P »fl« 4 Portland Observer, February 1,1964
An endangered species?
EDITORIAL/OPINION
State sales tax not the answer
The Oregon Supreme C ourt has found that
the process by which the sales tax proposal was
put on the ballot was unconstitutional. This
removes the sales tax from the ballot for the
M arch special election unless the Legislature acts
to replace it.
Governor Atiyeh has proposed a one-day
special session o f the Legislature for this
purpose. A ll that could be accomplished in a
one day session is to put the same measure on
the ballot— perhaps with m inor changes.
However, a one-day session will open a can o f
worms.
Numerous groups— including small
business and professional groups— have come
out against the current sales tax because o f the
inconvenience and bookkeeping expense it will
The real answer to the sales tax question is not
a one-day band-aide session. It is a realistic
program to adopt a progressive personal and
corporate income tax and to provide home
owner and renter property tax relief through a
homestead exemption. The answer is to collect
taxes from the big incom e/larger property
owners who can a ffo rd to pay.
The
Democratic
legislators
are
in
a
bind— many o f them went along with the pro
sales tax forces in spite o f the Democratic
Party’s platform and philosophical opposition.
These people, who now need the votes o f
Democrat working people are now behind the
gun. W hich side are they on?
cost them. Each o f these special interest groups
will attempt to have their business or profession
exempted from the tax— placing a heavier
A one-day session that will allow them an
opportunity to weasle out o f their responsibility
to the people is not necessary. A n overhaul o f
burden on working people.
the State’s tax system is.
No surprises!
Ronald Reagan’s budget for fiscal 1984-85
brings no surprises. The 19 percent increase in
the m ilitary budget brings military expenditures
to one third o f the national budget— an unheard
o f expenditure, particularly for a period in
which the U .S . is not at war.
This increase in m ilitary spending has to come
from somewhere— so it comes from programs
designed to assist the poor and minorities.
Vocational
education,
education
for
the
handicapped and the social service block grants
are to be decreased by 3 percent, cost o f living
increases for retirement programs will be frozen.
Also, the massive increases in the military
budget will leave a $180 billion deficit. M any
economists say the deficit(the largest in history)
will lead to higher interest rates, industrial
stagnation, unemployment and depression.
The Reagan Adm inistration is continuing to
spend money to fatten the pockets o f the
military industrialists at home and to bill men,
women and children abroad. Meanwhile, the
children in the U .S . will forfeit their right to a
decent standard o f living as their dreams are
mortgaged to pay for Reagan’s delusions.
: CWt tfo P WORRYING AgotfT TUíT TtUAW
by Dr. M anning M arable
“ From The Grassroots"
Several weeks ago one of the most
interesting scholarly conferences
was held by the University of C in
cinnati’s O ffice o f M inority Pro
grams and Services in conjunction
with the Department of Afro-A m er-
ican Studies. Key organizer P. Eric
Abcrcrumbie
brought
together
Black scholars and hundreds o f stu
dent and community people from
across the Midwest. The controver
sial topic o f discussion was "T h e
Black Man: Endangered Species."
Abercrumbie. an articulate ad
ministrator at the University o f C in
cinnati. had earlier evoked the
wrath o f many neoconservatives at
the school by challenging the univer
sity's racist environment. This con
ference, the second annual event,
was part o f a larger struggle to com
bat academic racism while simultan
eously creating the forum necessary
for Blacks to discuss our own con
cerns.
The topic itself could not have
been more timely. Too many Blacks
have been lulled into complacency
by the illusion that we as a people
have achieved "equality.” The rise
of feminism in the 1970s sharpened
our appreciation o f the impact of
sexual discrimination upon Black
women, who in socioeconomic
terms remain at the very bottom of
American society. No struggle for
Black liberation, to be sure, can be
separated from the efforts to com
bat rape, "w ife-beating," income
inequality and all other forms of
anti-women violence.
But the Reagan Administration's
criminal contempt for Blacks has
accelerated
the
destruction
of
Black men as well as women— par
ticularly young Black men
Dr.
Robert Staples. Associate Professor
o f Sociology at the University of
C alifornia/San
Francisco,
pre
sented some devastating statistics on
the pressing plight o f our young
males:
•Less than 20 percent o f all Black
college graduates are males.
•O ne-fourth o f all Black males
fail to complete high school.
•Since I960 Blacks aged IS to 20
commit suicide at a rate higher than
that o f the total population o f all
ages. Suicide is now the third lead
ing cause of death after accidents
and homicides among Black males
aged IS to 24.
•8S percent o f all executions for
rape have involved Black men and
white women, despite the fact that
only 10 percent o f all rape cases in
volve Black males and white fe
males. No white male has ever been
executed for raping a Black woman
in U.S. history.
•A bo u t half o f all Black men over
18 have never been married, separ
ated, divorced or widowed.
• Despite the fact that several m il
lion Black male youths desire a
career in professional athletics, the
odds of any Black youth making it
are over 20,000 to one.
Today, over 300,000 Black young
men are in prison. Black males suf
fer over two million arrests every
year in the U.S. How do we begin to
combat the destruction o f young
Black males— and in turn, the oblit
eration of our communities?
Conference participant D r. W .
Monty W hitney, Associate Director
o f the Cincinnati Seven Hill» Neigh
borhood Houses, suggested that the
bask "factors which inhibit healthy
relationships are Racism, Sexism
and C apitalism ." Short-term strate
gies to address these problems in
cluded greater "racial awareness.”
changing "m ale-fem ale socializa
tion
pattern,”
and
improving
"communication and accountabil
ity”
between Black men and
women. D r. N a 'im Akbar, a Florida
Stale professor o f Psychology,
urged Blacks to combat the institu
tions and ideologies which “ work
against both our individual and col
lective survival.” The “ lust for
power,” material possessions and
sexuality must be replaced by " a
genuine commitment to one's being
rooted in the knowledge o f one’s
true self and nature.” Professor An-
gelene Jamison, head of Black Stud
ies at the University o f Cincinnati,
suggested that "Black women and
men have accepted and internalized
many o f the myths, stereotypes,
roles and definitions established by
whites. Because we have not clearly
understood these outside forces on
male-female relationships.” Blacks
often “ blame each other for the
problems rather than to establish
creative and productive ways of
dealing with th em ."
"Black survival,” in Dr. Jam i
son’s words, depends upon the crea
tion o f a "m eaningful dialogue” be
tween Black women and men, and
in efforts to build more "healthy
and supportive relationships in the
Black com m unity." This conference
was a decisive step forward in that
long process.
Washington Hot Line
by Congressman Ron Wyden
»
« X KIDS WtP
U* New»
urtH
O FF
President Reagan's State o f the
Union address last week was, as
usual, a virtuoso performance. He is
a masterful performer and showed
his skill in presenting the resounding
theme o f "Am erica is back.”
But as I sat in the House o f Rep
resentatives and listened to (hose
words, I couldn't help but think
that, whereas some parts o f the
country are on their way back from
economic recession, slates like O re
gon have a ways to go.
In our state, unemployment is still
above 10 percent. M ore than
100,000 people are out of work,
Mills are still idle and grain over
flows the silos because we cannot
market it overseas.
The culprit is (he deficit, and the
first step to getting our state back on
the road to economic health is cut
ting the deficit.
Deficits are a "double-wham m y”
for Oregon. They keep interest rates
out o f sight because the Treasury
has to go out and borrow the money
that
home-buyers
would
use.
Hence, fewer homes are built, less
timber is cut and less lumber is
milled.
Second, high deficits make the
dollar artificially strong. The result
is that American goods are more ex
pensive to buy and hence we export
less o f them. That costs jobs all the
way from the wheat fields of eastern
Oregon to the docks of north Port
land.
The President brought us a step
closer to starting the difficult task of
deficit reduction when he proposed
that we must make a "dow n pay
m ent" on the deficit and offered to
work together with Senate and
House leaders o f both parties.
But at the same time that Presi
dent Reagan made this offer, he in
timated that there was no fat to cut
at the Pentagon and that (ax reform
was out of bounds until after the
election.
T o make a bipartisan plan for re
ducing the deficit work, all o f these
areas— defense spending, domestic
spending and revenue— must be
open to discussion. W e can’t cut the
deficit on the back o f domestic pro
grams.
Finding ways to cut the deficit
will be my number one priority for
the remainder o f this Congress. I
will need your help and advice. I will
be holding an open, public forum to
hear your ideas on how to go about
his important task. The forum will
be held Saturday, 1020 N .E . Third
Ave. Please come and share your
views.
Police complaints bring concern
(C ontinuedfrom page I column A)
African politics prove explosive
(Continued fro m page 1 column 6)
and incomplete, to concern export
crops o n lj.
So this year, Africa will receive
more than half the world's food aid.
The future looks no better. By the
turn of the century, Africa will have
400 million more people to feed.
And many national leaders have
shown
themselves
completely
incapable o f managing a sound
economy, much less economies able
to handle the coming population in
creases.
Their disillusioned citizens look
—-
M
BH
«
w
.i
P u tii
s h e rs
Asso. ..ilion
S
|H
™
for alternative philosophies. In the
north and to some extent in the
west, they turn to Islamic precepts.
In the rest o f Africa, serious eco
nomic, social and political deterior
ation is likely. And the chaos which
follows may lead to long-lasting
civil uprisings.
The Western world will have to
contend with this new situation es
pecially in North Africa, where the
Islamic revival directly challenges
everything Western, l eaders who
see everything in terms o f East-West
confrontation will find themselves
more and more isolated, especially
when they align themselves with
those leaders who are seen as re
sponsible for the current crisis.
People in the Western world must
try to understand what is happening
in these regions of Africa in human
terms. If (hey do, the inevitable up
heavals may become expressions of
positive feelings.
Otherwise the prolonged crisis in
Africa and the intervention o f the
superpowers might well get out of
hand, and a serious confrontation
o f these powers becomes a danger-
out possibility.
« PACIFIC NEWS SEP VICE. /«M
Portland Observer
283 2486
Bo* 3 IJ7 Ponland 0»«pon 97208
™ ™ ™ ™
" lewspaper.
N ational A dvertising Représentative
A m a lg am a te d Pubhahera me
N ew Vorh
_
■
Subscribe today! ■
Yee. I w o u ld lik e a a u b a c rip tio n l
to th e Portland Observer.
11 have enclosed my check or
money order for *15, for a
one year subscription.
PLEASE PRINT
I
!
said. " It's very hard being a police
o ffic e r," she said. “ I t ’s not an easy
job, not one you are often appre
ciated in ."
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.
! News fo r and about
Ï
you.
Thfl P o rlfa n d O b \ r r * t r 1USPS 959 6801 t* published every
Thnrvley by ( ■ * Publishing Company Inc 2201 North K.ltmgt
worth Portland Oregon 97217 Post Office Bo« 3137 Portland
Oregon 97208 Sacond d as* pottage pan! at Portland Oregon
Alfred L. Henderson. Lditor/Publisher
A l Williams. Advertising Manager
Association ■ Foundod IM S
r " " " ™
John said that when there is a
problem, the Internal Audit C om
mittee "can go into the Bureau and
look at the files" to ensure that both
the complainant and the police are
protected. "W e can go through
them with a fine tooth com b." she
said.
W hile the committee exists be
cause of the 'possum incident and
problems having to do with police-
community relations and internal
police discipline, specifically to
monitor the police internal investi
gations process and look out for the
interests o f complainants, it is also
concerned with police rights, she
! PORTLAND OBSERVER
The P o n ia rd O b ir rv r ' wee eatabhahed m 1970
SutMc'iplion« »15 00 P » »••> * th * In County a>M P o tt
m « l w Sand « d d iM t^ h a n g M Io ttw Piirilviut Observer P 0
MEMBER
it would be important to check the
officer's complaint history at the
same tim e," she said, and the com
mittee is working on that.
John said the I I I ) gets about 350
complaints per year. T hat’s about
half of what it was before 1981-82
when the Bureau stopped counting
"m in o r” complaints. "W e want
them to count all the complaints, re
gardless o f the degree o f severity,"
she said.
According to the I I D ’s records
for the period Jan. - Sept. 1983, of
the complaints they received, 33 (20
percent) came from Blacks and
other minorities, 101 (63 percent)
from whites, and 17 percent from
within the Bureau itself. Out of the
total 161 complaints for (hat period,
59 (36.6 percent) involved excessive
force, 22 (13.6 percent) rude con
duct, and 29 (18 percent) miscon
duct.
Mail to Ponland Obaervei
Bo* 3137
Portland Oreqon 97208
N a m e ____________
A d d res s ________________________
-------------
-------------
C i t y ___ ___________________ S ta te
________ Z i p ________
I
J
i
■
I
I
I
I
I
I
I