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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 1992)
March 25, 1992...The Portland Observer...Page 3 «re Are Our Government(s) Out of Control? the president so w ell described his own mission. The women arc reading the script and they are reacting. “ No im provement in high school graduation rate-one in five children in America lives in p o v e rty-in fa n t m ortality rate is g ro w in g -ju v e n ile violent offensives, deaths and suicides are increasing each year. The N R A has gone w ild w ith power in its struggle against gun con- tro l-a n d the nation’s females are s till angry over that senate comm ittec’ s treat- m c n lo f Anita H ill in her sexual harass m ent confrontation w ith Clarence T ho mas.” A t home here in the state o f O r egon, some o f our duly elected (and their duly appointed) would seem to be just as much “ out o f control.” I get personally terrified when rascals get to playing around w ith the Public Em ployees Retirement System money— that’s my little pension. A principal cu lp rit has pleaded guilty to racketeer ing in some m u llim illio n dollar she nanigans and faces “ three years p ro bation and up to 90 days in j a il! ” O f course, his attorney says that “ he has suffered terribly.” W ell, la-tc-da-da, so have we pensioners. They give you more time fo r snatching purses. And aside from this unsupervised miscreant who for five years oversaw a $600 m illio n program that invested our money in commercial mortgages, how about our same free-wheeling treasury/ fund investment o u tfit investing m il lions in London real estate that had already been declared shaky by London bankers (who have since forcclosied. BY PROF. MCKINLEY BURT It certainly looks that way. But it also appears that a number o f voters and taxpayers are fin a lly awakening. We would ask, though, “ w ill just retiring incumbent and incompetent politicians be enough-given it may occur at all levels o f government?” One percent or 500 m illio n checks bounce each year in the U.S.-Congress bounces at ten times » this rate! As one news service said, "The three R ’ s-retirem ents, redistricting and revenge by the voters—could lead to the highest turnover in Congress in almost 20 years. Reinforcing this opinion, we have an African-Am erican female w in ning the Illin o is Democratic nomina tion for the Senate, Carol Moseley Braun, previously the Recorder o f Deeds. The most exciting development here is that Braun’ s successful campaign was well financed through its inclu sio n the "E M IL Y L IS T .” The “ Em ily L is t” is the name given to the roster o f female congressional candidates who arc financially supported by a new national women’ s organiza tion that solicits $100 checks in the m illion s to aid their choices. It is surely w orking for “ sack-of-checks” support enabled the black female to handily defeat the well-entrenched incumbent, Democratic Senator Charles Hayes (43 years in public life —never lost an elec tion). The ladies mean business, and they are “ taking no prisoners.” The republic may yet be reserved from the inept, the corrupt and those who “ do nothing” as 315= le e Il ow easy r‘ It IS to AFS Efforts to Combat Fraud Expand f l lo w e r lin e The reorganization o f the Investi gations U nit o f A d ult and Fam ily Ser vices (AFS) is paying o ff in increased actions taken against people com m it ting welfare and food stamp fraud. In July 1991, the 20 AFS fraud investigators, who previously reported to the agency’s four region managers, were centralized under newly appointed C hie f Investigator A rt Kapteyn. F ig ures ju s t released by the division show that during the six months fo llo w in g the move, enforcement actions against fraud increased significantly. “ The centralization teamed the in vestigators up under a supervisor who has a background in such things as crim inal investigation and rules o f e vi w k en dence, whereas our region managers have a wide range o f responsibilities in fie ld operations and cannot be expected to know about these topics,” AFS A d m inistrator Stephen M innich pointed out. “ We are now benefiting from the specialized guidance our investigators 'ou re iru n in i S are receiving.” Between July and December o f 1991, 243 cases o f welfare and food stamp fraud were submitted to local district attorneys for legal action. That was an increase o f 99 from the first six months o f the year, when 144 cases were submitted. Conviction for welfare or food stamp fraud carries a maximum penalty o f five years in prison and a fine o f up to S1,000. In less serious cases o f food stamp fraud, the agency can choose to take administrative action rather than turn cases over to a district attorney. These administrative actions, known as Inten tional Program violations, mean the recipient loses food stamp benefits for a certain length o f time. In the six months before centralization, 879 such violations were imposed; in the last six months o f the year the numbers grew to 1018. (Intentional Program Violations for welfare fraud have not been a option in the past; however, recent changes in federal regulations now allow such ac tions, and the agency w ill begin impos ing the penalties in A p ril.) In addition to enforcement actions against those who have comm itted fraud, the agency is taking steps to prevent its occurrence. A new “ fraud p ro file ,” developed by investigator David Grenbcmcr o f Grants Pass, w ill soon be used by AFS staff members to help spot possible fraudulent applica leaving Oregonians holding a $30 m il lion dollar bag. A former student at our daily here says this is just the “ tip o f the iceberg.” Others arc suggesting that we need to take a detailed look at those depart ments dealing w ith lands-in-gcncral; the Economic Development and the Lottery Commissions, perhaps even that slow-moving Dcpartm cntof Justice and the Attorney General’s office (why did it take so long for that “ D om inion” real estate o u tfit to be brought to justice?) W ell, m illions upon m illions have van ished and more arc in jeopardy and no one has gone to ja il yet, and probably never w ill. Whatever happened to our State Legislature? Have they no over sight ro le -n o comm itment to structur ing our administrative functions such that have fiduciary responsibility? Returning to the national scene we see that, in truth, congressmen were not only failing to balance their own check books, but were equally delinquent in guarding the nation’ s purse. The Sena tor from West V irgin ia proceeds to move entire government bureaus out o f Washington to new hundred-m illion dollar enclaves that w ill be b u ilt in his state; the Pentagon is b a ilin g out M cDonnel Douglass Corporation to the tunc o f hundreds o f m illions (they are also asking for tens o f m illions to ex pand their own quarters, w hile a m illio n or more servicemen w ill be deactivated and thrown on the job market). R IS E UP F O L K S -S T O P T H E W E LF A R E AN D FOOD STAM P C H IS E LE R S ! Ask the Doctor-W hy The Fat Comes Back Those individuals interested in dis covering why diets fa il can get up to date information on why the fat comes back and how to make weight loss permanent at a free seminar. The seminars, entitled “ Ask the D octor-W hy The Fat Comes Back” address topics such as exercise as a weight management tool, heredity and obesity, and the effects o f yo-yo diet ing. The seminar w ill be on Thursday, A p ril 4th, at Eastmorcland Hospital at 7:30 P.M.. in the lower board room. There w ill be tim e for questions and answers. Dr. Nelson is Medical D irector o f the Medical W eight Management Centers in Portland, Raleigh H ills, M cM in nville , and the North Coast. MYTHMAKER Poet/Author Nikki Giovanni Comes to Portland April 6 In February, N ik k i G iovanni was sidelined by illness and forced to cancel her appearance at Portland State U ni versity. Many people were disappointed. Therefore, PSU’ s Black C ultural A f fairs Board is pleased to announce that N ik k i Giovanni has rescheduled and w ill present a public lecture Monday, A p ril 6, at 7 p.m. in the Smith Center Ballroom (Room 355,1825 S.W. Broad way). She w ill punctuate her lecture w ith readings o f selected poems and short stories. Tickets are available at the door the night o f the presentation. They also can be purchased in advance through the PSU T icket O ffice, comer o f S.W. 5th & M ill, 725-3307. Cost is $7 general; $5 Sr. adults, students; $3 PSU students. ( F o llo w in g M s. Giovanni ’ s lecture a reception and book signing w ill take place in the Vanport Room, Room 338 Smith Center.) Since 1968 N ik k i G iovanni has published nearly 20 books, made half a dozen records, had a m ovie made about her work, and performed w ith an or chestra. She holds many honorary de grees and keys to cities all over the nation; she has been awarded woman o f the year many times and in many ca pacities. In 1968, after the publication o f her Dad's Oil Service heating oils tions. “ The profile is a checklist for the intake w orker that points out signs that can mean a problem,” Kapteyn stated. “ These applications then can be turned over to the Investigations U nit for fu r ther scrutiny before benefits arc ap proved.” Best Cash Prices 104 NE Russell Portland, OR 97212 282-5111 For Best Results Fri/Sat 8 :0 0 pm Sun 2 :0 0 pm youth groups o f Mallory and Piedmont Church of Christ P ro c e e d s go lo w a rd s y o u th a tte n d in g reg io n a l y o u th c o n fe re n ce presents 1st A n n u a l F a sh io n S h o w F u n d ra is e r "Fashion Safari" A n E th n ic E x p e rie n c e A V isu al T rip T h ro u g h T h e W orld of lUilUA* A frican A m e ric an F a sh io n s Fbwerhnes love to hide 'b eh in d tree limbs. Don’t set M fit yourself up for a shocking surpnse. If there are powerlines near or in your trees, call 671-1455 for ad vice before you prune. Portland General Electric Saturday, April 25th 8PM W hittaker M iddle School 42nd & K illin gsw orlh D on atio n: $10.00 Contact: W anda at ¿88-1092 o r D w ayne at 249-0193 P e rfo rm a n c e b y : T h e A fr ic a n A m e ric a n B a lle t R e c e p tio n to F o llo w D o o r P riz e s Speedy Service Friendly Call for Quote! Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center March 20-29,1992 tree? firs t book o f poetry, B lack Feeling B lack T a lk , G iovanni was nicknamed “ The Princess o f Black Poetry,” a title she proudly retains today. She has been called a “ revolutionary poet,” fo r her outspoken advocacy o f c iv il rights and equality in education. An im portant and extremely popular literary figure, her recent focus is on the power and creativity o f the in d iv id u a l-to make a difference in ones own life and the lives o f others. Giovanni was born in K n oxville, Tennessee in 1943. Shewas educated at Fish U niversity in Nashville. Her books include: B la ck Feeling B la ck T a lk (1968); B la ck Judgem ent (1969); Re: C reation (1970); N ig h t Comes Softly (1970); Poem o f Angela Yvonne Davis (1970); G e m in i (1971); Spin a Soft B la ck Song (1971); M y House (1972); A Dialogue: James Baldw in and N ik k i Giovanni (1972); Ego T rip p in g and O th e r Poems fo r Y o un g Readers (1973); A Poetic E q ua tio n: C o n ve r sations Between N ik k i G iovanni and M a r g a r e t W a lk e r (1 9 7 4 ); T h e W om en and the M en (1975); C otton C andy On A R ainy Day (1978); V aca tio n T im e (1979); Those W h o Ride the N ig h t W in d s (1983); Sacred Cows...And O th e r Edibles (1988). A tour de forte solo performance Pr AfncarvAmencan actor/sinper Jacqui Sutton. IFCC, 5 3 4 0 N . Interstate. Tickets $ 1 0 /8 /5 . Call 8 2 3 -2 0 0 0 . .. ■ <■.. • k ¡ ’H t A.. Pmrod&iOOC FioóH * pm h» MAC »«I O C Jefferson Dancers in Concert! Eugene and Portland Shows For nearly 300 students, Jefferson H igh School’ s Dance Program provides an opportunity to learn, to achieve, to explore, to perform. Established as a city-w id e magnet program in 1974, the dance program’ s growth and develop ment have established it as one o f the nation’ s most distinguished. D iversity and sophistication are the hallmarks o f Jefferson’ s remarkable program. Students are enrolled in be ginning through advanced classes in tap, jazz, modem, ballet, pointe and African dance and study in four fu lly - equipped studios w ith professionally trained teachers, many o f whom are w orking choreographers and perform ers. Joe W yatt and Elena Carter, both form er principals w ith the Dance The atre o f Harlem and Pacific Ballet The atre, teach at Jefferson. Other w ell- known staff members include M ary Oslund, founder and director o f Oslund and Company/Dance, Bruce Sm ith, founder and director o f Northwest Afrikan-Am erican Ballet, Julane Stites, co-director o f the Stites Center, and Terry Brock, form erly w ith the JazzTap Ensemble, among others. A fu ll comple ment o f musical accompanists and tech nicians round out the quality staff. The Jefferson Dancers, established in 1976 under the direction o f Mary V in ton Folbcrg, and com prising the Jefferson dance program ’ s most polished and experienced dancers, perform annu a lly in a number o f venues throughout the Northwest, including shows in Port land, Eugene and Newport, in addition to an ambitious list o f lecture demonstra tions at schools in Eugene and Newport. The versatility and quality o f their train ing is evident in the varied styles in which they perform so competently. N ationally and internationally ac claimed choreographers who have come to the Portland high school to work w ith dance students include Donald McKayle, Brenda Bufalino, Low ell Smith, Royston Maldoom, Honi Coles, A lw in Nikolais, Dennis Spaight, and Paul Russell, to name a few. A lum ni o f the Jefferson Dancers who have studied under these masters are currently performing profes sionally in many U.S. and foreign cities, inclu ding New Y o rk , Los Angeles, Montreal, Denver, K yoto, Japan and M ilan, Italy. Directed this year by w ell-know n Portland choreographer and dance in structor Julane Stites, this nationally- recognized student company w ill per form tw o different programs fo r audi ences in Eugene’ s H ult Center/Soreng Theatre at7:30p.m . on A p ril 16and 17, and at Portland Center for the Perform ing Arts/Intcrm ediatc Theatre A p ril 28- May 3 at 8:00 pm. T h is y e a r’ s re p e rto ire is a m ulticultural blend o f choreographic gems including another powerful, live ly Africannumberby Portland’sown Bruce Smith and exciting Brazilian m artial arts/modem dance piece, Roda Da N oite by Gretchen Kneir. Other pieces include C rayola, a co lo rful ballet by Dennis Spaight; Take 8-7-6-Five, a tap-jazz collaboration by Terry Brock and Julane Stites; and tw o pieces, R ain bow R ound M y Shoulder and Games, by the infamous Donald M cKayle. In addition, another modem piece. Be n e a th th e G a th e r in g C lo u d , by Gretchen Kneir, and a perennial favor ite, Julane Stites’ L o o kin g Glass, arc sure to please. You w on’ t want to miss them!
