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APRIL 13,1989
V O I .I IM F YTY N IIM R F R Id
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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
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_
- - - In Secrecy
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• 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
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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
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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
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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.
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Thank you Ms. Taylor for caring.
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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
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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
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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.
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