Page 4 Portland Observer Thursday. December 1, 1977
Utility bill ulcers and property tax trauma?
by Ron Widen and Peggi l.indquiM
l egal Develo usent Program for the
Elderly
Even with the holidays coming up. this
is the time of year when many older
Oregonians have “Utility Ulcers" and
"Tax Trauma" the former comes from
receiving ballooning winter utility bills,
and the latter is a depression that sets in
when the property tax bill arrives. We
thought it might help seniors plagued by
these ailments if we described a number
of the new money saving laws land one or
two that are not new! that can help
low income Oregon seniors cut the cost of
staying warm, honteowning. and renting.
For example, one way to reduce your
utility tab is to winterize your home.
Those 60 or older qualify for a weatheri
zation refund of up to $300 if they have
filed a 1976 homeowner s property tax
refund claim, have a 1976 household
income of less than $7.500, and have a
1977 assessed value on your home of less
than $30.000.
The Department of Revenue automuti
cally sends a voucher to people who
qualify for the program. Whatever you
spend in winterizing your home between
October 4. 1977 and June 30, 1979 should
he documented by receipts, canceled
checks, work orders, etc., and be included
when you send your voucher back, before
January 1. I960 Call the Department of
Revenue to find out what kinds of
winterizing qualify. Their toll free num
her is I 800 452 2838.
There is also a tax credit for winter»
ing available, which is open to almost all
homeowners in Oregon. This amounts to
$125 or one fourth of the cost of winter»
ing, whichever is less, and is applied
against your income tax liability when
vou file your Stale income lax return.
Another law designed to help seniors
keep warm this winter is a Fuel and
Utility Refund. .Approximately 65.000
elderly have been receiving a $50 refund
check to help pay for the high cost of fuel
and utility rates. To qualify for this
refund, a senior must have filed a 1976
homeowner or renter property tax re
fund claim, and be 60 or older with a 1976
household income of less than $5,000.
The Revenue department will mail
these checks out automatically to those
who qualify and there's no application
necessary.
This money is part of a $7 million
appropriation from the legislature, the
rest of which will be sent to people who
qualify for the refund next Fall.
There are also several programs to
ease the cost of property tax. One is a
senior citizen's property tax deferral law.
This allows homeowners age 62 and over
to delay paying property taxes and those
special assessments shown on their tax
statement.
The taxes, however, are
delayed not but forgotten. They must be
paid, with interest when the owner dies,
sells the property or begins earning
excess income from the property. Pre
sent and future taxes can be deferred
even though there may be delinquent
taxes for previous years. Abo, once the
taxes are deferred, a surviving spouse
can continue the deferral if he or she is 80
or over.
How do you qualify? You must be 62
by March 1st of the year in which you file
an application. You must have a recorded
title to the property, or be buying the
properly under a recorded sales contract,
l You can't get a deferral if you have a life
estate in the property.) You have to live
on the property as well as own it. And
you don't earn a gross income of more
than $1 .HOD per year from the property. If
you're interested and eligible, you'll need
to go to the county assessor's office (look
under your county in the phone book)
between January 1st and April 1st to
apply.
Oregon also has a property tax refund
for homeowners ot all ages. You are
eligible for thus refund if you occupy an
Oregon homestead (this applies to mo
bile homes, tool, have a recorded interest
in your homestead, have a total house
hold income of less than $16.000 and are
the only one in the household filing a
refund claim. The forms and instructions
for filing for this refund are included in
the 1977 Oregon income tax packet which
should be mailed to all Oregon citizens.
You can also pick up the forms at banks,
post offices, courthouses, and Depart
me nt of Revenue district offices. The
timing of this refund has been changed
this year.
You should receive your
Truth about death important to children
BOSTON UNIVERSITY - Shielding
your child from the subject of death is a
great mistake, warns Gerald Koocher. a
Boston University psychiatrist and chief
psychologist at a Boston cancer center.
Kids can tell when adults are fooling
them." Koocher says, "and they build up
fears about topics adults try to hide from
them Very often those fears grow to be
worse than the realities."
Koocher stresses that death education
should be handled like sex education, and
hi- gives parents five simple guidelines
for telling children the facts:
First, anticipate your child's fears.
“Very young children tend to worry
about who will lake care of them when
they die." Koocher says, "while older
children often worry about the pain of
death."
Second, find out how much your child
already knows. By age four or five, most
children have some first hand knowledge
of death, perhaps by noticing a dead
pigeon or insect, and most have seen a
great deal of simulated death on teievi
sion. which may leave very strong im
pressions.
Third, straighten out misconceptions.
Koocher says children between ages five
and seven often look at death magically
and think that the dead can be brought
back to life. After seven, children realize
death is final and form graphic concep
lions of what happens to dead people.
Also, he says, children often form fears
about connections between death and
such things as drinking out of styrofoam
cups or eating hot dogs or touching dirty
bugs.
Fourth, give clear information in Ian
guuge the child can understand. Avoid
euphemisms, fairy tales, and even allu
sions to “going to heaven" when not
integrated into u larger religious context.
Koocher says. Never say that dying is
"like going to sleep."
A child can
understand when you tell him that a dead
person looks asleep but no longer breath
es or that a person was too sick to get
well and his heart stopped.
Fifth, and most important, make sure
your child feels free to ask any question
and that no subject is taboo. "Children
will feel in control if they know what
happens," Koocher says. He adds one
note of caution: "Children often assume
that what happens to others will happen
to them, so assure them that their bodies
work fine and that they are not likely to
die for a long time.
refund check in October, more near the
time your property taxes are due.
Renters, of course, are also eligible for
a property tax refund, since part of the
rent goes to pay for property taxes. In
addition to that refund, there is a state
program for elderly rental assistance.
For both of these refunds, the necessary
forms and instructions are included in the
1977 Oregon income tax packet, and are
to he filed with your Oregon income lux.
To receive a renters property tax refund,
you have to occupy an Oregon homestead
as a renter on December 31. 1977, have a
household income of less than $16,000 and
he the only person in the household filing
a refund claim. To qualify for the elderly
rental assistance, you must he at least 58
years old at the end of this year, have a
household income of less than $5,000. and
lie paying more than 40 percent of your
income for rent, fuel and utilities. If you1
qualify for these programs and file a 1977
refund claim, you'll be receiving a check
in October. This is a change from this last
year when checks for the elderly rental
assistance program were sent out month
ly. Just this October, people who qualify
for the program were mailed a “lump
sum" check for ,977.
In summary, most older Oregonians
are eligible for some, if not all. of the
programs described here. We realize
these programs might not coat that
"utility ulcer" or totally relieve your "tax
trauma", hut we thought that if older
Oregonians had this information it would
increase the chance that seniors get
every penny the State of Oregon says
they have coming to help with utility bills
and property taxes. If you, the reader,
have more questions about your tax
and or utility "predicament." call the
Oregon Itepartment of Revenue on their
toll free number: 1 800-452 2838. They
want to help.
YOl ( AN HELP - The Toy ‘N Joy project, sponsored bi Portland's Urban 4 II
program, 4615 N.E. 7th Avenue, and the Portland Fire Department, is underwit and
eX’iecta to provide a happy ( hristmas for hundreds of children Irom low -income
families this holiday season. Joyce Payne, 411 rommunili worker, assists with
trans porting toys from the I rban Center, where repairable toys are being collected,
to the fire department station in downtown Portland. There the neressart re,«airs are
made in time for delivery during the holidays. Anyone with usable, re mirable toys to
donate are asked to contact the 4-H Urban Center. 287-177(1, or deliver (hem to the
(enter. 4815 N.E. 7th Avenue. Pick-up collection service can be provided and
the collection project will continue until Christmas week.
"Spare when you are young, and spend when you are old "
H G. Bohn
"He who is not sure of his memory should avoid lying."
Michel de Montaigne
“Yes, Ron,
There is a Santa --”
and he (or she)
is a special someone for
everyone...
This year the Observer
is offering
you a special way
to tell your special
Santa what you would
like for
Christmas...
What do employers look for when hiring?
leading qualification of an applicant. Then
comes the person's ability to communi
cate, both orally and in writing, a good
work attitude and motivation, followed
by stability and perserverance.
For employers in the clerical field, they
first seek applicants with motivation and
good work attitudes, then comes basic
skills, stability and perserverance and
vocational training and technical skills.
Those who want to become salesper
sons must first have a good work attitude
and positive motivation. You must be
able to communicate, both verbally and in
writing. These are listed as the first
priorities for a sales position. The second
qualification is listed as being stable and
able to perservere, followed by social
compatibility and personal relations.
In the field of unskilled labor, employ
ers first seek motivation and work
attitudes, followed by stability, persever
ance, discipline and basic skills.
Based on the respondents to the
What are your chances of locating the
job you are seeking, and what is a future
employer looking for when he interviews
applicants?
According to a recent survey conduct
ed of 140 Portland area businesses,
college graduates with a major in busi
ness administration, have minors in ac
counting, engineering and or sales and
marketing stand a good chance.
The survey was conducted to deter
mine and identify the attitudes and
opinions of job applicants.
Craftsman applicants should make cer
lain their technical skills and vocational
training are in proper order. Employers
then say a good work attitude is the
second most important qualification, fol
lowed by motivation, stability, perser
verance. discipline and adjustment to
organizational structure.
A potential employers in the area of
"professional technicians" rates profes
sional and technical competence as the
Sample
Messages
bureau's survey, most employers feel the
majority of applicants are either "good"
or "fair”. Those two categories attracted
a total of 89 percent majority responses.
“Excellent" applicants were only five
percent while "poor" applicants were
slightly higher, six percent.
Of the qualifications employers found
basically lacking in most applicants, be
havioral qualities came first, followed by.
writing abilities.
Of those surveyed. 61 percent said they
give job preference to an applicant with a
college education or some college back
ground. But at the same time. 88 percent
of the employers surveyed said they do
not anticipate changing their hiring prac
tices in regards to college graduates
Those who are among the job seekers
in the job market today, should check the
box score and find out where they stand
in the "rating" a potential employers
would give them as an applicant.
(from
Observer
staff
members...)
Consumer League
seeks members
3 A ppointimer
Come In at Your Coavenience
* Lat Us H elp You W ith All
Your N a a d a d D antistry . . .
U SI MY LIBERAL CREDIT PLAN
• I m m e d ia te
NO FINANCE
DENTURES
COMPANY
or BANK To
S a m e I t a y • IN MOST CASES
Com« in b a fa ra 10 a.m . and
W a W ill Try to D allvar your
Danturas by 4 p.m. Same Day
Deal With
P a y in Sm all
W eekly o r M onthly
Im o u n tt
ALL
Dental
Insurance
Accepted
F o rm a A v a ila b le
a t o u r O f fica
(
Sodium P entothol
WNIN
MSIRID 10»
SLEEP
E xtrac tio n s & F illin g s
Lcaniad Anostbetist in Abandonee
)
In our Christmas
Personals Section -
12 words for 3 weeks
for $3.
Santa,
Please send
me a car that
runs...RL
Your message will
appear for
3 weeks in December...
just fill out and mail
the blank below...
Santa,
I need a 10-
speed for this
summer...DM
PLEASE PRINT MY MESSAGE TO SANTA,
DECEMBER 8, 15, 22 - FOR $3. (12-word
maximum, 15c for each additional word, weekly.
Messages must be received by Monday, Dec. 5,
after which regular rates will be charged.)
SANTA,
Phone — 2 2 7 -2 4 2 7
2-HOUW
ta n
NANKING
Liwri»i«
L iw ru it
Name------------------------------------------------------
Address---------------------------------------------------
D K N T I8 T
S’ ir e t Level
51 5 S w
HOURS 8 30 AM to 5.00 PM
Closed Saturdays
D U R IN G
The Oregon Consumer la-ague has
begun a campaign to uncover the most
pressing consumer needs of Portland's
minority groups.
The League. Oregon's oldest non pro
fit consumer organization, is inviting area
minority groups and individuals to help
the- organization focus on the special
problems they experience in today’s
marketplace.
“We would like to give more attention
to the problems minority consumers
have, but first we need specific informa
tion as to what the problems are," says
Jan Bathe, newly-elected President ot
the League.
Located in Portland at 519 S.W . 3rd.
Room 412, the league has sought to
represent the needs of Oregon's consum
ers on the state and local levels for over
eleven years.
In addition, the League's office offers
the public a comprehensive assortment of
reference materials.
Minority groups and individuals who
wish to join the Oregon Consumer Lea
gue. or who would like to alert the
la-ague about specific problems, are en
couraged to contact the office by calling
227 3882 or dropping by between 9:00
a m. and 4:00 p.m.
Santa,
Please send
me a scholar
ship to Morris
Brown...SB
Ave
Between Alder A Washington
O F F IC E S ALSO IN SALEM A E U G E N E
The first jhorthand tystem
was publuhed by Dr Timothy
Bright in 1588, under the
title "Characterie
the art
of jhort, lw ift and ««cret
writing."
(Mail this entry to: Observer, P.0. Box 3137,
Port., OR. 97208)
IP I cam *
A
encloHe check or money-order. |