Page 4 Portland Observer, January 28, 1982
EDITORIAL/OPINION
The challenges of 1982
by Rep. Ron Wyden
'Federalism' is not not new!
President Reagan’ s proposed new “ feder
alism’ ’ is nothing new: it is an effort to turn the
clock back 50 years. For minorities the prospect
is especially frightening.
Why was the responsibility fo r social pro
grams shifted from the states to the federal
government in the first place? Because many
states did not or could not provide for the basic
needs o f their citizens— food, health care, decent
housing, education. In many states—especially
those without industry to support their tax base
—people were in abject poverty. Many starved,
were uneducated, had no opportunity for em
ployment.
During the Great Depression social security
legislation was passed, setting up a federal sys
tem to provide retirement benefits. Additional
programs— subsidized in part by the federal
government— followed: unemployment insur
ance, w orkm en’ s compensation fo r injured
workers, welfare for children, the disabled and
blind, rehabilitation for the handicapped.
Indirect federal subsidies include support to
health care, education, housing, public works,
highways, research, etc.
By the 1960s, w'hen the C ivil Rights Move
ment was sweeping through the South, the fed
eral government acknowledged that many states
discriminated against their Black citizens in the
provision o f services. Along with the War on
Poverty and the Mode, Cities Programs, respon-
sibility for many social programs was shifted to
the federal government. This gave the federal
agencies the power to enforce anti-discrimina
tion regulations by w ithholding funds. Each
state that applied fo r funds fo r specific pro
grams had to adhere to strict guidelines that not
only forbid discrimination but set requirements
for levels o f service. Monitoring o f expenditures
and service is the responsibility o f the federal
government.
Reagan earlier proposed that, rather than
fund specific programs, the states be provided
“ block grants’ ’ for broad areas -education, so
cial welfare, etc., which could be used as the
states see fit. There would be no federal require
ments— no required service levels, no ban on
discrimination.
Reagan’s newest proposal goes a step further.
He would allow the states to be fully responsible
for welfare, food-stamps and other social pro
grams. In turn, the federal government would
collect less taxes from the states, theoretically
leaving the money for them to fund these pro
grams.
Not only is this plan unfeasible because the
decline in the national economy has le ft the
states without adequate funds to provide these
services, but it would remove all the safeguards
and all the rights that the residents o f the states
possess as citizens o f the U nited States. We
would go back thirty years to the time when the
citizens o f Minnesota had more rights than the
citizens o f M ississippi. It w ould leave the
Black, Indian and Chicano citizens w itho ut
access to government services.
And for those who live in the liberal Northern
and Western states like Oregon, all is not secure.
We have seen that only the threat o f loss o f fed
eral funds has made the Portland School District
move a little step toward equality.
An end to federal supervision and the threat
o f loss o f funds would deal a death blow to civil
and human rights.
Letters to the Editor
American poor denied basic citizenship rights.
To the editor:
Brother M a rtin L uther K ing's
co n trib u tio n to A m erika and the
world was his willingness and deter
mination to confront a sick, insane
and visious A m crikan system. He
confronted Amerika’s national sick
ness with her own health chart— the
U nited States C o n s titu tio n . He
inarched under the banner o f the
Constitution, and was jailed, beaten
and fin a lly k ille d . A ll the while
Brother M ariin confronted Amerika
with the haunting question: can a
nation whose rights are so clearly de
fined and so loosely interpreted ex
pect to survive?
It is not at all surprising that the
vicious system which D r. King ex
posed over and over again would do
everything it could to destroy him.
But in so doing, others were enlight
ened concerning the nature o f the
system. As a result, a more militant
determination has taken root among
both Blacks and Caucasoids, a
deeper probing o f the depth o f
Amerika’s sickness and a more radi
cal com m itm ent to changing the
Amerikan system.
You sec Brother M a rtin clearly
understood that there is nothing in
herently wrong in a human being
who is poor But there’s something
inherently evil and sick about a so
ciety that perpetuates poverty. By
and large, unemployed Black youth
are demoralized and degraded, and
they know it. They know there is lit
tle they can do about it, and many
know why. Living in the wealthiest,
most technologically advanced soci
ety in history, condemned to urban
ghettos, they alread y realize that
their immediate challenge in life is
to escape a fate devoid o f opportun
ity, purpose and productivity.
The question begs to be asked,
why? Why are such dangerous levels
o f unemployment countenanced as
part and parcel o f the A m erika n
"fre e enterprise” system which, in
re a lity , translates in to a creed o f
rugged individualism for the poor
and social welfare for the rich? Why
is the shortage o f jobs fo r the
young, with its attendant demorali
zation, rising crime rates and degen
eration o f the quality o f life, toler
ated with such complacency by our
national leaders and so many o f our
citizens who have jobs?
The poor and the unemployed, in
effect, are the by-products o f the
functioning o f the Amerikan system
— the exhaust, as it were, from an
economic engine. Thus, unlike the
gentle rain, unemployment does not
fall on everyone equally. It falls first
on the poor, longest on the Black,
and hardest on Black you th . The
fact o f the matter is that after a gen
eration o f renewed struggle for ra
cial justice the only explanation for
the discrepancy between the unem
ployment rates o f Blacks and C au
casoids is that it is a matter o f color.
No other conclusion is ra tio n a lly
supportable.
The Amerikan culture demands,
on one hand, that a m an, to be
worthwhile, must support himself
and his dependents, a process that
contributes to the overall function
ing o f society. Y e t, on the other
hand, generation after generation,
am ounting to m illions o f young
people, and adults as well, are de
nied this basic passport to citizen
ship— a jo b . D r. M a rtin L u th er
King, Jr., believed, to deprive a per
son o f work is to negate a portion o f
his or her humanity.
The criminal justice system— the
police, prosecutors, courts, and pri
sons— aggravates and compounds the
problems o f Black youth which stem
from the racism and poverty that
surround their lives. Rather than re
habilitating youthful offenders, the
system o f criminal justie reinforces
criminal behavior in the manner in
which it selectively punishes Blacks.
Along with the schools, it conspires
to keep young Blacks in th e ir de
graded status on the pain o f remov
ing them from society altogether.
U n til a movement for economic
justice arises, "democracy” will re
main a meaningless aphorism and
" e q u a lity " an empty slogan. Con
sidering the billions in taxes the peo
ple o f this country channel each year
in to the federal budget, it would
seem that our society should be able
to meet the particular needs o f its
wom en, youth, seniors and o f the
population as a whole.
This apostle o f the purest Chris
tian idealism served the cause o f
Freedom and Peace w ell. H e was
sustained by a great sensitivity to the
suffering and needs o f his fellow hu
man beings at a time in history when
the land o f his birth had become the
main cause for much o f hum anity’s
suffering and deprivation. D r. King
fought its racism, its militaristic ar
rogance, its hypocrisy and its
apathy.
Dr. Jam il Cherovee
Field D ir. for C O R E
Portland Observer
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When the Reagan Administration
first took office, there was a lot o f
talk about something called " N e w
Federalism."
At the center o f this New Federal
ism was to be a fresh partnership be
tween federal, state and local gov
ernments— a partnership in which
the federal government would take a
back seat to local entities. State and
local governm ents were to have
more control over their own affairs
— and everybody was supposed to
come out ahead.
Unfortunately, with a year o f this
New Federalism under our belts, we
find that all it has delivered is more
bills— and fewer services. State and
local governm ents have m ore re
sponsibilities, all right, but no mon
ey to pay for them.
In other words, all we have is a
tax shift— to state and local govern-
ments. So the taxpayer pays just as
m any taxes— but in to a d iffe re n t
coffer. And services are reduced be
cause states like Oregon cannot even
a ffo rd to pay fo r services they a l
ready o ffe r— let alone picking up
w hat the federal governm ent has
dumped in their laps.
The most unfortunate thing about
this whole sorry situation is that it
could have been avoided. Certainly
we need to cut federal spending.
Balancing the budget is critical to
get our economy moving forw ard.
But there are plenty o f places to cut
without leaving the states high and
dry.
F or exam ple, consider what we
could save by elim inating waste in
the defense budget.
•376 million, the cost o f reactiva
ting two decrepit World W ar II bat
tleships, w ould cover the $350
million cost o f completing Oregon's
interstate system.
$44 m illion, the cost-overrun to
date on just two F-18 fighter planes,
would more than cover the $43 m il
lion (fiscal year 1982) cost o f refor
esting some 145,000 acres in Oregon
and Wasington— thus ensuring the
longevity o f our forests and the in
dustries which depend on them.
And then there are the billion dol
lar handouts to oil companies— and
the millions o f tax dollars squan
dered to prop up corrupt dictators
abroad.
I feel strongly that Congress must
resist this kind o f fiscal shell game.
It must dem onstrate the w ill to
stand up to its responsibilities.
And as we move in to the 1982
Congressional session later this
month, I intend to do my best to see
(hat this is the case.
Dick Bogle
Perhaps no single act by President
Regan has enraged as many citizens.
Black and w h ite , as much as the
adm inistration’s move to grant tax
exempt status to nearly a hundred
colleges that discrim inate against
Blacks.
The reversal changes a policy in
effect since 1970. Two colleges. Bob
Jones U n iv e rs ity and G old sb oro
C h ris tia n Schools o f G o ld s b o ro ,
N .C . appealled to the United States
Supreme Court.
The p o licy shift came when
Justice D ep artm en t lawyers filed
papers w ith
the c o u rt.
No
exp lan atio n o f the change was
contained in the papers.
A fte r the strom o l p ro test, the
President issued a statem ent
decrying racial discrim ination and
said he w ill support legislation to
attack the problem.
W h ite house spokesman D avid
Gersen said Reagan was disturbed
by and regrets the perception that
his adm inistration is retreating on
civil rights.
‘ ‘ I am u n alte rab ly opposed to
racial discrimination in any form . I
would not knowingly contribute to
any o rg an iza tio n that supports
racial
d is c rim in a tio n ,"
the
President said in a brief statement.
The President says there is
another issue at stake which went to
the heart o f the decision by Treasury
and Justice, and it involved
"adm inistrative agencies exercising
powers that the Constitution assigns
to Congress.”
In o th er words, Gersen said,
Reagan still objects to agencies like
the 1RS taking such broad actions
without the benefit o f legislation.
"S u ch agencies." Reagan said,
" c a n n o t be allow ed to govern by
adm inistrative f ia t ." That was the
sole basis o f the decision, I regret
that there has been a m isunder
standing o f the purpose o f the
decision.”
••••
It was a very wise thing fo r
P ortland Black leaders to call that
recent news conference disputing
published reports o f extensive gang
activity in Albina.
I recall a few months ago, after
hearing rumors o f Southeast Asian
gangs, I checked with a variety o f
sources and determ ined that no
Southeast Asian gangs exist. At the
same tim e , I asked about other
possible gang a c tiv ity . A ll the
sources I asked said there had been
only a couple o f feeble attempts to
organize and that after a very short
existence, they collapsed.
However the people I talked with
did say the possibility exists that
gang activity could begin.
So the Urban League and others
are wise to create programs to fill a
void which leads to the inception o f
gangs. One void is the absence o f
adult male role models. We can look
forw ard to some big brother type
programs and others which could go
a long way to blunt the organization
o f criminal gangs.
Some o f you may rem em ber a
loose group o f individuals called the
Bandana Gang back in the sixties.
In some people’ s minds that " s o
called" gang actually existed. It just
so happened that during the peak o f
the "process" hair style, a number
o f those youngsters wore (h e ir
bandanas on the street. Sure, they
knew each other and many o f them
were engaged in crim inal activities,
but they were not a gang. The one
thing they shared in com mon was
wavy, close to the head hair.
Cure can be worse than sickness
by Jonathan Marshall
In a huge coordinated raid this
A ugust, federal agents in M ia m i
rounded up 44 suspected drug tra f
fickers who, over a two-year period,
had laundered nearly $200 million in
profits through an FB I undercover
fro n t. This successful " s t in g ”
followed earlier arrests this year that
netted some o f the largest marijuana
and cocaine rings ever busted.
Yet officials o f the Drug Enforce
ment Adm inistration (D E A ) admit
that they still intercept only a tiny
fraction— on the order o f 5 per cent
— o f the illicit drugs pouring across
our borders. In fact, D E A agents
are warning o f a new heroin " e p i
demic” as the bumper opium crops
o f South and Southeast Asia come
to m atu rity. Despite the vast sums
o f money spent each year on drug
control— upward o f $10 billion, by
some estimates— we are no closer
than ever to stamping out drug use.
Now, in desperation, both houses
o f Congress, with support from the
Reagan adm inistration, have voted
separate bills to permit the U .S. m il
itary to jo in federal and local law
enforcement agencies in doing battle
against the drug traffic.
But the experience o f numerous
o th er countries suggests that it
would be an enormous mistake to
embroil our military and intelligence
agencies in the drug war. Almost in
v a ria b ly , such policies elsewhere
have led to a steady erosion o f civil
liberties and dem ocratic rule— the
very considerations that prompted
Congress to ban m ilitary and C IA
spying in the United States. M ore
over, the enormous profits from the
drug trad e also have corrupted
many high-ranking foreign military
and intelligence officials so that the
drug traffic has become better pro
tected than ever.
The classic example o f this phe
nom enon occurred in n atio n alist
China after 1928, when the regime
o f Chiang Kai-shek first turned drug
tra ffic control over to the m ilitary
under the guise o f opium “ suppres
sion.” Instead, the m ilitary sought
to m onopolize (he d istribution o f
narcotics to raise money for its own
operations. D uring W orld W ar I I ,
C hiang transferred control o f the
tra ffic to the head o f his secret po
lice, who traded opium across
enemy lines with the Japanese. Iron
ic a lly , m any o f those very police
were trained by unwitting agents o f
the F B I and the U .S . Federal Bu
reau o f Narcotics.
The same pattern is repeating it
self today almost everywhere that
the m ilitary has taken a m ajor role
in internal policing and security, o f
ten with U.S. aid and training:
• In Sao Paulo, Brazil, the leading
drug tra ffic k e r has been identified
as Sergio Fleury— who was appoint
ed head o f the city’s criminal inves
tigation department in 1977. Fleury
also is said to direct a notorious
local "death squad” that liquidates
opponents without formal arrest or
trial.
•L a s t year’ s "co c ain e c o u p " in
Bolivia actually put a group o f drug-
trafficking colonels and generals in
charge o f the government, much to
the displeasure o f the C arte r and
Reagan administrations.
•T h e Paraguayan arm y is p ri
m arily financed not through taxes
but through trade in contraband, in
cluding heroin. The three top tra f
fickers, according to U .S . govern
ment files, are General Andres Ro
driquez, commander-in-chief o f the
arm ed forces; counterinsurgency
chief General Patricio Colman; and
c h ie f o f the investigative police,
Pastor Coronel.
• In 1978 CBS-TV implicated Col
ombian presidential candidate (since
elected) Julio Cesar Turbay and de
fense m inister G eneral A b rah am
V a ro n in the flo u rish in g cocaine
trade. Among those already jailed
fo r drug co rru p tio n are a form er
head o f the judicial police and num
erous military officers.
•A t his 1975 trial a top Burmese
heroin smuggler, Lo Hsing han, fin
gered many governm ent o ffic ia ls
and military officers in President Ne
W in ’s government as having taken
bribes to protect his trade. These
revelations brought the tria l to a
quick halt. The U nited States sup
plies equipment and training to Bur
ma s a nti-d ru g forces, who use it
against political rebels while p ro
tecting the top pushers.
• In 1971 NBC News reported that
South Vietnam’s President Nguyen
Van Thieu and Vice President
Nguyen Cao Ky had financed their
campaigns out o f heroin p ro fits ,
and that chief intelligence adviser
General Dang Van Quang was "th e
biggest pusher in South V ietn am ."
Numerous reports also confirm ed
(he C IA ’ s role in supporting V ie t
namese generals who moved opium
and refined heroin into world m ar
kets.
These examples all come from the
Third W o rld , but the West hasn’ t
been im m une fro m the same
disease. W hen " F re n c h C onnec
tio n " traffick ers began talking in
the early 1970s, they quickly im pli
cated leading members o f S D E C E .
the French intelligence agency, and
o f the Gaullist " p a ra lle l p o lic e,”
SAC, in running the traffic for their
own personal and institutional pro
fit.
Thus fa r, A m erica has escaped
the worst o f these abuses only by
keeping its drug enforcement opera
tions d ecentralized. C ritic s com
plain, rightly, that past enforcement
hasn’t been effective. But to mobil
ize against drugs the U.S. m ilita r y -
half o f whose soldiers, according to
recent studies, abuse drugs them
selves— and the C IA , which has
aided drug tra ffick ers for its own
reasons in Southeast Asia and Latin
America, is not a desirable solution.
Far from elim inated the drug epi
demic, we might only end up with a
cure that is worse than the disease.
O 19X1 PxtifU. Newt Serivcc