- • •
I I
'
fc jl
Page 2, Portland Observer, July 2, 1986
-!
EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY
I
Senate Tax Bill, Good Legislation
The Tax Bill approved last Tuesday by the
Senate Finance Committee was a good piece
of legislation. The Bill, which was sponsored
by Oregon Senator Bob Packwood, Chairman
of the Senate Finance Committee, has been
called the most radical tax reform legislation
in more than 40 years. Now the Tax Bill must
be approved by a House Senate conference
committee.
Under the Bill, six million low income tax
payers will pay no taxes at all - tax rates for
both individual and business will be reduced -
instead of 15 tax brackets, there will be only
two
tax loopholes for the wealthy will be
eliminated.
As with any legislation, there will be losers.
For example, under the Senate Bill, businesses
would lose a $38 billion yearly subsidy for
equipment purchases; impose a minimum tax
limiting the value of deductions for equipment;
eliminate most individual tax shelters; and
repeal deductions for contributions to
Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA).
Making wealthy individuals and corpora
tions pay their fair share of taxes is what
makes the Senate Bill a good piece of
legislation. For too long, this nation's tax laws
have favored the rich and big business
The Senate tax plan is the first plan in recent
memory that favors the common citizen and
not special interest groups.
Call to Conscience Challenges U.S. Policy
in Southern Africa
by Jerry Garner
use nonviolent protest to challenge
policies that strengthen Apartheid
Call to Conscience asks citizens to
join with others to engage in acts of
public protest, as conscience leads
them, including participating in de
monstrations, vigils, leaflet distribu
tions. and appeals Io the Congress and
the White House
CTC is supported by the following
organizations American Committee.
Episcopal Church People for a Free
Southern A frica . National Black
A group o f organization» opposing
the system of Apartheid in Southern
Africa has formed the Call to Consci
ence (CTC)
Call Io Const lence is modeled on the
Pledge ol Resístanse used by Central
Amens an activists CTC is a pledge
taken to demand that the United States
government, its institutions and its cor
porations cease all actions supporting
injustice in Southern Africa
Acting on moral and religious val
ues. individuals and organizations w ill
Caucus of Stale Ixgislators. National
Black United Front. National Free
South Africa Movement. National
Namhia Concerns, National Political
Congress of Black Women. Southern
Africa Support Project. Trans Africa,
United States Sludcnt Association, and
Washington Office on Africa
Under the system o f Apartheid.
26.000.(MX) Blacks are denied the right
to vote, to live and work where they
choose, to own a business or trade, or to
live with their families as equals with
the 6 m illion White South Africans
“ Black Mayors: A Mixed Review"
Dr Manning Murable
Along the Color lane"
The recent electoral defeat ol incumbent Mayor Kenneth
A Gibson of Neward highlights a national trend in black
politics
a growing degree of alienation between big city
mayors and their black constituents First elected mayor in
1970, Gibson was seeking an unprecedented fifth term
against three challengers Highly confident throughout the
campaign. Gibson was shellshocked when voters gave their
mandate Io Sharpe James, a black college professor and city
councilman Soundly defeated. Gibson now admits that he
"never saw it coming ”
He should have Gibson was the first black elected mayor
o f a Northeastern city Initially, he brought into office a
number o f escellent appointments In the past sixteen years.
Newark's health care has improved markedly, and black
infant mortality talcs declined ('rim e dropped over 6 per
cent. and nearly 11 .UIX) apartments lor families and (he
elderly were renovated or constructed But Newark's other
problems were so severe that only massive Federal intersen
lion could have turned things around For a decade. Gibson
called tor a "M arshall Plan" Io rebuild U S central cities
But no major aid ever arrived
Newark's socioeconomic base, already declining when
Gibson w aslirst elected, was shattered in subsequent scars
th e number of restaurants fell from 917 in 1970 to 24b this
year Retail stores dropped from 1.X69 io 1.794 Hotels fell
from 32 to lb. drug stores. 205 down to 59 In a m ajorcity of
over «»).000 people, there are currently no bowling alleys,
six movie theatres, and only one large supermarket The
decline in businesses meant a loss of jobs As ol February.
19X6. Newark's unemployment rate reached 12 6 percent
Many problems Gibson faced could have been addressed
by vigorous leadership, and strong, grassroots organization
by community groups Instead, jvower led to managerial
malaise and corruption th e administration's critics have
long noted that in competence quickly became the norm
under Gibson Rutgers I inversus Professor Hilda Hidalgo
observes, " Politic al loyally fee ame more of a criterion lor a
person getting a job or keeping people in positions " U lti
mately. Gibson's lame promises were no longer satisfactory
( tther black mayors share Gibson's woes In New Orleans
two months ago. the handpicked mayoral candidate ol outgo
ing Mayor Frnesl Mortal was trounced al the polls by his
opponent, bl.uk city councilman Sidney Barthelcmy The
election was in many respects a referendum on the eight year
tenure of Mortal, New Orleans' first black mayor Prohibited
from running for a third term. Mortal selected his close alls.
Stale Sen W illiam Jefferson, a black Harvard law graduate
as his nominal successor During a hitter mayoral campaign,
a pro Jefferson radio commercial attacked Barthelcmy as
"favoring whites " Barthelcmy ‘s strong victory represented
two distinct constituencies Eighty six percent o f all whites
voted lor hint, plus an additional 2X percent o f the black
electorate Crude racial appeals backfired, more fundamen
tally, blacks who did support Barthelcmy wen? indirectlv
expressing a vote o f "n o confidence" in Morial
One year after the disastcrous bombing and urban tire
preccpitated by the MOVE incident in l*hiladelphia. Mayor
W ilson Goode remains besieged The event which claimed
the lives of six adults. 5 children, and destroyed 61 homes,
has never been justified Even Goode's panel selected to
investigate the case stated in its public report that the mayor
was ' ‘ grossly negligent'. displaying a “ reckless disregard for
life and property
Hundreds of Black Philadelphia coni
munity leaders continue to call for his resignation
and
even prosecution Now Goode's white corporate backers
have begun Io distance themselves from the mayor's prob
Icms Ralph Widner. the executive director ol the Greater
Philadelphia First Corporation, recently staled "There is a
w klesprcad perception that you can't rely on his word " t wo
short years ago. Goode was seriously considered as Mon
dale's vice presidential running male Now. his political life
appears to he virtually over
In the late 1960s. many black political activists believed
that the election of more Afro-American mayors would help
solve the systemic problems of urban poverty, racism, un
employment. and police brutality What we've learned from
New ark. New ( irleans and Philadelphia is that race alone can
be no viable litmus test for political success. Unless p o liti
cians are responsive Io community based interests, and with
out extensive grassroots mobilization and continued efforts
to empower poor, black and Hispanic constituencies, the
eleation of black Democrats as mayors is almost meaning
less
Ih Murirung Marable will became Professor of Pohln al
S< i t in i ami 5<s lologs al Purdue University. H er Lafayette.
Indiana. beginning this July 'Ahum the Color I me " ap
pears in more than I A ll newspapers internationally
Letters to the Editor
"D o u b le S tandard Of J u stice
People around the world recog
nize that so called Christian cauca
•oid Amenka is moving toward
the abyss created by its own racist
arrogance.
misplaced priorities,
rampant materialism, and ethical
bankruptcy
The Reagan admini
stration doesn't recognize interna
tional law I was taught to believe
Law is a refinement of man's asspi
ration to be civil, responsible and
orderly. Civility promotes sensitivity
to human feelings, thoughts and
actions. Responsibility rejects fatal
istic
determinism.
Orderliness
espouses the rational and purpose
fui orientation of action and organi
zation. So one could say Law con
sciousness is in part a product of
constitutionalism which is a species
of legalism Legalism is an ideology
committed to rule following. Rule
following is a form of rational
decision making and, in the case of
constitutions, power allocating.
Thus, ever since the Constitutional
Convention there has been a prac
tice in the United States of attemp
ting to solve great political and
social problems through the process
of law. including especially judicial
solution than slavery and race rela
lions in the United States. So I
would say it is unwise to ever put
too much confidence in the Court
as the saver of Blacks. Yet fidelity
to and respect for law enables many
to transcend their callous incivility,
selfish irresponsibility, and willful
disorderliness. Law may be peda
gogical as well as prescriptive
On the whole, lawyers, the care
takers of our Constitutionalism,
_________
n .- a
»
Publishers
Asso, .itmn
ity, injustice and racism Mr Wil
ham H Rehnquist, will attempt to
imprison the Supreme Court by a
rigid framework of rules, rules
which tend to glorify form over
substance I've been unable to find
anyone who could possibly charac
tenze Me Rehnquist as sypathetic
to individual or human rights He's
essentially a law and order man,
guided by Frankfurtian notions of
formal equality He will point the
Court in whatever direction Mr
Reagan's winds blow and backlash
counter currents flow
Nominee
Rehnquist is the signal that the role
of the Supreme Court as a protector
of Black causes may soon come to
an end This would mean that poor
or working people can no longer
depend on the Court to deliver the
justice denied them by other less
sympathetic Amenkan institutions
The United State Supreme Court,
as an institution, historically has not
served as especially beneficial role in
the lives of Blacks
The Court,
like all other major institutions in
Amenka. has reflected much of the
overall racism of the society at
large Mr Reagan is behaving and
becoming king like, which means
he, and especially those in high
places closely associated with him,
feel they are above the law and
governmental tradition That which
is corrupt or perverse or smells in
the Reagan Administration is over
looked rationalized, or disbelieved
by the general caucasoid populace
Indeed, it appears that the racist
and anti Black implication of a
movement toward a second post
Portland Observer
'-»i m > i ■
P r e g i m
have served our history and country
comparatively well, in spite of their
sometimes
"brilliant
myopia,"
"superfluous rigor.” and precious
rigidity.
Public interest and civil
rights lawyers are very much in
keeping with the fine tradition of
public service by some lawyers
And even if legal education some
times "enervate(s) moral indigna
tion" and "inculcatelsl intellectual
and oral tim idity," it has produced a
lot of fine lawyers who are dedi
cated to correcting injustices, pro
moting the common good, and ex
panding civility
Brothers and Sisters remember,
knowledge is power
Black pro
fessionals must obtain and put it at
the disposal of the Black Com
munity in Portland. Otherwise the
Black Community will be cast into
outer "darkness," blindly beseech
ing and imploring the patronizing
attention and feckless assistance of
caucasoid professionals and mis
sionary imperialists I’m inclined to
believe it would be well for Blacks
to remember in evaluating and deal
ing with caucasoids and their insti
tutions. whether judicial, legislative,
administrative, or corporate, that
"conservatives” are self righteously
arrogant; "liberals” are sometimes
indulgently generous
After reading the Editorial Com
mentary, 6/25,86, "Rehnquist Ap
pointment Predictable," I'm inclined
to believe continuous re evaluation
and re assessment of all legal insti
tutions, processes and principles are
required, if effective legal strategies
are to be employed against mequal
M
C
¡B
IW
the Portland (Unerser lUSeS
,
» l«.ta«Zwrt
thursdsv by Ex» P u N w Z w iq Company Inc.. 14K) N E X«
wonh Portland Orason 97211. P o « Ortlc« Bo« 3137. Portland
OraQon 972OB Second claaa prwtaga prad « Portland O a g o n
“ I •»>.
ax
S
M
kN . *
Tba Portland H bserrrr was astatwsrwd »1 19X)
C t a r v M W w t V . * » 'W
MEMBER
NÊWA peb
A n o e iH io n ■ rounded 1M 5
S u t*n p lx > n * »15 00 1 * e » e I I » Tit County area Poxt
m a t t « Sand adrtraax > - * v “ to the Portland fXMervw. P 0
288 0033
Boa 3137 Portland. Orason 972OB
AlfredL Henderson. Edilor/Publuher
A l Williams, General Manager
N a tio n a l A d v e rtis in g R e p rä s e n ta tiv «
A m . i a . „ , . , . d P u b lis h e r. inc
N e w Y ork
Reconstruction are warmly approv
ed and embraced by the majority of
the so called Christian caucasoid
populace Blacks as an identifiable
group will find a great threat to their
interests in decisions of the Reagan
Rehnquist Court except when their
claims are framed in terms remini
scent of nineteenth century proper
ty interests or coincidental to the
nouveau malheureux such as mid
die class caucasoid women, the
aged, and non smokers
Dr Jamil Cherovee
“Have Black People Made It?"
Hlack People have made it In the
suburbs, where we live next door In
caucasoid people in houses and apart
mcnls and stand in line n u ll caucasoid
people in department stores and quick
food restaurants Hlutk people have
made it to caucasoid schools, where we
leant to sjvak caucasoid languages ami
tell caucasoid lies just like caucasoid
people do Blac k IVople have made it to
the beauty pallors, where we straighten
Our hail, squeeze Our noses and make
Our thick lips thin so we can look like
caucasoid people look And. Hlack
People have made it away from the used
car lots, now we can bus a brand new
car and make it to the Capital Gentle in
style If these things are what equality is
all about, then Black People have cer
tainly made it
But. do Black IVople have indepen
dent land ol Our own where we can
grow the toixl Itl.Kk People need to
survive ’ No, We don't, but caucasoid
people do Do Black People have a
government of Our own which makes
the lawsthal Black IVople live bv ’ No.
We 1I011 I. but caucasoid people do Do
Itl.Kk People have an armv of its own
that w ill defend I s against foreigners
who attack I s ’ No. We don’t, hut
caucasoid people do And. do Black
IVople have a social structure ol Our
own. one that w ill direct Us in Our
personal ami interpersonal relation
ships? Nil, We ilon I hut caucasoid
people do It follows then, that it these
things are what equality is all about,
Black IVople certainly have not made
it
I his essay docs at least three things
First, it tells I s what we think equality
is. and what it actually is Secondly, it
tells Us what We are about, anil what
We should be about I h itd lv. it implies
that there is a link between tlx- two.
between ( hir perception of equality ami
what We aie about (What We dm
Ihe fust paragraph tells Us what We
think equality is. and implies that We
I uik lion in a certain way because that is
what We aie seeking So. We tunclion
like simple minded adults who. instead
of being concerned about establishing
standards, are satisfied imitating the
standards established by caucasoid
people, the reasoning being that it We
can be like them, then We are equal to
them Needless to say, that type of
reasoning is dangerous to Black
People's health
I he first paragraph tells what We are
about. Brolhers/Sistcrs We are about
imitating caucasoid people ami playing
caucasoid games with Our life We are
proof that ignoi.mt people can satisfy
themselves with less than what they
need W hat are We ignorant o f ’ We arc
ignorant ol what equality is really all
about
I I k - second paragraph tells Us that
equality is really about having ihe
(lower to establish your own standards,
enforce those standards and defend
those standards against attack, when
necessary It is not about being able Io
dress cool, talk slick and live next Io
caucasoid people II is about establish
ing governments, building armies and
providing for the welfare of Luge num
bers of (icople
I fie second paragraph, by telling Us
what equality really is, implies what
We should he really about. Brothers/
Sisters It tells Us w hat people w ho are
serious and knowledgeable o f world
politics are all about It tells Us what
people who understand (lower are all
about, ami suggest that, if We want
equality We should he about that also
We must stop settling lor less than what
We deserve We should stop settling lor
the role of well o ff imitators We
should recognize that equality is more
than what We have thought it is and
recognize that Wc therefore need to
nuke .id|ustiiK*nts in Ihe way We con
duct Ourselves Then, after making
these recognitions. We should act ac
cordingly. We should act as serious
people in search o f power and self
determination (equality ) usually act.
I believe it was our Brother i Marcus
M Garvey) who said "The so called
Negro now stands at the crossroads of
human destiny He is at the place w here
he must either step forward or back
ward It he goes backward he dies, It he
goes forward it w ill be with the hope of
a greater life Those o f us who have
developed our minds sciennrtcally are
compelled, by duty, to step out among
the millions o f the unthinking masses
and convince them o f the seriousness ol
the age in which We live "
I'm inclined to believe, a successful
attack on rising crime rates must con
sider the employment problems lacing
pixir people What can he done, in the
context of the failure o f our moral and
political systems, to provide jobs and a
decent standard o f living for poor
people in Portland ’ What people learn
and study has to be relevant Io then
needs and at the same time it should
enable them to change their condition
and their surroundings, thereby chang
ing themselves It's obvious the masses
ol poor people are being programmed
for destruction
Dr Jamil Cherovee
Welfare Families Decry End of
Two-Parent Family Welfare
Program
On May 9, 1986 the Emergency
Board of the legislature ended the
two parent family welfare program
(ADC UNI which began February 1,
19B6
Families whose benefits
have been cut o ff w ill tell w hat is
happening to them at a media
conference at the Family House.
626 N W 19th in Portland, at
10 30a m on Ju ly 1, 1986
Because of budget deficits in the
Department of Human Resources,
the Emergency Board voted to stop
ADC UN July 1, 1986 and to have it
start up again on November 1, 1986
Currently, there are 11,319 people
(or 2,736 cases) receiving ADC UN
benefits
All of these families will
lose their cash benefits on July 1.
One such family is the Kerths
The Kerths have been married for 20
years They have 10 children, and
one on the way
Last November
Mr Kerth lost his job. and has
pounded the pavements gib hunting,
without success, ever since
In
March, they began to receive ADC
UN benefits ' My wife and I have
been forced to separate because wc
will have no income as of July 1st,"
said Henry Kerth "I love my family
enough to desert them But I want
to work at any wage, anywhere, so
that my family and I can be reunited '
"The effect on these families will
be devastating,” said Tim Hornbeck
er, Director of the Society of St.
Vincent de Paul "Families who do
not split up will be evicted, and end
up homeless again, just at the time
that the demand on helping agencies
is at its height, this July The demand
on helping agencies is already up
325% from three years ago With
unemployment at 9 1%, the jobs are
simply not there for these families."
"It is a myth that summer employ
ment is available to keep 2,700 farm
lies from destitution,” said Terry Ann
Rogers, staff attorney at Legal Aid
"If the jobs were there, these families
would have work and not need
welfare One of the parents in the
ADC-UN household has to look for
work the whole time a family receives
benefits ”
"Single parent families can still get
cash assistance; why should the
children in two parent unemployed
families be discriminated against be
cause of the number of parents in the
home?” asked Bob Castagna, Direc
tor of the Oregon Catholic Con
ference. "Oregon will see families
being forced to separate |ust to put a
roof over their children's heads
Government policy should not play
this role."
I