. Etheridge performs for an eclectic audience by Hoyun Choi Staff Writer Melissa Etheridge put on a smashing concert, making sure everybody got their money’s worth. The opening band led off a strong start to the night. The lead singer had a strong voice, much like Etheridge’s. She was successful in pepping up the crowd for the main attraction. As Etheridge entered onto the stage, the crowd went wild, excited to see their favorite artist. As she went through her songs, I noticed that she had a great sense of performance. She has a cer tain charisma which attracted the overwhelming enthusiasm of her fans. The highlight of the concert was when all the band members went over to the drum set and played a little gig. Throughout the night, the drummer also took his drum sticks over to the guitars. The band was really cre ative and kept the crowd on their toes. Etheridge played songs from a variety of her albums. She played many of her old songs as well as the newer ones such as “Come to My Window,” “Only One,” and “Yes I Am.” The songs were easy to relate to for many of the other concert goers since it involved meaning about love and sexual preference. The crowd was filled with a very diverse group. Overall, the concert was a big plus. I went to it not really pre pared to know what to expect. The music and performance was great and I’m really glad I decided to go. It also opened my eyes up to the diversity of people that I had not really even seen before. Etheridge was well worth it. ADS_______ For Sale: ‘81 Mercury Capri, black, w/sunroof, 4 cyl., 5 spd., 4 extra mounted studded tires, $975. Call 650-3654. V I have cash for you,...if you have a used TI-82 calculator. 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