Street roots
April 1, 2011
9
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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