Portland Observar August 6. 1981 Paga 3
From the Capitol
Congressman Ron Wyden
more than $200,000.
A t a tim e when we have cut the
tin y $122 per m o n th m in im u m
Social Security benefit fo r 70-year-
old widows, I fin d this kind o f tax
cut unfair, if not unbelievable.
1 am also concerned about what
th is tax cut w ill mean fo r o u r
economy. In many ways it is like a
false prophet -- p ro m ising what it
cannot deliver. It is impossible fo r
the federal governm ent to re tu rn
w hat it does not have. A n d the
federal g ove rn m e nt, w ith its $1
trillio n debt and its $40 b illio n an
nual o p e ra tin g d e fic it, c e rta in ly
doesn’ t have the $750 b illion this tax
Q. C o n g r e s s m a n W y d e n ,
although you voted fo r one o f the
tax cut proposals, you did not sup
port the bill that eventually passed
the House. Why?
A. Because the tax cut plan
which passed the House doesn’ t give
all our citizens the same opportunity
to get under the tent o f tax re lie f.
Instead o f spreading the b en efits
evenly th ro ug h ou t society, it gives
m ore than 35 percent o f a ll the
benefits to just 5.6 per cent o f the
Am erican taxpayers. In fact, a fu ll
10 per cent o f all benefit under that
plan go to taxpayers w ho make
cut w ill cost over the next 6 years.
So where it is going to get th is
money? From the Am erican public.
To finance this tax cut, the govern
ment w ill have to issue T reasury
b ills at higher and higher interest
rates - th us sucking b illio n s o f
d o lla rs fro m the very people to
whom it is “ handling” the tax cut.
W hat th a t means is th a t the
American taxpayer w ill not get back
cash on the barrel head. He w ill get
back glided lOUs -- lOUs that must
be paid someday by the w o rk in g
men and wom en o f A m e ric a who
got so lit t le when so m uch was
promised.
W hat th is tax means is m ore
deficit spending. Higher and higher
interest rates. Higher in fla tio n rates.
Fewer and fewer jobs.
I wanted a tax cut Be a good one.
A tax cut th a t reduced the tax
burden on m iddle-incom e w orking
Americans, provided incentives for
savings, p ro m o te d research and
development by in d u s try , assisted
small business -- and still allowed us
to balance the budget.
Pacific Citizen
Power o f the Week
We cannot achieve those goals
sim p ly by th ro w in g m oney at in
fla tio n . R egretably, th a t is a ll the
tax cut passed this week w ill do.
From the Boardroom
By Gladys McCoy
Multnomah County Commissioner
i
The tremendous need for jobs is a
m a jo r issue fo r
M u ltn o m a h
C o u n ty . T his is the u n d e rly in g
reason why the B oard o f C o u n ty
Commissioners supports County ac
tiv itie s and program s in economic
development: the creation o f jobs,
the start o f new businesses, the ex
pansion o f existing business and in
dustrial firm s, and improvement o f
the kinds o f things that a ttra A a n d
keep businesses, such a^Hood
housing and tra n s p o rta tio n ^ ^
The
C o u n ty ’ s
efforts
in
stim ulating economic development
are all the more needed in view o f
current high unemployment. For in
stance,
M u ltn o m a h
C o u n ty ’ s
estim ated u ne m p loym en t rate in
M a y, 1981 was 7.9 percent; th a t
translates to an unemployed labor
pool o f 24,065 people, representing
more than 19 percent o f O regon’ s
unem ployed la b o r fo rce . In ad
d itio n , it is w ell docum ented that
m in o ritie s , adolescents, o ld e r
w orkers
and
single
parent
households have une m p loym en t
rates even h ig he r. For exam ple,
m in o rity unem ploym ent is at least
12 to 13 percent in N o rth and
Northeast P o rtla n d , where almost
80.5 percent o f O re g o n ’ s Black
people have their homes.
You can see w hy the jo b s that
come from econom ic development
for the citizens o f North and N orth
east P o rtla n d creates an issue o f
great im p o rta n ce fo r me, fo r the
C ity o f P o rtla n d and fo r M u lt
nomah County.
On a co u n ty w id e basis, the
unem ploym ent s itu a tio n is in te n
sified by the fact that the C ounty's
population includes 40.7 percent ol
all Pacific Islanders, 18.3 percent o f
N ative Am ericans, 17.1 percent o f
Spanish o rig in , and 22 percent o f
“ other’ ’ m in ority groups in the en
tire State.
T hu s, the B oard o f C o u n ty
C om m issioners is faced w ith the
problem s o f how to fa c ilita te the
creation o f jobs, encourage business
activity growth and diversification,
provide needed public services and
fa c ilitie s , encourage m anpow er
recruitment and training programs,
slow down the exodus o f middle and
upper m id d le incom e households
and business to the more suburban
com m unities, provide developable
sites fo r business and in d u s try ,
re vita lize d e te rio ra tin g n e ig h b o r
hoods, p ro tect n a tu ra l resource
areas from urban incursion and im
prove incom e o p p o rtu n itie s fo r
M u ltn o m a h C o u n ty resdients and
firms.
The fo llo w in g is a lis tin g o f
C E T A and C o u n ty m anpower ac
tiv itie s and o n g o in g p rogram s in
economic development:
• The M u ltn o m a h -W a s h in g to n
Private Industry C ouncil to recruit
and train C E T A eligible people fo r
jobs in the private sector;
• The Oregon Industrial Revenue
Bond P rogram to assist business
and industry and expand or locate in
Multnomah County;
• F unding o f n o -in te re st loans
fo r housing re h a b ilita tio n fo r low
and moderate income homeowners;
• C o n s tru c tio n o f the A ir p o rt
W ay East in d u s tria l a rte ria l, a
p ro gram in w hich c o n s tru c tio n ,
engineering and o th e r firm s can
request C E T A -fu nd ed tra in in g fo r
both new employees or employees
who need new job skills;
• Co-sponsoring o f a Region-wide
L a b o r Force M a rke t Study (to be
released in e arly A u g u s t) th a t
assesses both the vocational training
needs o f households and the local
lab or fo rce needs o f business and
in d u s try , in c lu d in g N o rth and
Northeast Portland; this is the first
time that an effort has been made to
look at the p o in t o f view o f both
households and businesses; the
Study includes a survey o f 13,000
in d iv id u a ls in households and
businesses; the Study includes a sur
vey o f 13,000 in d iv id u a ls in
households throughout M ultnom ah
County, in terms o f who are the jo b
seekers and how they see th e ir
needs; the S tudy loo ks at the
problems and incentives fo r under
employed people to use training op-
p o rtu n itie s th ro u g h C E T A or at
c o m m u n ity colleges; it also asks
business and in d u s try em ployers
why they do not always hire people
tra in e d by C E T A or c o m m u n ity
colleges so that the training centers
can p in p o in t problem s and o ffe r
better market packages; the market
study is also gathering up-to-date
in fo rm a tio n on p ro file s o f M u lt
nom ah C o u n ty households fo r
minorities in general, single parents,
h a n d ic a p p e d , u n e m p lo y e d ,
discouraged and u nem ployed,
veterans, lower income and the em
ployed to come up w ith the most
re a lis tic program s th a t meet the
needs o f these households;
• D eve lop in g s a n ita ry sewer
program s fo r fa s t-g ro w in g East
county to serve both existing and
An Open Letter
«g
By Ron Still
Chief o f Police
1
One o f the purposes o f my
w ritin g an a rtic le fo r local
newspapers is to provide the citizens
o f P o rtla n d w ith a better u n d e r
standing o f it ’ s Police Bureau. It is
my b elief that th rough understan
d in g , tru s t and co nfid en ce is
established.
It is important to me, as well as all
employees o f the Police Bureau,
that citizens have faith in our ability
to serve the city.
We attempt to use techniques that
are successful and cost effective. We
m ake changes when the need
becomes e vid en t. One area that
needed an alternate m ethod to the
patrol car was the city parks.
A way to respond to these needs
was to fo rm the M ou nte d P a tro l
U n it. Two o ffic e rs and a Sergeant
were in itia lly assigned to the
p ro je c t. I t ’ s in itia l goal was to
reduce the number o l stranger-to-
stranger crimes in the South Park
B locks. The crim e rate there was
high. We needed new ideas to stop
ihe crimes and the M ounted Patrol
U n it was one way we approached
the problem.
The u n it fir s t w orked in J u ly ,
1979. D u rin g the next three
months, they were responsible for a
93 percent re d u c tio n in the crim e
rate in the South Park Blocks
It was during these three months
that the unit had to prove itse lf e f
fective. As you can see. the results
were impressive. Based on the initial
months a ctivity, the M ounted U nit
was funded fo r fu ll-tim e operation.
The unit consisted o f one Sergeant,
five Patrol Officers, and one civilian
em ployee to assist in horse
fa c ility m anagem ent and horse
tra in in g D u rin g the fisca l year
1980-81, the M ou nte d U n it was
deployed in d o w n to w n P o rtla n d
w ith p rim a ry re s p o n s ib ility to the
“ O ld T o w n ” area. An e valuation
was completed which identified a 63
percent reduction in street crim e in
the “ O ld T o w n " area d u rin g the
specific time the M ounted U nit was
working.
During December, 1980, the tran
sit supervisor co nta cte d the U n it
and requested M o u n te d Po ice in
the Bus M a ll to reduce the row dy
and disorderly conduct. The M oun
ted U n it’ s time was divided between
“ Old T o w n " and the Bus Mall. As a
result, the calls for service in the Bus
M a ll went fro m eight (8) calls per
week to one ( I ) call in a month.
In A p ril, 1981, the Mounted Unit
reverted to C ity-w ide operations at
the request o f the in d iv id u a l Pre
cincts. The M ounted U nit was dis
patched to M t. Tabor Park, Kelley
Point Park, W ashington Park, the
N eighborfair and the Rose Festival
Fun Center along w ith many other
large crowd ac’ ivities.
The Mounted Patrol U nit is an ef
fe ctive e nfo rce m en t to o l and has
proven very p o p u la r w ith the
citizens o f Portland.
I f you have com m ents or
questions re g ardin g the P o rtla n d
P olice Bureau, send them to me
through the Public Inform ation O f
fice, 222 S.W Pine, P o rtla n d ,
Oregon 97204. I w ill not be able to
respond in my open letters to each
and every concern, but w ill select
those which w ill assist in im proving
communications and relations with
the community.
College aid available
Several kinds o f financial aid are
still available for the fall term at Mt.
Hood Con mumty College, accord
ing to C arl Rawe, fin a n c ia l aid
director for the college
“ We s till are a w a rd in g basic
grants, Oregon state need grants,
and guaranteed student loans to
qualified students," Rawe said
The a p p lic a tio n process takes
about fo ur to six weeks. Interested
students should contact the M H C C
financial aid o ffice now Tall term
classes begin M on da y, September
28.
“ We also have selected scholar
ships, including recognition awards,
available th ro u g h o u t," Rawe ad
ded.
Qualified students must enroll for
at least six credit hours in a college
c u rricu lu m leading to an associate
degree o r c e rtific a te to be co n
sidered for financial aid.
For more inform ation contact the
M H C C F in a n c ia l A id O ffic e at
667-7262 or stop by the office on the
Gresham campus.
new homes, plus business and in
dustrial firm s , so that gro w th w ill
not be slowed by disease and water
pollution;
• C onstruction o f the L ig ht Rail
System in the unicorporated areas,
where the C o u n ty is responsible,
th a t translates in to c o n s tru c tio n
jobs, jobs resulting fro m com m er
cial development around the Tight
Rail passenger stations and jobs that
are accessible from e fficien t public
tra n s p o rta tio n to and fro m P o rt
land and East County because office
and warehouse developm ent is
inevitable; l ight Rail w ill pull both
ends o f the C o u n ty m uch closer
to g e th e r, e xpanding jo b o p p o r
tunities over a greater area.
W h ile the o u tlo o k fo r M u lt
nomah C ou nty is good, much w ill
depend upon the actions at the State
and fe d e ra l levels to fa c ilita te
economic recovery. U ltim a tely, the
private sector is the jo b and income
generator. W ith growth and expan
sion in the m arket place, needed
jo b s , incom e, goods and services
w ill be available The benefits from
private sector development and wise
use o f governmental regulations and
program s w ill p ro vid e m ore jo b s,
broaden our tax base, support the
provision o f pubic facilities and ser
vices, enhance o u r urban c o m
m u n itie s and preserve o u r ru ra l
areas.
Helping to produce jobs is vitally
im p o rta n t to me and the Board o f
County Commissioners. I f you need
more in fo rm a tio n about economic
developm ent
in
M u ltn o m a h
( ounty, please call my office at 248-
5219.
Dr. Reginald D. Baugh is a 1981 graduate of the
University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor.
His undergraduate work was done at the University of
Iowa.
The son of Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Baugh of Portland,
Reginald attended West Linn High School,
graduating in 1974.
He will begin his residency in Otolargnology at the
University of Michigan and afterward intends to per
sue an academic career. During medical school he
was a member of the Admissions Committee and the
Health Professions Outreach Committee.
Dr. Baugh was recently selected as one of 50
medical students to receive the Henry J. Kaiser
Family Foundation Merit Award. The award, which
includes a $4,000 stipend, acknowledges his
academic excellence, leadership and community ac
tivities in his medical school years.
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