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ELECTION SPECIAL
A Perilous
Choice
by Herb Cawthorne
Page 6
111
j
9
Trouble
in the NFL
Sect. Il Page 7
â
Observer
endorsements
Page 2
PORTLAND OBSERMER
October 27,.1982
Volume X III, Number 3
25C Per Copy
Tw o Sections
USPS 959» 680-85 5
Reagan allies target Riles
California school chief under fire
by Chuck Idelson
and Ann Washington
S A N F R A N C IS C O — A t a tim e
o f concerted nationwide attack on
public » ch o o li, education in
C a lifo rn ia ii at a dangerous cross­
roads.
State S uperintendent o f P u b lic
Instruction Wilson Riles, the state’s
only statewide elected black official,
faces a tough reelection battle N o v­
ember 2nd against a wealthy M arin
C ounty school educator nurtured
and financially backed by long-time
supporters o f Ronald Reagan and
other players in the cam paign
against public schools.
Since ousting the re actio n ary
incum bent M ax R a ffe rty in 1970,
Riles has been noted for his defense
o f quality, integrated education for
children o f all races, for his staunch
support o f bilingual education, and
for development o f innovative pro­
grams
lik e
e arly
child h oo d
education, and programs for child­
ren with disabilities.
“ H is prio rities and concerns in
public education have provided the
kind o f state leadership we need,”
said Yvonne G o ld en , p rin cip al o f
Opportunity I I H igh School in San
Francisco.
Priorities are a key issue in a state
that since the passage o f Prop. 13
has fallen from third to 50th in the
nation in funding o f schools.
“ W ith diminishing resources, and
battles over who w ill get them, it ’s
c ritic a l to have someone there
fighting for all the children o f the
s tate,” observes Berkeley School
Board member Steve Lutig.
Riles* opponent Bill Honig claims
the falloff o f funding reflects public
disenchantment with public schools.
His response is a demogogic call for
a retu rn to “ basics” and tig h te r
standards and discip lin e in the
schools.
H o nig opposes add itio n al funds
fo r e d u c atio n , u n til the schools
supposedly do a “ better jo b ”
educating students.
H o n ig bases his claim s o f the
decline o f edu catio n on arguable
test score results. But, as Riles noted
in a recent San Francisco press con­
ference, scores have improved f o r
IS straig h t years at the 3rd grade
level, and have climbed for almost
as many years at the 6th grade.
Latest results even show an
im p ro vem en t at the high school
level, Riles noted. A fte r many years
o f no g ro w th , those scores have
now gone up two years in a row, he
added.
H o n ig ’ s call to hold o f f funds,
Riles warned, “ is like having a sick
baby and not giving it any milk until
it gets better. O u r teachers need to
be supported, not trashed.”
W h ile Honig publically opposed
vouchers (ta x credits fo r parents
who send their children to private
schools), perusal o f his list o f
endorsers and fin a n c ia l backers
reveals m any supporters o f the
assault on public schools inspired by
the W hite House.
By spending over SI million in the
June p rim a ry , H o n ig managed to
finish ahead o f three rig h tw in g
candidates to compete in the ru n o ff
with Riles. Still, it is Riles who most
fo rc e fu lly stands against the
R eag an ite-style th re a t to p u b lic
education.
from the People‘s World
Your vote counts: Use it
by Congressman Ron Wyden
The world atlll goes on . . . While many prepare for election
dey:dlatrlbute literature, pound In lawn eigne, make thoae laet
minute calls to get out the vote, etudy the voters' pamphlet and
make the Important declslona—life goee on. For Anjene Bryant, 7,
the big effort of the momentls learning to akete, elded by her
grandmother, Willie Mllee.
(Photo: Richard J. Brown)
Tu esd ay, N o vem b er 2, is an
im p o rtan t day for m inorities and
other Oregonians. It is your chance
to have you r say ab o u t the d ire c ­
tions you r co m m u n ity , state and
cou n try w ill take in upcom ing
months and years.
It is chance you can ’ t a ffo rd to
pass up.
In recent years an increasing num­
ber o f Americans have chosen not to
take advantage o f th e ir rig h t to
vote.
For the most part, it’s easy to un­
derstand why. Many voters have be­
come discouraged with government.
They see it as an amorphous, unre­
sponsive beast that cannot be
changed. S till others feel that one
vote w on’ t make a difference any­
way.
I t ’s easy to understand why voters
are discouraged— but the trend is
nonetheless dangerous. Your vote
alone may not tu rn the tid e, but
added to those o f others who feel
like you, it can make the difference.
In recent years, blacks have left
their im print on the electoral p ro­
cess. T w o years ago, C alifornians
selected the first black speaker o f
the state legislature, W illie Brown,
and this.year, Los Angeles’ M ayor
Tom Bradley, is the odds-on favor­
ite to be the first elected black gov­
ernor in the naton. Black voters are
also flexing their muscles in Missis­
sippi and Missouri where black can­
didates are considered likely victors
for new Congressional seats.
But the war is far from won. The
last two years have not been good
ones o verall fo r m in o rity A m e ri­
cans. Im p o rta n t social program s
have been cut or threatened. A f f ir ­
m ative action and equal e m p lo y ­
ment o p p o rtu n ity program s have
been weakened. The Voting Rights
A ct barely survived opponents’ at­
tacks. A n d unemployment among
blacks is at its highest point since the
Great Depression.
So w hat can you do ab o u t it?
Vote.
Study the records o f elected o ffi­
cials and their challengers. Decide
for yourself whether those records
add up for minorities and other A m ­
ericans.
W ill the man or w om an w ho is
seeking your vote support those is­
sues that will create jobs for m inori­
ties and others? O r w ill he or she
bow to the wishes o f the big oil com­
panies and other special interests?
Does he or she dem onstrate an
understanding o f the basic concepts
o f fairness— that is, w ill he or she
turn to wastful Pentagon practices
and other un ju stifiable federal ex­
penses fo r cuts needed to balance
the budget— or will he or she merely
vote to balance the budget on the
backs o f America’s poor and needy?
Is he or she an independent think­
er— an individual who will listen to
the ideas and concerns o f his or her
constituents and then work to pro­
m ote those ideas in W ash in g to n ,
D .C .? O r will he or she just rubber-
stamp the political philosophies o f
those in power?
Once you have evaluated the
records o f the candidates, go to the
polls and cast your vote. I f you do
not, you have given up the greatest
privilege o f living in a dem ocratic
society— the rig h t to choose your
own representatives and to hold
them accountable for their perform­
ance.
C astin g you r vote N o vem b er 2
will not change matters overnight.
But if you, your neighbor, your
c o -w o rk e r, and others w ho th in k
like you do, combine forces to elect
those w ho care about the needs o f
m in o ritie s , w o rk in g men and
women, retirees and the needy, we
can begin to get this nation headed
in the right direction.
And that will help us all.
Measure 3: Oregon voters' most crucial decision
by Church Clemans. Superintendent
Oregon City Public Schools
The biggest question before voters November 2 is Ballot Measure 3: the
so-called one and one-half per cent property tax limitation. The logical first
reaction for Oregonians is to say, “ Sure, I ’d like to cut my taxes— I am
going to vote for Measure 3 .” But simply cutting taxes would not be the
only result o f the passage o f Measure 3. Consider also its devastation o f
economic development with a resulting increase in unemployment, the de­
railing o f our Veterans Farm and Home Loan Program, and the serious loss
o f local government services such as police and fire protection, schools,
programs for the handicapped and elderly, not to mention streets, sewers,
roads and other vital services.
A nalysis
First, let's consider (he impact o f Measure 3 on economic development.
Once the I Vi per cent limit were in place, nothing, not a vote o f the people
or a vote o f the Legislature—could exceed that lid. There would be no new
bonding for sewers or roads or water lines to prepare industrially zoned
land for development. There are thousands o f acres o f property in Oregon
zoned for industrial and commercial development. We vitally need to bring
clean, new businesses to Oregon to provide jobs for the hundreds of thou­
sands o f Oregonians who are now looking for work. Eighty per cent o f the
available land in Oregon is not now served by sewers, roads, water hook­
ups, and other essential services necessary to economic development. Under
Measure 3, these thousands o f acres would stand idle because State and
local government would have their hands tied. How is this so? Just like a
family buying a house, cities or counties must borrow money at the lowest
possible rale and repay that loan over time. They pay for the public services
through the sale o f bonds. Ballot Measure 3 would make Oregon's bonds
much more expensive and much less attractive to the eastern lending institu­
tions that have been making inexpensive loans. Under Ballot Measure 3,
Oregon would say to potential new business ventures, “ Come on to Ore­
gon. We really want you— but, by the way, we can’t afford to give you a
sewer hook-up, a new road, or necessary water services." Attracting new
business and industry to Oregon is tough enough now. Don’t throw another
roadblock into the process.
And what about O regon’s self-supporting Veterans Farm and Hom e
Loan Program? Ballot Measure 3 would stop the issuing o f new loans under
that attractive program. Approximately 133,000 Oregonians are still eligible
for Veterans Farm and Home Loans. I f you are a Veteran and plan to use
your eligibility to purchase a home or a farm , or to remodel your current
place, forget it if Ballot Measure 3 passes.
And what about local government services? Backers o f Ballot Measure 3
claim that their measure “ guarantees” the protection o f essential services.
Bu, the measure goes even further and defines for us what essential services
are: police, sheriff, fire protection, ambulance, and paramedical services.
Somehow the backers o f the measure don’t think that courts, roads, sewers,
jails or schools are essential. W h at’s worse, the so-called guarantee for es­
sential services specifies only that those services will receive 100 per cent of
what they had in 1979. Remember that the measure would go into effect in
1983 and would ignore the more than 45 per cent increase in the cost o f
doing business in the intervening four years. Consider also the massive un­
employment that would result when schools, cities, and counties are forced
to lay o ff employees because they have lost up to one-third o f their revenues
beginning in 1983-84.
Ballot Measure 3 would strike an immediate and severe blow to Oregon
education. Oregon’s investment in education has paid real dividends. Our
illiteracy rate is half that o f the national average. H a lf o f Oregon’s high
school seniors further their education. Oregon students score at the top on
national achievement tests. What would Ballot Measure 3 do? Let’s look at
C alifornia, which used to be a leader in education. Under their limitation
measure schools have fallen from fourth to 48th place natio n ally. C a li­
fornia schools are highest in class size. A California senior graduating today
would receive the equivalent o f a student graduating at the beginning o f the
eleventh grade in Oregon.
Oregon’s schools have already cut back because o f economic hard times.
Ballot Measure 3 is way more than mere belt tightening. I t ’s a heavy slash at
the very fiber o f our educational system.
Consider also who wins and who loses under Ballot Measure 3. About 60
per cent o f Oregon property taxes are paid by commercial and business in­
terests. Therefore, 60 per cent o f the relief goes to the business community
which has neither sought nor particularly needs this sort o f tax relief. Fur­
thermore, three-fourths o f business property is owned by regional or na­
tional interests. This property tax relief goes outside the Oregon borders.
And finally, there are other important concerns: Oregon has had a long­
standing tradition o f local control. Recently, for example. Portlanders said
“ yes" to improving their stadium, to a new performing arts center, and to
a new tax base for their school system. Ballot Measure 3 would say that lo­
cal voters don’t have the sense to make such judgments for themselves and
would move decision making authority from the local level to Salem where
down-state and Eastern Oregon Legislators would be making important pol­
icy decisions for Portland people. And another thing: Ballot Measure 3
would cause Oregonians to ship more money to the Federal government—
about $250 million in the 1983-85 biennium, and more money to the State
Legislature to spend as well. W e have no reason to believe that much, if
any, o f that additional tax would come back to Oregon. It is far more likely
that it would be pumped into Southern C alifornia as part o f the m ilitary/
aerospace spending that the Federal government has been doing.
Ballot Measure 3 is much more than a simple property tax limitation mea­
sure. It is complicated. It requires great study and understanding. I would
urge all Oregonians to know as much as possible about it so they can make
the absolutely best informed choice possible on November 2nd, balancing
the property tax relief that can be expected against the loss o f local control,
the loss o f local government services, and the shift o f the tax burden that
would result.