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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 1989)
* • K r: rrn n c « U n! ra tty S e h o e n - v e» 8 p a p eP R oon o f O re g o n L i b r a r y O ra ra n f " • X ■; / . 97403 Portland, Oregon •) < •> ? < 25C ERVER PORTI •Jr'-. A- • áC APRIL 13,1989 V O I .I IM F YTY N IIM R F R Id s ä ä » ; Business Center Seeks Lottery Funds Among the seventy two proposals fo r use o f lottery funds was the request fo r $500,000 to fund the A frican- American Business Center for Economic Development. Standing alone, the proposal was the only one submitted on b e h a lf o f an A fric a n -A m e ric a n organization dealing w ith business solutions to economic problems in Northeast Portland. Speaking before the Joint Legislative Committee on Trade and Economic Development Joseph McHenry and O.B. H ill expressed the need to establish a stable business environment to facilitate com m unity revitalization in Northeast Portland. According to M cHenry, “ in the past the voices that spoke fo r us were the voices o f those who spoke through others. Now we choose to speak for ourselves. ’ ’ The African-Am erican Business Center would provide support fo r the growth o f African-Am erican business and not compete or otherwise cross purposes w ith the business incubators and plan centers in the area. The center w ill have a research and development component and operate as an anchor and support the growth o f A frican- A m e ric a n ow ned, operated and controlled business in the area. As a non-profit organization, the business center w ill be able to so licit funds from a variety o f sources however funding by the legislature w ould show d e fin ite c o m m itm e n t th a t it acknowledges the fact that a ll business communities should share in the “ Oregon Comeback” . “ We need all the help we can get” said H ill. “ We ask all persons and organizations to pledge their support to the project” . BAD NEWS ON THE NEW WELFARE LAW JEFFERSON AWARDS CONTINUE TO FOMENT DISSENSION Manner of Presentation Cloaked ------------ _ - - - In Secrecy - • ju tu n or training activities. Under the terms o f the Act, half o f fam ilies on A id to Families w ith Dependent Children (A F D C ), the main welfare program, are exempt from the requirement to participate in work and training programs. M ore over, only 20 percent o f the remaining adults on welfare must be enrolled by states in a w ork or training program by 1993. And i f a state does  L - L ? - ', J < ■ . -, * » « Stephen E. McPherson, Special Correspondent The current Jefferson awards continue to foment dissension w ithin the low er Northeast Com m unity. Iron ically, the avowed purpose o f this distinction is to recognize those unsung persons who have made significant contributions to a com m unity but never have been singled out for their efforts. Ever since the awards were announced there has been a public outcry from those who objected to the fact that one o f the recipients is a person who publishes a scandal sheet that is always bereft w ith undisguised racism. Each year these awards are jo in tly sponsored in the Portland area by K O IN -T V . In itia lly , the station took the position that the award had been made by several anonymous judges over whom they had no control. Even after it was pointed out that the person in question had an outstanding crim inal charge against her, Karen Rice,a spokesperson fo r the group did not consider that fact to be a serious impediment to receiving the honor. Since then it has been learned that the awardee,herself, managed a ll o f the inform ation that went into her nomination. Her sponsorship fo r the award was not only challenged by the St. Andrews Parish, but has also caused so much dissension w ith in that church it is very lik e ly that the parish m inister w ill be removed by the archdiocese. Last week, Richard M . Schafbuch, general manager o f K O IN -T V , made a halfhearted attempt to resolve the controversy by suggesting that the contested honoree return her award so as to silence the publics’ objection to this affront. As w ould be expected, the person in this case refused. In making such a pronouncement, M r. Schafbach avoided making any reference to the yellow rag w hich is the p oint o f contention and also declined to make any statement w ith regard to the stations’ s position on racism. He has since stated that as sponsor o f the award, K O IN -T V retained the rig h t to rescind the decision o f any judge i f they so chose. In this case they did not. In the future however the rules have been changed so that a ll finalists w ill be made public prior to announcing the ultim ate decision. This is s till too little and too late. It certainly is an exercise the C ity o f Roses can ill-a ffo rd to repeat. A t press tim e it was learned that Station K O IN -T V was going to make a m ajor departure from the usual manner in which awards are presented. The awards were to be presented privately to the five individuals. The manner in w hich the objectionable award w ill be made is cloaked in secrecy. It is know n, however, that the details were negotiated between Jack F. Olson, attorney fo r the indigent awardee and Owen D. Blank, general counsel fo r K O IN -T V . The announcement w ill not be carried on the evening news, nor w ill a press release fo llo w from K O IN -T V . I suppose that in their good judgem ent this approach was their method o f handling a very d iffic u lt situation. It is interesting to observe that there are far more je lly fish is the ocean than there are strong fish w ith sturdy backbones. CITIZEN OF THE YEAR AWARD « V .*•.<« The National Association o f Social W orkers Oregon Chapter w ill hold an awards luncheon as part o f its annual state conference on Saturday, A p ril 15 in the Oregonian Room at Nendel’ s Inn on Canyon Road in Portland. The CITIZEN OF THE YEAR Award w ill be given to M ariah Taylor pediatric nurse practitioner who runs a non-profit children’ s c lin ic in northeast Portland that serves low income, uninsured : - •. * • • » > families. Believing that health care is a right, not a privilege Taylor testified powerfully before the Legislature on the need for everyone to have access to health care. W hile she sees people who cannot pay, she does not give free care. “ There is no dignity in free care” says Taylor who b ills for patient are and allows people to provide a service in lieu o f 7' j’/ To Ms.Mariah A. Taylor RNCPNC 1989, Jefferson Award winner for outstanding Community Service. As founder and Director of The North Portland Nurse Practioner Clinic, Ms. Taylor has provided quality health care to indigent residents since November, 1980. Her tireless efforts to help those in need at no cost or a fraction of the cost has not gone unnoticed. Hence, her long overdue recoginition as a champion for health issues for the under privileged. fees. In addition to providing prim ary- care services she offers free juice or coffee, children’s books and used clothing - and hope and encouragement Taylor’s c lin ic is funded by United W ay, grants and donations. ■ . ..... ■ p •. *.'• •> Thank you Ms. Taylor for caring. ■ not reach this goal, the only penalty on the state w ill be a slight drop in federal support fo r the costs o f such programs, from 59 percent o f the programs’ costs to 50 percent. The national rate o f participation in w ork and training programs already is between 10 percent. The national rate o f participation in w ork and training programs already is between 10 percent and 15 percent, according to estimates by the Department o f Health and Human Services. When the Fam ily Support A c t o f 1988 (P L . 100-485) became law last October, its supporters touted it as a m ajor reform o f the welfare system, one that would move large numbers o f welfare recipients o ff the rolls. B y States w ill spend large contrast, critics pointed to the absence amounts of money on training in the law o f strong w ork requirements, and the measure’ s reliance on expensive programs that will have little new services; because o f these, they effect on reducing welfare rolls. said, the overhaul o f the welfare system About one m illio n w elfare recipients w ould fa il to reduce dependency. A are expected to participate in the new recent study by the Congressional Budget training or w ork programs, according O ffice (CBO ) not o nly confirm s the to the C BO , at a m inim um cost o f critics* concerns, but suggests that the $3,075 per participant. Fewer than 4 critics actually may have understated percent o f those who do participate in the b ill’s weaknesses. training and w ork programs, however, The C BO finds that this newest w ill fin d employment. Studies o f state “ reform ” actually w ill increase the w ork programs show that the largest number o f families on welfare. W hile reductions in welfare rolls actually result the CBO estimates that the law’s training from very modest programs. The C BO and work provisions w ill result in 50,000 cites a Arkansas w ork program that fewer fam ilies on welfare by the end o f costs just $158 per participant and five years, this is ju st 1 percent o f the reduced the welfare caseload by 5 caseload. What is worse, the la w ’s percent. By contrast, a Maryland training expand3ed e lig ib ility and benefits, and w ork program costs $838 per according to CBO analysts, w ill add participant w ith a less than 1 percent 80,000 families to the welfare rolls, fo r reduction in the caseload. a net increase o f 30,000 fam ilies on Very expensive dav care welfare by 1993. benefits will be provided to The C B O ’s study highlights other thousands of recipients who lik e ly effects o f the Fam ily Support A ct that agree w ith the claim s o f critics. would have left w elfare ev en Am ong them: without such benefits. Beginning The great majority of welfare recipients will continue to receive benefits without any Congratulations T.s'-A» in A pril 1990, states must provide twelve months o f child care assistance to families leaving welfare for a job. The CBO estimates that 470.000 fam ilies w ill qualify for this new benefit, but virtually all o f these fam ilies would have left welfare without this additional assistance. Thus the new spending on these services w ill induce few extra welfare recipients to take a job, w hile costing taxpayers, according to C BO estimates, about $1.2 b illio n over five years. C h ild care for children under age 15 costs an estimated average o f $159 per month, but the CBO cautions that this could escalate quickly i f states chose ill-designed funding mechanisms and service delivery systems. Under Massachusetts’ educ ation and training (ET) program, fo r instance, costs are $270 per month, chiefly because state officials discourage the use o f less expensive inform al child care and refuse to 4reimburse care by relatives. The new mandatory AFDC coverage for two-parent families will add thousands o f families to be welfare rolls. Requiring the 22 states that do not currently provide AFD C benefits to two-parent fam ilies to do so w ill add an average o f at least 65,000 families each month to the welfare system, says the CBO. Provisions that liberalize the amount o f earned income that can be disregarded in determining welfare eligibility w ill add another 15,000 families. This increase in the number o f AFD C beneficiaries, and increase in AFD C benefits, w ill cost the federal government $1.3 b illio n and state governments $1.0 billion over five years. In sum, the CBO study refutes the rhetoric used by the b ill’ s proponents to push it through Congress. Lawmakers were told that the b ill w ould mandate w ork in exchange fo r welfare payments and that new transitional benefits w ould induce thousands o f families to leave the welfare rolls. The sponsors promised too that the measure w ould pay fo r itself by reducing welfare expenditures. Yet taking into account the total price tag o f the legislation, each o f the 50,000 families lik e ly to leave the rolls because o f the training and w ork provisions w ill cost Am erican taxpayers an average o f $66,000 to place in a jo b . The b ill’s generous funding, moreover, w ill not go to the poor. Instead, this money w ill go to bureaucrats, caseworkers, teachers, and accountants who run the programs. In the sense that these middle-class professionals also are dependent for their livelihood on the welfare services, thousand o f non-poor individuals w ill jo in the system. Toward a Workable Act. The C B O ’ s analysis clearly gives an “ F ’ grade to the Fam ily Support A c t Lawmakers thus should stop assuming that last year’ s legislation reformed the system and reopen the debate over reform. M eanwhile, the Bush A d m in istration should do what it can to make the A c t as workable as possible. In particular, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Louis Sullivan should make sure that the b ill’ s regulations, now being drafted by his department, are designed to move Americans o ff welfare. For example, states should be given the broadest possible fle x ib ility to design efficient mandated work programs, such as that in Arkansas. The new regulations also should strengthen the work requirements whenever possible, perhaps by requiring welfare recipients who do not have a child under the age to six to participate for at lease 30 hours a week in a w ork or training program. Any less stringent requirement would have a negligible impact on the welfare rolls. Finally, HHS and the W hite House should strengthen the role o f the Low Income Opportunity Board. This interagency board “ fast-tracks” requests from states fo r temporary waivers o f federal rules to perm it innovative state experiments to reduce welfare dependency. The Board has been the catalyst fo r real welfare reform in the states. The Bush Administration also should ask Congress to grant the Board broader waiver authority to help states create a welfare system that actually reduces dependency. Current law prevents the Board from allowing states to transfer funds between many m ajor programs. Student of Week Sy**} Ç M- V* « M S * * * * * v i * * * * * * * $ * * * * av. * y * * * * * * * * * * Expanding the Welfare Trap. D uring the welfare reform debate last year, Ronald Reagan stated that the test o f any welfare reform proposal is: How many does it move o ff welfare? The Fam ily Support A ct flunks this test according to the C B O ’ s analysis. O nly a modest number o f existing welfare fam ilies w ill leave the welfare rolls, at an enormous cost to the taxpayer. Thousands more American families w ill fall into the welfare trap as attractive new benefits tempt w orking families to sign on *o welfare. By Jimi Johnson * * * * * * * * * * * * * Nazareth Gazai, a senior at Jefferson High School came to the United States in 1982. Bom in Asmera, Eritera in East A frica , she and her fam ily moved to the U.S. to escape the c iv il war in Ethiopia between the Ethiopian and the Eriteran people. An ESP (English as second language) student, Nazareth couldn’t speak a word o f English upon her arrival in the U.S. A fte r hard work, tutoring, and watching a lo t o f T. V ., Nazareth has mastered the language and is currently holding a 3.3 accumulative GPA. An active student in the International club at Jefferson (a cultural awareness club focusing on people from foreign countries) says her ultimate goal is to become a doctor and return to her home land in East A frica to help those less fortunate than herself. Nazareth believes that “ when young African-Am ericans k ill each other through, gang violence or what ever, they're doing what the American government wants, they’ re doing their jo b fo r them” she continued, in reference to the feelings o f the U.S. governments attitude toward Black on Black crim e. She feels that ‘ ’ young African-Am erican people should know their heritage and understand the price their ancestors paid for them to get freedom o f education and the opportunities should not be wasted. I w ould like to see more African-Am ericans studying to be doctors, lawyers, and government o ffic ia ls ” she continued. Ms. Gazai plans to attend cither Oregon State or Eastern Oregon college m ajoring in Pre-Med next fall. • J ,» •?. r . ; I I M C c ; ¿V