Page 4 Portland Observer, December 10. 1981
EDITORIAL/OPINION
Restrict tax refunds
Oregon’s economy, along with that o f the na
tion, is heading for its worst winter since 1975.
Economic indicators point to a deepening reces
sion.
Oregon’ s unemployment rate reached 10.6
per cent in October, one o f the highest in the na
tion. During October an estimated 126,000 peo
ple were out o f work and actively seeking jobs—
9.5 per cent o f the labor force. M inority unem
ployment is at least double the official rate if not
more.
Inflation continues, with the Portland area
Consumer Price Index gaining at an annual rate
of over 22 per cent.
With winter upon us many families have al
ready experienced utility shut-offs, the necessity
to buy oil instead o f food, and the discomforts
and dangers o f inadequate heat. In spite o f
greater need, federal energy aid for low-income
persons has been cut; Oregon has lost $4 m il
lion.
The Oregon Legislature w ill meet January
11th to seek ways to cut the budget to avoid a
$50 billion deficit. Governor Atiyeh has asked
for across-the-board cuts o f 20 per cent from
all agencies. For m any, especially human
services and education, the effectiveness o f
much needed programs would be destroyed.
In order to avoid property tax lim itatio ns
such as that adopted in C a lifo rn ia , Oregon
in itia te d a p ro p e rty tax re fund program .
Money from the general fund -- income taxes -
is used to refund approximately 30 per cent o f
each home owner’ s property tax. During the
last legislative session this refund was tied to
the expected tax revenue, so now revenue
shortfall a u to m a tica lly lowers the funds
available for refund payments.
W hen enacted, the Legislature allowed a
refund o f up to $800, which meant that no
matter how valuable the home or how rich the
owner the owner w ould receive the $800.
refund. During the last session the Legislature
reduced the m axim um refund to $375, but
im m ediately a fte r the session closed the
Emergency Board again increased the
maximum - this time to $425.
Changing the maximum from $375 to $425
gave the extra money o n ly to those at the
upper tax brackets - those with homes valued
over $70,000. ,t was a direct subsidy to those
w ho have less need.
In its special session the Legislature should
reduce the am ount o f money availa ble fo r
refunds for the second year o f the biennium
and use that money to meet human needs.
O nly those w ith expensive homes would feel
the decrease in maximum refund.
As a longer range solution the Legislature
should raise the percentage o f the re fu n d ,
thereby increasing the refund at the lower end
ot the w ealth scale. Since o n ly a specified
amount o f money is available for the refund,
depending on income taxes anticipated, a high
per cent refund, say 75 per cent, would insure
that the those who are truly needy (or at leas,
those with lower value homes) would pay little
property tax. The use o f the refund money for
these homeowners w ould make less money
available for refund to the rich, lowering the
maximum payment. Those who are assessed
only $565 in property taxes would receive 75
per cent or $425 back, w hile those who are
living in homes valued such that they must pay
$10,000 in property taxes also would receive
the maximum $425 refund.
To do otherwise is taking income taxes from
the low and middle income workers to pay a
p rope rty tax refund to the w ealthy. Tax
rebates, refunds and benefits should go to the
poor; those who have sizeable incomes and
resources should pay their share o f the State’ s
costs.
Letters to the Editor
Human Rights far from universally secure
To the editor:
The recession of '82
by Manning Marable
There is relatively little Christmas
cheer w ithin the Black community
this December. Government statis
tics indicate that Black unemploy
ment will exceed 18 per cent by New
Year's Day. One out o f two Black
youths under the age o f 22 who are
seeking em ploym ent cannot find
work Reagan’ s “ tric k le d o w n "
theory o f budget and tax cuts has
simply reduced social services for
the poor in favor o f millions o f dol
lars in p ro fits to the corporate fat
cats. Public services—transporta
tion systems, sewage, schools—are
going broke, while the a fflu e n t
upper classes ate laughing all the
way io the bank.
There are two basic problems
with the Reagan economic program
that affect nearly every American,
the first fallacy o f Reagan is the no
tion that business growth will occur
simply by reducing federal spending
for social services and cutting cor
porate taxes drastically. Economic-
expansion can only occur where
there is an economic and social in
fra -stru cture that exists which
encourages growth. Any business
cannot grow or even remain in a
community without adequate water,
mass transportation svstem s, sew
age, decent schools and necessary
social services.
Today, more than M.lXMl miles o f
the U.S. interstate highway system
and 13 per cent ol its bridges must
be rebuilt. Over the next It) years,
lust to maintain highwavs outside o f
urban areas that are nm part o f the
interstate system, w ill icquire $700
billion. It will cost S31 billion in fed
eral and state expenditures just to
m aintain the present sewage sys
tems. It will cost $41 billion to repair
and/or replace the 200,000 deficient
bridges in the U.S. Major U.S. cities
w ill have to spend SI 10 m illion just
to maintain water systems. And the
metropolitan transit systems are at
the state o f collapse. About one out
o f four public transportation sys
tems will halt operations by 1986 be
cause o f the Reagan A d m in is tra
tion's elimination o f federal funds.
These factors threaten to destroy
any possibility o f economic develop
ment. Bad roads and bridges alone
keep 25 per cent o f U.S. towns out
o f growth business. For example,
the typical street has about a 25-year
life. Cleveland is only replacing or
resurfacing all their streets at a rate
o f 49 years. New York C ity’s rate is
700 years. The breakdown o f public
transportation means workers can
not gel to work on time, or at all;
the breakdown o f the sewer systems
lim its business expansion; the co l
lapse o f public education and the
call fo r a voucher system means
poorly-trained, half-educated indi
viduals who are u n fit fo r employ
mcnl w ithin the new technological
age State and city governments can-
tioi afford to pay for these necessary
economic expenses.
I he second problem involves the
relationship between government
spending lor m ilitary hardware and
inflation Reagan intends to spend
$1.5 tr illio n fo r defense over the
next five years. In human terms,
that would equal a stack o f one
thousand dollar bills 4 J miles high.
I sen a study released by Congres
sional Republicans adm its that
Pentagon waste totals $15 b illion
per year. This wasteful and unneces
sary "w elfare program " to wealthy
m ilita ry contractors w ill not only
mean higher in fla tio n and soaring
interest rates in 1982, but will create
a federal deficit of between $70 to
$80 billion next year alone.
Black people and workers are the
key victims o f Reagan's inflationary
policies, because this administration
is doing nothing to check price in
creases in the things that everyone
must buy— food, gasoline and pe
troleum products, health care, and
housing. The recession o f 1982 will
be a depression for the m ajority o f
families earning less than $20,000
per year.
What is needed now is a new ap
proach to economic problems. This
strategy should be based on three
principles:
•We must provide massive federal
support for the economic and social
infrastructure, a national jobs ad
ministration to rebuild bridges, sew
age systems, highways and create
jo b -tra in in g and placement p ro
grams. We must elim inate unem
ployment.
•We must set price controls on
food, energy, housing and health
care, nationalizing huge monopolies
(such as large oil companies) while
creating lax incentives to stimulate
the growth o f small and Black-
owned businesses.
•We must reduce federal expendi
tures for defense drastically, placing
all m ilitary outlays at a rate under
five per cent o f the gross national
product —not Reagan's projected
figure o f 8 .1 per cent o f the GNP by
1986.
Neither C a rte r’ s nor Reagan's
current economic proposals would
lead to full employment and an im
proved qua lity o f life for Blacks,
Latinos and working class whites.
The way out o f the recession o f 1982
must be a fundam ental departure
from tra d itio n a l Republican and
Democratic thinking.
Commissioner explains Headstart position
To the editor:
As A cting Commissioner o f the
Administration for Children, Youth
and Families, I am writing to object
Id allegations in an Observer edi
to ria l "M asters Wields the A x "
(Oct. 22) that I was "less than hon
est with parents and workers in
Head Start programs” in Portland,
"attem pted to snow th e m " about
the budget outlook for Head Start,
and am doing "a hatchet job rather
than advocate for the needs o f poor
families and children.”
I consider these characterizations
to be misrepresentations both o f
what I am attempting to do and o f
what I said to the people assembled
at the Portland meeting and would
like to lake this opportunity to reit
erate some facts regarding Head
Start’s budget.
sideration is to reduce (he duration
o f services in Head Start programs
that o ffe r full-d ay care from ap
proximately eight hours to six hours
a day and from 12 months to eight
months a year. O nly about 20 per
cent o f Head Start programs would
be affected—those currently oper
ating on a full-day, full-year basis.
Given a tight budget, we believe that
it is preferable to reduce hours and
days o f operation than to lower na
tional enrollment.
all peoples.” Indeed, we arc pain
mission on Civil Rights, signals that
fully aware o f a regression h i our
retreat.
December 10, 1981 marks ihc
own nation regarding the human
Indeed, Flemming said, in protest
33rd anniversary o f the adoption o f
rights o f our citizens as well as those
o f his rem oval, that the United
the Universal Declaration o f H u
who seek refuge here: in both in
States is "headed in the wrong di-
man Rights by the General Assem
stances, p a rtic u la rly people o f
rectiopn" by eliminating and weak
bly o f the United Nations.
color.
ening measures to "take the rhetoric
Member states o f the United Na
The past year has chronicled a o f the Constitution and translate n
tions pledged themselves to achieve
drastic increase in racial harassment
into reality as far as the lives o f peo
the promotion o f universal respect
and violence across the nation; fed
This policy gives primacy to Head
ple are concerned.”
for such human rights and funda
cral mandates aimed at enforcing
S tart’ s role as a child development
In the wake o f diminishing com
mental freedoms as: the right o f life,
human rights, civil rights and con
program versus a day care service
mittments to equity and justice, the
liberty, and security o f person; the
stitutional guarantees o f equal pro
for working parents—as desirable as
M e tro po lita n Human Relations
right o f everyone, everywhere, to
tection are in danger o f either repeal
it may be to pursue both objectives.
C ommission urges all people, par
recognition as a person before the
or discmbowelment which Kenyon
Our plans also contemplate con
ticularly those "m overs and shak
law and to equality before the law;
Burke, associate general secretary
verting 37 Parent and Child Centers
ers” whose activities mold our polit
the right fo be free o f arbitrary in
for the N ational C ouncil o f
(PCC’ s) which now serve pregnant
ical and economic reality, ,o make a
terference w ith privacy, fa m ily,
Churches’ Division o f Church and
women and mothers w ith infants
firm , unwavering personal commit
home and correspondence; the right
Society, calls “ evidence that demon ment to equity, equality and justice
and toddlers, to regular Head Start
to freedom o f movement and resi
strates this (n a tion a l) adm inistra on December 10. 1981, Human
programs serving the target popula
The Reagan A dm inistration has
dence; the right to freedom o f
tion's retreat from a commitment to
tion o f 3- to 5-year-old children.
Rights Day. We have regressed
proposed an increase o f $ 13 million
thought, conscience, and religion;
civil rights and justice for the vu l enough; we must now move fo r
Again, given budget constraints, it
fo r Head Start from an FY 1981
and the right to freedom o f peaceful
nerable, unprotected and Ihc poor
is d iffic u lt, in our view, to ju s tify
ward.
funding level o f $819 m illion to an
assembly and association.
o f our society.” Attacks on the Vot
continuation o f PCC’ s when so
FY 1982 level o f $832 million.
ing Rights Act, Legal Services, and
many children in Head S tart’ s p ri
II is true that the Adm inistration
Presently, the Metropolitan H u
A ffirm a tive A ction; the treatment
mary
target group are denied enroll
had
to
forego
its
original
request
(in
Armando Laguardia
man Relations Commission believes
o f Black Haitian refugees, as well as
ment
opportunities. PCC’ s, by the
March
o
f
this
year)
for
an
$130
m
il
Chairperson,
that these human rights are still far
the recent " f i r i n g " o f A rth u r
way,
serve only 37 communities,
lion
increase
due
to
the
crisis
o
f
the
Metropolitan
Human
Relations
from being "universally secure for
Flemming as chair o f the U.S. Com
whereas the basic Head Start pro
m ounting federal d e fic it. But it is
Commission
gram operates in approxim ately
also true that Head Start is one o f
T£t*.t».iaue ! nothing - a u x vtoLewee-
THAT'S RIGHT- W H Y D O N 'T YOG C O M « W IT H M < TO
2,000 communities across the
the few social programs that not
A.ND CRIME eW«il.YWHt.R«.
OUR NCI&n30XH0O D ASSOCIATION MEETING- T O N IG H T -»
country.
only
has
escaped
a
reduction
in
S O M t a o O V O U G H T T O DO S0MCTH/WG1.
WE'P.E GOING- T O T f l t X ABOUT C R IM E
x
^ P R E V E N T IO N / Ç
funding but also is slated by the
In a dd itio n , funding would be
A dm in istratio n for a modest in
I
discontinued for 10 Child and Fam
crease.
ily Resource Programs serving chil
In the face o f inflation, however,
(
dren
up to the age o f eight, since the
an increase o f $13 m illion will need
demonstration
period for these pro
to be supplemented by a redirection
jects will be over in 1982.
o f funds in order for Head Start to
These are the budget realities and
maintain both a high quality o f pro
necessary economies that I attempt
gram services and its current nation
ed to explain to Head Start parents
al enrollment level.
NAW.' I D o n ' t w a n t t o m is s t h e football
... ANO THAT'S
and
workers in Portland on October
C- a m e . 6<S ' o £S i ’ ’m n o P o l ic e m a m .
PORTLAND i MEWS
One action currently under con
15.
From
my vantage point, this is
V
X
s . T o n ig h t .
32
X t -
what a responsible public o fficial is
obliged to d o —even i f the news is
not altogether good or exactly what
people affected by these actions
want to hear.
I also want to emphasize that,
contrary to the intim a tion in your
editorial, there is no intention o f al
tering the comprehensive nature o f
Head Start services—health ser
vices, education, social and n u tri
tion services and parent involvement
in the program. It is the com bina
tion o f these services that has been
so instrum ental in enabling Head
Start graduates to sustain academic
and social gains in their later school
years.
And just a final, (»ersonal word or
two about the manner o f your re
porting. No one from the Observer
interviewed me or even attempted to
verify inform ation with me before
you went to press. In fact, I am re
ferred to throughout as W illiam
Masters. You did not even get my
name straight. The next time you
seek to in form your readers on
m ajor public policy issues, please
try to examine all sides o f the story
and make sure your facts are co r
rect.
Warren Master
Acting C oinmissioner
Administration for Children.
Youth and Families
[E d ito r s note: Our writer was pre
sent at the meeting in which M r.
Master denied rumored cuts in the
Headstart program , then an
nounced those same cuts. Although
the proposed reduction o f hours and
months o f care might affect only 20
per cent o f the programs, it would
substantially eliminate the function
o l the A M A Headstart program .
Other changes would close Parent-
Child.)
c
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