Portland Observer, April 13, 1983 Page 5
Washington Hot Line
by Congressman Hon Wyden
Q F in d in g lo p q u a lity — y e t a f ­
f o r d a b le — c h ild care services is a
critical issue f o r single parent house­
holds, as well as those where both
parents work. A re there efforts un­
d erw ay to h elp those lo o k in g f o r
child care services?
A . Yes, th ere a re — in the C o n ­
gress and in the Portland area.
The need for adequate child care
services speaks for itself. According
to the Department o f Labor. during
1982. 55 percent o f all c h ild re n
under age 18 had working mothers.
For pre-school ch ild re n , that p er­
centage totalled 46 percent; for chil­
dren between 6 and 17. 59 percent.
In a ll. some 8.5 m illio n m others
were in the labor force in 1982, up
from 5.6 million in 1970.
In the P o rtla n d area , 4 -C , the
only areawide child care referral in­
formation service, has been working
han d-in -hand w ith local child care
providers, consumers and em ploy­
ers over the past 10 years to help
provide those services. Yet despite
those efforts, all the inform ation ne­
cessary to figure out who needs ser­
vices, w here they need th em , and
w hat they can a ffo rd to pay fo r
them is still not available.
Earlier this year, 4-C worked with
Portland State University to obtain
a $200,000 federal grant to conduct
a study assessing how child care a f­
fects the workplace, as well as what
the ch ild care needs are in the
Portland area.
U n fo rtu n a te ly , h o w ever, the
grant alone w ill not be enough. 4-C
does not have the final link needed
to allow it to properly analyze and
use the data it gathers. That missing
lin k — as the P o rtla n d C ity C lu b
acknowledges in a recently compiled
report— is a computer system.
Last week I kicked o ff a drive to
help 4-C raise the SIS,000-$20.000 it
needs to purchase that co m p u ter
system. I talked to private sources
about raising the m oney— and last
week I was able to present 4-C with
the first $4 ,000 to w ard that g oal,
w hich was d o n ated by tw o local
companies.
And for once. Congress is not be­
hind the game. E ffo rts are u nd er­
way at the federal level to expand
this concept.
I am the cosponsor o f a b ill, the
C hild Care Info rm ation and Refer­
ral Services Act, which sets up an $8
m illio n fed eral g ran t p ro g ram to
fund new or im prove existing child
care inform ation and referral clear­
inghouses.
The clearinghouses will work with
fam ilies and providers to make the
most effic ie n t use o f av ailab le re­
sources by matching fam ilies' needs
w ith p ro viders' supplies. In other
words, this bill will extend what 4-C
is trying to do in Portland to the na­
tional level.
Because this legislation— and the
4-C project— will help working par
ents meet their child care needs, it
w ill add up for Oregon and A m e r­
ica. It w ill help increase productiv­
ity, because Oregonians will be bet­
ter able to id e n tify child care ser­
vices that meet their unique needs.
A nd by increasing p ro d u ctivity, it
w ill help get O regon and A m erica
back on the mend.
Q. What is Congress doing to ad ­
dress the energy assistance needs o f
low-income citizens?
A . Congress needs to com e up
with an insurance policy against bad
weather and bad times for millions
o f needy Oregonians and other A m ­
ericans.
T hat's why I joined Congressman
Richard Ottinger (D -N .Y .) last week
in introducing a b ill to provide $3
bv Rich Lochner
b illio n in lo w -in c o m e energy
assistance during fiscal year 1984.
T he b ill would increase funding
fo r the energy p ro g ram by m ore
than $1 b illio n over 1983, and by
nearly $2 billion over what the Rea­
gan A d m in is tratio n has requested
for 1984. Oregon would receive be­
tween $35-$4O million o f the money,
up fro m $24 m illio n in fiscal year
1983.
This is the kind o f program the
Adm inistration claims to support—
a program that provides the neediest
Americans with one o f the basic ne­
cessities o f life . A nd yet by its ac­
tions, the A d m in is tra tio n has left
millions o f these vulnerable people
out in the cold.
Statistics compiled by the Health
and H um an Services D e partm en t,
indicate that only 7 million o f an es­
tim ated 21 m illio n eligib le house­
holds are presently receiving assist­
ance. And when one considers that
the poor expend at least 35 percent
o f their income directly on energy, it
becomes evident that (here are a lot
of people out there with little or no
way to provide for other necessities.
The increased funding level is par­
tic u la rly im p o rta n t fo r O reg o n ,
which is one o f only fo u r states to
have committed all the available en­
ergy assistance funding by March I .
The state had anticipated the funds
w ou ld hold out fo r an a d d itio n a l
two months.
O regonians have suffered m ore
than most under the current, inade­
quately fu nd ed , energy assistance
program. During Fiscal Year 1983,
the state was able to pay only $191
per family on average, compared to
$200 nationally. Now the state has
completely obligated its funds, and I
want to make sure we d o n ’ t face a
similar situation next year. I think
our bill will do the trick.
Governor boycotts AFL-CIO
by Rich Lochner
G overno r V ic to r A tiyeh w ilt not
be getting his labor advice from the
state A F L - C IO . The governor has
just set up a Labor Advisory C o u n ­
c il, w hich includes the b u ild in g
trades, the T eam ste rs, and the
Longshore Union.
A tiy e h refuses to see the state
A F L - C IO and m ore lib eral union
leaders because o f their strong back­
ing for his opponent, Ted Kulongos­
ki, in last November's elections. The
governor called his decision " a hu­
man reaction” at a recent press con­
ference.
A ll recent O reg o n g overn o rs,
both Dem ocratic and R epublican,
have had an open-door policy, says
state A F L -C IO president Irv Fletch­
er. " E v e n in absolute m onarchies
such as Saudi Arabia the king tradi­
tionally has a m onthly open court,
w here people can com e and slate
their grievances,” Fletcher points
out. " N o w we d o n ’ t even have ac­
cess to the throne ro o m ."
The boycott means the governor
lacks the A F L -C IO 's input when he
proposes legislation. For example,
the g overn o r w ants to set up a
W ood Products Marketing Board to
promote the export o f finished lum-
ber. The A F L - C IO has supported
the concept in the past, w hile A ti-
ych's business backers have opposed
it, Fletcher says.
Exporting finished lumber creates
many m ore jobs th an b ex p o rtin g
raw logs, which is the present prac­
tice. Fletcher believes.
The blackout prevents the A F L -
C IO from speaking to Atiyeh on be­
h alf o f all the state's working peo­
ple, not just union members, Fletch­
er says.
In the future, A tiyeh apparently
w ill hear those labor views most in
agreement with his ow n. The advi­
sory council's first meeting is sche­
duled for A pril 27.
It's time for tax reform
by Franz Schurmann,
Now (hat the economic recovery
has begun, Americans, according to
the original Reagan economic p ro ­
gram, should be looking forward to
declining taxes. Instead, the chances
are that taxes will be going up in the
years ahead.
H ig h taxes have usu ally been a
sign that something is wrong in the
body politic. They signify that gov­
ernm en t is g etting revenue fro m
people’s pocketbooks, and not from
healthy growth. W hat angers people
even more is that all too often gov­
ernm ent cann o t ju s tify the uses
made o f those revenues.
In the late 1970s many Americans
were clearly angry over high taxes,
■is was evident in the C alifo rn ia and
Massachusetts (ax revolts. The Rea-
ganiles o ffered them a program to
remedy such grievances. T hey a d ­
vanced one sim ple ex planatio n for
high taxes: the massive and wasteful
welfare slate. Cut it down radically
(the " n e w fe d e ra lis m ” ), reduce
taxes so people will invest in produc­
tion and not in more money ("s u p ­
ply-side econom ics"), and go back
io traditional social values which en­
courage people to depend on each
other rather than the government —
and soon g ro w th w ill resum e,
revenues to governm ent rise, and
taxes w ill d ro p . In d e e d , they a r­
gued, there even w ill be enough
money left over fo r a much bigger
defense effort.
In fact, the recovery has virtually
nothing to do w ith these prescrip­
tions. Except fo r p a in fu l fu nd ing
cuts to poor and d isadvantaged
people, the welfare state remains in­
tact. I.ven die-hard Rcaganiles have
coinc around Io supporting a Social
Security system which imposes the
biggest drain on the governm ental
budget. So too, the idea o f collect­
ing "users’ fees" from states and lo­
calities, which had taken for granted
huge federal grants for building and
m aintaining their infrastructures,
has been virtually abandoned. W ith
the "entitlem ents” burden as huge
as ever, we now also face the spectre
o f a monumental defense budget for
years to come.
Big en title m e n ts , coupled to a
swollen defense budget in the con­
text o f an anxiety-ridden recovery,
spell either bigger taxes or bigger de­
fic its (o r b o th ). A consensus is
g ro w in g that m ore d e fic its could
break the back o f the A m eric an
economy. Thus the search is on for
new revenues, evident in the contro­
versial plan to begin w ith h o ld in g
taxes on interest income from bank
accounts.
Yet the President rem ains a d a ­
mant on his defense budget, arguing
that we live in a dangerous w orld.
If , as the President’s O rlando, F lor­
ida, speech implied, we are in for a
long and deadly rivalry with the So­
viets, then we can forget about any
kin d o f econom ic reco very. T h e
Vietnam war has already made clear
that even an economy as mighty as
America's cannot produce guns and
b u tte r at the same tim e. B a rrin g
some Pearl H a rb o r, U .S . citizens
are going to want to know why the
th rea t has suddenly become so
great. T hat end can only be served
through some b ro ad , genuine n a­
tio n a l defense debate, not sim ply
through administration rhetoric.
In 1981 the President spoke o f re­
generating a society which was at
peace, not one facing war. And the
m ark o f its having been " re -b o rn ”
would have been permanently lower
taxes.
Job bill brings few jobs
But if defense and entitlem ents
are p ro vin g in tra c ta b le , there is
another path that could bring even­
tual tax relief. W hile the "N e w Fed
cralism" and "Supply-side econom­
ics" have turned out to be flops, the
Reaganites never re a lly explored
ways that people co u ld help each
other in order to reduce the burden
on the treasury. The call to go back
to old values is not the key, as we
are now a country o f diverse values
and life-styles. But "people helping
people" is something that one finds
everywhere. In fact, as their pocket­
books s h rin k , m ore and m ore
people are w orking, living and vo l­
unteerin g to g e th e r. In inner city
ghettoes, barrios, revitalized cities
and small rural towns alike.
A lth o u g h many o f these people
alone w ou ld q u a lify fo r “ safety
net” welfare, together they form vi­
able economic units. Yet the only in­
come tax breaks they get are within
the narrowest limits o f the tradition­
al fa m ily o f m a rrie d spouses and
ch ild re n . A n d they pay the same
high and regressive sales taxes as ev­
eryone else.
W e give (ax breaks to businesses
to stim ulate gro w th . W h y not give
tax breaks to people who "share” in
an econom ically sig n ifican t m a n ­
ner? Sharing means performing free
labor, freely given. It means less de­
mand on scarce housing. It means
caring personally rather than insti­
tu tio nally. Low er income and sales
taxes fo r such people in the end
would save the government money.
And the resulting social support sys­
tems would help repair one o f the
most
dangerous
sources
of
instability in this society, the shred­
ded social fabric.
Jobs aren't the main thrust o f the
$4 .6 b illio n jobs b ill th at recently
sailed through Congress, says Jim
Tow ay, aide to Sen. M a rk H atfield
(R -O re .) Rather, he says the p rio ri­
ties are fix in g " in f r a s t r u c t u r e ,"
such as dams, ports, and hospitals,
and emergency re lie f " t o stop the
bleeding" o f the long-term jobless.
The act w ill have "alm ost no im ­
p a c t" fo r unem ployed m in orities
and w om en, says P o rtla n d U rb a n
1 eague director Freddye Pettet, ex­
cept for whatever training funds are
provided. Construction projects will
use up a h a lf to tw o -th ird s o f the
$92 m illio n O reg o n w ill receive
C o n stru ctio n w orkers are heavily
white and male.
H iring the hardcore jobless is re­
commended, but not required under
the b ill, Tow ey says, so that c o n ­
tracto rs w o n ’ t be b urdened w ith
forms. O vertim e isn't banned, and
the projects are spread out over four
years, so new hiring will be limited.
P ro visio ns fo r special needs o f
minorities and women such as advo­
cacy and childcare are much more
limited than previous anti-recession
pro gram s, such as the m u c h -m a ­
ligned C E T A program, Pettet says.
Funds fo r a lo c al p ro je c t to help
place the disadvantaged in construc­
tion jobs ended in November, 1981.
"Y o u can't treat the job in isolation
with a poor person who has multiple
problem s," she said.
Com bined with relaxation o f a f ­
firm a tiv e action rules, Pettet fears
Reagan administration moves signal
a return to the era before civil rights
and antipoverty programs.
"Brlcka and mortar" or
make-work?
Sen. H atfield favors "bricks and
m o rtar" construction work because
otherwise funds would be wasted on
"m ake w o rk ," Towey says Budget­
conscious governm ents have cut
maintenance in the past decade, he
says, creating a huge backlog o f re­
pair work.
W o rk w ill begin soon on most
projects, because they're just speed-
ups o f plans alre a d y put o f f too
lon g , he says. M o st o f the m a jo r
projects are outside the P o rtla n d
area.
Oregon received almost twice its
share o f the m o n ey, due to an
amendment H a tfie ld introduced to
target funds to high unemployment
states. H atfield chairs the powerful
Senate Appropriations Committee.
Towey guesses the bill w ill create
" a couple th o u sa n d " jobs in O re ­
gon. T h a t should m ake a dent in
construction unemployment: jobs in
the fie ld fe ll fro m 4 7 ,0 0 0 in Feb.
1980 t o 2 3 ,5 0 0 in Feb.. 1983
Oregon w ill also gel $1.4 m illion
fo r sum m er y o u th job s and $1 .5
m illion for childcare. These limited
social service funds were added na­
tionally at the insistence o f the C o n ­
gressional Black Caucus, and civil
rights and women's groups.
Emergency food and shelter w ill
get $10 million.
Other jobs proposals, such as the
Black Caucus budget and the Jobs
w ith Peace c a m p a ig n , hold that
hundreds o f thousands o f u seful,
non-m ake-work jobs can be created
in education, health, childcare and
other human services. H u m an ser­
vices are the biggest em ployers o f
women and minorities.
M ore jobs per dollar can be creat­
ed in these fields than in construc­
tion, since construction pays higher
wages and requires heavy e q u ip ­
ment.
Some congressional liberals say
the present jobs b ill is just "Phase
I " o f a larger job s p ro g ra m , but
most observers see little chance for a
bigger bill this year.
Washington
(Continued fro m page I column 2)
son with his or her measure of digni­
ty; to supply city services as a right;
to dispense jobs fairly ; to use fa ir ­
ness, excellence and accountability
in conducting city business; and to
be mayor o f all the people.
The new mayor must quickly ad­
dress econom ic developm ent w ith
emphasis on deteriorating neighbor­
hoods and (he inferior public school
system.
The credit for W ashington’s elec­
tion goes to the thousands o f black
citizens w ho registered and voted
fo r the firs t tim e and fo r those
young black people— ages 18 to 30
— who supported and w orked for
his election.
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Street Beat
by Lanita D u k a and Richard B ro w n
249-0101
W ith the landing o f the " C h a l­
lenge” in the headlines, the S tr e e t
B eat team asked the public, "Should
the government appropriate large
sums o f money and resources to the
space program?"
Q
Laura Davias
Houaawifa
Vernon Hartwell
Steelworker
They are going to spend the
m oney on w hat they want to .
They should spend it on social
programs. They are not proving
anything to the Russians.
Remal Moore
Education
T hey should spend some o f
th at m ilita ry m oney on the
space program and less on a r ­
mament, space exploration, and
o th e r kinds o f research. W e
should do more to advance the
q u a lity o f life fo r a ll h u m a n ­
kind.
Private Industry should com ­
pensate for some o f the budget.
A lot o f the space p ro gram
would lead to satellites and that
falls under the private sector.
Phillip Moore
Community Profeaaional
Laborer
Yes, they should. W e should
not stunt people's im agination
in the hard sciences. It is for the
good of m ankind I f anything,
they should spend more money
on the space p ro g ra m . T h e
space program is a social p ro ­
gram.
Daryl Fogarty
Manager
I think they should. I t ’s to ad­
vance tec h n o lo g y. W e d o n 't
know w here it w o u ld take us
and we should ex p lo re a ll re ­
sources open to us.
Yes and no. We have to keep
the Russians in check but he
could belter spend the money
down here.
© PACIFIC NEW SERVICE. IW )
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