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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 12, 1981)
Portland Observer M arch 12,1981 Page 3 D ic k T w o b ills aim ed at a tta c k in g ra cia l d is c rim in a tio n here and abroad were in house hearings at the Oregon legislature this past week. The tw o pro po sals, House B ill 2479, w hich w o u ld m ake ce rta in kind s o f ra cia l and re lig io u s harassment a felony and House B ill 2618, which would ban investment o f state funds in countries with laws th a t d is c rim in a te on the basis o f race were discussed in hearings before the House A g in g and M in ority A ffairs Committee. H .B . 2479 was proposed by G o verno r A tiy e h a fte r he became concerned over the n um ber o f recent race and religious based in cidents in Oregon in the past several months. That b ill provides that a person com m its a fe lo n y, i f he o r she in tim idates another because o f race, color, religion, ancestry or national origin. A lre a d y some are ra isin g questions as to the constitutionality o f the proposed law and the Gover nor has said he is w illin g to study am endm ents to deal w ith those questions. Derrick Bell, Dean o f the Univer sity o f Oregon Law School, who is B la ck, says i f passed he d oe sn't th in k the potential victims o f racial in tim id a tio n have any basis to feel the law is adequate to protect their rights. Bell puts his o p in io n in an h isto rica l perspective. He says the history o f civil rights statutes in this country indicates i t ’ s quite d iffic u lt to get prosecutions o f those persons charged w ith racial violence unless the case is horrendous. Dean Bell believes prosecutors are usually concerned about getting the necessary p ro o f and whether or not ju rie s are going to c o n v ic t and th e re fo re a lo t o f cases d o n ’ t get prosecuted at all. He says, “ unless i t ’ s a very serious case, the tendency o f juries is to be very sym pa the tic to the d efe nd a nt and very suspicious o f w hether there is re a lly s u ffic ie n t p ro o f. So generally those statutes fall into disuse.” But Bell does see it as worthwhile fo r the G o verno r to propose such legislation. He feels that the current sense o f conservatism means to a lot o f people th a t g overnm ent is not g oing to oppose viole nce against minorities. Bell says, ’ the in tro d u c tio n and strong support o f the bill by Gover nor A tiy e h puts people on notice that government is not condoning the in tim id a tio n o f m in o rity groups.” TASK FORCE TO EX A M IN E C R IM E L o o k fo r some changes in the federal approach to crim e in the United States. A tto rn e y G eneral W illia m French Sm ith has ordered a special task force to determine whether the federal government should make a b o ld e r a tte m p t to ensure the domestic tranquility. The Task Force w ill be headed by G riffin Bell, an Attorney General in the C a rte r A d m in is tra tio n , and Illinois Republican Governor James Thompson. Other members w ill in clude persons fro m the academ ic side and state and lo c a l o ffic ia ls engaged in the fight against crime. Smith has also said the task force w ill look at whether or not the FBI should assume a greater role in drug law enforcement. Just recently, FBI d ire c to r W illia m W ebster has ad vocated such an expansion o f his agency’ s role. It seems to me there w o u ld be things the FBI could do to beef up the battle against heavy n arcotics but it w ouldn’ t be a role paralleling that o f the D rug Enforcem ent A d ministration. The two agencies attract tw o d if ferent types o f agents. F B I men have always impressed me as being text book types w h ile the drug agents seem more street wise. L e t’ s face it , b o th agencies are lo o k in g at some o f the same crim ina l suspects at the higher end o f organized crim e so maybe some sort o f lia is o n between the tw o would be beneficial. But i f the F B I was to somehow pre-empt the D E A in what i t ’ s now d o in g , then lo o k o u t. There is nothing more ugly than law enforce ment agencies b a ttlin g each o the r over what each feels is its own tu rf. THE 2 5 HOUR CONTACT LENS IS HERE Aftei years ot waiting the extended-wear contact lens is on the market and we hdve it In stock, ready tor you Work, play, sleep Remove the lenses weekly or monthly but remove them when you please The continuous-wear contact lens means trouble tree, carefree vision tor you 224-5367 C o n ta c t Lens Clinic of P ortland Porttand M e d ic a l C enter Dr James H VYüe Optometrist Visa arxl Mrntwn rxvye M m , .< KTW Dt Philo Stock stad Optometrist FwxancmQ Avndatv« an Approvad Credd The view from the Capitol 'i ■ o f 50,000 to 100,000 barrels o f o il per day. The resulting price increase o f gas alone w ill cost consumers an a d d itio n a l $10 b illio n o r ap p ro xim a tely $600 per barrel o f o il saved. The U .S . T re a sury w ill collect about $6.4 b illion o f that $10 b illion and oil companies w ill get the remaining $3.6 billion. The only one who comes out short is the taxpayer -- who pays fo r it all at the pumps. (E d ito r’ s Note: Each week, U.S. Rep. Ron W yden (D . O re) w ill report from W ashington, D .C ., on what’ s been going on in the nation’ s c a p ito l, key votes, key issues, key concerns. This week he discusses the A d m in istra tio n ’ s energy policy, co sponsorship o f a b ill designed to help young people buy th e ir firs t hom e, and his vote on a House R esolution regarding reestablish m ent o f the Select C o m m itte e on Narcotics Abuse and C ontrol.) Q. Congressman Wyden, when President Reagan d eco ntro lle d o il prices on January 28th, he claim ed a ccelera tion o f d e c o n tro l w o u ld spur greater production and conser vation o f oil. Do you agree? A. A ccelerated d e c o n tro l is n o th in g more or less than a back door energy tax. The Department o f Energy has estimated that speedup o f decontrol w ill result in a savings Q. W ith in fla tio n and in te re st rates ever on the rise, it is becoming more and more d iffic u lt f o r young couples to purchase their fir s t home. What, i f a n y th in g can be done to help improve this situation? A . There is no easy s o lu tio n to the problem o f soaring inflation and interest rates. Congress has, how ever, begun to lo o k to w a rd le g is la tio n w hich w o u ld make it more attractive to save for that first hom e. T his week I agreed to co sponsor H .R .1 1 0 , the Y oung Fam ilies H om eow nership O p p o r tunity Act, which allows individuals and married couples who have never owned th eir p rin c ip a l residence to deposit up to $15,000 in to an in d iv id u a l housing a cco u n t, and to take a tax credit equal to 20 percent o f th e ir annua! d eposit up to a maximum lifetim e credit o f $3,000. A n y tax lia b ility on the interest earned fro m the account w ould be d efe rre d fo r several years. The beauty o f such legislation is that not only would young couples be able to buy th a t firs t home — but overall personal savings would increase and the severely depressed housing in dustry w ould get the much needed shot in the arm. Q. Congressm an Wyden, on F e b ru a ry 25, y o u voted against reestablishment o f the select Com- m ittee on Narcotics and Abuse and Control. What was yo u r reason? A. The p ro ble m o f drug abuse and drug tra ffickin g is a serious one - particularly in the schools and with the young. I am c o m m itte d to the need to crack down on such abuse. But p aying fo r a n o th e r congressional com m ittee on top o f the eight that are already addressing this issue, is not the way to do it - p a rtic u la rly when the cost o f ru n nin g th a t c o m m itte e fo r one year to ta ls m ore th a n h a lf- a - m illio n dollars. I f we are ever to balance the budget and do away w ith g ove rn ment waste, w e’ ve s im p ly got to stop paying fo r program s th a t duplicate existing programs and ser vices. Congress in particular should set an exam ple by not fu n d in g com m ittees th a t are a waste o f money. Register and vote March 31 Pacific Citizen Power o f the Week From the Board Room By Gladys M cCoy M ultnom ah County Commissioner Begin this procedure by then talking to the assessor; he may be able to make an adjustment on the spot by checking the assessment card fo r e rro rs. A fa ir assessment can be made if a mistake is found. I f not satisfied, the next step is to appeal to the C o u n ty Board o f Equalization, a citizen’ s committee I f you believe your property tax is too high, but you say nothing about it, then nothing w ill be done. There are programs that can help. A ll taxpayers have the rig h t to appeal a decision i f it is believed the property has been over-assessed. SEMLER OPTOM ETRISTS Announcing ANEW LOW PRICE FOR Wide Choice. . . REGULAR A SOFT LENS in c lu d in g famous BAUSCH LOMB SOFLENS ★ Yes! We Have THE HEW 'E xtended W ear. CONTACTS ★ %•»«•— Ask In c lu d in g OPTOMETRIC EYE EXAMINATION for O ur Price for “ F jc tc n d c d -W e w '' C o n ta ct* which Includes h x tm in ttion t n j SpecialSterilinng K IT Required - and Accessary Kit * NO A PPO INTM ENT NEEDED SEMLER OPTICAL «asv L*cat*4in SEMLER Optical Office« C w o /r NO IN1IRIST No Carrying Medicare • Welfare Charges Phone — Insurance Patients Downtown Welcome Xnrcuir Boclrri «I Oytemrtry — P O R T L A N D 227- 7200 Rs. Utty « M H « -» » M. I1 L L T -K J. I I I I T - B c Cktis M i n i S.W. 3rd & Yam hill “ m a in IlM C k a ia k o n It r w t PAone - M S - I T U OR OAVIO NEWMAN 0»tonwtwt om a (tele * Cammtrcial P h n n r - .S0S-IA.WI OR ROBERT MULL. Oplomalrut A consisting o f a com m issioner and two lay persons. Night meetings are set up to accom m odate day w o rk e rs . The d eadline fo r ’ ’ Homesteads” (a main residence in which you live and own) is February 15. A ll other properties’ deadline is the T h ird M onday in M ay (M ay 18 for 1981). While the time is over for 1980 hom estead exem pts, the process is the same each year. I f s till n ot sa tis fie d w ith the board’ s decision, the appeal can be taken to e ith e r the Sm all C laim s D ivision o f the Oregon Tax C ourt, which can not be fu rth e r appealed, or to the O regon D epartm ent o f Revenue, and fro m there the Oregon Supreme C ou rt. However, most often appeals to the Revenue D ep artm en t are co rrected at that level. Besides th is rig h t to appeal an assessment decision, there are other program s that can reduce or delay taxes. 1. The O regon P ro p e rty Tax R e lie f Plan reduces the am ount owed on a homestead, with the state p aying up to $800 d ire c tly to the c o u n ty. Renters may also q u a lify for a refund o f up to $400. There is no income lim it fo r elig ib ility in this program. 2. The H om eow ner and Renter R efund P rogram (H A R R P ) was designed for low and middle income Oregonians earning up to $17,000 annually. A refund o f up to $750 for homeowners, and $375 fo r renters, w ill be sent to eligible persons in Oc tober. Applications are found in the state incom e tax packet m ailed to each Oregon resident, or picked up fro m the D epartm ent o f Revenue. H A R R P may be filed even i f no in come taxes were filed that year. Ap p lic a n ts m ay q u a lify fo r both property tax relief and H AR R P. 3. The Senior C itiz e n ’ s Property Tax D e fe rra l P ro gram can delay taxes on a residence. The state w ill pay taxes o f q u a lify in g citizens to the county, w ith the deferred taxes becoming a lien on the property. The p ro gram requires the ap plicants living on the property to be at least 62 years o f age by M arch I o f the year filed; there be a recorded deed to the property; and less than $1800 is earned fro m the property. The taxes m ust be p a id , w ith six percent interest, when the applicant dies, sells the p ro p e rty , o r earns more than $1800 from the property. Paym ents can be made to the revenue departm ent to reduce the deferred taxes. Q u a lify in g persons m ay s till a pp ly fo r H A R R P and property tax relief. Applications are taken between January 1 and A p ril 4. The V e te ra ns’ s E x e m p tio n Program provides a $7500 property tax exem ptio n fo r q u a lify in g veterans and veterans’ s widows. To qualify, a veteran must be cer tifie d w ith at least a 40 percent d is a b ility fro m the U.S. • Veterans A d m in is tra tio n or a branch o f the U.S. Armed Forces and have had 90 consecutive days o f w a rtim e services. A w id o w ’ s q u a lific a tio n s are that o f her husband served 90 consecutive days o f wartim e service and she has never re m a rrie d . Her husband need not have been disabled. Each year an application must be file d between Ja n u a ry 1 A p ril 1. For further tax in fo rm a tio n , call Tax Help, 229-5116, or the D epart ment o f Revenue, 229-5833. Interested in current books about African Liberation? Visit: JOHN REED BOOKSTORE In the Dekum Building 519 S. W. 3rd Avenue Sixth Floor Or call 227 2902 As an active union member, Bob Boyer organized and is currently president of the Portland Chapter of the A. Phillip Randolph Institute. The Institute promotes unionism and community service. Among the activities of the organization during the past year was Operation Big Vote, a national voter registration drive. Boyer, who is employed at Waterway Terminals, is a shop steward for the Inland Boatman Union, Columbia River Chapter; a member of the Executive Board and Chairman of the education committee. He is a fraternal member of the Multnomah Labor Council and a mem ber of the Executive Board of Pacific Northwest Labor College. Boyer attended Portland Community College, where he earned an associate degree in supervision and management, and graduated from Marylhust College with a BS in business management. He is a member of Sabin Neighborhood Association and participates in the schools where his five children attaend - Adams, Jefferson, Benson and King. Among his previous community activities are serving as Labor and Industry Chairman of the Portland Branch, NAACP, and as Finance Chairman for the National Convention held in Portland. He belongs to several community organizations. BROUGHT TO YOU BY Pacific Power
