Page 2, Portland Obaerver, January 15, 1966
Letters to the Editor
EDITORIAL/OPINION
J he Observer welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should
be typed or neatly p rin te d and signed with the author's
name and address (addresses are not usually published).
Tax bill important to low and
moderate income families
by U.S. Rep William H . Gray. I l l
Low- and moderate income Amen
can taxpayers will get a major break if
the m u ch -d eb ated (ax re fo rm b ill
becomes law thu year.
Before adjourning last month, the
H ouse o f Representatives passed
legislation which— if approved by the
Senate— w ill grant much needed and
long-overdue tax relief to millions o f
fam ilies w ho were w ritten out o f
President Reagan's massive 1981 lax
cut.
O u r legislation would provide im
portant relief in two ways:
• First, it would sharply reduce the
tax burden on as many as 6.$ million
low-incom e households by removing
them from the lax roils. This means
that whereas fam ilies w ith tw o
children now pay taxes when their in
comes hits a mere $9,739, under our
b ill, they would pay no federal taxes
until they earn $14,473.
• Secondly, it would lower the tax
burden for middle-income families—
those earning $20,00 to $40,000 a year
— by as much as 10 percent.
Clearly, the House's tax reform bill
addresses one o f the ironies and
inequities in the Federal tax
system— its bias against poor people.
Since President Reagan took office,
the p ro p o rtio n o f incom e that
Americans at the poverty line pay the
federal governm ent has jum ped
dramatically. In 1973, a poverty-line
family paid 1.9 percent o f its income
to Uncle Sam; but for 1983, that same
family will pay 10.4 percent o f its in
come to the federal government.
M an y observers, therefore, view
the tax b ill as the most im p o rta n t,
positive legislation development in
years fo r low - and m iddle-incom e
America— and I ’m inclined to agree
For example, under current law by
next year a four-member family with
earnings of $12,000 would owe $1,271
in federal income and Social Security
taxes.
T h e legislation we passed in the
House would reduce this to $399— a
cut of 69 percent
This cut is im portant not only to
the typical American family.
I t ’s im portant, also, to our neigh
borhood stores and businesses. By
our cutting individual tax rates and
preserving such provisions as the full
credit for child care expenses, low and
moderate-income American families
w ill have that much more money to
spend on goods and services in their
Neighborhood planning emergency
F in a lly , the tax b ill is im p o rtan t
because while it provides equity for
millions o f ordinary taxpayers, it also
makes sure that p ro fita b le c o r
porations and upper-income persons
pay their fair share.
The House legislation shows that
by zeroing in on in d ivid u als and
businesses who currently pay little or
no taxes, we can provide re lie f fo r
most taxpayers.
At the same time, we have provided
incentives fo r a stronger econom y
through a significant cut in lax rates
for corporations which currently pay
their fair share. These businesses will
have an added incentive to make
productive investments rather than
seek tax shelters.
O u r b ill is not perfect by any
means. It leaves unsettled, for instan
ce the inequity of our regressive Social
Security tax.
But we made a realistic and major
step toward a fairer tax system. The
House has acted decisively toward this
goal.
Let's hope that the Senate can do
the same to make our tax system more
fa ir and m ore e ffic ie n t fo r all
Americans.
neighborhoods.
ON SOUTH AFRICA
Johnny Mathis boycott
D u rin g the past few years there
have been numerous national and in
te rn a tio n a l protests against e n te r
tainers who have performed in South
A fric a . A num ber o f artists have
pledges not to return to South Africa
until the apartheid system end*. Their
names have been removed fro m the
United Nations boycott list. They in
clude Tina Turner, Chick Corea, the
perform ances. This m u lti-m illio n
dollar gam bling resort is located in
Bophuthantswana, one of the ten so-
called tribal "hom elands" the South
African government has established
as part o f its segregationist policy of
Temptations, and Barry Manilow.
Since 1968 the United Nations has
country o ffic ia lly designated as
" w h it e " areas. L ik e the other
hom elands, B o phuthatsw ana is
located on some o f the most arid and
impoverished land in South A frica.
A lth ou gh it is one o f the fo u r
hom elands that have been granted
"independence" by the South African
government, no other country in the
world recognizes it as an independent
nation.
been issuing regular appeals to coun
tries and organizations to suspend all
sporting and c u ltu ra l ties w ith the
ap arth eid governm ent in South
A fric a . In an ongoing atte m p t to
bolster its international image. South
A fric a lures entertainers w ith
astronomical fees for performances.
"S u n C ity " is a favorite spot for
apartheid. The hom elands serve
p rim arily as d um pin g grounds fo r
Black South A fric a n s who are not
em ployed in the 87 percent o f the
In 1982, singer Johnny Mathis per
form ed in Sun C ity , B o p h u th a t
swana. He continues to refuse to
recognize the United Nations boycott.
U n til he publicly announces th at he
wiH not re tu rn to South A f'IcB .
Mathis will be boycotted aero** (He
picketing that performance at 7 p.m.
/VrrlurvJrn
Organaxd f o r Southern
AJrvun freedom fPO SAE), a local
multi rm ial
otiaec,
action
group
th it supports Black mq/ontv rule in
Stuihem A J m a and an end to U.S.
f o r more m-
formation cull 230-9427
Healthwatch
b y Steven B aile y N . D .
In te rfe ro n , a naturally-occuring
chemical component o f the immune
system, has recently been found to
relieve many symptoms o f the com
m on co ld . W h ile this chem ical has
been studied for its value in treating
cancer (w ith limited success), the new
potential for anti-viral chemotherapy
Ls both promising and frightening.
T h e co m m on c o ld , and fo r the
most part, viral infections have long
eluded researchers' attempts to find
adequate an tib io tic tools fo r tre a t
ment. A multitude o f reasons exist as
to w hy viruses are a more d iffic u lt
enemy than most bacteria. However,
the question I pose is: should we
utilize natural immune products such
as interferon for the common cold?
As sophisticated as modern medi
cine appears, as a whole, it has been
follow ing the historical misdirection
of our chemicalagrobusiness It conies
as little surprise that the percentage
o f crops lost to in fe s ta tio n is now
equal to that o f 1900 The decreased
loss o f crops in the ea rly years o f
chem ical use was soon follow ed by
the need to dram atically increase the
amount of chemicals used per acre to
kill o ff the insects. Soon most insects
became resistant to levels more than
10 times that o f the early years. Now
insects have shown complete resistan
ce to many chemicals. Not only do we
consume higher levels o f trace
chemicals in our foods, but we also
have devastated natural predators to
the insects (sp id e r, e tc .), added
millions o f gallons o f poisons to our
soil and water, begun food irradiation
programs and are pursuing in blissful
ignorance the developm ent o f bac
terial pesticides. T h e blindness o f
these agricultural practices seems to
walk hand-in-hand w ith medicine's
approach to human infection.
Similar to the resilient nature o f in
sects to pesticides, we have seen bac
teria become less and less sensitive to
our antibiotics. I have seen penicillin-
resistant infections in children who
are under one year o f age, who have
been given p en ic illin derivatives
numerous times for infection prior to
seeing me. Oregon, like many other
slates has reported tw o separate
strains
of
p en icillin -resistant
gonorrhea. Medicine, like agriculture,
is having to use higher dosages o f
stronger types o f chemicals to m ain
tain the same degree of protection.
W hile there is an undeniable need
for antibiotic therapy, there is also a
need for a more scientific application
of antibiotics by many medical doc
tors. A ll too frequently, I encounter
patients w ho have been given pre
scription* with no identification o f the
bacterium, nor test to see if the par
ticu lar strain is sensitive to the
prescribed a n tib io tic . L ik e the
pesticides, many antibiotics, and par
ticu la rly tetracyclin e, can k ill o f f
many o f the checks and balances o f
the norm al human flo ra, leading to
increased future susceptibility to less-
hardy organisms like the yeast, can
did*.
The aspect of introducing inter
To the Editor:
Northeast Portland, in my opinion,
is about to be rip p e d -o ff again. For
years we have qualified the city for
millions o f dollars in poverty funds,
only to have the money spent else
where. or wasted on poorly-planned
programs run by people downtown.
The H ousing and C o m m u n ity
Development (H C D ) plan for N o rth
feron to common viruses so that their
resilient nature (fast reproduction
cycle) can make them resistant to one
o f our b ody's strongest a n ti-v ira l
chem icals, m ay be an unnecessary
lesson in futility, and further progress
our species to an overall level of im
mune incompetence. I believe that the
immune system needs to function to
completion, just as our muscles need
exercise, our heart needs aerobic ac
tivity and our minds need stimulation.
Though interferon may have a role in
serious infections, let us hope that we
don't take a giant step backwards for
the relief o f a few colds in the '80s.
I wrote in the Observer nearly two
years ago, in which I stated my belief
that the misuse and overuse o f anti
biotics and an ti-inflam m atory drugs
was an important contribution to the
predisposition o f A ID S (A cqu ired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome). This
I still contend; I also feel that the false
security o f drug therapy leads many
to ignore the obvious symptoms o f
inappropriate lifesytles. To many it is
much simpler to take a drug than to
practice safe b irth c o n tro l, eat
properly, get adequate rest or manage
their stress a p p ro p ria te ly . In the
meantime, when you get a common
cold, rest, drink plenty of fluids (not
soft d rin k s, m ilk or co ffee ); sup
plement with V itam in C (1000-4000
mg daily), beta carotin (23,000-30,000
IU S d aily ) and zinc (100 mg d aily),
and look back to your life prior to in
fection, maybe you can identify some
obvious habits to avoid in the future.
I
They are paid o ff with a pitance and
go their separate w ay. M ea n w h ile
Northeast suffers fro m all this in
fighting and lack o f accountability.
How can you fight P D C , when they
have a m u lti-m illio n guaranteed
budget?
The Sabin Community Association
has joined Vernon, King and H u m -
bolt neighborhoods to protest the
P D C steamroller Wc have asked the
private agencies to help us. Let's stop
fighting among ourselves long enough
to give the m ayor a chance to esta
blish a p ublic agency fo r N o r th
east, acco u ntable to C ity co u ncil,
east Portland is another example A
series o f budget hearings are now
taking place at C ity H a ll. The P o rt
land Developm ent C om m ission
(P D C ) w alked out w ith over $6
million, just for housing alone North
east was beat down to $21.000, and
w ith a d m in is tra tiv e a u th o rity and
enough program control to make sure
Northeast Portland gets its fair share.
W hat good are all these programs if
even that has to be turned back to
P D C control. If P D C can’t run all the
housing programs in Northeast, they
won't cooperate.
But the final plan is not completed
It must first be approved by C ity
Council. And before that can happen,
there must be a public hearing at 7
p .m ., Jan. 23, at the King Center. If
you don’ t like city policy, you better
come to the hearing and protest.
The major issue is simple. W ho sets
the policy for Northeast? Federal law
says we have that right. It is called the
right of local control. Most neighbor
hood associations want the mayor to
appoint a special, high-level board of
directors for Northeast, to administer
our housing, em ploym ent and eco
nomic development programs.
Mem bers o f this Northeast board
must be residents o f N o rth ea st,
representing the neighbor hoods served
by the program. The city already pro
mised us $ 2 5 0 ,0 0 0 per year, for
three years, to im prove and c o o r
din ate N o rth east program s. The
problem is that P D C gets millions of
dollars to do the same thing, but they
d o n 't w ant to cooperate w ith us.
N eith er do some o f the fa v o rite
private agencies in the com m un ity.
They line up w ith P D C to fight us.
co u ntry. P O S A F is asking P o rt
landers to boycott his upcoming per
form ance at the A rlene Schnitzer
C oncert H a ll, and to jo in us in
support f o r apartheid
H e reserve the right to edit f o r length M a il to; Portland
Observer. P O Box 3137. Portland. O H 972OR
To the Editor:
Re: D r. C herovee's letter in the
Jan. 8 Issue.
I don't hold out much hope o f con
structive dialogue because o f the tone
o f the b ro th e r's letter, but I am
willing to try. I'm not going to take
up valuable space in (his paper trying
to respond to the a d d itio n a l issues
raised by M r. Cherovee, but I will say
this: if the brother will go back over
my letter he will see that I did not call
him a lia r. I did acknow ledge the
validity o f the position in regard to
legalizing prostitution.
He claims that there is not an atom
o f tru th in what I said. C o m e on
brother! You can't really be sincere
about co m m un ity dialogue if you
claim everything I said is other than
the truth.
You asked, " w h a t do you really
know about D arw in 's th eo ry? " M y
point in writing to the paper is not to
impress you or the readership with my
(P P IC ). PD C took away our housing
program Now P P IC has taken away
our employment program.
But the battle is not over. You can
still help. Com e to the hearing at 7
p .m ., Jan. 23. at King Center Help
us get our programs and our money
back. Call 248-4575 for information.
C a ll me at 287-0826 if you want to
help the neighborhood associations
present our side o f the story to C ity
United Way thanks
To the Editor:
W ith the local U n ited W ay c a m
paign now completed, I would like to
express my gratitude to Portland O b
server readers fo r helping to m ake
1983 a record-breaking year. Thanks
to your assistance, the cam paign
brought in nearly $17 m illion— more
money than U n ite d W ay o f the
Colum bia-W illam ette has ever raised
before.
Essential to that success were the
thousands o f local volunteers and
contributors w ho, despite economic
u n c erta in ty , gave generously to
provide hope and o p p o rtu n ity for
neighbors less fortunate than them
selves.
As alw ays, co n trib u to rs can rest
assured that their donations w ill be
used in an efficient and worthy m an
ner. Last year, U n ite d W a y ’s 100
m ember agencies pro vided hum an
and health care services to h a lf a
m illio n people, or one out o f every
three local residents.
W h a t’s m ore, the success o f this
year's campaign reaffirms something
that should m ake us all feel
proud— that the spirit o f caring con
tinues to th rive in o ur local c o m
munity.
Sincerely,
Lloyd A nderson
Volunteer Campaign Chairman, and
Executive Director,
Port o f Portland
Children are the future
To the Editor:
T h a n k you fo r fea tu rin g the
children this holiday season on your
front pages of the Christmas and New
Years issues.
•
The children are the future o f our
country and during such trying times
they need every bit of encouragement
they can get. Ebony does a good job
o f showing successful Black America
but children often Lind it sadly neglec
ted as how to get th ere. W henever
possible feature stories about people
doing a good jo b w o rkin g w ith
ch ild ren and youth w ill give en
couragement.
knowledge. It was to express my con
cern with an issue that I think is much
more im p o rta n t than is co m m on ly
thought. Just for clarification (hough,
I do believe that man has always been
man and that man did not evolve
from the ape. D r. D a rw in believed
otherwise. Whet her he is agnostic (is
not convinced o f the existence o f
God) or atheist is not at issue.
I will restate: prostitution is not an
instinct, it is a social/cultural pheno
mena, and if you want to argue that,
do so with someone more patient and
Thank you fo r a fine, outspoken
newspaper. I heard a quotation read
from the Portland Observer over the
radio when President Reagan was at
the University o f Portland. In fact it
was from an article I had given him.
Thank you again.
Gertrude Beckwith
understanding than I. W hy don’t we
set up a time and place (hat this issue
may be constructively discussed and
debated? Least it be overlooked in the
heat generated by bruised egos, the
issue is p ro s titu tio n in our c o m
munity. I have said what I said and do
much o f what I do out o f love and
concern fo r my people, especially
those mothers and potential mothers
involved in prostitution.
Hope you are likewise motivated.
Proper credit
To the Editor:
Enjoyed the article on the P IC . It
deserves much publicity. Must point
out however that M argaret Strachan
was the intiator o f the leaders round
table. The M ayor got credit but she's
the one that started it along w ith
Roger Breezley o f the U.S. Bank.
) our Brother
Nabeeh
Í p ORTWND OBSERVER
• 15 Io* ona yaer
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Bor 3137 Portland OR 97206
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Thank you.
Bud
J. E. Bud Clark, M ayor
SLLLILP
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city
But now P D C has been joined by
the Portland Private Industry Council
Council. United we stand, divided we
fall.
Ray Hanson
Northeast dialogue
With The Name Allah
The Gracious, The Compassionate
they d o n 't serve the people? A ll we
are asking for is $500,000, a far cry
from the millioas controlled by down
town agencies.
Api
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