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Page 2. Portland Observer, March 19, 1986
Reagan’s Budget vs. Blacks
EDITORIAL/OPINION
Along the Color Line by Hr. Manning Marable
Editorial Opinion: Meese Unfit to be Attorney General
When President Ronald Reagan nominated
Edwin Meese III as U S Attorney General, c ivil
rights organizations bitterly opposed his nomina
tion They argue that Meese would not enforce the
nation's civil-rights laws. I he group's tears about
Meese has become a reality
Meese has demonstrated that he is unfit to en
force this country's civil-rights laws Mcese's
anti c iv il rights crusade has contributed to the in
creased racial divisions in this country He lacks
the sensitivity, moral distinctions, and legal know
ledge required to be Attorney General ot the United
Stales
Meese has deliberately made misleading public
statements in an effort to weaken civil-rights laws
Meese has repeatedly labeled affirmative action
programs as a “ quota'' system and affirmative
action have favored unqualified minorities over
qualified white males
This assertion by Meese is an outright lie The
U S Supreme Court has ruled such actions as
illegal A ffirm ative action programs were im
plemented to remedy blatantly discriminatory h ir
ing patterns. Mcese’ s unfitness as this nation
number one enforcer o f civil-law s, can be observed
further when one examines the statement he made
equating affirmative action as a new kind ol dis
crimination Such interpretations reveal his lack of
legal knowledge o f the law
Affirm ative action has been found legal by the
federal courts for years A ffirm ative action was
designed to provide one form o f remedy for the
remaining ef fects o f past discrimination and also to
help remedy present discrimination Such a prog
ram is needed to ensure that all in society are given
the opportunity to participate in mainstream
America, especially when racism is still embedded
deep in that society.
Instead of being the leader for equality for those
w ho are v ictims o f discrimination Meese has been
the driving force behind the efforts by those not
committed to equality He is the proponent behind
the Reagan administration's attempts to resc ind an
executive order mandating affirmative action in
awarding federal contracts
Meese not only has been criticized by c ivil rights
organizations, he has been scolded by members o f
the I S Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens
criticized Meese for ignoring the development ot
the law over the pas, 200 years and for his ' 'lu d ic r
ous” argument that the B ill ot Rights does not
apply to states A man with ideological bias such as
Meese is unfit to be this nation's chief law en
forcement officer
Reagan Wants Workfare
HY June Mol;
President Ronald Reagan wants workfare instituted
throughout die country because he thinks it can cut weltare
spending He has improvised a set o f extravagant and un
founded claims about the workfare program he operated as
governor o f California in the early 70 s According to
Reagan, 76,000 people were placed in private jobs by this
program According to slate records, however, only H.IMMI
people were enrolled during the three year life o f the prog
ram. California officials say they have no idea how many ol
these people may have found jobs as a result Ifiey also have
no idea where Reagan's number came from
W hile Reagan cues the Massachusetts Employment and
Training Choices Program (E I I as proof that his form ol
workfare works, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis
retorts dial I I is no, workfare II is an employment ami
training program, providing child care and transportation Io
welfare recipients, mostly women with children, who arc
enrolled in training programs Under E I . most participa
lion is voluntary and many choices are offered Under
Reagan's workfare, participation is mandatory, on an "o r-
else" basis.
The contnisersey over diew claims covers up the real profs
lem w ith both workfare and I T Both programs mav. in la d .
get people ott the weltare rolls
one by coercion. ihe other
by encouragement, but neither program gets people out of
poverty A study o f E T by the American friends Service
Committee shows that most E T graduates and their families
are worse o il financially alter E T . because the |obs they get
arc low jsaid and dead-end. and any increase m income is
eaten up by costs and by kiss ol needed benefits, particularly
medical insurance
The basic questions remain How can women who head
households and who may lack saleable skills be helped oul ol
poverty ’ How tan we assure that government programs Io
cused on work or training do not depress overall wage levels
or interfere with workers' rights ’ How can we eliminate the
sex and race discrimination thal contribute so greatly lo
jvoverty among women and racial minorities '
To answer these needs, we must institute major public
service employmeni and training programs, peg the
minimum wage to inllalion. lit hasn't been increased since
IMHI | and renew our commitment to equal |ob opportunity,
affirmative action, and adequate income maintenance prog
rants
J ,n il
W a t' It H illh " ill
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H ih llh U li
P h llo J c Ip h lU
V E 'O E M E T THE
ENEHY-AND HE US. - TURNING OUR CHILDREN
INTO JUNKIES INTO THIEVES
ANO PROSTITUTED, WHO
PREY ON THEIR OWN PEOPLE.
Several weeks ago. President Reagan sen, his
1987 budget to Congress Unquestionably, the
President has proved decisively that he is the
greatest proponent o f welfare in American history
— welfare for the rich Indeed, the budge, can he
summarized as nothing less than a political offen
sive to smash the social, economic and educational
rights o f Blacks. Latinos, and the poor It is anti-
Black, anti-neighborhood, anti-fam ily, and in the
words o f the Reverend Jesse Jackson, “ a misery
index for the poor.”
Reagan's total projected military budge,, includ
ing nuclear weapons, would increase from $286
billion to $320.3 billion in 1987. and up to $405.9
billion by 1991 The Pentagon would receive 28
percent o f the total federal budge, This includes
$4.2 billion for 21 M X missiles. 21 Trident sub
marine missiles and other Midge,man missiles; and
an extra $4.8 billion for “ Star W ars.” an increase
o f 77 percent above current funding levels
It doesn't take an Einstein to determine who's
going to pay for all the military hardware Human
needs and social service programs w ill be cut by
$106.8 b illio n over the next five years Some o f
the most callous cuts would be in the following
areas:
f ederal aid to public education would drop from
$9 billion to $5 6 billion Guaranteed student loans
would be cut from $3.2 billion to $2.5 billion this
year, and down to $1.5 billion in 1991 Federal
spending for compensatory education for elemen
tary and secondary school students from low in
come families, which was $4 2 billion last year,
would be slashed to $3 5 billion next year
Aid to Families with dependent Children would
be reduced more than $600 m illion by cutting ou,
unwed mothers under 18 years old if they leave
their parents' homes, by stricter work require
ments, and by halting payments to families when
their youngest child reaches age sixteen, instead o f
eighteen Food stamps would he reduced by $300
m illion in the next year And spending o f child
nutrition programs would he cu, by an extra $704
m illion
Jobs programs, including the Jobs Corps, would
he cu, by 12 percent Chicago mayor Harold
Washington has estimated that his city would lose
$268 m illion in 1987 alone under Reagan's budge,:
"T h e effect would he disastrous ” Mass transit
funds would he reduced from $ 1 5 billion to $1 6
billion.
How does the Reaganite budget preserve and
extend racism and social class inequality'.’ Richard
Grcenstein, the director o f the Center on Budget
and Policy Priorities, states that Blacks would suf
fer disproportionately from the budge, cuts
Greens,ein notes that ” 24 percent o f those using
legal services were Black. and tha, Blacks made up
37 percent o f those receiving food stamps, 45 per
cent o f those receiving Aid to families w ith Depen
dent Children, and 45 percent o f the youths in
volved in Job Corps ” In short, the budge, acceler
ates institutional racism
Perhaps the most perceptive comments about
Reagan's latest offensive against Black and poor
people were made by Marian Wrigh, Edelman,
head o f the Children's Defense Fund The Reagan
budge, w ill create " a new apartheid” in America,
Edelman asserts, “ widening the gap between the
rich and the poor.” A broad national coalition o f
all budgetary victims must he forced to fight
against this “ new apartheid.”
I h Manning Mar able leath et pallili a l «ru io lo g) al C aígate Untier u t \ .
Hamilton \ r * Îr»râ
C ane the Calar I me a ppean in over 140 nen \
p a p e n tnlerruilianalli
Healthwatch
by Steven Bailey N. D.
p>
A lew weeks buck the Mew England Journal of Medicine
published a report ihui "fin a lly proved" ih.it exercise max
improve and extend xour file While this surprised tew
people. except possibly those researchers who contend that
you can never prove file extension since we only die once. H
did statistically document that those individuals who regu
larly exercise huce a lower rale ol death than those who
exercise less, or those who don’ t exercise at all
W bile this seems soil ol like pros mg the w heel exists alter
7(1 seats ot automobiles, il w ill provide doctors with the
■ haul evidence' needed so that they can tell their patients
that exercise is beneficial lo then health Ironically many
doctors ic-luse lo accept I he obv ious. until "reputable" jour
nals doc umeui ihe paniculur c use I've written a tew times on
subjects sueb as high tibei against colon cancer (science
ucccpls I9K5, in lexl books its IM5Mi and ihe continuance ol
these’ practices ol wailing lor hard prool speaks piNirly ol the
limitations ot our medical model
Mans people claim that (lie single drug, animal study
model ol medicine is the only "pure science", yet this model
has let, us al a place where over M
I.IMMI Americans die
annually horn drug caused conditions l.slimates that
25 40% ol hospital emetgencies are caused by doctor and
drug conditions appear throughout American journals Yet
while doctors accept this high rate ol death in their Iherapu
tics, they are afiaid to recommend high vitamin C, exercise,
Bela cuiulinv etc . until conclusive evidence shows their
proven benefits Moi too surprisingly ihe drug companies and
lood industries ate not eager to research or investigate non
patentable forms ol medicines I be major journals ol Amert-
can medicine are almost entirely filled with ads by phar
maceuticals It is not surprising thal life-style, nutritional and
preventative medicine are grossly absent from their journals
Likewise the medical colleges which educate most o f our
doctors, receive most o f their non federal money from drug
and food industries Mo surprise that their curriculum reflects
Ihe vested interests o f these wealthy industries Our doctors
are victims ot this lo nearly the same degree as the consumer
While Ihere is a tremendous amount o f evidence on ihe
eliteacy ol nutritional and preventative therapeutics, the av
erage doc tor receive» lewer than I credit hour of nutrition in
iheir training II is only through individual research, often lo
the displeasure ot their peers, thal a doctor develops a work
ing understanding ol Ihe effect ot lite style and nulrilion on
health
I do not know how we can influence the medical sy stem to
leave these- grasps ol sell interest It is clear that we are al a
cross roads ol American medicine where risks are high and
affordability is beyond a large segment o f our population
Part ol the change may occur as more and more doctors are
held accountable lor ihe numerous "accidental" deaths of
then medicines Ihe mal practice rales are already pulling
many doc lors into oiher fields or retiremeni t he high cost ot
crisis medicine may also force the issue o f preventative
theraputics
lo r today the consumer must look out lor themselves We
must fx- aw arc ol the risks ot therapies, and begin lo en|oin
hjhils that lessen the chance ot serious illness Mow that
exercise has been "p ro v e n " effective, we can get o ff our
dulls and live
Letters^ to the Editor^
To The Editor:
PORTLAND OBSERVER
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Alfred L. Henderson, Editor/Publisher
A! Williams, General Manager
National Advartlalng Rapraaantattva
A m algam ated Publisher« inc
N ew York
yent
The news nicdia misinforms the
American people when reporting the
U S sponsored war against Nicaragua
by repeating the U S Slate Ik-part
ment s use ot the word "pressure" in
describing aid to the Contras The Con
Iras are not applying "pressure" lo Ihe
Sandinista government, they arc Untied
States paid and trained terrorists taping,
torturing and murdering a civilian
population John Hmkley was not ap
plying political pressure to President
Reagan: he was attempting to murder
him The Contras are not applying
“ pressure" to the Sandintslas; they are
terrorizing the civilian population ol
Nicaragua
Because Ihe leadership o f the Con
tras is prim arily former National
Guardmen from the government ol
Anastasio Sornoza. a brutal dictator
who maintained political power by as
sassinating his political opponents.
Contra conduct is predictable The dis
cover} ol a C IA written Contra manuel
which described the necessity o f using
murder and extortion against Nicara
guans only confirmed the obvious
The consistent misuse ol the word
"pressure" by the Stale Department
and its affable pitchmen only serves to
sugar coat terrorist activity (state sup
ported) for American consumption II
also implies that a strain or racism
exists in the Stale Department, dead,
brown. Nicaraguans are good for bar
gaining chips
By recanting ihe words of the U S
Stale Department the news media does
not report the news ol Nicaragua; they
arc serving as an extension ot the State
Department propaganda team
Herschel Soles
To the Editor:
Lor years we’ ve been claiming that
Our actions
have belied Ihiv, however, we have con
tinued lo make weapons and install
them around the world W'e have
claimed that our bombs actually main
tain peace in Ihe world an empty . inde
fensible argument A bomb, like any
other creation, exists to be used The
more bombs thal exist, the more likely
is their use
Even more senseless and indelensi
blc is our practice o f "te s tin g " these
bombs At least we have agreed that it is
not wise to explode them in Ihe atmos
phere; so, instead, we explode them
underground' What sense docs it make ’
W’e take the very bombs that we claim
to be so against using, and we explode
ihcm under our own le ci' W'e are bomb
ing ourselves!
W'e claim that this is necessary in
order lo "keep ahead o f the Russians
Who arc we fooling? The Russians vol
untarily suspended their own bombing
months ago They have asked us to do
we don’t want nuclear war
likewise Why have we refused? lv it
because, in America, appearances are
valued more than sensibility ’ Would it
tcally hurt us to admit that the Russians
have made a sensible move ’ Would it
hurt uv
except lor bruising our pride
lo stop bombing ourselves?
In reality we are all merely guests on
this planet Ihe universe has its own
rules W'e can acknowledge these rules
and cooperate with them, or defy them
and suffer Ihe consequences
Recently we have seen a spectacular
example ol this in the explosion ot the
Challenger Our pride and high regard
tor appearances outweighed our com
mon sense, and we paid a gruesome
price W'e knew that a cold weather
launch was not sensible, lhat it was
dangerous — but we d idn't want to
disappoint the television cameras' We
were impatient, we would not accept
another postponement' So we pressed
the button
and the T V camera» got
a bigger spectacle than anticipated
Please, let us he sensible, let us quit
bombing ourselves! le i us quit bomb
ing the planet! Let us begin im
mediately to heal the wounds that have
already been made'
To everyone who cares about ending
the "te s tin g " o f nuclear weapons
please write or phone your representa
lives in Washington, D C . including
President Reagan Let your feelings he
known*
Don Beckett