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Street roots April 1, 2011 9 f » /» dJC t Poor folks' attraction to Tea Party befuddles progressives BY JOHNNY-BOY CREACH S T A F F W R IT E R rogressives in Portland are expressing their concern and confusion on why poor people are flocking to the Tea Party movement around the country. At a local town hall meeting and on-blogs around the city, progressives have been lighting up with their disgust and amazement that poor people would be aligning with a movement that is so far to the right, saying it’s really never happened before except in places like Germany, thé Middle East, Eastern Europe, Malaysia, South America, and Africa. Oh and the American South, and Midwest, and now the Mountain West... “I’ve studied poor people for more than two decades, and I just don’t get it,” says one professor from the School of Social Work at Portland State University. “My “They listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd and have students, who really care about poor people pit bulls tied up in their yards. It’s really and have spent a lot of money to study their cruel,” says one community organizer behaviors, don’t get it either.” working for the Democratic Party. “One Another professor and writer for Blue person I talked with wanted me to have a Oregon from the anthropology department tall glass of Mountain Dew for breakfast, at Lewis and Clark Law School says that and then just wanted to chain smoke. His when he travels to places around the belly was huge. How am I supposed to work country he is amazed at poor people’s with that?” , naivety in believing in somethihg like the “We’re really talking about a group of Tea Party movement. people that have been working at the Circle “They can’t seem to understand the K and Taco Bell for their entire careers and complexity of their own circumstance. I’ve don’t understand how unions,and corporate shown them charts, and graphs, and a very free trade benefit them. It’s unbelievable,” interesting diagram about how oppression is says the organizer from the window of her really affecting their broken family. We’re electric SUV. “Don’t they know that doing our best to give them as much Republicans are the one’s fighting for the educated advice we can about their piss- rich ones, and we’re fighting for the poor?” poor way of life,” says the professor, who Progressives are planning to bring in declined to give his name. “We asked poor several more economists and statisticians to families around the countrytotajk with, us * better understand the problem, and how. B ab o u t how th ey felt, u sin R R p b ert’s R ules of b e tte r to resp o n d to p o p r p eople iir A m erica order of course, but they just sat there and stared at the charts, and asked if there are any Snickers around, and when they could go smoke. It’s disgusting. at a forum hosted by a local community group next month. Look for more details in the up and coming SR. ■ ■ A big benefit! Portland artists Pink Martini and Storm Large announce a benefit show to benefit the last benefit show in Portland. After doing benefits for almost every non-profit in town over the past two years, the artists announced that they will do another benefit show at the Armory to help people being served by local non-profits that have been completely screwed over by earthquakes, tsunami, hurricanes, global warming and the federal government. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 14 for $22.50. All proceeds will go to future benefits. CONSTRUCTION SUB-BIDS REQUESTED FOR 85 CAUSEY & ■L IC U R T IS G ENERAL C O N TR A C TO R S (503) 646-2123 FAX: (503) 643-5531 Plans are available at: www.yorkeandcurtisxom, BXWA, Oregon C o r t r a X r X n Center* McGraw Hill and DJC Oregon i emDlover encouraging disadvantaged, . 2123 for more information regarding this project. Contact Zach Bascom at 5 0 3 - 6 4 6 - 2 Tor mu A white guy holds a sign in irony at a Tea Party rally in Eugene. Above left, am ong Tea Party ralliers in Tigard, signs express whatever righteous indignation their faces may lack. Aid to France to aid U.S. Japanese aid S T A F F R E P O R TS J ^ T ^ h e Obama administration is asking all nations, in the developed world to come to the aid of France following that country’s economic implosion and spiking levels of poverty. The French government’s troubles became widespread after it sent billions of dollars to the United States, which had emptied its charity and service coffers to help Japan in the wake of its disaster trifecta. Billions of relief dollars recently went to Japan, the third largest economy in the world, where it was usedto help people without utilities, food and safe housing following the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown. A Soon after France and other nations began sending charity relief to Washington D.C, to keep the lights on at agencies that support people without utilities, food and safe housing following decades of political neglect The Frenchi-U.S. relations struggled under the Bush administration when France sided against Bush’s decision to invade Iraq in 2003. The two countries appear to be united again through common military grounds in their assault on Libya. Fortunately for both countries, military financing has remained strong to support interventions abroad. Ironically, social programs for the French and American populations, can’t seem to turn a similar profit
