V
Portland Observer, September 29, 1982 Page 5
Washington Hot Line
by Congressman Ron Wyden
Congressional oversight—or the
business of keeping tabs on how ex
isting laws and programs are being
implemented by the Administration
and federal agenccies—is one o f the
least used, but most im p o rta nt,
powers o f the Congress.
The value o f this function was
demonstrated earlier this week when
Health and Human Services Secre
tary Richard Schweiker appeared
before the House Oversight and In
vestigations Subcommittee to ex
plain the A dm inistration’s actions
on a variety of important matters.
Some o f the in fo rm a tio n that
came out at that hearing:
•Schweiker says he has no inten
tion of backing down on a proposal
he made to weaken nursing home in
spection and certification standards.
•The Secretary did say, however,
that he was not a party to or sup
porter o f proposals by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) to
make elderly persons prove fin an
cial need in order to q u a lify fo r
Medicare benefits. Under the cur
rent Medicare system, all persons 65
years o f age and older qua lify fo r
Medicare benefits, regardless o f in
come. Although Schweiker said he
intends to oppose the OMB propo
sal, he admitted he has lost several
rounds to OMB on other issues.
•Schweiker also promised, at the
request o f subcommittee members,
to look into allegations that the Ad
ministration earlier this year rubber-
stamped a regulation promoted by
(he in fa n t form ula industry that
would weaken quality control o f the
product.
•Finally, the HHS Secretary said
his department w ill launch a series
o f radio ads during upcoming weeks
to warn parents o f the dangers o f
giving aspirin to children with the
flu or chicken pox. Last spring, con
sumer groups sued the Secretary for
failing to issue warnings that use o f
aspirin in such cases might increase
the risk o f contracting a rare and
sometimes fatal disease. Schweiker
available to 20 Portland schools last
year through a $134,000 grant from
the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust.
Marsh Farrow, coordinator for
HOSTS in Portland Public Schools,
said the children in the program last
year gained more in reading skills
than children w ith sim ilar d e fi
ciencies not in the program.
She said an added benefit is the
positive relationship the children de
velop with an adult who becomes a
friend and a role model. She said the
program is being expanded to 24
schools this school year.
Tutors arc strong supporters o f
the program. June Terry, who tu
tors at H um boldt and Sabin
schools, summarized her feelings.
“ Basically, having been a social
worker, helping people is part o f my
lif e , " she said. “ I'm not w orking
any longer and wanted to benefit
people still and find something that
by Lenita Duka and Richard Brown
also says aspirin m anufacturers
would be required to post warnings
on their products* labels by next
spring.
eawaiMÄ
The hearing served two valuable
purposes. First, it gave Members o f
Congress information we need to do
our jobs. For example, it gave me
the ammunition 1 need to continue
the fight against the proposed weak
ening o f nursing home inspection
rules, and to take up the fig h t
against the proposal that Medicare
be subjected to a means test.
But the greatest benefactor o f the
hearing was the p ublic. By high
lighting Administrative poliicies and
positions on im portant issues, the
hearing gave Oregonians and other
Americans a better handle on how
federal laws and programs are being
implemented.
By so doing, it gave Oregonians
and other Americans a better chance
to play a real role in the decision
making process.
Host program needs volunteers
Volunteer tutors for children who
need individual help with reading
arc needed in six northeast Portland
schools offering the HOSTS reading
program.
Citizens may contribute as little as
one-half hour a week through
HOSTS (Help One Student to Suc
ceed), a nationally recognized and
federally approved reading program
to improve basic skills.
Any interested adult who wants to
help children can take part in the
program.
The resource teacher in a HOSTS
center develops a plan fo r each
child, who is tutored one-to-one by
a volunteer following the prescribed
plan.
The HOSTS program is a supple
ment to regular classroom instruc
tion fo r students who read below
grade level.
HOSTS was piloted in three Port
land schools in 19R0 81 and made
Street Beat
The U.S. Congress might have de
fe r re d the proposed c o n s titu tio n a l” 1
amendment o f prayer in the schools
but the Street Beat team didn’t. This
week our question was, “ Should the
Portland Public Schools institute
prayer in our schools?’’
would give me fulfillment.
"HOSTS is worthwhile. A lot o f
kids aren’t getting the time and help
they need at home w ith reading.
They need extra help. W ithout this
program, they wouldn’ t get it. Any
one who tutors would feel some sat
isfaction.”
Citizens who want to volunteer in
Northeast neighborhoods should
contact one o f the resource teachers
in these schools:
Beach School, Barbara M cK in
ney, 285-5469; Boise School, Ron
Dieu, 288-6309; Humboldt School,
Renee Banks, 281-8797; Irvington
School, Denise Jackson, 288-6401;
King School, Marilyn Garfield, 288-
6391; Sabin School, Lynn M o n t
gomery. 288-6538. 288-1198.
A dults wishing to volunteer in
HOSTS schools in other neighbor
hoods should contact Marsha Far
row at the School District's HOSTS
office. 249-2000, ext. 381.
Mikal Shabazz
Plumber
Prayer in school should be al
lowed. There should be some time
Mrs. Beakman
Donna Washburn
out allocated for prayer—non-man
State Employee
Clark
datory, o f course. It should not be a
I ’ m a Christian and whether or
Christian,
Jewish or Islamic prayer. not children pray depends on the
I ’m not sure. I don’ t think it is ne
cessary. It puts pressure on too It should be left up to the individual parents. Children aren’t going to be
many people. It's like telling people to decide which type.
come Christians unless their parents
what they have to do. I think it
are. Praying is like talking to God
should come from the home.
and that is something they w on’ t
learn in school.
Jamas Linton
Tri-Mat Driver
I send my children to private
schools so I don’t know about what
they do in public school. To answer
your queston 1 d on ’ t care if they
have prayer in schools. I f the ch il
dren want to pray that’s fine. I f they
don't, that’s fine too. I t ’s an indivi
dual’s decision. It should not be left
up to the government.
Kathy Wentz
Mortician's Asst.
Ada Jackson
Teacher
I think they should fo r families
who believe in it. It will help the stu
I feel that prayer should be a l
dents because as it stands now lowed in school because we have
things are really out o f hand. I think seen the example when they took
prayer w ill help.
prayer out o f school. This can be
;een with a student’s grade average.
Prayer has a direct effect on a stu-
lent’s character.
Leek explains candidacy
(Continued from page I column 5)
several small pieces.
Observer: What are the "pieces"?
Leek: That is the black concentra
tion. Black people think they can re
solve the p o litic a l problem with
structural changes—that they can
solve the problem o f the nonasser
tiveness o f the black com m unity
with structural change. The reality is
people have to speak for themselves
and they have to become involved in
the process. And had they been or
ganized in a political sense, and had
they presented a legislative agenda
to W ally (Priestley) and Jane
(Cease), they could have effected
changes . . .
From a political science view you
d o n 't just say, “ W e’ re going to
make Harold Williams the District
Representative.” What has to hap
pen is there needs to be the political
involvement and support o f the peo
ple in the community-----
My perception is that you (black
people) would do better with (your)
hands on four or five people as op
posed to just one. So, from a poli
tical standpoint, I support the multi-
member district. It was my personal
preference, but I didn’ t take any ac
tion to bring it about. Since I was
going to be a candidate, I d id n ’ t
want to be cast in the light of trying
to maneuver things to my own ad
vantage.
(Leek was questioned about the
appropriateness o f laying low dur
ing the hearings instead o f speaking
out as other community and p o liti
cal leaders were doing.)
Leek: I felt it was the appropria»?
thing for me to do.
(The Saturday before this in ter
view, Leek appeared along with two
other candidates at a forum spon
sored by the Oregon Assembly for
Black Affairs. In response to a ques
tion. “ How do you as a legislator
attempt to cure the social and eco
nomic problems o f the area?" Leek
said, "D istrict 18 w ill always be be
hind the rest o f the state. M inority
communities in this country will al
ways be behind the rest of the coun
t r y . " The way to assist m in o rity
communities, he (old the predomin
antly black assembly, is that "th e
overall society has to be improved
throughout and move d ow n.” It
was pointed out his remarks had so
infuriated people that Calvin Hen
ry, the m oderator, had raised his
hand and joined the chorus voicing
objection to what they took to be
the im plications in his remark.
"A n d you looked b la n k," the Ob
server said, "lik e you didn't know
what all o f the concern was about.”
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P o rtla n d , O regon
In additon, it was pointed out, Leek
had made like remarks before the
M e tro po lita n C lub, a group o f
young black professionals located in
inner Northeast, and before Bruce
Broussard’s Friday morning break
fast group. They, too, had been o f
fended.)
Leek: That’ s one o f the things I
have not learned to do in my person
al politics is to h id e .. .to sublimate
my honesty........I f I get too much
flak fo r it, I w ill either w ithdraw
from my honesty or keep on taking
the flak.
Observer: How would you help
people in vour community in inner
Northeast?
Leek: You have got to make the
whole healthier before the part gets
better. And while you are working
on the whole you make the part
better, to o ___I t ’ s not fair to char
acterize this as "trickle down.”
[L eek identified his approach to
curing the ills o f inner Northeast
Portland as a legislator: Creation o f
youth conservation corps jobs on a
state wide level; using first-source
agreements like those offered by the
C ity o f P ortland requiring com
panies to use the city’s job applicant
list in return for tax and other bene
fits; stricter m o n ito rin g and en
forcement o f affirmative action pro
grams and use o f set-asides in con
tracts let by the state. In addition,
he said he had always wanted to
create a com m unity development
corporation which would get HCD
and SBA money which a balanced
board o f members o f com m unity
groups "w o u ld be able to leverage
w ith companies to come in to the
area. The profits would be put back
into the community.” )
Observer: What groups have you
worked with in the past?
Leek: King Neighborhood Asso
ciation, Northeast Neighborhood
Coalition, Fair Share and the Dem
ocratic Party.
Observer: Why not work with the
churches?
Leek: I d id n ’ t, except those in
volved with Fair Share.
Observer: You d o n ’ t appear to
have black friends.
Leek: I ’ m a loner, too. My rela
tionships are limited to my politics,
my neighbors and my work.
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