D ecember 29, 1993 • T he P ortland O bserver
P age 2
MK
«
\
\
LÈ!
®je ^artlattfc ® bsertter
v e s Volunteer Electricians “Light Up” The Grotto
e c t i
p
Health Plans: Another Year Of Uncertainty?
f e r s
by
P rof . M c K inley B urt
W hen it was said that “ the best
laid plans of mice and men often go
astray,” it was part of the dialogue of
a novel by John Steinbeck (, 01 Mice
And M en”). Today that memorable
line provokes a treasonable expecta
tion that it may be applied to the
Clinton(s) health initiative, given all
its uncertainties, converge, insurable
and funding. That novel w ent from
Broadway to Hollywood to world wide
acclaim ; how far will “The Plan” go?
The state of Oregon has carved
itself a definite niche in the evolution
of American health plans. Meeting
head on with the realization that there
arc only so many health care dollars,
it was dec ided to prioritize a list o f 696
medical conditions,” the devil take
the hindm ost” as the old saying went.
W ell, that attitude drew some favor
able com m ents around the nation, but
not from the administration. Politi
cians, it would seem, always have
difficulty dealing with reality (except,
of course, in situations such as raises
and perks).
The Clinton gang has recoiled in
horror from such a “ wide-open, fish
bowl process” as a Princeton econo
mist puts it. Evading decision-m ak
ing and responsibility, they say “ we
give you a global budget and you
decide what kind of care you’re going
to give. And if there has to be ration
ing’ you do it in the privacy of the
H MO, using "your’ best medical judge
ment.” W ell, you might say ,“ so much
for the expectations o f many O rego
nians (both 'm ic e and m en’). But then
we have the very strong opinions of
people like Dr. Paul Kirk of Oregon
Health Sciences University who be
lieves that “ sooner or later national
health planners will have to grapple
with the Oregon question: which arc
the more im portant health care ser
vices?”
Another area of a very uncertain
developm ental stage in this health
care process is the treatment o f the
“ small em ployer” . And, again, O r
egon is receiving nationwide atten
tion in its effort to devise a plan afford
able to the em ployer, yet providing
substantial coverage to the employee.
Preliminary information released by a
W ashington“ thinktank” (RandCorp.)
indicated that small Oregon em ploy
ers get less health insurance for their
dollars than do large ones. This is o f
great concern to them as the adm inis
tration sways back and forth on the
issue o f “at what work force levels
sh a ll th e re b e m a n d a to ry r e
quirem ents?”
The Rand study conclusion rein
forces the com m on notion that small
em ployers in Oregon would gain from
the increased buying pow er o f con
templated large insurance purchasing
combines. Earlier this year, I wrote on
this issue and other health care prob
lems in the state. Many more remain,
for instance, G ov. Roberts is on the hot
seat again as she seeks defend recent
increases in health insurance benefits
the state has agreed to pay two
unions:The American Federation of
state. County and Municipal Em ploy
ees (8.5) and the Oregon Public E m
ployees union (avge. 4%). Cost in
creases were m uch less!
The ’backdoor” wage increase
has provoked a storm of criticism, not
only from taxpayers who voted down
a sales tax as the governor was ac
cused o f failing to make prom isedcuts
in the cost of governm ent - but from
state employees who were not mem
bers o f those unions and felt they did
not get a fair share of the wealth
M anagement Em ployees, Nurses As
sociation). Additionally, there is lin
gering resentm ent on the part o f many
taxpayers because the Public em ploy
ees get all o f their health and dental
coverage paid by the state (in lieu of a
raise in pay during the 1970s). At
tempts to rescind this perk are under
way; quite a battle is anticipated.
Another area where the adm inis
tration is seen to be a little fuzzy and
uncertain is the degree o f emphasis
(and funding) on Drug and Alcohol
Education. It is difficult to imagine a
higher “health priority”. You cannot
ration the future of America! To all
my readers for the New Year(s) to
come, “Learn to love and love to learn”.
that involve animation and liber-op
tics, and enhance the “Peace On Earth
Ih e 28 volunteers from Local 48 devoted their Saturday, prior to
Thanksgiving, providing the electrical work needed to generate
temporary power for over 50,000 lights
V olunteers from the N ational Christm as festival at The Grotto.
This is the sixth consecutive year
E lectrical C ontractors A ssociation
that
The
G rotto has featured the Fes
(NECA), Oregon-Colum bia chapter
tival
o
f
Lights, and the num ber of
and the International Brotherhood of
lights
has
more than doubled from the
Electrical W orkers (1BEW) Local 48
original
25,000.
This year’s festival
donated time and m aterials to wire the
introduces
three
new
lighting displays
light extravaganza for this year’s
“Youth Violence And Gangsta RAP"
ì «
m ore than 280 m illio n guns in
America; 2.5 million were purchased
last year alone. This is the central
reason why firearms are the leading
cause of death for black men between
15 to 24 years. O ver the nex t six years,
more black men will be murdered by
other black men than the total number
o f American troops killed in V ietnam .
T hat’s nothing short of a war.
But this proliferation o f violence
is not just a black phenom enon-it
affects whites, Latinos, Asian-Am eri
cans and others. The number of juve
nile murders has alm ost doubled over
the past decade, and the rate of juve
nile violent crim e rose during the
same time by over 40 percent. A ccord
ing to the National Center for Juvenile
Justice, a Pittsburgh based research
institute, the murder arrest rate among
all children between the ages o f ten
and seventeen more than doubled,
from 5.4 arrests per 100,000 to 12.7
per
100,000. In 1991, 5,356 young
violence.
people
under age 19 were killed by
According to the Bureau o f A lco
firearms,
or nearly fifteen each day.
hol, Tobacco and Firearm s, there are
I was sitting in my study, and the
music from the bedroom o f my younger
daughter. Sojourner, descended down
the steps. Over the dull hum o f my
electric typewriter, I could hear the
menacing words of the popular rap
artist Dr. Dre: “Rat-a-tat and a tat like
that/N ever hesitate to put a nigga on
his back.” In other words the lyric
urged young African A m ericans to
m urder each other.
T h at’s exaedy w hat’s happening
to o u r young p eo p le th ro u g h o u t
America. “G angsta rap” -- Snoop
Doggy Dogg, Dr. Dre and com pany -
- only articulate the epidemic o f vio
lence in our streets, schools and neigh
borhoods. In p redom inately-black
W ashington, D.C., for exam ple, in a
three year period (1988-1990), the
num ber o f juvenile homicide arrests
nearly tripled. W ithin elem ents o f the
popular culture of our young people,
there is a dangerous glorification of
/
» •/
•A
• t
?<?•
Thousands more are w ounded by fire
arms.
W hat are the econom ic costs for
this epidemic o f violence? According
to the N a tio n a l A s s o c ia tio n o f
C hildren’s H ospitals and Related In
stitutions, it costs more than $14,400
to treat each child struck down by
gunfire as o f 1991. T h at’s more than
w hat it costs to pay for tuition at a
typical four-year private college. That’s
hundreds of m illions o f d o llars-n o t
counting the em otional and social
devastation to tens o f thousands of
families.
O u r fe d e ra l a n d sta te g o v e rn
m e n ts have re sp o n d e d to th is c r i
sis by a d d re ssin g th e sy m p to m s,
r a th e r th an th e ro o t c a u se s, o f
y o u th v io le n c e . L a s t m o n th , the
S e n a te p a sse d a c rim e b ill p ro v id
ing S8.9 b illio n fo r o n e h u n d red
th o u sa n d new p o lic e o ffic e rs over
the n e x t fiv e y e a rs. T he S enate
b ill e x te n d e d the d e a th p e n a lty to
c o v e r fifty -tw o new o ffe n se s. At
th e sta te le v e l, th e la w s h a v e been
ch an g ed to ju d g e youth v io le n c e
by a d u lt sta n d a rd s. T h is fa ll, le g
isla to rs in F lo rid a , C o lo ra d o and
U tah in itia te d law s to p ro se c u te
te e n a g e rs as you n g as ag e 14 as
a d u lts. In C a lifo rn ia , the S tate
A ssem b ly now has a b ill b e fo re it
to lo w er the age w hich a perso n
can be trie d as an a d u lt from 16 to
14 years. B ut changing these law s,
and b u ild in g m o re p riso n s, and
h irin g th o u sa n d s o f a d d itio n a l
p o lic e , w o n ’t h a lt the v io le n c e .
Violcnce is only partially a ques
tion of values. W e have to find cre
ative ways to get our children and
young people to resolve their differ
ences in nonviolent ways. W e have to
get young people to respect them
selves, to realize that when people of
color murder and maim each other
that only our oppressors’ interests are
advance.
But that is not enough. Neither
Latinos, nor African-A m ericans, nor
poor people, produce or profit from
the proliferation o f firearms in our
com m unities. We don’t own or reap
the bulk o f the massive profits from
the international drug traffic, esti
mated to be worth more than S I 50
billion annually. Violence is a by
product of the illegal drug economy.
W e need to crusade for drug free
zones in our communities, schools
and w orkplaces. We must target the
collusion and complicity o f the police
in the econom ics o f drugs against
people o f color. And we must con
demn the false assertion that the rac
ist death penalty in any way addresses
the crisis o f crime and violence in
urban America.
As M arian W right Edelm an,
leader o f the children ’ s Defense Fund,
has observed: “the deadly combina
tion o f guns, gangs, drugs, poverty,
trauma and hopeless youth is turning
m any o f our inner cities into zones of
destruction and despair.” She adds, “I
prom ise you that many o f those youths
will be shooting at us tomorrow. No
gate will be high enough to protect
us.”
Happy New Year
From
theme.
The 28 volunteers from Local 48
d evoted their S atu rd ay , p rio r to
Thanksgiving, providing the electri
cal work needed to generate tem po
rary power for over 50,000 lights,
which arc incorporated into the new
thematic displays as well as the lighted
angels that cover a 110-footclilf in the
gardens of The Grotto. “This event
could not happen without these elec
tricians,” said Peter M ott, Event C o
ordinator at The Grotto. “ I would be at
a total loss without them .”
In conjunction with the electri
cians who volunteer their time, N EC A
m ember electrical contractors donate
supplies and work vans. Since The
G rotto is a non-profit organization,
m aintained primarily by visitor dona
tions, the contribution o f electrical
materials is essential to the success of
building the displays,” added Mott.
The three NECA contractors who con
tributed this year are; Rose City E lec
tric, who has been involved every year
since 1988; Cochran/Broadw ay Elec
tric, w ho has contributed for the past
two years; and Capitol Electric, who
joined the team this year.
“W e are proud to be involved in
such a spectacular holiday display that
is enjoyed by so many people in the
com m unity,” said Ed Barnes, B usi
ness M anager of 1BEW Local 48.
According to Mott, this year’s atten
dance is expected to be approximately
45,000.
College Admitting
Standards Changes
Proposed
A fundam ental shift in how col-
lcgcs adm it students is under way in
Oregon.
The state’s higher education sys
tem is designing admissions standards
that would judge students on what
they know - not on high school courses
completed. Such a shift fits well with
the state’s plan to make a sim ilar shift
in high school graduation require
ments.
The higher education plan was
outlined at last w eek’s stale Board of
Education meeting by David Conley,
a University of Oregon professor who
is directing the adm issions standards
project.
The project is developing a list of
what students must know and be able
to do to get into college. U ndcr the new
requirem ents, envisioned for 1998, it
will no longer mailer what courses
students take.
Students will be required to show
they can read and w rite well rather
than just prove they’ve taken four
years o f English. The level o f skill and
knowledge students m ustdem onstrate
will be determined by perform ance
standards.
So far, the project com m ittee has
decided students should be proficient
in m athematics, science, social sci
ences and foreign language, hum ani
ties and literature and fine and per
forming arts.
They also must have skills in
reading, writing, speaking,critical and
integrative thinking,problem-solving,
teamwork and technology.
The goal is to match college ad
missions standards with those the state
is developing for high school gradua
tion, Conley told the board.
TME MESSAGE AMD MEAM1MG ©F K W A N Z A A
D r . M aulana K arenga
• wf
•.'V
¿-
•»ÍÍ
> 2
"> •
■
,&a
'■ ■ '•'
ÍW
y¿4
>££5
s jy * -
a
«sr
This year we have seen the fur
ther growth of the holiday of Kwanzaa.
It grow s am ong African people in the
U .S., in Africa, Brazil and other coun
tries o f South America, in Canada, in
the Caribbean, in Britain and other
European countries and now this year
in India. Kwanzaa grows am ong A f
rican people because it speaks to their
need and appreciation for its cultural
vision and life-affirming values, val
ues which celebrate and reinforce fam
ily, com m unity and culture. It grows
because it represents an important
way Africans speak their own special
cultural truth in a multicultural world.
It grow s because it reaffirm s a rich
and m ost anc ient tradition which lays
claim to the first religious, ethical and
scientific texts, and the introduction
o f the basic disciplines o f human
knowledge in the Nile Valley. It grows
because it reinforces our rootedness
in our ow n culture in a rich and
m eaningful way. And it grows be-
cause it brings us together from all
countries, all religious traditions, all
classes, all ages and generations, and
all political persuasions on the com
mon ground o f our Africanness in all
its historical and current diversity
and unity.
T h e v is io n a n d v a lu e s o f
K w anzaa rev o lv e aro u n d the p ra c
tic e o f fiv e fu n d a m e n ta l a c tiv itie s
w h ic h c e le b r a te a n d r e in f o r c e
fa m ily , co m m u n ity and c u ltu re .
F irs t, K w an zaa is a tim e o f in
g a th e rin g o f the p e o p le , the rich
an d v a rio u s hum an h a rv e sts. It is,
th e n , a tim e to com e to g e th e r and
re in fo rc e the bonds b e tw e e n us as
a p e o p le in spite o f o u r d iv e rs ity .
T h u s, A fric a n s w ho arc M u slim ,
C h ris tia n , Jew (H e b re w ), fo llo w
e rs o f the a n c ie n t A frican tr a d i
tio n s o f Y o ru b a , M aat, D o gon,
A s h a n ti, D in k a an d o th e r r e li
g io u s
tra d itio n s
c e le b ra te
K w an zaa. F o r it is a c u ltu ra l h o li
d ay n o t a re lig io u s o n e. In d e e d
1
A fric a n c u ltu re is d iv e rse and the
hom e o f in n u m e ra b le re lig io u s
tr a d itio n s . L ik e w is e , o ld and
y o u n g reach a c ro ss g e n e ra tio n s
and em b ra c e and fin d in K w anzaa
a co m m on g ro u n d o f h e rita g e and
p ro m ise .
Secondly, Kwanzaa is a lime of
special reverence for the Creator and
the creation. It is, then, a time of
thanksgiving for the good in life, for
life itself, for love, for friendship, for
parents and children, the elders and
youth, man and woman, and for fam
ily, community and culture. As a har
vest celebration, Kwanzaa isalso time
o f thanksgiving for the earth and all
that is on it, hum ans, birds, animals,
plants and all living things, water,
air, land and all natural resources.
Thus, Kwanzaa is also a time for
moral com m itm ent to honor the Cre
ator by honoring the creation and arc
com mitting ourselves to respect and
preserve it.
Thirdly, Kwanzaa is a time of
commemoration o f the past. It is, essence are ethical values - values of
then, a time of honoring the moral love, sisterhood, brotherhood, respect
obligation to rem em ber and praise for the transcendent, the human per
those on w hose shoulders we stand, to son, for elders and nature. It is here
raise and praise the names o f those that the Nguzo Saba (The Seven Prin
who gave their lives that we might ciples) serve as the central focus of
livefullerand more meaningful ones. Kwanzaa in thought and practice.
It is also a lime to appreciate our role These com m unitarian values which
as “heirs and custodians o f a great arc both cultural and ethical are:
legacy” and to recommit ourselves to Umoja (Unity); Kujichagulia (Self-
honoring it by preserving it and ex D eterm ination), U jima (Collective
panding it. W e are, as African people, Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa
fathers and mothers of humanity and (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Pur
human civilization, sons and daugh pose), Kuumba (Creativity) and Imani
ters o f the Holocaust of Enslavement (Faith).
We are, in the final analysis,
and authors and heirs o f the reaffir
mation of our Africanness in the 60’s. defined by our values and the practice
Each period leaves a legacy of chal to which they lead. It is for this reason
lenge, struggle and achievement. We at Kwanzaa that we should remember
honor each by learning it and living and act on the ancient African teach
ings of Maat which say “ Speak truth,
it.
do
justice and walk in the way of
Fourthly, Kwanzaa is a time of
righteousness.,”
Likew ise in speak
recom m itm ent to our highest ideals.
ing
truth
and
doing
justice, the Husia
It is, then, a time o f focusing on
says
we
must
always
show preference
thought and practice o f our highest
for
the
m
ost
vulnerable
among us.
cultural vision and values which in
Thus, we must, the texts say,’’Give
food to the hungry, water to the thirsty,
clothes to the naked and a boat to
those without one.” Moreover, we
must be “a father to the orphan, a
husband to the widow, comfort to the
sick and a staff o f support for the aged,
a shelter to the needy, a float for the
drow ning and a ladder for those
trapped in the pit.”
Finally, Kwanzaa is a time for
celebration o f the good, the good of
life, fam ily, com m unity culture,
friendship, the bountifulnessof earth,
the wonder of the universe, the elder,
the young, the human person in gen
eral, our history, our struggle for lib
eration and ever higher levels o f hu
man life. Celebration is a ceremony,
commemoration, a respectful mark
ing, an honoring, a praising and a
rejoicing. This and more is our holi
day o f Kwanzaa which is both anc ient
and modem thought and practice, a
joyful achievement and an ongoing
and unending promise.