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.
MONIQUE’S
Portland’s newest beauty salon
tlrganrlv and taut/ully dnnrulrd fo r you who opportune thefiner ihmgr in lift
Make your Easter appointment now
\Easter Special
March 17th through April 2, 1983
Bring this advertisement for additional 5% savings.
One Inch
,
® d e lm a r
Long hair slightly more
Aluminum Blinds
MM BlndI
50% OFF
Revlon invents
fa TOX er
Softlight Shades
40% OFF
Woven Woods
(Selected Patterns)
?Ae h r if ne> ye''•'<»»»' syxfen.
«n>f »»- «uwe run/ • n«j„ «g»»
/trn/tda ■
50% OFF
Vertical Shades 40% OFFl
R.M. DIETZ COMPANY
239-9014
1010 SE POW ELL
PO R TLA N D 97202
O h m »
Haircut
Shampoo Set f t Style
Perms, Zotos
Apple Pectin
Touch up
Relaxer
Hair Color
Curt
Children’s haircut, w ith parent's
appointm ent (Easter Special)
Press and curl and conditioner
Shampoo blow dry
Expert hair styling fo r men <& women
9:00 am to 9:00 pm Monday thru Saturday
M o n T h u r* 9 6 30 I
«M «ss Fri 9 8
o I »OP MZ ta t Sat 12 5
rat f'ta r n o
-Special Easter Sale
281-9604
4711 N. Interstate
(O na block N orth of Oolngl
Plenty o f o ff the street parking.
281-9604
98.00
8.00
25.00
40.00
16.00
25.00
16.00
48.00
5.00
15.00
10.00