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
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Thank you.
Bud
J. E. Bud Clark, M ayor
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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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