Portland Observer, April 13,1983 Page 3 METROPOLITAN SCISSORS HAIRDESIGN STUDIO •P Progreaai v« hair design for women and men • Haircutting • Parma «Curts 2733 N.E. B roadw ay«288-5436 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 é If