Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 1984)
Page 4 Portland Observer, January 25, 1964 EDITORIAL/OPINION Children suffer from Reagan cuts More American children live in poverty than ever before, according to a recent study by the Children’s Defense Fund. The Fund blames Reagan Adm inistration cuts in human programs for the fact that 13.1 m illion children lived in poverty in 1982—31 percent more than in 1979. Because o f "u n ju st Reagan budget cuts and eco nomic policies,” the fund report said, "Am erican children are more likely to suffer death and sickness, hunger and cold, abuse and neglect and to be left alone without adequate child care than three years ago.” The study found an alarming erosion o f pre natal care for pregnant women, although it is well known that children o f women who receive no or inadequate prenatal care are three times more likely to die in infancy. The infant m ortal ity rate (the percentage o f children who die in in fancy) increased in eleven states between 1981 and 1982 and in many urban areas the Black in fant mortality rate equals that o f some o f the poorest underdeveloped nations. About 15 percent o f the U.S. population now lives below the poverty line ($9,862 a year in come for a family o f four) and the poverty rate was highest in 1982 than any time since 1965. Between 1980 and 1984 Reagan Administration cuts have dropped 1.5 m illion children from A id to Families with Dependent Children; 700,000 children were removed from Medicaid benefits. There was a 28 percent cut in child nutrition pro grams; 900,000 were cut from free or reduced- price school breakfasts. These cuts occurred during a period when 30 m illion workers were unemployed; when 10.7 m illion people lost health insurance through un employment; when 454,000 families lost homes through foreclosures. Any humane government would refuse to make more cuts in social and medical services, but the Reagan Adm inistration's budget, to be submitted to Congress this month, w ill pare 11 percent more from the A FDC budget, cut ma ternal and child health programs and jo b train ing. Reagan also projects further cuts in Medi caid for low-income families. Not only w ill these cuts cause death, pain and suffering for their victims, but they w ill deny the nation the talents and products o f the future. Rather than add to the productive and creative life o f the nation, the children raised under these circumstances w ill require corrective education al, health, correctional and social programs all o f their lives, and "th e ir fathers’ sins w ill visit them unto the fourth generation." Commit funds to transportation l ast week Tri-M et announced a cutback in service, an employee lay-off and an adjustment in fares. These cut backs were based on loss of revenue. Tri-M et is mainly dependent on payroll taxes paid by employers in the service area and on fares paid by riders. The continuing depression has cut deeply into the payroll tax revenue and into ridership. Mass transportation has been much in the news in recent years. It is the most economical method o f moving people around; it saves en ergy; it decreases air pollution. Yet there has been no real commitment to mass transportation in this country: the railroads are decaying; the bus systems are inconsistent and too expensive; and airfares are unrealistic. America's shame A Tacoma benefit concert to aid Sugar Ray Seals, former professional boxer and the only gold medalist from the U.S. in the 1972 O lym pics, fizzled and ended with a loss. The purpose o f the concert was to aid Seals, who is legally blind as a result o f boxing injuries. Seals owes at least $90,000 in medical expenses. Isn’ t it a shame that any American could owe such an exhorbitant amount o f money for need ed medical services? When w ill our country jo in the rest o f the civi lized world and provide free medical care for all o f its residents? How long w ill the right to health depend on ability to pay? Locally, government has taken responsibility for public transportation— through T ri-M e t— yet has failed to provide necessary financing. Cutting back the service Tri-M et provides rather than improving it w ill bring a decline in ri dership, a further loss o f funds, and more cuts. Rather than building a more efficient and ex panded system, Tri-M e, w ill continue to shrink and to lose customers. A real commitment to mass transportation would require an increase in the payroll tax, in clusion o f businesses now exempt from the tax, and an infusion o f public tax funds. The bene fits o f citizen m obility and environmental pro tection would far outweigh the small investment now necessary. Where the profits are Bill DeWeese, one o f Portland’s most success ful industrialist, former School Board member and mayoral candidate, often says Oregon has been good to him. Nike— makers o f shoes and athletes—sings the praises o f the state that nurtured it (although much o f its payroll goes to the Far East). Rumor has it that both are strongly consider ing leaving Oregon— following Georgia Pacific, Evans Products and Hyster to areas more con ducive to greater profits. Is this pre-tax election rhetoric—or is it real? Has the love for the mountains, trees and people o f Oregon been diminished by the shine o f gold elsewhere? I t ’ s too bad the Oregon Legislature didn’ t pass that plant closure bill. Timefor a progressive voice Twenty years ago M artin Luther King attempted to embrace what is now called the “ Rainbow Coali tion” in 1984. The point is, that this is a coalition o f human beings who are the victims o f American Society. And M artin Luther King believed there was some way that you could bring all these people together under the banner o f peace challenging the madness of the arms race, challen ging the insanity o f interventionist foreign policy and understanding the commonality o f our struggles, speaking to freedom and justice and dignity and objecting to human mis ery of our people— that we could e f fect changge. H e realized that in a very powerful and profound way and 1 think we, now, need to em brace that principle. And that way we can solve these problems. In the context o f the presidential campaign, let us not allow ourselves to be lulled to sleep in a personality contest. Unfortunately the Am eri can media has reduced the Demo cratic primary down to a contest be tween Mondale and John Glenn ra ther than a serious exposition o f the critical issues o f our time. This is not about personality, in 1984. The issues are of loo great a magnitude now to be talking about simple per sonality. Why are we now rushing— all those organizations— to endorse one person so that we will have no debate? The Democratic Primary is sup posed to be about debate. The C on vention is supposed to be about give and take; if we don't debate the po sitions now, when will we debate them? W e need to reject this person ality approach and demand a critical debate. I have backed the play o f Jesse Jackson because I believe the inter esting thing about Jesse's campaign — apart from all the other sides o f it — is that Jesse is not encumbered by the notion that he's going to win. So that he can talk about peace and reality and force all those other can didates to talk about them too. I heard the debate (the January 15th Democratic Party candidate debate) and they said the issue is leadership. The issue is the arms race; the issue is nuclear war; the is sue is militaristic foreign policy; the issue is the human misery o f the people o f our country and around the world. The issue is not about some personality. I believe there is no way that Ron ald Reagan can win re-election with one exception, and that is if the ma jority of the people do not turn out to the polls. This man has alienated W e've all heard about (he much- vaunted economic recovery. In fla tion is down, car sales are up, unem ployment is down, production is up. and so on, with a litany of figures which point upward, ever upward. Unfortunately, all is not rosy for everyone. Real interest rates remain high and threaten to explode if d efi cits are not controlled. Unem ploy ment remains above 10 percent in Oregon as the Housing Industry has failed to really take o ff. Worse yet, a recent study shows that the economic recovery has failed to reach our nation's Blacks. Indeed, the study, conducted by the National Urban League, shows that poverty has actually increased to record levels. Below are some o f the highlights of the report. ™ The Ponlaxd Observer « « «iaW i»h»d in 1920 Subscriptions I I S 00 pw v w m «” • To Count» a t u Po»1 m a t t a i Sand a d d i« « c h a n « « Io Itia Poriland O tn e n rr P O AAtMBER Attociaoon . Founded 1995 the nation as a whole. The most dis heartening figure, however, was that for Black males, aged 18 and 19, the unemployment rate was 42.7 percent. Unless and until we take steps to ensure that minority and disadvan taged businesses begin to take o ff, the "recovery” will not be a recov ery. Elected officials can glad-hand 'all they want about the "rising tide.” but they can do so only if they ignore the Black community. Poverty The 1982 poverty rate for Blacks — the percentage below the official poverty line of $9,862 for a family o f four— rose to an astounding 35.6 percent. This is the highest rate since 1967 and is up from 1981's figure of 34.2 percent. Yet at a time when the need is greatest, the Administration still plans cuts in Food Stamps, Aid to Families W ith Dependent Children, and other programs vital to those ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ d n ? « f 6 ™ ™ ™ netTnewspaper. ! PORTLAND OBSERVER ! 283 2486 Bo« 3137. Portland Oregon 97208 Alfred I.. Henderson, Editor/Publisher Al W illiams, Advertising Manager We now have to give and take; we now have to negotiate; we now have to talk about developing serious commitments— in public, not in the “ smoke-filled room s." We have got to talk about the critical issues of our times. In the course o f that type o f expo sition o f the issues we have poten tial. And for every "m iddle Ameri- _ In 1984, we o f the progressive can” or so-called “ right-center” forces must now emerge and com vote we lose by making a clear state pete in the arena of ideas. We must ment, we will replace them with new now force the candidates to talk people who are being registered by about issues that are critical and vi Jesse Jackson and others, who have tal to us and I deeply believe that the not been involved in the body poli masses of Americans will respond tic. enthusiastically to finally having There is potential in that 3.5 m il somebody seek the presidency that lion people, so if you lose somebody is willing to talk honestly and pro in the middle of the road to the right foundly about the critical issues of because you understand that the arms race is insane then so be it. our time. We can defeat Ronald Reagan, You pick up that vote ten times by but more than that, we can defeat bringing this to the people. One of expedient politics, by putting in the things (hat Jimmy Carter didn't W hite House a truly progressive understand in the 1980 election— as voice of truly progressive forces. he moved over to the center-right, to try to compete with Reagan— is that this pulled (he covers o ff the rest of (Excerpts fro m the remarks o f the people— the Blacks, the Hispan Rep. Ron Dellums (D -C a l) made at ics, the senior citizens, the women, the environmentalists, the peace Oregon State University on January movement. And what happened? As 15. 1 9 8 4 / Ï News fo r and about The P o 'll m d O h . m r r IU S P S 959 6801 >( p u b lis h 'd • » •'» T h u 'v t j, h» ! • » PutJi.ih'f’a C(xnp«n» inc 2201 North Kill.nfl» « o ith Portland O iryon 97217 Po»l O»1>c» Bo« 3137 Portland O if q o o 9 7208 Socond c l« » po»l*ye P««l *1 Poilliod Oregon N ational A dvoM ttm g R epresentative A m a lg am a te d Publishers inc N e w Voti» In 1984 we should have learned a lesson- that we cannot win by trying to compete for the conservative vote — that's not the m ajority. You can not sell me on the idea that the ma jority o f the American voters have become reactionary. We could not have gone from the civil rights movement to the peace movement, the struggle for Third W orld libera tion, women's liberation, gay libera lion, senior citizen liberation and what have you and evolved to 1984 as a majority o f reactionaries. The more conservative forces have dominated the body politic, have dominated the arena o f debate. They have developed the parameters o f debate and they have been, by virtue of their organizational capa city, able to raise funds, and have had a disproportionate impact on (he body politic. by Congressman Ron Wyden The Black unemployment rate was 17.8 percent in December, 1983. That is compared to 8 . 1 percent for Portland Observer Jimmy Carter began to become more conservative in his campaign statements, they lost their enthusi asm for participation and in the pro cess they decided to walk away. Now. the way to stimulate these people is not to out-Reagan Reagan This is the moment when a progres sive voice must now emerge These are progressive ideas and let's not make any mistake about it. They won’t be implemented by some reac tionary or moderate force. Progres sive ideas are not going to be impie mented by some reactionary or some expedient politician. Equality and justice and peace for people: these are progressive ideas This is the moment that progressive forces must now emerge and de mand a true exposition o f the issues. Then we will get this tremendous stimulation. Washington Hot Line Unemployment ---------------------AEL CIO NEWS women, alternated Blacks, alienated other Third W orld peoples, has tried to break the unions. Middle class people are concerned; senior citizens are frightened about their social security; environmentalists are concerned about acid rain; the peace movement is worried about militaristic policies and nuclear war. That's the m ajority o f the American people. The only way Ronald Rea gan can win is if a minority o f the people turn out to the polls. The reason why Jesse becomes an enormous asset in that context is: Jesse runs; he has the potential to register that 3.5 million Blacks and others who have not registered. You have the potential o f bringing more people into the political process than have been involved in the process in the past. W hat the election o f Harold Washington as M ayor o f Chicago slid, beyond the parochial state ment, was that people will go to the polls en masse when they feel that there is a colorful candidate and when they believe their self-interests are being articulated in the body politic. This is now a time for the is sues to be articulated. T o introduce someone who is not encumbered by the need to figure out strategies of winning, but to figure out strategies o f clarification, forces everyone to a discussion. I I I I you. living below or at the poverty line. The figures in the Urban League report should be a call to redouble our efforts to aid minority youth with job training and give a helping hand to minority businesses trying to get on their feet. This is absolute ly essential if the entire community is to recover from the economic dol drums of the last three years They should also be a warning that social programs cannot be slashed as the Administration plans without hurt ing those in need. 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. I Subscribe today! I I Yes. I would Ilka a subscription I to tha Portland Observer. I □ I have enclosed my check or money order for 815, for a one year subscription PLEASE PRINT Mail to Portland Ohservet Bo* 3137 Portland Oreqon 97208 N a m e _______________ ■ A d d res s _________________________ C i t y _______ ________________ S ta te Z 'P _______ I I I I I I I I I I I
