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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 1982)
Page 2 Portland Observer, November 3, 1962 Liberal opposition short on political courage by John Blank T im id ity seems to be the main feature o f the p o litic a l landscape this year. This lack o f courage can be seen in the major “ opposition" campaigns in the state: in Ted Ku longoski’ s race to unseat Governor Vic Atiyeh, and in the opposition to Ballot Measure 3. Kulongoski ths meek While Ted Kulongoski puts on a show o f ferocity in attacking A ti- yeh’s administration, when it comes to Oregon’s economy—the main is sue in this election—Kulongoski’ s roars turn into a meek purr directed at the local and national big busi ness community. The main thrust o f Kulongoski’s economic program is that Oregon has to be nice to big business, in or der to “ attract” investment capita, and jobs to the state. In essence this line is no d iffe re n t than A tiye h ’ s, though there are differences in de tail. O f course, both p oliticia ns are correct in a ttribu tin g Oregon’ s re cession to the unwillingness o f big business to part w ith investment capital. Big business—for example, Georgia-Pacific, and the owners o f the Hines m ill (near Burns)— has been closing its operations here be cause they have not been “ p ro fit able enough” — note, not because they are losing money, but because their rates o f p ro fit are not as high as they might be in other parts o f the U.S. or in the Third World. In short, we in Oregon are being faced with a “ capital strike” — the owners o f capital are w ithholding their ca pital, ju st as, in a strike, workers withhold their labor. And how do our politicians pro pose to deal with this capital strike? Do they advocate strong govern mental measures, on the grounds that withholding capital is a danger to the public interest? N o—they leave the strong measures to the Reaganites, who certainly have dealt harshly with strikes on the part o f the air controllers and the railway workers. Instead, our politicians— Demo crats as well as Republicans—fill the air with sweet talk about “ attracting business” with all sorts o f “ incen tives,” at the same time as they soft en to meaninglessness any measures, such as the plant closures b ill, de signed to hold business accountable for the effects on the community of MAINSAIL IM PO R TS Í * JE W E L R Y 1 SAI lk l« -r I N m t i l e m n .Til.t 2 2 4 - H l T l mg RING SALE' K \ One & tne gréa s seter’ Kx î o* eng*gp~*' • firgs we<k>ng -»ngj and wedong ban» now a» mrreotxe 2 m g '¿»•ng^shed y-vgr >•. » j f * Ä. S399 1 u»S 295 »275 Í »299 »295 'ÍN »395 »599 TED KULONGOSKI PUT ATLANTA ON THE UNE FOR PEANUTS. $3.12 VICTOR ATIYEH Measure 3 opposition ly on the people and to fight back offers no alternative against big business. Nowhere is our politicians’ timid Perhaps such courage is too much ity more evident than in the way to expect from our current crop o f they oppose Ballot Measure 3 (the politicians, even our “ liberal” and 1 (6 percent property tax limitation). “ progressive” Democrats. After all, Alm ost every p o litic ia n , from as Russell Sadler points out (Ore school superintendents to both can gonian Forum, Oct. 25). "D u rin g didates for governor, has pointed, the 1970s, the supposedly.. .a n ti correctly, to the devastating effect business Democrats controlling the o f Measure 3 on social services. A ll Legislature gave a measure of tax re well and good. Yet no politician has lief to nearly every class o f business come fo rth w ith a program that and commercial property owner” would provide greatly needed tax re through various loopholes, with the lie f to residential property owners result tha t, during the ’ 70s, “ the and money fo r needed social ser share of property taxes paid by busi vices. ness and commercial property own It is obvious where needed monies ers declined from 67 percent o f the should come from —from those who levies to 58 percent. Residential have the most o f it. Tax the rich. I f property taxes jumped from 33 per you’ re worried that the rich—who cent o f the levies to 42 percent.” run businesses—would simply raise Perhaps it is too much to expect prices, then tax p ro fits , tax d iv i political courage from politicians dends. (Tax them even more if they and parties who have b uilt careers go out-of-state.) by catering to business—particular It doesn’ t take a genius to under ly big business—interests. Maybe stand these basic principles. And what is needed is a new political vi surely there is enough legal savvy sion: o f a politics free from corpor amongst the politicians to work out ate domination, and willing to rely the details. What it does take is on the people in a struggle against courage—the political courage to re- big business. Between 5pm ;wd 8am, long distance rates take a big dive. Which means you can save yourself a good A (OMISI I H Al l ' sized chunk of money. So reach out to Atlanta tonight. I 12 1 12 11.' 1 12 And have a deep » 1 I? 1 1? » 12 I It talk with die deep south COST I IF \ »7. If»'1 tè i rr-y IIU WW »545 »595 H * m a u ri I f * iOS »325 $29 to $900. Mainsail makes the best in diamonds affordable! ■ ■ M - r nur Q raru n lrr m a l tuli in h a Irru ir In prihn' \ \ \ W Sralllr h un tatr hml.VKj 'M irili \ ’ ?» 2 ?» i e 2 ?» 1 12 • ,«l 1 I » 1 ,3 2 . •» Pacific Northwest Bell 't a r ,« p p l» lu » ilr r » l« le d iw t-d n l « r rltib « t alb m d n u , «a,* Io A b a , ,nd lb < n » (n u r a p S o iM M Prison overcrow ding explosive by Asmar Seifuliah Prison overcrowding in Oregon has reached massive proportions. The effective administering o f crim inal justice and rehabilitative pro grams has been impeded by the ris ing number o f felons awaiting trial and those housed in state in s titu tions. W hile concern has been voiced for the need to maintain pub lic safety through incarceration and maintenance o f adequate ja il space, the simple fact o f the matter is that there isn’ t any room available fo r new commitments. County jails are filled across the state, court dockets are backlogged and many counties are not prosecuting certain crimes. Nationally, prison populations in creased by a record 12.1 percent in 1981. Recent reports conclude that over 385,000 individuals are pre sently confined in state and federal institutions, a figure in addition to the estimated 158,000 persons who are held in custody in A m erica’ s 3,500 local jails on any given day. The record number 385,000 repre sents an astonishing 70 percent in crease in just twelve years. Current ly there are 154 individuals serving time in prison fo r every 100,000 U.S. citizens, a figure which repre sents the highest imprisonment rate in the 56 years data has been com piled in this area. During the first quarter o f 1982 the annual growth rate in state prisons increased 18 per cent; nationally a 13.7 percent in crease is expected which represents a 13.2 percent increase in 1981 ’ s rec- ord growth rate. The surrounding causes fo r th io c o u n try’ s prison p opulation in * crease are the trend toward manda tory sentencing laws. D uring the past 5 years, 37 states have adopted mandatory sentencing laws and 11 have enacted determinate sentencing statutes. Others have adopted a no prisoner-parole policy. More people are being arrested and convicted, longer prison time served, judges are assessing stiffer penalties as an interpretation o f public opinion. A poll conducted in 1980 showed that Analysis 83 percent o f the people questioned fe lt that the courts were too soft with criminals, which represents a 30 percent increase of those answer ing in the affirmative in 1972. The Oregon prison scene is reflec tive o f the national picture. State in stitutions are at maximum capacity; prisoners are being housed in every possible space. Normal designed ca pacity (476) at the Oregon State Correctional In stitu tio n has been exceeded by twice the number (1032) o f prisoners. Oregon State Peniten tiary has a designed capacity o f 1107 and its count floats at 1500 plus. The effects o f prison overcrowd ing are accelerated rates o f prisoner suicide, inmate violence in the form o f murder or homosexual rape, and a general breakdown in service, treatment and discipline. The tragic The Liberty Bell was cast in England in 1752 for the Pennsylvania Statehouse. 1980 prison rio t in New Mexico is indicative o f what could happen in Oregon and elsewhere—i f answers aren’t found soon. In 1980 Federal Judge James Burns ruled that Oregon’ s prison system was unconstitutionally over crowded. His ru lin g was subse quently appealed by the state and the case was returned to Judge Burns for reconsideration. The sec ond tria l—Gapps vs. Atiyeh/W est vs. A tiyeh—is nearing completion. November 4, 1982 w ill be the last hearing in a litigation that spans two years. State Corrections officials and prisoners await Judge Burns’ decision. The need for a population- reduction order is apparent to all concerned. I f Judge Burns rules that everything is a ll rig h t w ith in the Oregon prison system then there will certainly be chaos and violence in the future. Public concern fo r the premature release o f dangerous criminals is justified, but that con cern must not lead us down the road o f dehumanization through incar ceration. We don’ t need crime fac tories or warehouses for blacks and poor people. While public concern and safety are priorities for any civi lized n atio n — the ideals and stan dards that this country has set as its mandate must not be denied to seg ments o f society. To work toward anything less is beneath the dignity o f Am erica. Solutions must be found, but initially we must all con cede that what we have isn’ t w ork ing. e Maracas were invented by the Taino Indians, Puerto Rico’s first inhabitants. About 57 percent of Americans say they believe in UFOs. A cold spot — Mount Washington in New Hampshire —clocked winds at 231 miles per hour one April day in 1934. We do not do business with South Afrlce. American State Bank AN INMPENOENT BANK Head Office 2 7 37 N. E. Union Portland. Oregon 97212 » GRAND OPENING M I CHRISTMAS SPECIAL ¡8 § The Board o f the Legal Services Corporation, the agency that pro vides legal services to the poor, has named Donald P. Bagard, the law yer o f a food processing co rp ora tion, its president. A fter a long and heated meeting, in which the board was accused of not meeting its duty to serve the poor, the board chose Bagard, 41, director o f litigation o f Stokely-Van Camp, Inc. Nearly 150 legal aid supporters at the meeting voiced outrage at the se lection. “ He may be an expert in pork and beans law, but what the hell does he know about poverty law?” shouted Denison Ray, direct or o f Legal Services o f North Caro lina. Bagard was one o f five finalists from 150 applicants. He had been elim inated fro m consideration in June but his application was revived when rumors that Robert J. D'Ago stino or A lfre d Regnery would be selected. D ’ Agostino, a University o f Delaware law professor, caused an uproar when, while working in the Justice Department, he wrote a memoraandum called racially insen sitive. Regnery, a Justice Depart ment lawyer, wrote a report in 1980 that the corporation should be abol ished. The eleven-member b o a r'' was appointed by Ronald Reagan, who has unsuccessfully urged Congress 4s f FREE 14K Floating Heart with every purchase y FREE 14K Heart with Diamond with $100 00 or more purchase R ut O ur List On Y o u r List C O M U M I R IN F O R M A T IO N C IM T B R DCFT. F A , FUBB4.O, CO LORADO BIOO« Diamond Pendents (3 pts ) Reg $50 00 NOW SIS.00 (10 pts) Reg $130 00 NOW $05.00 Now til Christmas! to abolish the corporation. AU were appointed while Congress is in re cess so they would not have to be confirm ed by the Senate. Nine o f the members are white; two are black. The vote for Bagard was 10-2 (one absent). One member who vot ed “ no” was black; it is not known who cast the second no vote. Our list it the tree Consumer Information Catalog It lists more than 200 helpful govern ment booklets For your free copy, write The Best Savings Ever On Diamonds, Set in 14K Gold Diamond Earrings (4 pts ) Reg $75 00 NOW S29 B5 (10 pts ) Reg $180 00 NOW $15.00 (25 pts , Reg $350 00 NOW S145.00 (50 pts ) Reg $895 00 NOW $425.00 Legal Services Corporation chooses food chain attorney $149 »999 closing plants. Our politicians seem to be ignor ant o f the truth that when you are being attacked, you need to fight back. I t ’s not as if there aren’t ways to fight back against the capital strike: •Strong plant closure legislation —involving long advance-notice re quirements (before a plant closes), making funds available for buy-outs o f closed plants by their workers and communities, and opening o f corporate books to prove the un- p ro fita b ility big business often claims as reasons for shutting down —has been proposed. But our politi cians—notably Kulongoski— have backed away from such measures as too tough on business. •M illions o f dollars leave the state every year in the form o f dividends to the east coast finance houses who own the “ public” utilities: not one peep out o f the politicia ns do we hear in protest; not one suggestion that the people of the state, who af ter all pay the rates, have a right to have that capital reinvested in the state. •A state bank, using capital d i verted fro m out-of-state finance houses as suggested above, state re tirem ent funds, and our tax pay ments (which are deposited in some bank while w aiting to be spent), could invest millions in the state and undercut the capital strike. But our politicians—again notably K ulon goski—have backed away from such plans, no doubt out o f fear of alien ating banking interests who contribute to their campaigns. The irony in this policy o f coaxing capital out o f big business through “ incentives” is that it has little chance o f success. Nine states out o f ten, from Georgia to Texas, ninety countries out o f 100, from South Korea to South Africa, are compet ing for that same investment capital. Very few w ill win it. Those are aw fully long odds to base an economic recovery on. THE KING'S RANSOM I 24K Gold. Jade. Rubys 520 SW 5th Ave., Portland 228 6448 ; '
