Portland Observer, April 13,1983 Page 3
METROPOLITAN
SCISSORS
HAIRDESIGN
STUDIO
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John Fisher, Democratic Diatrlct Leader for District 17, takes
questions from Linda Berg, at workshop on party organization.
(Photo: Don K. Novell)
Rep. Wally Priestley directs question to panel at "Citizen Advo
cacy in tha State Legislature" workshop.
(Photo: Don K Novell)
D o your hom ew ork, work at the
local level, and b u ild c o a litio n s .
These were a few key recommenda
tions from legislative specialists who
served as w orksho p leaders at the
Saturday A pril 9 workshop on legis
lative advocacy at the state legisla
ture. Aimed at interested North and
Northeast P o rtlan d citizens, more
than fifty participants spent the day
at the P C C Cascade Campus to im
prove th eir understanding o f how
individuals and groups can promote
their ideas and interests in the state
legislature.
M erris S u m ra ll, the featured a f
tern o o n speaker, em phasized the
need to keep things sim ple: fin d
three reasons for your position and
three reasons to oppose this posi
tion; then practice giving or refuting
argum ents. In giving testim ony or
visiting with legislators, be prepared
to deal w ith the stereotypes which
relate to your issue or constituency.
For example, Ms. Sumrall said, if
you are supporting measures on be
half o f welfare recipients, be sure to
present images to counter the stereo
type o f the ' ‘ w e lfa re r ic h ," even
though this may be personally o f
fensive to you.
T ell the truth was another rule of
thum b. D o n ’ t be afraid to say you
don’t know something in talking to
legislators. Then try to get the infor
mation and send a follow-up letter.
Id e a lly , one should start early
w ith a legislative idea, well before
the legislative session. An important
next step is to find a legislator who
w ill ’ ’cham pion" the idea.
For most people, an im p o rta n t
first step will be to seek advice from
groups and individuals who have al
ready had experience or who may
have a p aid lo b b yist. A p erfectly
good first step if you have a concern
that might relate to the state legisla
ture might be to contact one o f the
people who attended or organized
last Saturday's workshop.
Gail Castillo explained her role as
leader o f the Hispanic Political Ac
tion Committee (H P A C ).
H P A C has in itia te d leg islation
which would make it illegal for local
law enforcem ent personnel to en
gage in activities aimed at enforcing
im m ig ratio n laws. Brown-skinned
and "M exican-looking" persons are
frequently subjected to harassment
by local law officers who say the are
searching fo r illeg al im m ig ra n ts .
The proposed legislation would stop
this form o f harassment
The C o a litio n fo r the M edically
Needy is perhaps the largest coali
tion o f its kin d, said Dana A n d er
son. It seeks to com bine the focus
on the m edical needs o f the "n e w
p o o r” w ith the " o ld p o o r ," and
aims to enlist Oregon in the federal
program which expands M ed icaid
support to many o f the m edically
needy who do not otherwise qualify
for federal or state assistance.
•
One out of every tw o households in the U nited
States has a pet.
Political advice given:
Build coalitions
by Ross Danielson
The custom of "knocking on wood” began because
people hoped the noise would prevent evil spirits from
hearing about their good luck and taking it away from
them.
•
The circum ference of the earth is about 42 miles
greater around the equator than it is around the poles.
Far from being "silly,” the goose is said to be one of
the most intelligent of all birds.
We d o ^ o u to business w ith South Africa
American State
B ank
M INDEPENDENT BANK
Heed Office
2737 N. E Union
Portlend, Oregon 9 7 2 1 2
Fred Milton, workshop organizing committee chairman, w el
comes participants.
(Photo: Don K. Hovsll)
HOW MANY CANS OF
ELECTRICITY CAN YOG GET
FOR A DOLLAR?
Nick Barnett reviewed the role o f
neighborhood and com m unity o r
ganizations as a beginning point for
identifying issues that require legis
latio n . Speaking out against cy n i
cism, he said that you can "change
City H a ll" and the state legislature
as well.
Saaalona on lobbying and participation In the legislative procaee
ware wall received. Evaluation forme revealed that elghty-flve per
cent of tha participants ware wall satisfied and had obtained useful
Information, while tha vast majority said they would Ilka to attend
additional workshops.
(Photos Rosa Danielson)
About 25 cans, give or
take a few. That amounts to
around 4* a can for one
kilowatt hour of electricity.
What’s electricity doing in a can? It’s a
way of thinking about electricity that
makes it easier to understand just how
powerful it really is.
For a little more than a dollar a dav, an
average household can cook meals, refrig
erate food, heat water, entertain, wash and
dry clothes, and do a hundred other chores.
Not bad for something that costs a
lot less than the average item on your
shopping list.
Ii you had to buy cans of electricity
every time you went shopping, you’d prob
ably keep a close watch on your montnly
energy budget.
One way to do
that, is to watch your
electric meter and
monthly electric bill.
In fact, your electric meter is a kind
of cash register that records the power you
buy each time you plug in an appliance or
flip a switch.
And your monthly bill becomes a kind
of cash register receipt that shows you just
how much electricity your dollar buys.
Knowing that gives you the power to
decide to buy only as much electricity as
you need.
Because you only pay for the electric
ity you use.
So when you add up the number of
cans of electricity it takes to run a home,
you can see just how far a dollar goes.
THE PEOPLE AT PACIFIC POWER
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