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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 27, 1982)
Portland Observer, M ay 27, 1962 Page 5 Sportsman Hair Design Eighties present challenge INTRODUCES TO YOU ★★★ NAILS by DEE • • by Matthew W. Prophet Superintendent o f Schools These are d iffe re n t times. The decade of the 1970s saw a visible un easiness and mistrust o f Am erica’s hallowed institutions. G o v ern ments, schools, big business, the m ilitary, law enforcement agencies, and numerous other public institu tions suffered credibility gaps per haps as deep as R ichard N ix o n ’ s during the depth o f Watergate. The 1970s brought a gradual weakening o f the American economy, as the stimulus o f the war in Southeast Asia began to wear o ff, and in fla tion started to creep its greedy influ ence into our monthly incomes. The energy crisis became conspicuous, as oil producers demanded huge price increases, thereby aggravating in fla tio n , and futher greasing the skids for the downward dive o f the dollar in international markets. A l so, the T h ird W orld became more vocal, more astute in organizing to demand equality from (he leaders of the international community. This is a development to which we have yet to fully adjust. A t best, w ith all things consid ered, the seventies were times o f trouble. Therefore, the logical ques tion now is, what will happen in (he 1980s? This decade will almost certainly be one o f challenge and opportunity on new and uncharted grounds. The 1980s will spawn a host o f new civil rights issues on such uncharted ter rain as high technology, foreign pol icy, and energy developm ent. But for all o f the new developments, the central issues in the eighties will be the same central issues which have been with us in the past. . . racism, poverty, and the struggle for justice in American society. The eighties have begun, as most decades do, with the firing o f guns and the saying of brave new words. A n other year, another decade, another chapter, a new beginning, another chance. And w ith this chance comes a rush of important questions. These questions are born o f chances missed and decades wasted. We must ask ourselves, what is different this time? W ill racism, poverty, and inequality be eliminated this time? W ill we turn the corner? W ill we sec the light? Or will the dream, during tivism. We get drastic and actually cruel reductions in n u tritio n program s. A fte r years o f wrenching efforts to integrate schools, we get the fin an cial rug snatched from beneath our feet in m id -a ir. A fte r raising the achievement levels o f thousands o f students who would have been otherwise lost in the maze o f illiter acy, the funds for com pensatory education o f students who are be hind is being slashed and sacrificed on the a lta r o f excessive defense spending. This is what public education has received for being the one in stitu tion in American society which has done the most to bring the realities o f democracy in line with the ideals o f democracy. This is the national mood. I f all o f this were not enough, there is more bad news. The Reagan Adm inistration has agreed to push the tuition tax credit proposal. The tuition tax credit proposal is a concrete example o f the present adm inistration’s lack o f apprecia tion for public education. This pro posal will rob from the many to give to the few. The program could cost as much as $4.7 billion and the bulk o f the money will go to the people who need it the least. Perhaps the most tragic aspect o f the tuition tax credit idea is the fact •hat it misrepresents the flexib ility and quality o f the public schools. As a function o f national policy and di rectio n , it says that parents who think the public schools are poorly run and inefficient in instruction are rig h t. A nd the tru th is, they are wrong. In the Portland Public Schools, a parent can find every option and va riation o f educational program . I f the neighborhood school does not satisfy, we have magnet programs. I f the regular c u rric u 'a r program does not meet one's needs, we have basic skill program s and fu n d a m ental schools. The tu itio n tax credit legislation suggests that this is not the case. And that is patently false. W here public education is con cerned, as a very necessary part o f making a democracy function with an intelligent citizenry, the present the decade o f the eighties, once again be deferred? The national mood has signaled the weakening, if not the end, for some time o f “ liberalism” and "big government with a helping hand.” The election o f Ronald Reagan has brought, at the very least, a new era. The nation's leadership has become more hardened and indexible, more cold and unsympathetic. In this n atio n al posture, social welfare programs must be reduced. This feeling is being turned into pol icy by people who are unconcerned about the plight o f those less fortun ate in our society. The moral major ity calls programs and services de veloped during the sixties and seven ties “ complete failures.*' But most o f the people in the moral majority have no way o f measuring the suc cess or failure o f such programs and services. They never saw the depres sion in the black community during the 1950s and 1960s. They never saw the black com munity before com m unity action program s were de veloped, or the progress since. They have no understanding o f the skill levels o f black youth p rio r to the creation o f (he opportunities indus trialization centers. And they do not know what has happened since. So cial w elfare program s are being fram ed by a “ sting** operation which is setting them up to look like nothing but failures, when the real ity is just the opposite. Schools aa caaa In point The public schools o f this nation are a case in p o in t. F or the past twenty years and more, this nation has demanded that the public schools forge good citizens, feed the hungry, compensate for social dis advantages, alleviate prejudices, in still sacred values, discipline the un ruly, buttress the unstable, inculcate an appreciation for the arts, trans mit a common culture in the midst o f diversity, incorporate youngsters with physical or mental handicaps, and exalt the life o f the mind. A ll o f this has been demanded at a time o f skepticism toward the pub lic and a d w in d lin g o f economic support. But our needs remain the same. Despite all o f this, the nation al government responds with nega Washington Hot Line by Congressman Ron Wyden Earlier this spring, I sent a ques tionnaire to Third District residents asking their opinions on the economy and other issues o f con cern to Oregon and America. Near ly 17,000 people responded Follow ing are highlights o f those re sponses. Taken as a whole, the responses to the questionnaire reflect a great deal o f concern for the directions the current Administration is head ed in. For exam ple, in response to a question about whether the A dm in istration's legislative program is ba sically sound, or whether m ajo r changes are needed, 59 per cent o f those responding said they believed major changes are in order. Only 17 per cent believed the program is ba sically sound, while 22 per cent be lieved more time is needed to deter mine whether the program w ill work. Other questionnaire results show: •78 per cent o f those responding believe that budget cuts have been more u n fa ir to some groups than others, while 19 per cent believe the cuts have been fa irly distributed across society. •T o help reduce the budget, 68 per cent would first cut defense spending. The majority (51 per cent) would m odify the tax cut as a sec ond step to reduct the deficit. •67 per cent o f the respondents t'ormol/lnformul Sorvien Classic French Cuisine Wine Consultation — Butler Services — Hartending support reauthorization o f a strong Clean A ir Act, while 29 per cent be lieve requirements of the Act should be relaxed. •Asked to identify the statement which most accurately reflects their views on defense, 44 per cent said they support a strong defense but believe there is a great deal of waste in the A d m in is tra tio n 's defense budget which could be cut. 7 per cent said the A d m in is tra tio n , by calling for sharply increased m ili tary spending, is headed in the right direction. 45 per cent believed both o f the other alternatives commit too much money to the m ilita ry , and that some o f the money should be spent instead on domestic social needs. •68 percent o f those answering the questionnaire said they do not believe In te rio r Secretary James Watt is headed in the right direction in taking stands in favor o f economic development when some say those stands jeopardize the environm ent. 20 percent said they believe W att is headed in the right direction. (Z Health and Human Services’ Secretary Richard Schweiker has proposed dropping the requirement fo r annual inspection o f nursing homes, hospitals and other health care facilities. What do you think o f this proposal? A. I am very concerned about the implications for quality o f care. Under Secretary Schweiker’s pro posal, hospitals w ith a history o f compliance with health and safety rules would be subject to regular in spections only every three years; nursing homes with good records, every two years. Homes with poor records allegedly would be inspected more o fte n , although inspectors would no longer be required to re visit problem nursing homes within 90 days to check to see whether defi- cincies had been corrected. Secretary Schw eiker’s proposal also would turn over accreditation o f nursing homes from state agen cies to the Joint Commission on Ac creditation o f Hospitals. The dangers for patients in these proposals arc obvious. Nursing home patients are some o f the most vulnerable people in our society. Many arc without family or friends to advocate on their behalf—-w ith out a spokesman to ensure they have the best possible care, and that at tention is paid to their health and safety. A n nu al inspections were in s ti tuted to help guarantee such basic necessities to nursing home patients. By reducing the number o f required inspections— and by placing accred itation o f homes in the hands o f a p rivate g ro u p — we open the door fo r increased abuses. A nd that is something we cannot tolerate. Hava tha N aw Porlland Observer dallvarad Io your bom a aacb w a a k - Subacrlbal Tuxedo Catering B A R TL E TT BERLIN CRIMPERS 503-226-4606 D in n e r for 2-12 old town appointments: 208 n.w. couch 227-4228 I mood o f the nation is wrong. The tuition tax credit is just a concrete exam ple. As a public p o licy, it is evil. M artin Luther K ing, Jr., once said, “ W hen evil men p lo t, good men must plan. When evil men burn and bom b, good men must build and bind. When evil men shout ugly words o f h atred , good men must commit themselves to the glories of love. When evil men seek to perpe tuate an unjust status qu o , good men must seek to bring into being a real order o f justice.” • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Our challenge And this is our challenge. It is the challenge o f the eighties. It is the challenge for Portland. Portland has a chance now to re verse this trend o f negativism at the local level. In a remarkable display o f confidence and hope for the fu ture, citizens approved the proposed new tax base for our schools on May 18th. This election was as important to the C ity as to the D is tric t. It is a mandate to continue to provide ex cellence in education for all children in all schools. Equal educational op portunities are the guideline for the future. We can now push ahead with real izing the student achievement goal and engage in long-range planning to im p ro ve the q u a lity o f the schools. Portland has met the challenge, but we cannot relax. O u r im m ed iate task is to begin building a cooperative spirit in every part o f this community. It is a task which the Board o f Education and the Administration must take as se riously as possible. No aspect o f the community can be ignored. No socio-economic class can be forgotten. N o problem can be faced with indifference. N o aven ue can be left untraveled to bring the good people o f this city together around one most important goal. . . the preparation and development o f our children. vopeyes with that Original New Orleans Flavor I’VE GOT GREAT LEGS! 3 Locations To Serve You: 5949 N.E. Union Ave. 3120 N.E. 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