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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 20, 1983)
Pag» 2 Portland Observer, April 20,1963 Citizen rally opposes sales tax by Kich Lochner Representative Lea AuCoin ID-Ora.) speaks to local m eeting on hie trip to Central America and hla opinione on U.8. Involvement in the region. (Photo: Richard Brown) AuCoin opposes Reagan war T w o months ago Congressman Lei AuCoin returned from a trip to Central America. Writing to Oregon Democrat* in an April newsletter of the Oregon Democratic Party, A u Coin brought his message to party activists: “ ( I ) Unconditional nego tiations are the only solution to the crisis; (2) Military aid is preventing these negotiatins; and (3) the (Rea gan) Administration has turned the human rights certification require ments into a creative writing exer cise in order to keep m ilitary aid going at all costs." In his message to Oregon Demo crats, AuCoin reiterated his inten tion to fight appropriations for mili tary aid, calling the Reagan call for elections in El Salvador later this year a "sham " to give the false im pression that progress is being made. AuCoin noted that his dele gation to Central America had been prevented from entering El Salvador because the Salvadoran government was unable to guarantee their safety from rightist violence. AuCoin con cluded, " I f the Salvadoran govern ment can’t protect a U.S. Congres sional delegation for three days, how can we expect it to protect can didates of the opposition in an elec tion." A u C o in ’ s position is sim ilar to the current efforts of Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, and Venezuela, who have joined in a diplomatic initiative calling for direct negotiations among all parties in the Salvadoran conflict. Earlier, in a February 19 constient meeting with local foreign policy ac tivists, AuCoin discussed his trip to C entral A m erica, and sounded a note of alarm on conditions in Gua temala, where he found ample ev idence that the Guatemalan govern ment is carrying out massive atroci ties against Native Americans. The problem with the Reagan pol icy, he summarized, is that it accepts criminals and thugs as America's friends as long as they claim to be Divestment bill fails (Continued from p a ir I coiumn 6) quire that funds be prudently d i vested in a reasonable period of time after the bill becomes law. Excluded firms are deferred as those that have more than 50 employees, gross more than $500,000 annually, or invest more than $500,000. This bill was introduced by the Interim Commit tee on Aging and Minority Affairs, but was tabled in Com m ittee in favor of HB 2772, which is consid ered a compromise. Rep. Carl Hosticka (D-Eugene), said the greatest concern expressed about the bill is regarding the invest ment o f PERS (retirement) funds. The Secretary o f State’s office has claimed that the bill would guaran tee that those funds would not earn as much from investment, but there has been no evidence offered to veri fy that claim. In fact, Hosticka said, whenever comparisons have been made the performance of the invest ments excluding companies doing business in South Africa has been equal to or better that those includ ing the offending corporations. The second concern is that U.S. investments help oppressed black people in South A frica: " . . . w e have to consider that the major ef fect of these investments is to prop up a regime that systematically op presses the majority of the people." " T o me the moral question is whether the people of this state are going to profit from a regime that suppresses 80 per cent of its popula tion." Rep. Mary Alice Ford (R-Wash- inglon County), said the bill would p ro hib it investment in American companies and lead to loss of jobs, "som e right here in O re g o n ." Should banks be excluded "and cor porations bear the brunt o f our w ra th ? " she asked. Also, if there should be an overthrow of the gov ernment o f South A fric a , "w e might very well be in a position, be cause of the legislation, o f not being able to assist through investment the very people the sponsors of this bill care so much about." Republican opponents look ad vantage of HB 2772's weakness to excuse their opposition. Tony Van Vliet (R -C o rv a llis ), said, " I feel very sensitive to M r. H ill's comments and I don't think there is anyone with a Republican background and a Lincoln philoso phy who doesn't feel as sensitively about it as you do The thing that bothers me about this particu / lar b ill is that it does not achieve what I think you and I want. I don't think we should shy away from ra cial issues or racial inequality, but if you’ re going to write a b ill then write it correctly and pinpoint the major problems.. .who will fill that void if we leave and will their stan dards o f equality be better than ours?. . .Simply having a program which puts people out of work and having no backdrop, even though they may be w illing to stand and 'cry for the beloved country,* does not fit with our particular role of so cial justice. "Money is not the issue; the issue is can you get the social change that we want to apply by this particular measure. "This is not going to achieve what both Rep. H ill and I would like to see happen in South A frica." Hosticka quoted the Secretary (.renerai of the South African Coun cil o f Churchei: "Som e have said that if we get out o f South A frica others will invest. The moral turpi tude o f the argument is breath taking. It's like saying, 'H e y , a woman is going to be raped and if I don't do it someone else w ill.'" The question. Hosticka said, is "D o I want me and the people I rep resent to p ro fit from such a re gime?" A roll call vote was requested by Rep. Rick Bauman, requiring mem bers to shout "Yes” or " N o " rather than pushing the electric counter on (heir desks. The vote was 35 to 24. Voting no were: Republican Represenalaives: Anderson. Bel lamy, Brugoitti, Calouri, Campbell, DeBoer, Ford, Hanneman, Harper. Johnson, D. Jones, D .E . Jones, Lombard, Markham. M iller. Park inson, Rutherford, Schoon, Smith. Trahern, Van Vliet, Van Leeuwen, Z ajonc. Dem ocratic Representa tives: Gilmour, Hanlon, Lindquist, M cCracken, R ijken . L. Roberts, Scaverà. Shiprack. Simpson, Whal- lon and Young. As the Representatives left the floo r to seek consolation in the House lunch room, a sense o f em- barassment prevailed. " I can't bite the hand that feeds me," one fresh man Democrat was heard to say. " I couldn't vote no; I'd be labeled a racist," said one old-timer. A " lib e ra l" Republican who is also a banker just dropped his eyes. The sheep and the calves still waited outside. (Editor's not«: Due to a Tuoaday vota to raconaldar. HB 2772 will hava another vota I "anti-com m unists." Appealing to Oregonians to remember the spirit of World War II opposition to fas cism, AuCoin called for an end to support for “ Nazi-like hit men" in El Salvador and Guatemala. Wyers also stated their opposition to the sales tax. Only Reps. W ally Priestley (D-Portland) and Gordon Shiprack (D -B e a v e rto n ) among them have said they're against rtftr- ring a sales tax plan to the voters un der any circumstances. The OUSST coalition opposes referral, calling it "a foot in the door." " It's time to take the burden o ff the w orking people's b a c k s /N o sales ta x !” sang 300 anti-sales tax protesters at the State C a p ito l in Salem, April 15, in chorus to a song by local folksinger Kevin Johnson. They heard speakers from the anti sales tax coalition, OU SST, as well as legislators, blast the new unified sales tax proposal. A piggyback sales tax, on top of the four percent proposed, could be enacted by cities, counties and other local governments, said Jan Wyers (D-Portland), Senate Majority lead er. An eight percent tax is levied in some Washington Stale cities be cause o f such piggy-back taxes, he said. The same businesses that say they need their property taxes cut are ex porting profits made in Oregon overseas, said Dave McTcague, Ore gon's representative on the Demo cratic National Committee. Representatives from the Oregon A F L -C IO , the Oregon Citizens P arty, the Oregon-W ashington Farmers U n io n , and the Grey Panthers also spoke briefly. A half-dozen legislators besides bers of (he House Revenue Commit tee in a closed five-hour meeting. The new plan most resembles (he pro-business Taxpayers for a Better Economy plan, says one Salem leg islative aide. "Everything that pro tect* business would go into the con stitution. everything that protects workers and consumers could be re pealed by the legislature," he say*. Business would get across-the- board relief, meaning it would get 60 percent o f the benefits, while paying 20-40 percent of the price for the sales tax. The rebate plan for those making $17,500 or less could be cut in a budget crisis, just as properly tax relief has been fre quently cut. "Unfairness” was the main rea son demonstrators gave for oppos ing the new tax. Charles Lau, an cannery worker, said, " I earned less than $6,000 last year, but I paid ten percent of that in taxes. I don't need to pay another four percent of what little I make on a sales (ax. They can find better ways to raise money for the state." Retiree C liffo rd Walker said the motive behind the tax is "to take the burden off the big corporations." Citizens testimony ran strongly against the sales tax at legislative hearings held around the state in the past m onth. Chances for the tax seemed dim. But momentum dram atically moved the other way with the an nouncement o f a unified proposal A p ril 13. Business, local govern ment, and teacher representatives put together the plan with top mem W Attention Kathy Loranz I've been looking all over town ♦or you. I can't aeem to find you anywhere. I want you to know we care about you. Call M r. 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