r • November 18, 1987, Portland Observer Page 3 Speak O ut Do you think the livability is improv ¡ng in Oregon? by Arnold Pitre Arnold Pitre, 41, native Oregonian and local businessman, seeks to present important, pertinent, community issue ques tions, to randomly picked citizens, and report the responses Prof. M cK inley B urt Educational Consultant M aurice Lucas NBA Player/Businessman Yes, the business opportunities are certainly here, but with oppor tunities come preparation and de sire to produce when it presents itself. There are some major deve lopments about that will certainly improve the livability, but the liva bility in Oregon is pratty good right now. In all our travels, my wife and I have found Oregon to be a very pleasant place to live. People are extremely friendly. Most of my holdings are here. The livability is good, and appears to be getting better. Not really. Drugs and crime activity are on an increase. Preparation for kids, white and Black, educationally has not been adequate. The paren tal input to our education system and child rearing, in general, has not been adequate, and all that affects our present livability as well as our future livability. Our economic development has got to be more "home grown". We are developing a foreign market, but ignoring our "home market". We need to em phasize home grown entrepreneur- ship equally as much as the foreign market. These are needs that I feel require immediate attention. Blacks are not involved to any measurable extent in this regard, and that, of course, affects our livability. Social Security _ _ — 1 The Portland Community College Board of Directors and Federation of Classified Employees, American Federation of Teachers, signed a three-year employment contract Monday, November 2. "Increases in the wage and benefit package will be distributed over the three years, assuring competitive wages with business and industry, said Federation President Niky Nikula. A new salary schedule will offer a range of $11,000 to $31,000 per year on eight levels of employment. The previous range was $10,916 to $29,613. PCC Vice President of Administration Services Roy Lindsay said, "We are pleased to resolve the issue and move forward. A three-year contract gives us stability and the ability to plan our resources." Lindsay reported that the wage increase will be reflected in a new salary scale and in one-time payments over three years with a total increase of 12.6% over current salary Changes in the insurance program allow employees to choose one of three carriers for medical, dental, optical and prescription coverage. The contract also increases educational benefits for classified employees and — Questions and Answers Q uestions: M y father has M edicare and has a medical co nd itio n th a t requires he have diagnostic X-rays. Since he can't leave hom e, his d octo r has ordered the X-rays be made at home. W ill M edicare pay fo r these services in a person's home? Answer: Yes, medical insurance helps pay the approved charges for diagnostic X-ray services made in a person's home if the services are ordered by a doctor and are provided by a Medicare-certified supplier. Question: I have heard th a t I m ust show a Social S ecurtiy num ber fo r all dependents I list on m y 1987 Federal tax return. Is this true? Answer: A provision of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 requires that when you file your tax return for calendar year 1987 you must show a Social Se curity number for each dependent listed on your return who is age 5 or older. Oregon residents can get applications and instructions for completing the application by telephoning 223-1616 in the Portland area or toll-free 1-800- 452-1654 from outside Portland. Q uestion: M y disabled nephew has never been em ployed and has no incom e. He lives in public facilities. W ould he be eligible fo r any financial help fro m the Social Security A d m in istra tio n , such as SSI? Answer: Generally, a person who lives in a public institution is not eli gible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), but there are some excep tions. First, a person who lives in a publicly operated community residence which serves no more than 16 people may be eligible for SSI. Second, some one who lives in a public institution primarily to attend approved educational or vocational training offered there may be eligible, too. Third, a person may be eligible for a monthly SSI payment — usually $25 if he or she lives in a public or private health facility and Medicaid is paying more than half the cost of his or her care. There are also exceptions for certain individuals who work or homeless individuals temporarily living in public shelters. For more information, telephone Social Security at 223-1616 from Portland and 1-800- 452-1654 from elsewhere in Oregon. Q uestion: M y m other is no longer able to get around easily or to dress or bathe herself w ith o u t help. Since my w ife and I both w o rk each day, w e have someone com e to our home to take care o f my m other w h ile w e re w o rkin g . W ould my m other's M edicare insur ance cover the cost o f th is care? Answer: The type of care you have described is considered custodial care and is not covered by Medicare. Under Medicare, care is considered to be custodial when it is primarily to meet the personal needs and could be provided by persons without professional skills or training. Examples in clude: changing the bed, helping with bathing, dressing, eating and taking medicine. Even when a person is hospitalized, in a skilled nursing facility, or is receiving home health care, Medicare cannot cover care that is mainly Lynne Johnson Portland Community College Community Education Coordinator Del St. James Yes, not quite up to standard yet, but improving. There appears to be a few more jobs available these days, and of course, that helps the State's economy. A lot of people have been hit pretty hard and have not recovered yet, but I can still see some improvement. Public service help seems to be a little more avail able to people in need. The cost of living seems to be a little high, but things seem to be evening out. ..- iz ; >.j • •Vi« * ? • a fl V- • t * * » • -• -'V A veteran Portland Community College English instructor and her hus band have endowed a new scholarship to benefit Black students at PCC. The Jean L. Buck Scholarship Fund was created by Mr. and Mrs. Bel ford Buck to honor Mrs. Buck's many years of teaching at PCC. First awards will be made in the fall of 1988. The fund, with an initial endowment of $5000, will be administered by the PCC Foundation. Jean Buck started teaching for PCC in 1965 at Shattuck Hall. When Cascade Campus was opened in 1971, Mrs. Buck was one of the original instructors, concentrating on transfer and developmental English classes. She also designed the first drop-in centers at Shattuck Hall and Cascade Campus and trained tutors to staff them. She retired from PCC in 1986, but continued as a volunteer tutor at the Cascade drop-m center. For information about this scholarship, contact Mark Skolmck, PCC Development Office, 244-6111, Ext. 4358. ‘A J - 1 • Portland Students to Visit Children's M useum . Students from two Portland schools visit the Children's Museums "Sticks, Stones and Sealbones" interactive games exhibit this Thursday and A Friday, November 19 and 20, 1987. u nn|,or Located at the Custom House, Southwest Second Avenue and Hooke Street the Children's Museum exhibit give Portland's students opportunities io 'e a 'n more about how children ih other cultures play w „h and team from -, - i-V? fe games. Atkinson Elementray School first-grade students will visit the exhibit on November 19th and Woodlawn Early Childhood Center fifth-grade students Will attend one-hour presentations on November 20th. Student tours include viewing and explanations of a large collection o games and toys from many nations, then dividing into teams to play some of rii-*--: a**.-' T m e students will play "Image of Birds," and Eskimo dice game, while others play dice games from India and ancient Sumeria. A Nigerian game, "Sand Pictures", is played by drawing figures in the without crossing lines of lifting fingers. . . . Teachers will leave the museum with special packets tohelp many o, those multicultural games in their classrooms. The packets were SV <;and The-Oregon Public Utility Commission has directed General' Te|e P ^ "® Co of the Northwest (GTNW) to give bill credits to thousands of its Oreg customers who were o»e,charged on hills prepared in late October and early K 1 funded by a grant from Portland Public Schools. children's Museum For more information, please contact: Tricia Knoll, Children s Museum, 248-4587 James Wells, Atkinson principal, 280-6333; Pamela She y, lawn principal, 280-6282; Bill Garbett, director of public information an communication, Portland Public Schools, 249-3304. f ife » ec'- & May the Lord be a Blessing in Your Life Thanksgiving Days two new programs approved by the .987 PUC The Oregon Telephone Assistance Program (OTAP) and the leieco Tues. Spec. Complete Beauty Service 412 N.E. Alberta Open^ues.-Sat. r S v ii/ from a e o n to ctedd cus,- omem who were overcharged. They said the problem was caused by a com puter error that identified some customers as having more Phone line!I the they actually have. In some oases, the oye,cha,ge amounted to sevotal The Golden Rule Beauty Salon r*. PCC Foundation Announces N ew Scholarship Telephone Bill Overcharge To Be Corrected Retired Maintenance Worker - « ' their families. The College agreed to recognize and include in the Federation bargain ing unit regular part-time employees who work over 600 hours in a fiscal year, a reduction from the 1000-hour limit in the previous contract. "Adding 100-plus employees to the 375 members currently in the unit will maintain the integrity of the union and secure union jobs, Nikula said. The new contract clarifies the job classification system and updates the grievance procedures. All classified jobs at the College will now be described according to specific duties and responsibilities, hours and location of work. "Conflicts may be resolved through a newly adopted progressive approach to the grievance procedure," Nikula noted. Other highlight of the contract include the addition of Martin Luther King Day as a paid holiday and the option of early retirement for employees covered by the last contract. custodial. Q uestion: Since m y neighbor ow ns his hom e and a car, I was surprised to learn he was g ettin g SSI payments. H ow can th a t be? Answer: Eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is limited to people with little or no income or resources, but some resources do not count when deciding if a person is eligible. For example, the applicant s home and adjacent land are not counted. Depending on their value, a car, personal and household goods, insurance policies, and burial funds may also not count. Social Security thoroughly verifies whether each applicant s resources and income fall within the limitations. Q uestion: M y youngest daughter has M edicare coverage be cause she has perm anent kidney failure. I plan to donate one of my kidneys to her fo r a kid n ey tra nsp la n t operation. I k n o w M edicare w ill pay fo r m ost of her hospital costs except fo r the $520 hospital insurance deductible and coinsurance. W ill M edicare also pay fo r the hospital costs I'll incur w hen I donate my kidney? Answer: Medicare Hospital Insurance (Part A) pays the full costs of care for a person who donates a kidney to a Medicare Renal patient. Further more, a donor does not have to pay the hospital insurance deductible or coinsurance charges. » * * V 1 Ì Yes, we are becoming more and more aware of different options and opportunities to make Oregon a more livable place: more oppor tunity for career building, educa tional growth opportunities in a business career, through various kinds of programs such as the PCC Incubator Program. The Portland Convention Center will open up more possibilities for everything from jobs to entertainment. It will really make Portland more livable and more pleasant. I think that more and more options are being made available. PCC Classified C ontract Ratified A . TU R N IN G HEADS V? BY M elvia' dollars. 3At the public meeting, the commissioner asked that an order be pre- O wner Operato» M ary Paris 281 7053 i ¿¿SSL. • Head Turning Curls ...... Group rate for 6 or more people b'" ed. Credit those customers Io, the amount ove,billed a, the eatlies, oppot- Wholesale Pricing On Groceries Gone Public GTNW officials said part of the problem was lack of co^ un^ ' ° " between the company and its billing operations which »re conduce Florida for all subsidiaries of General Telephone and Electric (GTE) _ GTNW has about 241,000 telephone lines in Oregon, including I service areas in Beaverton and other parts of metropolitan Portland, Coos M ! Ì ¡H-5I lÄ O i O q .1 ii ¡So! >o¡ time you save on your grocery bill? PHONE 283-3171 I Thty’ll Tell You All About It • ■. I M M MBB BBB MBB BBM — — — — — ------------------ b u tc h C O O K H a ir D e s ig n F o r M e n S W o m e n Relaxers $35. 00 TCB Curls I I I SI « I 2l w I UJ 0C I I 1227 S .W . M O R R IS O N _ _ « _ ¿ 2 2 ^0 9 9 4 _____ • < I. • Style cuts w ith Relaxers Group rate for 6 or more people Kimberley Warren $35°° M c O o n K i.t ,n p io v » » • Blow Style and Cut $ 2 5 °o Bay-North Bend and La Grande. Did vou know that tot almost 30 years you could have bought some of » u , grocedes at wholesale prices? The Bee Company, for over 30 years y T . / o f zx___ f ’eled I ^ ♦U« p r u X . h lir VA/Ppklv weeMy s s H f U e n t s ' of name-brand ip f moceries at genuine wholesale prices. You'll find canned and 9 iT J fo d n n o r is Det foods as well as frozen and close-dated deli P3Ci X do9n°the shelves The best feature is that you do not have to buv bv theiase You buy just what you want to buy. just the amount V o p H I orated at 800 N. Killingsworth, just east of 1-5, they are V openn Mond»v “ m u g h ^ fu rd a y 9:°30 am ,0 6:00 pm. isn't if abou, •s $45 00 tunity, but no later than Dec. 16. overtoiling Submit a detailed report to the PUC by uec. io on problem and steps taken to correct it. when PUC The of --- the - billingI ' The commission commission became aware ------- - ® "°r . Ollt »he «tiir- Consumer Assistance started receiving customer inquiries about C° oam n„ nt The PUC then contacted GTNW about the overcharge. •» • .. t ■ . ■■■ • Booths Available Office Space Available 287-0630 5852 N.E. 42nd j > M í a t e