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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 16, 1983)
Portland Observer, March 1 6 ,19B3 Page 6 Washington Hot Line by Congressman Ron Wyden Street Beat by Lanita Duka and Richard Brow n II'« noi officially confirmed yet, but it appear* that our economy ii showing signs of crawling back to it* feet Factory order* were up again lest month; the unemployment rate remained steady throughout the country, and it actually declined »lightly in Oregon. These " tre n d *,” however, pro vide little solace to the worker still unemployed, and we must make *ure that the essential needs o f the long-term unemployed are met. In addition, we need to examine exactly how the recession has affect ed Oregon and how we can rebuild our economy be learning from the past In the Congress, I have taken a three-pronged approach to address ing the needs of expanding Oregon's economy. The first leg of this approach is to shore up Oregon's mainstay indus tries— timber and housing. I have introduced legislation to clarify rules that will encourage investment of private pension funds in housing. This in itiative w ill provide more money, at lower interest rates, for housing, which w ill help pul m ill- workers and builders back to work. Yet, the primary lesson we have learned from this recession is that Oregon cannot a ffo rd to depend solely on timber and housing. These industries are slowed to a crawl when there is even a slight downturn in the economy. To heal this addic tion, Oregon must look for ways to diversify its economy so we will be able to hold our own next time the economy decides to take a dive. One prime prospect for Oregon to diversify its economy is in the area of exports. To help us achieve this goal, I have Introduced legislation that will authorize a new lock at the Bonneville D am . A new lock is needed to eliminate current and fu ture bottlenecks at the dam and ex pand our ab ility to tap the export markets o f the Pacific Rim coun tries. It is estimated this new lock w ill generate $500 m illio n in new private investm ent, creating new job* and opportunities throughout the state. The third leg of my three-pronged approach to enhancement o f O re gon's economy is a bill I introduced this week to clarify anti-trust laws which discourage joint research and development by Am erican high technology firms. This legislation is needed to allow these firms to com pete with their overseas coun terparts so that they can expand and create new jobs. America's long-standing leader ship in the fast-growing electronics and high technology industries is to day being challenged as never before by competition from abroad. To put it simply, the Japanese, (he Western Europeans and others are rapidly closing in on us. If we want to real ize the potential these industries hold for Oregon and for America, we must bolster their ability to com pete in the in ternatio n al m arket place. For too long there has been uncer tainty among high technology com panies over where the anti-trust line is drawn. My bill clarifies these anti trust provisions so that high tech companies can pool their resources to conduct research and develop ment ventures. A good example of where our an titrust laws have caused unnecessary Welfare change proposed Oregon welfare policy forces many unemployed men to leave their families so their wives and chil dren can qualify for public assist ance. House Bill 2483 would remedy this situation. The State's Adult and Family Ser vices Division (AFS) provides public assistance for single-parent families when the parent is unemployed but not to two-parent unemployed fami lies. Although 21 states currently provide welfare for two-parent un employed fam ilies, using federal matching funds, Oregon eliminated its program in 1979. Oregon had an unemployment rate of 11.5 (seasonally adjusted) in February; approximately 180,000 Oregonians are out o f work; less than h alf are drawing unem ploy ment compensation. These families are eligible only for "emergency as sistance" from A FS , one or two months rent. Private non -p ro fit agencies that provide emergency food, fuel and rent assistance do not have the resources to provide con tinuing aid to large numbers of fam ilies. The only option to many families is temporary separation to make the wife and children eligible for Aid to Families with Dependent Children (A F D C ). The long-range effects of these separations— many o f which will result in permanent separations —cannot be measured at this time. However, it is contrary to the phil osophy behind public assistance programs, which is to provide finan cial help in time of emergency to en able the family to survive. O f the 73.450 A D C recipients in December, 65 percent were children; 16 percent were single parents caring for children under 3; five percent were employed and 11 percent were seeking employment. The average slay on A D C is 15 months and 82 percent o f the A D C families have one or two children. Extending benefits to 2-parent families would cost the State’s gen eral fund approxim ately $25,639,870 for maintenance and medical benefits for approximately 3,750 families. The federal govern ment would pay the remaining $34,154.600. A fam ily o f three currently re ceives a cash grant of $358 for shel ter, utilities, clothing, transporta tion and all other needs, and food stamps. and expensive problem* for the pri vate sector is when the federal gov ernment told the U.S. auto industry to reduce exhaust emissions. Each company embarked— separately— on a massive and expensive effort to find a way to reduce emissions. A f ter many months— and many m il lio n* o f d ollars— a com m ercially feasible catalytic converter was de veloped. In my mind, there was absolutely no sound reason why the automo bile industry could not have pooled their resources on this research. The catalytic converter could have been developed faster and at a much lower cost. The only reason they d id n ’ t get together is because our antitrust laws said they couldn't. We can all agree that our antitrust laws have played a key role in ensur ing economic justice and a healthy level of business competition, and I would be the last person to advocate a major retreat from the cherished principle o f free and open competi tion. But I also believe that these laws, from time to time, need to be fine- tuned to reflect changes in the way our economy operates and the way the global economy operates. What we are concerned about is economic survival in an increasingly technical and increasingly competi tive world. For Oregon to survive, it must shore up the industries it has histori cally depended on, as well as look for expanding opportunities for new industries (hat will create new jobs. That's the only way we can ensure job security for the long haul, and avoid being at the mercy of any blip on the economic radar. W om en/ education meet topic Women and education will be the subject o f a second forum on women's issues to be held Saturday, March 19, in Portland. The series of four forums is being sponsored by Oregon Congressman Ron W yden, and the public is encouraged to attend. The education forum will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 noon in the cafe teria o f the Bonneville Power A d m inistration B uilding, 1002 NE H olladay Street. Panel members, who will include experts in (he field of education, will discuss the role of education for women, how today's educational system responds to women, women's studies programs and financial aid. Wyden will serve as panel moderator. The remaining two forums, to be held in April and M ay, will address fam ily issues and older women's issues respectively. The first forum, held in February, covered economic issues facing women. For more in fo rm a tio n , contact Merrie Buel at 231-2300. This week Portland’s Black United Front called for a statewide boycott of 7-Up and other products of the Portland Bottling Company. The S tre e t B eat team asked Portlanders, "H o w do you feel about the boycott of 7-Up?’’ ..................... ........................... Nancy SantangaCo Housewife Pat Carlson Houaawlfa/Caahlar The boycott seems like a good idea if it would work. But I do not think that it does work all that well. It doesn't hurt to try. My family support* the boycott indirectly because we stopped drinking pop years ago. I think the boycott is ironic because the people who are em ployed by 7 -U p on national T .V . are very dark. Tad Harder Retired I'm in favor o f the boycott. There should be no difference in color when you talk about hir ing. Why are we importing peo ple from different parts of (he world when we have able- bodied men and women right next door? Ron Williams Minister Elaine Patton Teacher I plan to support it. There are lots of blacks who drink 7-Up and I think they should hire at least some of (hem. I really haven't given the mat ter much thought. The reasons behind the boycott arc good. 7- Up takes so much from this com m unity— they should give something back But I d on ’ t know if a boycott is the right tactic to use to express our dis satisfaction with the Portland Bottling Company. Leah Andrus Unemployed I'm going to stop drinking 7- Up because o f the reasons for the boycott. A lot more P o rt landers need jobs than hiring outside the country. I need a job. 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