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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 1974)
Page 2 Portland, Observer Thursday. January 3, President Nixon and Black capitolism feta by Bayard ttuxlin The disclosure of wide spread corruption w ithin the Nixon Adm inistration’s Black capitalism program may ulti mately occupy hut a brief footnote in the history of the Watergate scandals. And yet 1 believe that the now acknowledged failure of this program w ill teach us an important lesson about the stra te g ie s fo r achieving racial progress. The m inority business pro gram was once the corner stone of Nixon's civil rights policy. In his 1968 presi dential campaign. Nixon as In O ctober o f 1973 the O bserver began its fo u rth sured us that encouraging y e a r o f serving the Portland co m m un ity. The m in o rity e n tre p e n e u rs O bserver has ch ro n ic le d the struggle, the d is through federal loans and grants would lie much a p p o in tm e n ts o f d e fe a t, a nd the joys o f victo ry — more effective than the job n e v e r fa ilin g to re m in d the Black c o m m u n ity that training and anti |>o»erty ef v ic to ry w ill be w o n th ro u g h our o w n resources and forts inaugurated by Presi neve r le ttin g the w h ite m a jo rity co m m u n ity rest on dent Johnson. In the ensuing years Nixon its g ru d g in g ly re lin q u is h e d tokenism s. regularly increased federal W e do not k n o w w h a t the fu tu re holds fo r us but spending for Black capitalism, in the va ng ua rd o f our strug gle fo r Black discovery. while cutting away at the Black renaissance and Black su rvival, the O bserver e x p e n d itu re s fo r housing, w ill be there, s u pp orting and a p p la u d in g the good manpower, and other social programs. a nd c h a lle n g in g the e vil. By 1972. however, the The O bserver has had som e personal success Office of M inority Business d u rin g the ye ar 1973. W e becam e the o n ly Black Enterprise had become, like n e w sp a p e r to q u a lify fo r m em be rsh ip in the so many other government O reg on N ew sp ap er Publishers Association, the agencies, little more than a p ro fessio na l association o f O reg on 's 116 d a ily and fund raising arm of the Com w e e k ly new spapers. W e becam e the h o ld e r o f mittee to Re-elect the Presi Black and Spanish O re g o n 's first B la ck-o w n e d Second Class M a ilin g dent. speaking businessmen were p e rm it. W e w o n the First Place A w a rd fo r the informed that federal assis a d v e rtis m e n t b rin g in g best results in the ONPA rance would be dependent on a d v e rtis in g contest — d e m o n stra tin g the a b ility o f their donation to the Presi dent's campaign effort. th e O bserver to serve its a d v e rtis in g supporters. The Adm inistration applied D uring the past ye ar w e have a cq u ire d the latest the same principle to the in c o m p u te riz e d p h o to -ty p e s e ttin g e q u ip m e n t and struggling Harlem business h ave e x p a n d e d our typ e se ttin g a nd p rin tin g man as it did to American ca p a city. C u rre n tly p rin tin g fo u r other new spapers, Airlines and other industrial our n ext e xpa nsion p la n is on the co m m e rc ia l giants. There were also in stances of m inority business p rin tin g and typ e se ttin g areas. funds being granted to firms O u r g reatest d is a p p o in tm e n t is that O reg on 's under white control and of a dve rtise rs s till have not reco gn ized the u n ta pp e d C ivil Service officials who "B la c k m a rk e t" — a m arket w ith a purchasing were administering the pro p o w e r o f 45 b illio n d o lla rs a ye ar n a tio n a lly . As gram being required to en consum ers and custom ers, Black p e o p le have the gage in political work in out p o w e r to m ake or break a pro du ct in the m arket right violation of federal law. The extent of scandal is WE SEE THE WORLD t v l' THROUGH BLACK EYES ALFRED L. HENDERSON E d ito r/P u b lish e r EDITORIAL FOCUS I »* £ V A year of success Nixon must go! Every tim e R ichard N ixon re ve a ls a little m ore in the hope o f g a in in g some d e g re e o f c re d ib ility , his ■ p ro no un cem e nts b rin g even m o re q uestions o f his : in te g rity. H o p in g to put suspicions to rest th a t he has - p ro fite d fin a n c ia lly from b e in g President, he o p e n e d his incom e tax returns to th e p u b lic . This • o n ly show ed th a t he has trip le d his personal , w e a lth since he was e lected, a n d is n o w a m il- - lio n a ire He used tax lo o p h o le s d e sig n e d fo r the • rich a nd took som e very q u e s tio n a b le tax d e d u c tions. The result — w ith a sa la ry o f 5200,000 a ye ar a nd $50,000 expense m o n e y, he p a id less J taxes in 1970 a n d 1971 than w o u ld a fa m ily o f fo u r w ith an inco m e o f $8,000. Also, N ixo n p a id no incom e tax in his o ffic ia l state o f reside n ce — C a lifo rn ia . He a llo w e d the pre sid e nt o f a g ia n t drug c o n g lo m e ra te to establish a trust fu n d fo r his dau gh te r. He d ed u cte d a h a lf m illio n d o lla rs fo r g iv in g his Vice P residential papers to the N a tio n a l Archives — a fte r Congress had o u tla w e d such deductions. So w e fin d Mr, N ixo n less than honest in his p erson al, as w e ll as his p o litic a l, d e a lin g s. N ixo n has surrounded h im se lf w ith crim in a ls and storm troopers — he has used his o ffic e to a tte m p t to destroy his p o litic a l o pponents. He not o nly had w ire ta p s and ille g a l m eans o f e spion ag e used a ga in st th e A m e rican p e o p le , but he used these m ethods a ga in st his o w n staff. As th e W a te rg ate Tapes a re assessed by the court, the W h ite House says “ a sinister fo rc e " erased th e most im p o rta n t p art o f the tapes. Per haps a fly in g saucer or an a n g e l fro m H eaven in terced ed fo r the President o f the U nite d States and re m o ve d the e vid e n ce a g a in st him . Large ca m p a ig n co n trib u tio n s fro m the o il co m p an ies p re clu d e his so lvin g th e e n e rg y crisis fo r he is so in d e b t to the o il co m p a n ie s th a t he ca nn ot co n tro l th em . A ll o f this ind icate s th a t the n a tio n can no lo n g e r a ffo rd M r. N ixo n . The A m e rica n p e o p le ca nn ot p a rtic ip a te in a w e e k ly p o p u la rity contest w h ile th e ir President a tte m p ts to fin d a w a y o ut o f his d ile m m a . The p e o p le cannot a ffo rd to c o n tin u e to accept th e p o litic a l uses o f th e IRS, the CIA, the FBI, the SBA, a nd n e a rly e very a g e n cy o f g o v ernm ent. There should be no question o f M r. N ix o n 's s u ita b ility to lead th e A m e rica n p e o p le . The President's years in o ffic e have b e e n a succession o f "h ig h crim es a nd m is d e m e a n o rs " a ga in st Blacks and the poor. N o w the m id d le class is b e g in n in g to e xpe rie nce the sam e in se n sitivity a nd abuse o f p ow er Blacks have seen N ixo n fo r w h a t he is, and to us, his e le ctio n w as a day o f sorrow . But his abuses have g o n e beyo nd even o u r w ild e s t n ig h t m ares. The tim e has com e fo r a m o v e m e n t o f a ll o f the p e o p le o f this n atio n — a ca ll fo r re s ig n a tio n or im p ea ch m e nt. Published every Thursday by Exie Publishing Company, 2201 North K illingsw iirth. Portland. Oregon 97217. Mailing address: P.O. Box 3137. Portland. Oregon 97208. Telephone: 283 2486. Subscriptions: 15.25 per year in the T ri County area. $6.00 per year outside Portland. Second Class Postage Paid at Portland. Oregon The Portland Observer’» official |Misition is expressed only in it’s Publisher's Column I We See The World Through Black Eyesl. Any other material throughout the paper is the opinion of the individual w rite r or submitter and dies not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Portland Observer. MEMBtn ■1 Oregon 01 31 ■ ■ Newspaper ■¡Publishers s i Association liieialssr p la ce No o the r m e d iu m so fu lly id e n tifie s w ith the Black c o m m u n ity as the O bserver, re fle c tin g th e ir d a y -to -d a y life s ty le , a rtic u la tin g th e ir p ro b lem s, o p in io n s a nd desires. Let us fa ce the n ew c h a lle n g e s o f to da y as a u n ite d c o m m u n ity w ith a strong Black press. For a c o m m u n ity w ith o u t an honest, m ilita n t and som e tim es strident press is a helpless c o m m u n ity , th re a te n e d fro m a ll sides — from w ith in by unscrupulous Blacks — a nd fro m w ith o u t by in se nsitive m em be rs o f the m a jo rity co m m u n ity. It has been a g o o d ye a r fo r the O bserver. We a re p ro u d o f o u r success and salute you, our adve rtise rs, readers and frie n d s fo r your support. ! Astocitlion - Founded 1885 The North Portland Demo cratic Forum w ill meet on January 8th at 6:30 p.m. at Polish Hall. N. Interstate and Failing. A potluck dinner and bingo w ill be featured. A ll candidates ru n n in g in the primary race w ill be introduced and have the op portunity to say a few words. fEWLUAH IV6H0CKLEY HITLER FOR STERILIZATION EXTERMINATION DR. SHOCK LEY HAS SAID THAT H E BELIEVES IT HIGHT DE NECESSARY TO STERILIZE PERSONS OF VERY LOW INTELLIGENCE TO AVOID WHAT HE CALLS ” THE RETRO GRESSIVE EVOLUTION THROUGH THE DISPROPORTIONATE REPRODUCTION OF THE GENE TICALLY DISADVANTAGED.' ROBCRT RCINHCIP RY.TiKES bro a d e r social program s. They also saw Black capi talism as compatible w ith the concepts of self reliance and free e n te rp ris e ; Negroes, they believed, should pull themselves up from poverty as had other ethnic groups before them. Nationalists, on the other hand, were influenced by the quirks of their ideology and an unrealistic and overly romantic view of the ghetto. We have had ample time to recognize that the con servative analysis was the Although more perceptive, their comparison of Blacks, confronted by centuries of repression, with Irish. Jewish and Italian immigrants is absurd on its face, their ef forts to impede a major social tra n s fo rm a tio n has been tem porarily successful. I do not know what will happen to the Black capi talism program. One hopes that the current revelations SUBSCRIBE TODAY! P o rtla n d O b s e r v e r R e a d e rs w ill 1 m - sufficient to reform the program so that it func lions in a non partisan and equitable manner. But the larger question is not whether one narrow ef fort can lie salvaged, but whether we are going to have real social justice. W « are only deceiving ourselves if we persist in the belie! that "gilding the ghetto" through program» like Black capitalism can bring about a true measure of justice. If Y o u A r e n ’t G e ttin g The O b s e rv e r Y o u A r e n ’t G e ttin g The N e w s ANYW AY YOU LOOK AT IT IT’S YOUR NEWSPAPER LETTERS TO THE EDITOR OBSERVER Big Broadcast of 1974 Dear Editor: Ah Right! Listen up P o rt land. I think y'all might be dealing on us a little bit. Sure, possible we’re less than 5% of this community, yet. understanding that we are an influence. We mellow as laxitives, thou serious as reality; but you all should recognize the blemish that has not been tended to. In the American way this one accepted the practical aspect of bringing in the New Year at home and lend ing an ear to this AM Radio, or communication mode, as it delivered a nostalgic look backward. Well nostalgic it was. as I was reminded of Cowan (Continued from pg. 1. col. 9) has been a Trustee of the New Jersey College of Medi cine and D entistry and chair man of the New Jersey inter departmental Committee on Narcotic and D rug Abuse Control. Dr. Cowan is mar ried and has three children. M EMBER N \LpER AN N A Notice appalling; it represents fur ther testimony to the total moral bankruptcy of this Administration. But it is essential for Black people to u n d e rsta n d th a t m in o rity capitalism did not fail simply because it was transformed into a political instrument. The revelations of corrup lio n d ra m a tize its sh o rt comings, but the roots of its fa ilu re are b u rie d much deeper. Black capitalism is, after all, a profoundly limited pro gram. Linder ideal economic circumstances it could bene fit a narrow segment of the Black community consisting prim arily of businessmen who were neither jobless nor ini poverished. Linder less than perfect conditions, such ns we have experienced in re cent years, the results would be disastrous. A t a time when 70 percent of white-owned businesses are failing during their first three years, m inority oper ated ventures can hardly lie expected to show significant success. It advocates an unusual coalition of Black nationalists and w h ite co n se rva tive s, often »(Hike of m inority capi talism as a revolutionary alternative to traditional and. it was implied, unsuccessful liberal programs. W hat.they w ere p roposing, how ever, was in fact counter revolu tionary; unintentionally so. in the case of Blacks, but cor tainly w ith a good deal of foreknowledge on the part of Richard Nixon. Conservatives acted on two premises. On a pragmatic level they applauded any thing that would divert at tention and resources from \v \- An Indian hawk cuckoo 1 is called the brain-fever bird because it ’s supposed to cause this affliction by its incessant calls. the many hours las it were) of listening for a tem[>o that was representative of this heavy weight 5%. It didn't come then and it hasn't ar rived yet. As sure as 50 cents a gallon gasoline (unheard of 5 years ago), there w ill be a Black oriented outlet in this city, which at that time when you are carried on a nostal gic look backward, the re birth of your musical vibes hopefully w ill not leave you wondering where the mellow went. NEWSi.TtKT\XVe0 Editorials Harold Johnson P.O. Box 3401 Portland. Oregon KJERT1SÖJS Rent refund available Dear Sir: This is a message to those people who do not file Ore gon income tax returns and who might automatically dis card the tax packet when it comes in the mail. Keep It! It contains the application for your property tax refund. You are eligible for this refund, whether you are an owner or a renter, if your household income is less than $15,000 a year and you are an Oregon resident. But you must apply to get the refund. Just follow the simple instructions which are printed in large, easy to-read print. For households with a head over 65 and income under $5,000 (including Social Se curity or pensions), the form provides an optional short form in the rig h t hand column. This requires no calculations for a homeowner; all you need to know is your property tax. For a renter, the only calculation is to m ultuply all the rent you paid in 1973 by 17%. The maximum refund under FASH IO N S & RECIPES the optional form is $200 or actual property taxes, which ever is lower, for home owners. For renters, the maximum is $100 or 17% of rent, whichever is lower. Anyone with property taxes over $200 or rent over $50 a month can get a larger refund by filling out the regular form in the left hand column. E xtra application forms w ill be available at post offices, courthouses, Oregon Depart ment of Revenue district of fices and most banks after January 1. If you have any questions after you read the instruc tions, send a card to the De partment of Revenue, Box 1(XX), Salem. Oregon 97310. Include your telephone num ber and someone w ill call you. The 1973 Legislature passed the property tax refund law to help most Oregonians. They gave you the oppor tunity, so use it! Mrs. Betty Niven, Chairman Oregon State Housing Council C la s s ifie d Ads to h e lp you fin d the jo b you n eed \ W II Xddrcss ON SALE AT YOUR FAVORITE NEWSSTAND OR FOR MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS CALL 2 2 0 1 N . K illin g s w o rth P o rtla n d , O re g o n 9 7 2 1 7 283*2486 ur thmsmui m m man (it» State I /ip £ ONIA *5.25 per »ear Box 3137 Portland. Oregon 283-248« 97208