Page 6, Portland Observer, September 25, 1905
Atiyeh proclaims
Oregon Domestic and
Sexual Violence
Awareness Week
Michael Harrington Speaking at Reed College
Photo Richard Brown
"New American poverty"
subject of Harrington talk
by Robert I othian
\ "n e w A m e rica n p o v e rty " is
sweeping the United Stales, according
to Michael H a rrin g to n , national co
chair o f D e m o cra tic S ocialists o l
Am erica (D S A ) and a u th o r o f The
O th e r A m e ric a , a book w hich in ­
fluenced the war on poverty o f the
I96IK
lire new poverty is directly attrib u ­
table to lo President Ronald Reagan's
econom ic p o licie s, and to a
technological resolution sweeping the
country, H arrington said W ith c u t­
backs in welfare and social services,
and m ill shutdow ns th ro w in g once
well paid w orkers o n to the streets,
poverty has increased d ra m a tica lly
since Reagan entered office, and it is
becoming more tenacious, he said.
I he p ictu re fo r the im m ediate
future is anything but bright, accor­
ding to Harrington He predicted that
a new recession w ill be in fu ll swing
within 12 to IK months.
I he H a rva rd -e d u ca te d fo rm e r
social worker spoke at Reed College.
He denied that he was campaigning
fo r the m ild ly socialist policies o f
DSA, but his talk was full o f referen­
ces to the p o litics behind poverty in
the U S.
A cco rd in g to H a rrin g to n . Presi­
dent Reagan recently celebrated a
drop m the nation's poverty popula­
tion as a "triu m p h o f capatalism."
" H e d id n 't m ention the la d that
that le ft a larger percentage o f the
p o p u la tio n p o o re r, greater than at
any tune since 196' with the exception
ol 1981 and 1982." I hat's at a time
when the Gross N a tio n a l P roduct
( ( iNP) is growing ai an annual rate ol
6 percent, the fastest in .10 years, he
said.
"T h e welfare state in the U nited
States is not fo r p o o r p e o p le ," he
said. " I he welfare state in the United
States does much more lor the middle
class and the rich than it does tor the
p o o r."
I he II.S spends less o f its GNP on
the poor than any western country , he
said, about 20 percent compared to
West Germany's 10 percent and more
lo t Sweden and Denmark "W e are
the cheapest w elfare state in the
world, by yards," he said.
I he war on poverty programs did
work in reducing the number ol poor,
he said Head S tart, hurl by budget
cuts and criticized as a waste by con
servalives, turns out youngsters who
are less likely to be unemployed and
end up in tail, he said.
Contrary to the conservative myth
that w elfare m others are " c h ro n ic
b reeders" out to m ilk the system.
H a rrin g to n continued, studies have
shown that w ellare recipients applv
for help because the breadwinner ol
the family has either led or died, that
the size ol the average wellare family
is the same as that ot the average Am
erican family (two children), and that
w elfare mothers get o il the dole
within two years, when they find jobs,
l»c said.
I hrough the 70s. according to H ar­
rington, families drilled in and out ot
poverty
over 25 percent o l the
nation's population lit the definition
o l poor at some tim e d u rin g that
decade
I he piwir now include over 2 ':
m illio n to n n e r industrial workers
whose jobs have disappeared.
Ihey lace losing their life savings,
which are olten tied up in houses
ihey ca n ’ t sell " W h o wants lo
buy a house in a dying m ill
to w n ? " he asked
" I his is a
group o l people whose w hole
world has been changed."
Particularly scandalous, he said,
is a s itu a tio n where " a n entire
strata ol the population works lull
tune and is still p o o r."
I or solutions, said H arrington,
"A b o v e a ll. what we do is not
chants lo r the p o o r." Predicting a
swing to the lett that w ill sweep
away the policies ot Reagan and
the
new
rig h t,
H a rrin g to n
proposed a "solidaristic" campaign
aimed at eliminating poverty both
at home and in
the
I hire!
W o rld , consciously aimed at the
people at the bottom e more than
anybody else."
"W e have to be piepared to go
as la r beyond R oosevelt’ s New
Deal as Roosevelt went beyond
H oover
w ill
we be radical
enough to abolish poverty and in ­
crease hum an
fre e d o m ? "
he
asked
Guide to best films on apartheid published by Media Project
Media N etw ork is pleased to an
nounce the publication ot a guide to
the best film s on apartheid and the
Southern A frican region the latest in
a senes ol acclaimed resource guides
to films on current issues.
1 he Ouide lo h in ts on A p a rth e id
contains lively, evaluative descriptions
o f ovei 41) film s , videotapes and
slideshows on South A fric a and the
region. I ach en try includes title ,
length, fo rm a t, p ro d u ce r, price,
d is trib u to r, and includes a descrip­
tion In addition, there is a list o f in ­
fo rm a tio n and resource centers, and
tips on how to plan a successful
program.
I he guide is a va ila b le fo r Î2 .0 0
plus 5()c postage fro m M edia Net
w o rk , 208 West 11th Street, New
Y o rk , N Y 1(8)11 G ut rates are
available for bulk orders.
G oing beyond the headlines and
two m in u te IV news clips, the lilm s
included in the guide p o rtra y the
issues in im m ediate, human terms;
they provide as well the background
to the rapidlv intensifying crisis I hey
focus on the history o f apartheid and
the legal system w hich m a in ta in s
w h ite m in o rity rule in South A fric a ,
as well as showing the el forts o f Black
South A frica n s to resist apartheid.
There is also a section o f films which
puls apartheid in the broader context
o f other countries in the S outhern
African region.
Media Network is a national mem
bership organization that supports the
use ol alternative media tor grassroots
organizing and education Its In fe r
m alion t enter is a clearinghouse tor
inform ation on films, videotapes and
slideshows on a wide range ot xocial
issues Previous M edia N e tw o rk
publications include a Ouide to h in ts
on ( entral America, Ouide lo Dtsar
mament Media, and a Ouide to I tints
on K e p ro d u d ts e H ights. Ihey arc
available fro m M edia Network fo r
$2 (X) plus 51 < postage per copy
Publication o f the Ouide to h in ts
on -\partheid was made possible by a
grant fro m the New Y o rk State
I ouncil on the Arts.
« 0 .0 0 per 100 P A ID
for remaihng letters from
homed Send self addressed,
stamped envelope for mfor
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07203
G o ve rn o r V ic to r A tiy e h has
declared the week o f O ctober 6
October 12, 1985 as Oregon Domestic
and Sexual V iolence Awareness
Week This week ends w ith the
N ational Day o f U nity fo r Battered
Women designated by the National
Coalition Against Domestic Violence
The purpose o f this week is to en­
courage people to become more
aware o f women and children who
have been victims o f violence and to
commend the work done by domestic
and sexual violence programs.
In Oregon, this week w ill be obser
ved by the Oregon C oalition Against
D om estic V iolence, the statewide
ne tw o rk o f program s focusing on
domestic violence and sexual assault
Since the early 1970's, the network
has grown from a tew crisis lines to 14
grassroots shelters, salehom e net
works and crisis programs I rnergen
cy services fo r v ic tim s are now
available on a 24-hour basis in 27 ot
< hegon's 16 counties
The c o a litio n estimates that
together these program s answered
over 50,(XX) crisis sails and sheltered
more than 5,5(8) women and children,
forced to leave violent homes 22 per
cent more women and children were
sheltered in 1984 com pared to
1983- a sig n ifica n t increase in vie
tuns able to escape from violence.
The purpose ot Oregon Domestic
and Sexual Violence Awareness Week
is lo draw attention to the shocking
magnitude o f the problem ol violence
against women and children " I he
tact that this week has been set aside
and people are being made aware ot
the problem ot domestic and sexual
violence maxes me leel that the work
that I do is doubly w o rth w h ile ,"
stated a su rvivo r o f dom estic and
sexual violence, also a volunteer lor
( entral Oregon Battering and Rape
Alliance " I sincerely believe that the
problem o t domestic and sexual
violence can begin to be solved it onlv
enough people become aware ot the
problem and begin to do something
positive about i t . " I he theme ol this
week's activ ities is the determination
to change the attitudes and values that
support violence against women and
children
•*
Roof Coating
is my Business
Let me make a new roof
out of your old roof.
Oregon Taxpayers United hails
sales tax proposal defeat
Defeat o f the proposed Oregon
sales tax was hailed by Oregon fax
pavers U nited ( O l l i ) as p ro o f that
Oregonians feel that they have been
taxed enough and want taxes lowered,
not shifted
OTU is a non partisan coalition ol
grassroots activisls whose prim ary
concerns are governm ent spending
and tax limitations.
John Vandenberg ot M ilwaukie, a
retired physician and O i l ' t hairman
said, " T h e citizens o f Oregon have
reached the breaking p o in t f heir
firm re je ctio n o f the sales tax
proposal demonstrates that they have
been taxed to the lim it and w ill not
accept any more tax increase schemes.
"Oregonians have prevailed in their
call lor a responsible level o f taxation
in spite o f the num erous special-
interest lobbies that benefit fro m
massive state and local government
spending."
OTU sponsored Ballot Measure 2,
a tax lim ita tio n amendm ent which
lost by a narrow margin in November
1984 I he o rg a n iz a tio n vigorously
opposed the sales tax proposal and
has tiled a new tax lim itation amen
dtnent. Assuming enough signatures
are acquired, the new measure w ill
appear on the b a llo t in the general
election in 1986.
" O u r role as watchdog o f our
slate’ s tax policies on behalf o f
Oregon taxpayers w ill c o n tin u e ,"
Vandenberg added I ong an OTU ac­
tivist member o f the O T U Board o f
I rustees, he recently succeeded foun­
der Ray Phillips as Chairman ol the
o rg a n iz a tio n . P h illip s asked to be
relieved as chairman but w ill remain
active as H o n o ra ry C hairm an and
member o f the board.
O i l ) is headquartered in Portland
and has approximately It).(XX) mem
hers state wide.
-2 «y
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