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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 1977)
Page 2 Portland Observer Thursdiy. October 20. 1977 The necessity of allies W? see the world by Bayard Rustia through Black eyes Let them retire Congress is m o vin g to w a rd a m e n d in g the n atio n's m an da to ry age re tire m e n t la w . A lth o u g h this change is d esign ed to a llo w the e ld e rly p oo r to co n tin u e to w o rk b e tw e e n age 65 a nd 70, it w ill have serious repercussions on the lo b o r force. K eeping e ld e rly w orkers on the p a y ro ll fo r on extra fiv e years w ill adversely e ffe c t a ffirm a tiv e action by tyin g d o w n m any positions that co uld be fille d by m in o ritie s In m any jo b areas — w h e re positions are lim ite d — u pw a rd m o b ility o f yo un ge r w orkers is d e te rm in e d by the n um ber o f positions vacated by retirem ents. AAany o ld e r w orkers are a le rt a n d a ble to p erfo rm responsibly. Others are m e re ly h o ld in g a p osition and m an ag em en t is le ttin g th em ride u ntil re tire ment. W e a ll have kn o w n o ld e r w orkers w ho have fa ile d to p erform b ut no one w o u ld be m ean e n o ug h to fire them a fte r years o f good service and w ith re tire m e n t so near. The real issue is n ot w he th er the person b etw e e n 65 and 70 years o f a ge should be o //o w e d to w o rk - the issue is w h e th e r th ey w ill h ove to w ork to eat. It is a crim e that o ld e r p eo ple, h a vin g w orked fo r 45 years or m ore, con n ot have a happy and satisfying retirem ent. W ith g o o d health core and m o n e y to spend, they co uld c o n tin u e to co n trib u te to society in w ha te ver w a y they choose. The real answ er is not raising the re tire m e n t age but p ro vid in g a g ua ra n te e d a n n u a l incom e fo r a ll citizens. Sounds like Portland The te rm in a tio n o f C. Delores Tucker, Secretary o f the C o m m o n w e a lth o f P ennsylvania, by G o verno r M ilto n Shapp should b rin g to m in d current a nd past events in Portland. Mrs. Tucker, a Black w om an , was to ld that she was fire d because she had m ade m ore than 150 speeches in a 28 m onth p erio d , e a rn in g $65,000 in fees, and that she had used her sta ff to w rite her speeches. She was ca lle d fro m a m ee ting o f the N a tio n a l Association o f Secretaries o f State, o f w hich she was to be e le cte d president, and co n fro n te d by the G overnor and the A ttorn ey G e ne ra l, w ho asked her to resign. She refused to resign a nd was fire d . Mrs. Tucker told the press, "T h e charges m ade ogainst m e have a lre a d y been e x p lo re d fu lly by the State Legislature, the State Ethics Board and the G o verno r's o ffic e in the past. They are n ow b e in g dre dg ed up as an excuse to cover the real issues...Am ong these issues is w h e th e r or not a person o f p rin c ip le a nd fairness supervising the state e le ctio n m ach in e ry is a th re at to a p o w e r-h u n g ry gang " U nable to fin d a n y th in g a gainst her p erform an ce in o ffic e , the G overnor said she " d id things no o the r Secretary e ver d id . She re v ita liz e d e very d e p a rt m e n t." X T ' 5 4 GCCAT M A C ( 4 CMAMCC F0P M C TO REALLY G £ T I MES» OFF TH E I AHA WMATS HifTH A CHANCE THrt P ublic FOR YOU T o UlORKS S FT-A S lK TA As a n o th e r in o senes o f attacks on Black o ffic ia ls , Mrs. Tucker's fa te strikes h om e N e a rly e ve ry Black e le cte d or a p p o in te d o ffic ia l o f a ny sig n ific a n c e has been attacked a nd slandered. Some have been d riv e n to resign just o u ‘ o f sheer e xha ustio n from th e ir se lf-d efe n se Some have been re n d e re d in e ffe c tiv e and others have chosen to ig n o re the accusations or fig h t bock, Mrs. Tucker's statem ent that a ll accusations had lo n g b e fo re been inve stiga te d and dism issed - then d re d g e d up a g a in to be used against her — rem ind s us o f rece nt references In the d a ily press to fo u n ta in pens a nd e xp e n sive tape p la yers - issues th a t have lo n g been la id to rest. W e hove to a gree w ith C le ve la n d G ilcrease's associates in W ashington, D.C. that the press has chased 3,000 m ile s across the country just to co n tin u e its harassm ent o f him . Surely th ere are m ore im p o rta n t issues rig h t here at hom e th a t c o u ld bear som e in v e s tig a tiv e re p o rtin g — lik e rociol d is c rim in a tio n. Let's see a good, hard inve stiga tion o f racism rig h t here in g o o d o ld Portland Revolution doser The g o v e rn m e n t o f South A frica has ban ne d n e a rly e very Black o rg a n iz a tio n in that n a tio n and has closed its tw o m ajor Black new spapers A t the sam e tim e , at least e le v e n Black leaders w ere arrested a nd hom es, o ffice s and churches w ere ra id e d The o rg a n iza tio n s a n d persons b a n n e d are considered m oderates since th e ir m ore m ilito n t counterparts have been b a n ne d e a rlie r. The arrests fo llo w e d pressure in South A frica resu ltin g fro m the m urder o f Steve B ilko, a Block a ctivist, in a prison. C arter A d m in is tra tio n spokesm en have said that the actions hove b ro ug ht a b o u t o reassessment o f the U nited Stales' re la tio n s h ip w ith South A fric o . A good b e g in n in g w o u ld be b a n n in g the sale o f the South A fric a n K ru ge rran d and the presence o f South A fric a n citizens in this country and h a ltin g a ll tax breaks fo r U.S. corporations d o in g business in South A fric o . South A fric a is ra p id ly m o v in g to w a rd re v o lu tio n and the sooner the U.S. cuts its ties w ith the w h ite g o v e rn m e n t th e better. Credit, not blame C om m issioner Jordan is g e ttin g the b la m e fo r the city not g e ttin g in v o lv e d in the "W a r on P o verty" because he a nd C om m issioner Ivancie insisted on citizen p a rtic ip a tio n . M ayor G oldschm idt o ffe re d to a p p o in t a c o m m itte e to look into fo rm in g a c ity -w id e agency. Jordan and Ivancie w an te d that com m ittee selected by the a ffe c te d com m unities They should be co m m en de d fo r th eir e ffo rt to keep p e o p le program s in the hands o f the p e o p le . C O M P E TITIO N * WHY POMT PEOPLE STAY irtTVG R ftA C E L lK C T N C H a to tA M ttf THERE MEET 4 WAY T » « r r aaoum P itj 4a j A j d B 4 LOT oF PCAC? OOtfTWAMT TO S *E TWS NAY £ WHAT WC CAM HO .r?l 1st Place P ortland O b server Community Service ONPA 1973 Published every Thursday by Exie Publishing Company, 2201 North Killingsworth, Portland. Oregon »7217 Mailing address: P.0. Box 3137, Portland, Oregon 97206. Telephone: 283 2486. Subscriptions:»7.50 per year in the Tri-County area. »6.00 per year outside Portland Second Class Postage Paid at Portland Oregon The Portland Observer s official position is expressed only in its Publishers column (We See The World Through Black Eyes). Any other material throughout the paper is the opinion of the individual w riter or submitter and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Portland Observer ALFRED L HENDERSON Editor'Pubb.ber National Advertising Representative New la r k ■ MEMBER MEMSEN (= s if 19 Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association 1 S “ NÊWAL PER Association Founds fMS 1st Place Best Ad Results ONPA 1973 5th Place Best Editorial NNPA 1973 Honorable Mention Herrick Editorial Award NN A 1973 2nd Place Best Editorial 3rd Place ■y leadership ONPA 1975 A curious thing about politics is its puazling inconsistency. It is not unusual for something to be given with one hand and to be taken away with the other. Recently, for instance, the Senate passed a minimum wage bill which was a definite improvement over the version passed by the House of Representatives. The Senate then turned around and voted to deregulate the price of natural gaa. a move that would hurt most Americans and inflict special hardships on the poor. Ironically, this time, the House voted for a superior bill. It would probably take a genius to make sense of the way the Senate and the House voted on these two issues There are. nonetheless, some important lessons to be learned from these two recent votes. The first is the tremendous diversity of issues which affect the Black community. Limited resources means that we can tackle only some issues Thus, while many Black organizations actively worked for the passage of an improved minimum wage bill land are continuing to work for the superior Senate version). I doubt whether there is a major Black organization which has made a determined effort to affect the natural gas vote. The price of natural gas at first, may not. seem to be a civil rights or Black issue Certainly, the proponents of deregulation were not motivated by some anti Black spirit. Rather, the attraction of deregulation is that it appears to provide a simple, sweeping solution to a complex problem. There ia. however, strong evidence that deregulation will lead to considerably larger consumer expenditures and only a negligible in create in natural gas production. If thia view is correct, then, as the Congrei sional Budget Office observed, “the quea tion becomes primarily one of income distribution.“ If natural gas prices are deregulated, an additional »76 billion will flow from consumers to the industry between now and 1985. If oil prices are also decontrolled, the effect could be aa devastating to the economy as the four fold increase in oil prices imposed by OPEC which was a major cause of the recession. When we recall the staggering and continuing damage inflicted on Black American» by the recession, it becomes clear that the issues of energy and economic growth may be aa important to our future as the traditional civil rights agenda. The importance of such issues as natural gas deregulation leads to a second lesson that can be drawn from the Senate vote on minimum wage and natural gas deregulation. Because civil rights organi xations are unable to give their full attention to every issue vitally affecting Black Americana, we must have a sirs tegy or set of principles to guide us in dealing with the whole gamut of crucial issues. Otherwise, we will find ourselves outmaneuvered and outgunned What we win in one vote will be taken away with another. Our response must be based upon an analysis of allies and coalitions. It has occasionally been suggested that Blacks should apply the philosophy of the British Prime Minister who proclaimed that his country had no permanent allies, no permanent enemies, only permanent in tereata." The difficulty with thia ap proach ia that politics within a country differ profoundly from relations between countries. The victories won by the civil nghts movement were largely possible because of the power of moral concerns in domestic politic*. More fundamentally, we are part of a community that ia concerned with build ing a more just, decent, and responsible society. It ia inevitable that, from lime to time, serious differences will arise within that community. However, a disagree ment with a friend is different than a disagreement with an enemy. One expects to he able to amicably resolve disagreements with friends and make every possible effort to prevent disagree m enu from escalating into quarrels. It is no secret that there are today some issues on which the Black community has important differences with our friends. But we must not allow disagreements on this or that issue to obscure the necessity to work together if we are to achieve the goals we believe in. U. as I believe, new issues like natural gas deregulation are assuming a growing importance for Black Americans, then it is essential to remember the special quality of our relationship with the labor movement, the liberal community, and other elements of the coalition for social justice. The question* which will increaa ingly determine Black progress - full employment, economic growth, energy, and economic justice - cannot be solved unless the coalition is strong and united. The undersUnding that economic issue* are central can form the basis for a renewed politics of equality. Elution '72 State Representative Reger M artie has announced that he ia a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor. M artin, who ia a resident of I-«*'» Oswego, ia vice president of United Sales Associates and M artin Electric. A six term legislator. Martin was unanimously re elected House Republican Leader for the 1977 session Evelyn CrvweU. an associate professor at Portland State University and immediate past chairman of the \ W CA Board, has announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for representative in District 16. the position now held by Representative Wally Priestley, Ms. Crowells activities include the Public Education Research Council of Oregon, the M artin Luther King Scholarship Fund. Catholic Daughters of America. Portland A rt Association. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and the City Club. She is an eighteen year resident of Portland. Arnold Biskar is a candidate for City Council, Position 2. held by Commissioner Mildred Schwab. A certified public accountant. Biakar has served on two citizens budget task forces, the Cultural Resources Committee for the Chamber of Commerce, and the boards of the Portland Ballet Society. Young Audiences of Oregon and the Red Cross. He is ( hairman of Radio Station KBOOs financial advisory committee and ia a former Little League coach. In announcing his candidacy he said, “I want to go on record at the beginning of my campaign as supporting full and equal human rights for all, a Council more responsive to an increasing self determination for neighborhoods, and as supporting the maintenance and upgrading of our housing stock, including downtown housing." The Multnomah County Democratic Central Committee will meet on Thursday, October 20. 1977 - 7:45 p.m promptly. Polish Hall. 3832 N. Interstate at Failing Street. The Agenda includes debate of four measures 1. STATE: Water Development Loan Fund Created: 2. STATE: Development of Non-nuclear Natural Energy Resources; 3. C IT Y OF PO RTLA ND: Authorizes Power Contracts, and 4. M U L T N O M A H CO UNTY: Charter Amendment - Reorganization of County Commission. Counting the jobless by \e m o fi Jordan Now that the unemployment rate u. firmly below the doubledigit level there seems to be less national urgency about dealing with the problem of joblessness That's a mistake - and a big one at that. People in and out of government have become mesmerized by statistics and projections that show the unemployment rate moving downward by steps. The Administration has said it expects unemployment to fall below five percent by 1961. and if it believes that, then it is leaning on a very shaky reed. Actually, unemployment remains unconscionably high and there's no real downturn in sight. Federal job-creation programs will make only a minimal impart on the problem and there s little indication that the private sector will increase its hiring enough to make a dent in the ranks of the jobless In fact, the number of jobs in the private sector have been expanding, while the numbers of unemployed have not declined appreciably. What that means is that the private sector is creating enough jobs for skilled and trained people, but the rest of the work force is unable to benefit. And at the very foot of the problem is the strange situation that few people can even agree on how many people are unemployed at all. The official statistics consistently understate true unemployment. They are baaed on survey data that counts as unemployed individuals who are not currently working and who say they are actively looking for work They count as employed, people who are working part time, even a few hours a week, although they want and need full time jobs. Now that may be a way to keep the books, but it doesn't give an accurate picture of the job market. It doesn't count people who have given up looking for jobs because they re not available. It doesn't even count these "discouraged workers" as being part of the labor force at all. All of this and more will be examined by a new high level commission that will study the official unemployment statistics and make recommendations for changes. It doesn't take much to figure out that this is a politically explosive area. There's a vested interest in rosy figures. Numbers that show mass misery wind up putting pressure on political leaders to do something about it, at whatever coat to their other interests. That's why there's so much support for dropping unemployment figures altogether and would make everything come up looking grand. But putting on blinkers won't make the problem, or the jobless, go away. It's a form of self deception that can only lead to more suffering and trouble for the country further down the line. $7.50 $8*00 in Tri-County Aroa Other Name Address City Zip Portland Observer Box 3137 9720B Kragerraad (Continued from page 1 column 4) thia coin supporting a racist and exploits tive government, they are not even a good investment for the consumer since premium and taxes on the coin increase the price five to eight percent over an ounce of gold. But most important of all, what the ads don't mention are facta about the condi tions of Black South Africans who work in the gold mines to produce the gold for the coin*. Ninety percent of the miners are Blacks. 75 percent of whom are migrant laborers who are forbidden by law to bring their families to live with them and therefore must live separated for eleven months of the year. It ia a documented fact that an average of three miners die per shift per day and that Blacks are given the most dangerous jobs which account* for an additional 20,000 injuries per year. The average monthly wage for the white miner ia »563. while the average wage for Black miners is »124. Union organizing is made extremely difficult for Blacks and the many rigid and racist laws of apartheid make it next to impossible to protest living or working conditions without bringing violence and other injustices upon themselves. In light of the racism and exploitation that are a part of the South African government's policies, tales of the Kru gerrand to help support that government are deplorable. Sale* of the Krugerrand can only help to strengthen a society which has given little sign of sharing its wealth or power with the majority of it* people Oppo nents of the sale of the Krugerrand in Portland urge those who agree with them to call the suppliers to protest. They are: Investment companies: T .E. Slaker Company. 224 9600; Omega Securities Inc., 221 1111; U.S. Gold and Silver Investment. Inc., 228 9553; Merrill Lynch. 221-4600. Coin Shops: Columbia Coin Company. 223-6278 and Alpine Coin Compnay, 254 3656 To protest the South African pretence in the U.S. and the sale of the coin, call the toll free Krugerrand number. 600 453 2400. To learn more about the Kruggerand or if you would like to join members of "Portland Citizens Against Racism" in protesting the sales, call Cli at 281 7886 or Elizabeth Groff at 235 8954. Civil Rights (Continued from page 1 that this type of discrimination can no longer exist. Stevenson expressed the opinion that most current discrimination i i inadvertent, the result of outdated personnel practices, but that the effects of discrimination are there.
