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Page 4 Portland Observer, February 9, 1983
Reagan says, "Stay the course'
EDITORIAL/OPINION
Save Albina multi-service center
The State Adult and Family Service Division,
as part o f its budget cut is considering closing its
Albina office, located in the Albina Human Re
source Center.
Justification for closing this center is said to
be its location— about half-w ay between the
North Interstate office and the Northeast office
on N .E . Oregon— and good bus service through
the district.
The Albina Human Resource Center was the
first multi-service center established in the state
and was the result o f repeated requests by resi
dents o f the area to have various state service
agencies located under one roof so low-income
clients would not have to be shuffled from office
to office, often across town.
The center has become a national model and
is the pattern for centers opened in Corvallis and
Nyssa. The Central Administration— which pro
vides coordination and at times has provided
emergency services and service not provided by
other agencies— has been an o p p o rtu n it; for
black employment— one of the positions where
black people have some policy-making author
ity. A ll o f the permanent center directors have
been black and directors Ben Tally and Hazel G.
Hays have gone on to more responsible state po
sitions. Although the agencies have not been
particularly energetic in their affirmative action,
there have been jobs for minorities as supportive
personnel.
The Albina office is also one o f the oldest lo
cal A FS D offices, predating the Interstate and
Oregon Street offices and the Belmont Street of
fice. When consolidation was still in vogue and
all welfare offices were located downtown in the
M ill Street building, the Albina community and
the multi-service center concept were considered
unique enough to justify a separate office.
The plan to close the Albina office is not final
but it w ill happen if the comm unity does not
make its wishes known— long and loud. Protests
should go to: the Governor; the Legislature; Les
H egstrom , directo r o f the State H u m an R e
sources Department; Ben Tally, regional direc
tor o f A FSD and Lewis Winchester, director of
the Albina Human Resources Center.
There have been efforts on the state level to
close A lb in a H um an Resources Center or to
greatly strip its authority and services for many
years. I f A F S D — the center’s largest source o f
clients— is rem oved, the center w ill soon be
stripped o f its center staff and other agencies
will leave.
The State cannot be allow ed to remove a
vital resource from (he com m unity especially
when there has been no discussion with the
citizens. W c dou b t very much that the
community has even been inform ed, let alone
consulted. This type o f hig-handed, back room
dealing cannot be tolerated.
Rev Jesse !.. Jackson
O n January 2 5 th , President
Reagan gave his " S ta te o f the
U n io n " address to Congress and (he
nation. W hile he still maintains his
a b ility to read his script w e ll— he
can still com m unicate— now, how
ever w hat he com m unicates is less
believeable, and, therefore, less in
spiring. In essence the President said
"slay the course.” He offered hope,
but no new fo u n d a tio n fo r such
hope. H e spoke o f fairness (tw elve
times), but offered more unfairness.
In co n tras t to his past rh eto ric o f
" g e ttin g the governm ent o f f the
backs o f the p e o p le " and " o u t o f
the way o f the p riva te s e c to r," he
said— as H u b ert H u m p h ry before
him — that "G overnm ent must take
the lead in restoring the econom y"
— but o ffe re d no positive g o vern
ment program s co m p arab le to the
problems (he country faces.
So we are left with more Reagan
om ics.
President
Reagan’ s
economic program has worked—f o r
the elite and against the poor, w ork
ers and the middle class. Record tax
breaks fo r the rich ($7 50 b illio n ),
record m ilita ry expenditures ($2.2
tr illio n ), the stock m arket going
th ro ug h the ceiling ( 1 100 points);
versus record unem p lo ym en t, re
cord small business failures, record
sm all farm foreclosures, record
budget deficits is Reaganomics. He
offered more o f the same last night.
Reaganomics was designed to shift
the w ealth and incom e in the
country even more unfairly upward
— from the poor and middle classes
to the rich and upper classes. A fte r
two years, he must now be held ac
countable.
President Reagan and the A m er
ican people (as seen in the polls) see
unemploym ent as that which is un
derm ining his presidency. Y et, the
unemployment was planned Presi-
dent Reagan has been using the gov
ernm ent a ll alo ng , but using it
against the poor and workers and on
behalf o f the rich, corporations and
(he military. President Reagan's ad-
m in iu stration used unem ploym ent
to figh t in fla tio n . Just as the g o v
ernm ent planned the u n e m p lo y
m ent, now the governm ent must
plan for full employment.
The President’s economic policies
have created a blood clot fo r the
rich (too much money and goods in
one spot) and created blood anemia
fo r the poor (to o little m oney anu
purchasing power for consumers).
Business and the rich cannot save
this econom y, only consumers can
do th at— and unemployed workers
cannot consume. Farm ers are not
losing their farms because they did
not produce, but because too few
people can consume. W orkers are
not being laid o ff because they did
not produce, but because too few
people can consume. This economy
must be saved from the bottom up,
not from the top down. Yet, Presi
dent Reagan proposes to "stay the
course” by continuing to look to the
top for salvation.
President Reagan promised to re
store Am erica's power and prestige
at home and in the w o rld . H e has
not, and his policies are weakening
our position both at home and
abroad. He is weakening the p illar
of industry (energy) by proposing io
do aw ay w ith the Energy D e p a rt
ment; and he is weakening the cor
nerstone o f democracy (education)
by doing away with the Department
o f Education and lessening the na
tion's commitment to public educa
tion. His budget cuts— and now the
freeze, which really amounts to a 3
percent domestic cut— will continue
to weaken public education. Thus,
not only has he not restored A m er
ic a ’ s econom ic m ig h t, his policies
have weekend the present and are
jeopardizing the future.
Those o f us who are so negatively
affected by the President’ s contin
uing policies must do more than just
analyze, react to and talk about Pre
sident Reagan and Reaganom ics.
We must act to change things.
I W e must engage in political ac
tio n . W e must engage in massive
voter registration drives and encour
age our people to vote (participate)
in record numbers now and in 1984.
President Reagan and his supporters
(R epublican and D em o crat) in the
House and Senate must be retired in
1984 as well.
2. W e must again engage in mas
sive direct action. We must return to
the streets. W e are urging that on
A p ril 4 . D r. K ing's assassination
d ale, that the n ation 's w orkers en
gage in a one-hour w o rk stoppage
from 11 a.m . to noon to show sym
pathy fo r the unem ployed. W e are
also urging (he unemployed to con
duct demonstrations at local Federal
facilities to dram atize to the nation
their p lig h t. T he " P o o r People's
Cam paign” must be revived.
3. O n August 27, we urge labor,
religious, civil rights, the poor and
the unem ployed to converge on
W ashington, D .C ., to demand jus
tice and jobs 20 years after the 1963
“ March on W ashington."
L astly , we must not a llo w these
dismal circumstances to break our
spirit. W e must believe in ourselves,
fight with dignity and keep alive our
faith in G od and o ur hope fo r a
better day. We must engage in disci
plined and organized resistance. We
are reassured because we know that
victory does not go to the swift and
the strong, but to those who endure
to the end.
Washington Hot Line
by Congressman Rpn Wyden
Letters to the Editor
Protect citizens' tax write-off
To I He editor:
Secretary o f State Norma Paulus*
bill to deny political tax credits to
ind ividu als who choose to c o n tri
bute to a political action committee
( P A C ) does nothing to solve the
problem : The explosive growth o f
big-spending PACs.
Citizens are rightfully concerned.
T h a t m oney has been called " th e
m o th er's m ilk o f p o litic s " is no
joke. Examples abound in Congress
and our State Legislatures of special
interests who get their way, in large
part due to large political contribu
tions their PA C arms make.
U n fo rtu n a te ly , the Paulus b ill,
SB 117, in no way contains or limits
campaign spending. The special in
terests w ith P A C s bursting with
money will still be able to contribute
generously. Those who will be hurt
by SB 117 are the sm all PA C s o f
citizen-action organizations. This
bill would severely curtail the politi
cal contributions given from grass
roots w om en, conservationist, la
bor, and progressive organizations.
A more positive response to coun
ter the influence o f large PACs is a
Ml MR) »
proposal to have v o lu n ta ry c a m
paign spending lim its that do not
run a fo u l o f the 1975 Deras Vs.
Myers Oregon Supreme Court deci
sion. At the same time political con
tributions fro m parties and in d iv i
duals should be encouraged.
W h ile m a n d ato ry cam paign
spending limits were found uncon
s titu tio n a l, candidates could be
asked to accept voluntary limits, or
lose their access to political (ax cred
it co n trib u tio n s and other p ublic
subsidies. This approach has been
supported by Sen. Frank Roberts
and Speaker o f the House G rattan
Kerans. It is likely that Oregonians
will be asked to vote on this concept
next year.
Currently an individual receives a
50 percent tax credit on the Oregon
tax form for political contributions
up to $50, w hile the Federal tax
form offers a 50 percent credit up to
$100. A modest expansion o f the
credit in O regon to equal the
Federal would provide more incen
tive for ind ividu als to make small
scale political contributions.
The D o lla r Check O f f fo r the
p arties, w hich sunsetted in 1981,
p ro vided sig n ifican t fu n d in g tor
both the Republican and Democrat
ic Parlies in O regon. G ov. Atiyeh
has vowed to veto any reenactment
o f the C h e c k -O ff, even (hough Re
p ub lican State C h a irm a n Robert
V o y sent a cam paign fu nd raisin g
letter to Republican donors in the
last campaign bemoaning the loss of
Check-O ff revenues.
However, the concept o f a Dollar
Check-On for the parties, similar to
the W ild life and Arts funds on the
Oregon tax form may be acceptable
to the G overnor. This would allow
taxpayers to voluntarily donate part
o f their tax refund to (he party o f
their choice.
A ll these proposals were endorsed
by the Democratic Party o f Oregon
at their recent State C entral C o m
m ittee meeting. There is a general
public consensus for lim iting exces
sive P A C influence and campaign
spending. V o lu n ta ry cam paign
spending limits with increased fund
ing fro m parties and in d ivid u als
may be the best antidote available at
the present time.
David McTeague
Portland Observer
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N atio n a l A d v ertis in g R ep resentative
A m a lg a m a te d Publishers Inc
N e w Vori»
'« • t ìì
N o issue before the 98th Congress
is more critical than the effort to de
velop ways to strengthen Social Se
curity, the most important domestic
program ever operated by our gov
ernment.
The President's Com m ission on
Social Security Reform has put a fi
nancing package on the table. L ike
everyone else, there are parts I like,
and parts I d o n 't. T he fact that at
least there's a package on the table,
however, is a breakthrough.
D espite this b rea kth ro u g h , and
despite the fram ew o rk w e’ ve been
given by the commission, I think its
product is only a start. In testimony
last week before the House W ays
and M eans C o m m ittee, I outlined
several proposals I think the C o n
gress should consider in evaluating
the c o m m is sio n ’ s re co m m en d a
tions.
M y fo rem ost concern w ith the
com m ission's recom m endations is
that they do not recognize that to
address (he financing o f Social Se
curity properly. Congress also must
address the financing of Medicare.
There aren't any rarv solutions to
fin an cin g M ed ica re, but there are
so lu tio n s . T h e firs t p rin c ip le we
must accept is th at p ro per r e tir e
m ent fin a n c in g requires th at we
handle Social Security and Medicare
together.
According to the Social Security
A d m in istratio n, the M edicare pay
roll tax— currently set at 1.3 percent
o f earnings— must be increased an
additional 2 percent w ithin 25 years
to meet the rising costs o f medical
care. In addition, its analysis shows
that within 50 years, this regressive
payroll tax must be tripled to meet
spiraling medical costs.
There are alternatives to sm oth
ering Medicare in regressive taxes.
A m a jo r one is to change the
M ed icare reim bursem ent system.
Today’s system rewards doctors and
hospitals for being inefficient, and
penalizes them fo r tak in g steps to
deliver q u a lity care at reasonable
prices. In place o f this system,
w hich locks in in e ffic ie n c y , we
should institute a new one that re
w ards p ro viders fo r sittin g dow n
w ith the g overnm ent b efo re they
provide services and w orking out a
reasonable paym ent schedule fo r
those services. Because o f my strong
belief in these principles, last week I
introduced legislation to make these
changes in the Medicare reimburse
ment system.
The second m ajor concern I have
w ith the comm ission's recommen-
datins is that they v irtu a lly ignore
Leslie Uggams
(Continued from page I col. 6)
want you w ill have to suffer for it.
You should learn every angle in it.
O p p o rtu n ity comes once and you
won’t get another chance. A lot o f it
is luck, i f you want to be a singer,
then it is more than just singing. It's
about attitude and appearance. You
have to learn to read m usic. Be
ready fo r an y th in g they th ro w at
y o u ."
Uggams give our younger brothers
and sisters who aspire to be where
she’s at? “ First, I would tell them to
get an ed u catio n because in this
business you could w ork fo r eight
months and then sit for two years.
Show business is the kind o f career
you grow and grow with.
" I f show business is w hat you
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the p ro d u c tiv ity o f o ld e r A m e r
icans. Specifically, the commission
docs little to give incentives to older
Americans who want to w ork.
A p articu lar point o f concern is
the com m ission’ s fa ilu re to make
changes in the earnings test. This bi
zarre form o f discrim ination means
that if an older person gets up at 6
a.m . and drives a milk truck to sup
plem ent his re tire m e n t, he has to
give up h a lf o f what he earns over
$ 6 ,600 per year. I f , h ow ever, this
person, relies on stocks and bonds
and other such sources for his liveli
hood, there is no lim it at all.
I also am concerned with the way
the com m ission handled C o s t-o f-
Living Adjustm ents (C O L A s ). U n
der the com m ission's p la n , even if
the Consumer Price Index drops be
low 3 percent in 1983— and there are
indications that it m ay— Social Se
curity beneficiaries w ill not receive
any c o s t-o f-liv in g a d ju s tm e n t.
Thus, people who rely on Social Se
curity for their entire income will be
deprived o f any c o s t-o f-liv in g a d
justment for almost two years.
Congress must ensure th at any
Social Security package it approves
sets a basic floor o f protections for
senior citizens. Otherwise, it faces a
p o ten tially em barrassing situation
next Ju ly, when (he rich w ill reap
the benefits o f a 10 percent tax cut,
while low-income seniors will find it
even harder to keep up with the cost
o f living and pay for necessities.
This is the year Congress must act
on S o cial S ec u rity. T h e concern
over the system's stability is truly in
ter-generational. The young, as well
as the o ld , w ant to be shown that
Congress w ill act now to ensure
their current and future retirement
secu rity. 1 believe the princip les
touched upon here will help achieve
that goal.
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