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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 1984)
Page 4 Portland O bserver, January 1 1 .1 9 8 * EDITORIAL/OPINION Keep federal food programs A task force appointed by Ronald Reagan not only decided that cutbacks in federal assistance have not hurt the poor, but it recommended changes that will reduce benefits for many peo ple at and below the poverty line. The Task Force recommended that Congress make participation of states in federal food as sistance programs voluntary. States could con tinue to receive federal money but set up their own "autonomous programs,” setting their own requirements and benefit standards. The panel, which was appointed to study alle gations of hunger in the U .S., said hunger does exist but “ it is impossible to measure the precise extent of hunger in America.” So the panel went on to make recommendations that will increase hunger in many parts of the country. Don’t be too sure this won’t include Oregon. Currently Oregon does not participate in some of the welfare and medical benefits available to it so many Oregonians are deprived of their rights to a decent standard of living. VÍEIÍOME -BW -Li 60®MAN-CÛNôRtruwriû«S-JEÎ37 Dump anti-rights commissioners The Reagan Administration will achieve another step in its effort to eliminate all vestiges of civil rights when «the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights announces its new position on a ffir mative action next week. The Commission will oppose the use of affirmative action goals (it calls them quotas) by public employers to cor rect past job discrimination. The Commission will also consider a recom mendation (sought by Reagan) that the U.S. Su preme Court reverse the Detroit Police Depart ment decision that requires 50-50 Black/W hite promotions until equity is reached. For years the Commission has been in the forefront of the fight for civil rights and has been responsible for bringing millions of minori ty workers into federal and local jobs. Last fall, when Reagan attempted to fire some Commissioners in order to appoint persons who support his anti-civil rights position, Congress refused to refund the Commission. However, a compromise was reached and the Commission was expanded from six to eight members, with four appointed by Congress and four by the President. When all the appointments were in, the commission ended up with five Commission ers opposing affirmative action and three favor ing, including one with some reservations. The new staff director, also a Reagan ap pointee, said the problems of Black unemploy ment are due to social factors and not white em ployers’ refusal to hire. "Social problems like high unemployment, low educational attain ment, a high rate of out-of-wedlock births are problems that are not amenable to solution by civil rights laws or the Civil Rights Commis Alliance f o r Justice 1984 by Dr. Manning M arable Ronald Reagan may be the best organizer o f progressive Americans in history. Reagan isn’t just carrying out pol icies which hurt the elderly, or harm the environment. Nor is his adminis tration satisfied merely with de stroying the lives of millions of un employed people, Blacks and His panics. The Reagamtes want noth ing less than the destruction of the most basic economic and social gains achieved by the overwhelming majority o f American people over Ihe past half-century. And in their vicious and racist contempt for us, they have brought about the basis for a powerful anti-Reagan coali sion.” The Commission’s attempt to reverse past civ il rights gains demonstrates that you can’t com promise with the devil. As it has many times be fore and since, Congress blasted the President’s position, then backed down and let him have his way. (Check out Tip O ’Neill’s response to the invasion of Grenada). Those who suffer because of the inefficiencies of a gutless Congress are, as usual, minorities and the poor. It is clear that if minorities and the poor arc to have any place in this country, we must dump Reagan. A few changes in Congress are also in tion. order. Look at their criminal record on human services. Since Reagan was elected over 6 million people have fallen below the poverty level. One out o f every four Hispanics live in poverty, while 36.2 percent o f ail Afro-Americans are poor. Seventy percent o f all of Reagan's budget cuts have targeted the poor, and funding for programs which help low income families this year is al most 30 percent below 1981 fund ings levels. Since 1982, 700,000 fam ilies have been dropped from the Aid to Families with Dependent Children, and another 260,000 had their benefits cut. Three million children have been dropped from the school lunch program. The situation in civil rights is even worse. Reagamtes originally fought against the renewal of the Voting Rights Act. The administration U.S., S. Africa feed dictator One of the recipients o f U.S. aid is the corrupt Zaire government. Supported by the U .S., Israel and South Africa, Zaire represents the corrupt policy of aiding dictators to protect "American interests.” Sesc Seko Mobutu took power in Zaire, through a military coup, shortly after the na tion achieved independence from Belgium. Since then he has become one of the world’s richest in dividuals, most of his wealth skimmed from U.S. economic assistance. An absolute dictator, with no government restrictions, Mobutu con trols from 12 to 20 percent of Zaire’s operating budget and 30 percent of its capital expendi tures. While the people of Zaire starve, have little medical care and rely on missionaries for educa tion, their ruler continues to acquire his riches. While the nation's foreign debt is almost $4 mil lion, Mobotu’s fortune is also estimated at $4 million. Why does the U.S. and its allies support a dic tator who refuses to allow elections or any other democratic activities, whose human rights rec ord is among the world’s worst? The answer is two-fold: Zaire is rich in miner al resources— diamonds, copper, gold and pre cious stones— and South Africa holds the exclu sive right to purchase Zaire’s diamonds. As long as Mobutu allows his country to be used as a U.S./South African base of operatons his personal treasure is secure and the people of Zaire will continue to starve in the midst of wealth. opposes school dessegregation and affirm ative action. Only one Black works in a senior executive position, and Reagan has even tried with par tial success to wipe out Republican and Democratic members of the Civil Rights Commission who op pose his racist policies. There were only eight women in his first 116 ju dicial appointments, and only 19 of his first 400 top administrative ap pointments were Blacks. Many progressives recognize, however, that the electoral defeat of Ronald Reagan is not enough to turn the tide o f political reaction, sexism and racism which is an inte gral part of Reaganism. We have to develop linkages between constitu encies which have been victimized by the brutalities o f the present ad ministration— women, Blacks, la bor, the unemployed, low-income people, Hispanics and others. The general focus we must take is to maximize voter registration, educa tion and mobilization efforts within these groups. A number of national leaders and organizations have called for a year long campaign to mobilize this great majority o f Americans— "Alliance for Justice in ’8 4 ." Their goal is to force the presidential candidates of both parties to discuss meaningful issues— "job s, peace and freedom ,” — which were elevated by last sum mer’s magnificent March on Wash ington, D .C . The "A lliance For Justice” has already met in 25 cities, and has engaged at local levels in ed ucational work in churches and neighborhood centers; sponsoring forums for the presidential can didates where they are forced to ad dress the issues; and organizing vot er registration and education drives. The Alliance For Justice’s list of endorsers represents a diverse coali tion o f forces. From the religious community: Bishop John Hurst Adams, chair, National Congress of Black Churches; John H o lt, Gener al Secretary, United Methodist Church; and the Rev. Ben Chavis. In the labor movement: Cesar C ha vez, president. United Farm W o rk ers; W illiam Winpisinger, president o f the Machinists union; and U A W vice president Horace Sheffield. In the environmentalist movement: Barry Commoner and Lois Gibbs, leader o f Citizens Clearinghouse for Hazardous Wastes. From the Black community: Congressman Bill Gray and Congressman John Conyers. The Alliance for Justice is the next logical step beyond the August 27th M arch, representing the key constituencies for social justice and economic rights. The culmination of the campaign will be a massive dem onstration in DSfcs to coincide with the Republican National Conven tion this August. A huge "Reagan Ranch” will be constructed, where Black, labor, Hispanic, poor peo ple’s and women’s groups will stage workshops and strategy sessions The effort is merely one more indi cation that a powerful human rights coalition o f Blacks, Hispanics and whites is forming, and that its prin cipal aim is the defeat o f Reagan ism, and the achievement of true economic democracy. Letters to the Editor Coverage good To the editor: O n behalf o f Portlanders Organ ized for Southern African Freedom (P O S A F ) and the American Friends Service Comm ittee’ s Southern A f rica Program, let me express appre ciation for the coverage your paper has continually given to Southern African issues. O ur staff and com mittee goals are to continue to edu cate people in Oregon about all as pects o f South African society: the oppression o f the Black majority population; links between racism in the U .S. and South Africa; and the economic responsibilities o f the U.S. We also want to continue to provide opportunities for people in Oregon to act on the basis of the above inform ation; to lessen U.S. economic and cultural support for apartheid, with the focus on divest ment; and influence U .S . foreign policy towards Souther Africa. ™ Again, your newspaper continues to play a significant role in exposing the most racist and oppressive re gime on the face of the earth and in helping Oregonians understand the issues and how they can become in volved in the struggle for Southern African freedom. A vel M ayfield Co-director, A E S C Southern A frica Program Support King Day To the editor: W e cordially invite parents, chil dren and community members to join us in celebrating Dr. M artin L. King, J r.’s birthday on January 16, 1984. We are asking everyone to take January 16, 1984 o ff from work. In addition we are asking you to participate in the planned pro gram activities. We should be able Portland's largest black-owned newspaper Rev. A. Bernard Devers G loria D. Richardson Ron Herndon Rev. John Garlington Subscribe today! ! PORTLAND OBSERVER • News fo r and about ■ y o u . I I Mail to I I I B to do at least this much to honor one o f our greatest heroes who gave his very life for us. Dr. King's life was spen making this a better world for all people. To honor him, we are planning a com memorative program which will be held at the Jefferson High School Auditorium , at 5210 N. Kerby St. in Portland, from noon to 4:30 p.m. on M onday, January 16th. We encourage you not only to stay home on that M onday, but to attend the program so that we as a united community may show appre ciation and respect for the contribu tion he made. For more inform ation, call 281- 0163. W e're looking forward to your support in this effo rt. Y m , I would Ilka a subscription to tha Portland Observer. □ I have anclosad my check or money order for 815, for a one year subscription Bo» 3137 Portland Oregon 97208 N a m e _______ ------------- ------------- | Address ____ C i t y __________ State J I J ■ ■ I I I ■ I PLEASE print Portland Observe» I I ________ Z ip ______ Back to basics To the editor: We must start dealing with basics if we are ever going to think proper ly, (to analyze), act intelligently, (to bring about positive, non-random results), and create (new values, in stitutions, etc.) We must do so if we expect to reach our potential and make progressive contributions to humanity, with the Democratic can didate, brother Jesse Jackson. Basics are root. They are princi ples (fundamental, essential laws). They explain what is at the core of an idea, an issue, an event, an insti tution. T o understand basics we must be able to think properly; to be analyti cal. Thoughts are ideas, and since we are at a thinking stage in our de velopment, we must concern our selves with ideas. Since all actions stem from ideas; it is necessary that we understand what we think and why we think what we think. Ideas are mental conceptions. Ideas are notions. Ideas are also im pressions. This is important to poor and working people because impres sions many times have no substan tial basis, but they oftentimes deter mine what we do. This is unfortun ate, because what we do, individual ly and collectively, should be based on an understanding o f what has confronted us—o f what we are deal ing with. Our experience in Am erika has forced and nudged us into the habit of attempting to deal with those things which confront us without getting a basic understanding of what those things are all about. Eco nomics (not money) is a question of survival, as is politics (not voting). Therefore it is necessary that all of us study and attempt to understand all functions (things) which are vita! to our survival. Ideas are therefore very im port ant. The process of thinking and at tempting to understand is very im portant. Getting to the core o f any thing which is going to affect you/ us is very important. ■ MMC Dr. Jam il Cherovee The Observer welcomes Letters to the Editor. Letters should be short, and must contain the writer's name and address (addresses are not p rin t ed). The Observer reserves the right to edit f o r length. Portland Observer —— ■ H T O re q o 'i B w ë publishers Avert. i I i A A RS K IB I The P o rtla n d O b s r r .t r IU S P S 959 6801 is published every Thursday by Is te Publrshing Company lo t 2201 North Killings worth Portland Oregon 97217 Po«t Ottica Bo> 3137 Portland Oregon 97208 Second class postage paid at Portland Oregon The ISirtland Obsrrsrr was established m 1970 Subscriptions «15 00 per year in Ihe Tri County area Po«l m aster Send address changes to the Portland Observer. P 0 MEMBER ■S k& h' Hl '»•/ 283 2486 Bo« 3137 Portland Oregon 97208 Alfred L. Henderson, Edilor/Publisher A l Williams, Advertising Manager Association - founded IM S .■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ J ■W h Let’s support Margaret Carter; we really need help in the State Leg islature. It may be the only intelli gent act we have left. An intelligent act is one which is intended to bring about positive, non-random results. Positive because they are progres sive; non-random because they are not isolated and do not benefit just a handful o f individuals But before any o f that can hap pen. before any type of real progress (progress which stands the test of time) can be made in District 18, or this nation, we have to deal with, and get an understanding o f, basic ideas and concepts. t ’r ■•sv N atio n a l A dvartiam g R ep resentative A m a lg am a te d Publishers Inc N a w Vori»
