Portland observer., April 18, 1984, Page 2, Image 2

P»fle 2 Portland Observer, April 18, 1984
EDITORIAL/OPINION
Keep unitary principle
Big business never backs o ff, not for a
minute. Invoking the need for more jobs in
Oregon, corporations are now on the attack
against an element o f Oregon’s business tax
system which makes it one of the nation's
fairest— the unitary principle. The people and
legislators o f Oregon should be extremely wary
o f any such move.
The unitary principle is used to calculate the
position o f a multi-state or multi-national cor­
poration’s profit which can be fairly taxed in
Oregon. Business says the principle is unfair, but
the U .S. Supieme Court has upheld its use since
1887, when it was first used to calculate business
taxes owed by railroads through several states.
Small businesses operating solely in Oregon
are not affected by use o f the principle. Should it
be repealed, however, the $22 million captured
by the unitary principle, annually, would have to
be made up by someone— most
likely in­
dividuals and small business.
Voters should query legislative candidates on
this complex issue and not settle for simplistic
references to "jo b creation possibilities."
Oregon’s economy has both prospered and
fallen while we’ve used the unitary principle,
and there is no solid evidence to show a fair tax
system impedes growth.
The ballot or the bullet
Twenty years ago, when Jesse Jackson was
Dr. Martin Luther King’s lieutenant, Malcolm X
foresaw the power o f bloc voting. "Black people
put the Democratic president in power. We put
them first and they put us last."
Malcolm X was among the first to decry the
political monopoly the Democratic party had
over the votes o f people o f color.
“ The only difference between a Republican
and a Democrat ..the difference between a wolf
and a fox. A wolf will come right out and eat
you. But a fox is sly and clever. He will trick you
in and before you know it, you’re eaten."
His vision was remarkable for a man who
spent the early parts o f his life on the streets, in
jail and later rose to become one o f our greatest
leaders. The political, social and economic
realities Malcolm addressed twenty years ago are
still with us. But youth who grew up under
Malcolm’s words are now in the position of im­
plementing his solutions.
In 1964, Malcolm told Afro-Americans to
leave their religious differences at home and join
together to achieve political power. In 1984, the
Muslim brothers and sisters under the Nation o f
Islam with their Christian counterparts are
registering their communities to vote at numbers
which reflect the different hues o f interest and
needs in America.
Their biggest hurdles are the so-called leaders
of the community who have split with the rank
and file of their power and put their personal
well-being above and beyond that of their
people. W e’re reminded of the "house Negro
and the field Negro” story Malcolm X ar­
ticulated in 1964. "T h e house Negro will see the
big house burning and say, ‘Our house is on
fire.’ The field Negro sees the same fire and
prays for a wind.”
Malcolm foresaw the change created in
society when people o f color are included in the
political system. The change has come and the
children of Malcolm and Martin are knocking
down the door to get in.
Although the bloody memory o f those long,
hot summers are still with us, people of color
have brought about a bloodless revolution twen­
ty years after Malcolm X suggested it. Miami is
yesterday, and could be tomorrow. But Third
World people, with their white counterparts, are
holding the political system accountable with the
dim reminder in the background and the
forecast of Malcolm coming true. They are
choosing “ The Ballot or the Bullet.”
Campaign *84:
District 1 race is on
(Continued fro m page I, column 6/
or white. I understand what (he
problems are. Currently, I'm in­
volved in trying to solve some of the
inequalities that exist with Black
contractors and the Surface T ran ­
sportation Assistance A c t."
Carter: "1 have worked at an
alternative school and seen a lot of
conflicts and solved a lot o f con­
flicts. 1 can do the job. I'm involved
in many sectors o f the community
and can provide quality leadership. ”
Leak: "T h e y should vote for me
Chad
Debnam
(Continued fro m page I. column 4)
Reagan has been good for the Black
community. Fiscal conservatism has
helped our community. W e are
becoming more self-sufficient and
less dependent on social agencies
that perpetuate dependency."
Debnam is a third generation
Republican that has been charged
with running a negative campaign.
" I don’t think I am. A ll I stated is,
I feel there are opponents who
represent the status quo. I f we want
change, we must look for different
approaches. I had and will continue
to outline the differences in the op­
ponents. A ll I said about Carter is
her background has been in social
work and we've had enough social
workers out there. I don't think that
is negative It is just a fa c t."
One voter heard Debnam state his
opinions about Margaret Carter and
came away saying, " I 'm going to
vote for Margaret because she can't
be that b ad ."
Debnam said he felt the District
18 Leadership Forum was flawed
because it did not include all the
candidates. " I was not even heard
from . For the past two years. I've
been involved with re-writing the
county charter. I have a long
business
history,
fighting
for
minority contractors and the small
businessman and w om an." He was
among the first to demand Hop
Sing's de-certification.
Although Debnam wants to be
remembered for his early political
affiliations, the community remem­
bers him most as manager o f the
now defunct soul band. Pleasure
The question many in the com­
munity had was, why the break-up?
because I did a good job in the
legislature. I passed more legislation
than any other freshman represen­
tative. I had a very productive
session for the district."
The aubaactlon of the econo­
mic
development
queatlon
deala with jobs. Whet would
you do to create employment
opportunities
for
residents
of District 11?
Dabnam: " W ith free enterprise,
jobs would be available for residents
within the district. I will go to
" I did my jo b with Pleasure," he
responded. " I put them on a
national tour, T V and got them a
major record contract. There was
dissent within the group and I could
not control that. Some members
would not take direction. Pleasure
never paid me any money. M y
resources were coming from other
contracts and prom otions."
Debnam is the House Chairper­
son in the district and expects to go
to the national convention as a
delegate. " W e must create a can-do
attitude in the district.”
Political observers feel Debnam’s
importance has been underrated
because he is a Republican. In the
event that the primary yeilds no
Black candidate, then Debnam's
importance as an Afro-Am erican
candidate will be appreciated.
Margaret
Carter
(Continued fro m page I. column 5/
most proud o f that endorsement.
The community did a wonderful job
in supporting the concept o f the
fo ru m ."
She has also received the endorse­
ment from the more conservative
element in Portland, the Chamber
o f Commerce. "Even though we
have different beliefs, the one item
which won me the endorsement was
when I stated. 'I will promise you
two things. I w ill be accessible and
I ’ m a good listener’ . "
In the final thirty days o f her
campaign. Carter is the target of
negative campaigning by two other
opponents in the race. She refuses to
sling the mud back and is running
on her experience as a counselor,
long-time volunteer and religious
adviser.
businesses already in the district to
get them to hire residents."
Carter: "O nce the objectives of
P D C have been met, they will bring
about job opportunities to the
community. M y focus will be on
small businesses and youth. We do
not need another study. We should
take advantage o f the opportunities
that we have."
Laak: "H B 2 6 4 0 will help. Also,
the creation o f a local development
corporation that is controlled by
community residents."
Her campaign has been subjected
to criticism that it's out o f gas, im ­
mature and inexperienced. " I don't
see her campaign out among the
people," one observer added.
She responded. " W e have 28
precincts in the district and we take
different
precincts at different
times. Our office is in the community
and we have registered over one
hundred people to vote."
Another criticism is her lack of
political experience. " I understand
the legislature and its processes. I've
studied procedures and know how
to get bills passed. But no one
knows what it is like to be a
legislator until you have been one
and I know I'm competent and learn
q u ick ly ."
Carter found herself involved
with attacks on a personal level
which stated that she discounted her
ex-husband's contribution in raising
her fam ily and attending school.
"T here was never any intention of
saying I raised all those kids by
myself. When I came to Portland, I
was a single parent with five
children. I later got married and my
husband had four kids. When a
newspaper article came out after the
forum , the reporter misunderstood
my background. Again, there was
no intention
to discredit
my
husband for his involvement in the
rearing o f our children and my
education."
Some residents feel it is unfair for
Carter to answer to these types of
personal charges. " I remember
listening to a political talk show on
K B O O radio and the wife o f one of
the candidates called up and
questioned her. I don't think that is
playing fair. She has received the
support o f the people and there are
(Please turn to page 9. column 3/
Jackson presents moral challenge
by Dr. Manning Marable
"From The Grassroots"
The recent 26 percent share o f the
vote received by the Rev, Jesse
Jackson
in
the
New
York
Democratic primary highlights one
o f the most remarkable presidential
campaigns in American political
history. There are no immediate
parallels which can be used to il­
lustrate the magnitude o f Jackson’s
achievement.
W ithout
adequate
funds, virtually no television or news­
paper advertisements, and against
the nearly united opposition o f the
Black political establishment. Jack-
son has swept the national Black elec­
torate and a surprisingly high percen­
tage o f Hispanic and white voters.
How can we assess the elements of
can we assess the elements of
Jackson’s success to date?
The first and most essential factor
is simply this: the campaign o f Jesse
Jackson is a democratic social
movement, initiated and led by
Black people, which has taken an
electoral form . Building upon the
grassroots momentum o f last year's
successful March on Washington,
D .C ., and drawing strength from
the recent electoral victories of
Black mayoral candidates such as
Harold Washington, Jackson and
his political agenda represent the
growing militancy and desire for
empowerment o f the masses of
Black people.
The most dramatic evidence of
this is found in Black voter par­
ticipation rates. In (he Southern
primaries, 45 percent o f all Black
voters went to the polls, while barely
JO percent o f all whites voted. In
Illinois, Black voters comprise only
IJ percent of the total elec­
torate— but 28 percent o f the Illinois
vote in the March primary was
Black. A tlan ta’s Voter Registration
Project estimates that Jackson’s
campaign
was
responsible
for
registering approximately 150,000
voters in Alabama,
Louisiana,
Georgia, North and South Carolina.
Nationally, roughly one fifth of
Jackson voters had never gone to
the polls before. This significant in­
crease in Black. Hispanic and low-
income voters is the electoral foun­
dation to defeat Reagamsm this
November.
The initial caucus voting in
Virginia on March 25th illustrates
that Jackson's campaign, unlike
that of Mondale and H a rt, is a
grassroots protest movement. In
N o rfo lk, a city that is 35 percent
Black, a huge Black turnout gave
Jackson all I6J delegates from the
city. In Virgma Beach, a town with
only 10 percent Black voters. Black
participation
gave
Jackson
a
plurality victory o f 62 delegates,
versus Mondale's 50 delegates and
H art's 30 delegates. One N ew York
Times reporter noted that " a t some
sites party leaders ran out o f
registration forms. At others, par­
ticipants had to stand in line for a
couple hours before (hey could get
in. Throughout the Tidewater area,
Jackson supporters filled the streets,
using bull horns to exhort people to
vote and distributing fliers and
m aps." Statewide, Jackson won 31
percent o f Virginia’s vote in the
early delegate selection process.
Second, the Jackson campaign
has begun to successfully bridge the
color line, and despite gross misin­
terpretations from the media, it has
never been solely a Black campaign.
In M ontana, for instance, a state
possessing less than one half o f one
percent o f Blacks, Jackson won 5
percent o f that state’s votes in
Democratic caucuses. Despite polls
in Connecticut which predicted
Jackson would receive less than 5
percent o f the vote, he won 12 per­
cent, or 26,388 votes. Significantly,
only 6 percent o f Connecticut’s
population is Black. In Vermont
and Rhode Island, Jackson won
third place with 8 percent. And
in C alifornia, only half o f the
8,000 participants in Jackson's
Democratic caucuses were Black.
Twenty-eight percent were white, 14
percent Hispanic, 7 percent Asian,
and I percent American Indian. The
numbers o f white liberal-leftists,
peace activists, environmentalists
and feminists who actively support
Jackson have been surprisingly
large, given the profoundly racist
character o f American political
culture. Jackson attributed the
problem o f winning white support
as “ whites' lack of regard for the in­
telligence and hard work of Black
people.
It
remains
a
moral
challenge, however, to white leader­
ship to make judgments based on
character and not based on race."
Letters to the Editor
Time to think
To the editor:
There are apparently several
changes taking place in the Urban
League Youth Services Center that
might prove to be, to their
detriment. As a community volun­
teer, there has been no problem
when walking into the youth center
in the past, either to pick-up some
inform ation, or leave it. However,
since the administration leadership
has changed, a certain addition
should be subtracted again. I am
referring to M r. David Gonzales,
who is second in command.
As M r. Gonzales con­
tinued to look and see what
MMt •
ill
O regon
N ew spaper
Publishers
Association
1
everyone was doing,
distrust for the other
obvious. This caused
and wonder if his
because the majority
were Black.
a feeling of
workers was
me to think
actions were
o f employees
Communication is the most im ­
portant part of leadership, but if a
person is going to walk around and
emphasize their authority, a feeling
o f fear and hate develops. Speaking
with some persons working with
other organizations in the King
Neighborhood Facility, no one had
any good thoughts about M r. G on­
zales. When our youth are the most
important asset in the community,
and this person carries himself the
way he does, you can really wonder
what type o f service will be given to
our young people Usually respect
should be given to an individual of
authority, but that is completely
impossible with David Gonzales
who is an untrusting, possibly
biased
person.
An
important
organization such as the Urban
League
Youth
Service Center,
should think again about the per­
sons that are placed at the helm.
Charles Flake
Comm unity Volunteer
The Observer welcomes Letters to
the Editor. Letters should be short,
and must contain the writer's name
and address taddresses are not print­
ed/. The Observer reserves the right
to edit for length
Portland Observer
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