I
P age B 4
M
Sheriffs Makes Narcotics Arrest
O n M ay 9 th e M u ltn o m a h
C ounty S h e riff’s O ffice Special
Inv estig atio n s Unit went to a SE
G resham residence a lte r receiv ­
ing a lip on a large am ount of
m etham phetam ine and m ariju a­
na. O fficers search ed the re si­
dence and found more than one
pound o f m etham phetam ine, over
one half pound o f m arijuana and
other item s involved in the d is ­
trib u tio n o f m e th a m p h e ta m in e
and m arijuana.
T here w ere num erous w eap­
ons at the residence and one sh o t­
gun was seized. O fficers found
evidence of a com m ercial drug
d is tr ib u tio n rin g . S gt B ria n
M artinek e stim a te s the street v al­
ue of the m eth am p h etam in e at
a p p r o x im a te ly
$ 5 0 ,0 0 0
to
$75,000 and the m ariju an a at a p ­
p ro xim ately $4000 to $6000.
Gary Louis Wright was arrested at
the scene. Police are hxiking for Donny
Lee Wright who is believed to be
incarcerated from an unrelated arrest.
Workers of A m erica Unite!
A higher minimum wage appears
more probable every day. Recently,
20 House Republicans offered a pro­
posal that would boost the minimum
wage by a dollar in two stages. Wheth­
er Congress passes this version or the
bill introduced by the Democrats,
which would increase the minimum
hourly wage by 90 cents over two
years, the result will be yet another
SRS trail
'96
Gn Saturday, May I 8, the Port­
land District, U S. Army Corps of
Engineers, will kicked off the
1996 recreation season at the wild­
life viewing nature trail leading
to the Mount St Helens Sediment
Retention Structure (SRS).
Although the trail is open year-
round, Corps rangers have been
busy getting ready for spring and
summer visitors by laying more
gravel, erecting hand rails along
the pathway and cutting back veg­
etation.
The SRS, on the North Fork of
the Toutle River, Wash., was built
to control the huge sediment flows
and continuous erosion caused
by the May 18, 1980, eruption of
Mount St. Helens. Until last year,
the site was not open to the public
and could only by seen from a
nearby observation area. Now vis­
itors can walk along a graveled
trail that leads to the structure and
view a scenic area that is home to
herds of elk. deer and other wild­
life. Because of the rugged land­
scape, the mile-long trail is not
accessible to visitors with dis­
abilities.
The visitor's trail, constructed
in 1995 with the help of the
Cowlitz County Corrections De­
partment, begins at the SRS ob­
servation point near the North
Fork Survivors Gift Shop. The
gift shop is located east of Castle
Rock, Wash., just off the new
Spirit Lake Memorial Highway,
state Highway 504, near milepost
21. There arc restrooms, picnic
tables, and a public parking lot.
The trail is open daily from dawn
to dusk.
I a JÍÍÍ
ÍGÍ. U ( j r
band-aid slapped over a gushing
wound. And the fact that more law­
makers are learning toward such leg­
islation does not legitimize it.
Since the passage of the Fair La­
bor Standards Act in 1938. labor
advocates have contended that a min
imum wage will prevent the exploi­
tation of unskilled and part-time
workers. The minimum wage has
risen 17 times since then from 25
cents an hour in 1938 to $4.25 in
1991. Yet the hue and cry of wage
inequity persists. So it is unlikely that
another wage adjustment will be any
more successful in creating econom­
ic stability for those at the bottom
end of the pay scale. Why?
For starters, wages are a reflection
of relative work skills. You can trust
that no one is out there lobbying for
a minimum skills floor to coincide
with the demand for more money.
Until that happens, this segment of
the work force will remain unable to
compete of higher wages on their
own. The argument for rasing the
minimum wage now would be stron­
ger if it were based on making pay
equitable for the work performed.
Instead, proponents like Representa­
tive Dick Gephardt (D-MO) point only
to the decreased purchasing power of
$4.25. What Gephardt and others clam­
oring for a higher minimum wage fail
to acknowledge is that boosting pay
for that reason alone does little more
than continue the endless spiral of
inflation.
If that trend is to be stopped, work­
ers must be w'orth what they are paid,
not sheltered from difficult economic
conditions. In the late 1970s,the emer­
gence of a global market and deregu­
lation spurred a marked increase in the
competitive pressures on American
workers. Over the last two decades,
traditional wage-setting institutions,
such as collective bargaining, market­
ing norms and minimum wages, have
been unable to protect low-skilled
workers from the full force of labor
market competition.
And that’s the real problem. But
raising the minimum wage does not
address it. By giving unskilled hourly
workers money without also requiring
more from them in terms of productiv­
ity, the value of their contribution to
the work force is inflated. They are not
actually worth any more to their
employers.
ay 22, 1 9 9 6 •
T he P ori la n d O bserver
Ron Brown’s Death Prompt's
Condolences
Perhaps it’s a sign of the times that
not even the death of a Cabinet mem­
ber can prevent a partisan tussle from
erupting among Republicans. Demo­
crats and their respective media al­
lies.
Commerce Secretary Ron Brown
died in an April 3 airplane crash in
Croatia along with a trade delegation
of business executives and Commerce
Department staff members (includ­
ing my amiable, talented George­
town University schoolmate. Deputy
Assistant Secretary Bill Morton). Just
before Brown’s April 10 funeral,
NBC’s Bryant Gumbel asked Rep.
C harles Rangel (D -N Y ) in an
interviewl:”Although many have
praised Ron lavishly, I understood no
Republicans have yet expressed con­
dolences to the Brown family. Is this
politics as usual, or is that plain had
manners?”
Republican National Chairman
Haley Barbour quickly demanded a
retraction and noted that he had paid
his respects to Secretary Brown’s fam­
ily shortly after the tragedy. "I don't
deserve any credit for expressing my
sympathy, but I don't expect people to
go out and take political shots for it,"
Barbour said.
Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole
(R-KS, issued a memorial statement
correcting G um bel’s rem arks:
“Wednesday, we said that the family
of Ron Brown had not received condo­
lences from any Republican. That is
not the case. In fact, messages of con­
dolences were expressed by some
Republicans, and we regret the error."
While Curry went out on a limb for
the peacock network, Gumbel re­
fused to apologize. Instead, the "Must
See TV” company issued a statement
in which Gumbel declared, “Out of
respect for the memory of Ron Brown
and his grieving family, I am not
anxious to prolong this story." The
communique continued, "Like most
people, I had hoped that decency
would have prevailed over polities.
Those involved will have to live with
the truth.”
Gumble’s testy tone aside, Con­
gressional Republican leaders could
have diffused this controversy by
attending the Secretary’s funeral, par­
ticularly given his violent, untimely
death while on a dangerous, official
mission of mercy. Instead, Gingrich
was busy fundraising while Dolecam-
paigned for President.
Float Decorators N eeded
The 1996 Southwest Airlines Grand
Floral Parade will feature more floats
than any Rose Festival Parade in re­
cent years.
This increase has created addition­
al opportunities for groups to raise
money and have a great time decorat­
ing the elaborate floats for the 1996
Southwest Airlines Grand Floral Pa­
rade. Studio Concepts, the Official
Builder for the Grand Floral Parade, is
now accepting applications from
groups interested in float decoration.
This is an excellent way for non­
profit groups of 20 or more people to
make from $4(X) to $ 1 (XX) while par­
ticipating in the fun and excitement of
the second largest all-floral parade in
the nation.
Float decorating groups must be
prepared to work assigned hours from
June I - June 7 and decorators must be
at least 14 years old.
For more information interested
group leaders should call Studio Con­
cepts at 222-0077.
The 1996 Southwest Airlines Grand
Floral Parade will take place on Satur­
day June 8 beginning at 10 a.m. at
Portland’s Memorial Coliseum.
Going Out of Business Sale!
Everything Must Go..... Total Inventory Clearance
Up to 75% off
CARPENTER A
ELIMINATION
• COCKROACHES •
• HOUSE ANTS
BATS & MICE
All Formal & Semi-Formal Wear (sizes 4 - 22)
All Children's Wear
All Bridal Accessories - hats, veils, hosiery, pillows, jewelry, garters
All Lingerie- Peignors, Teddies, Bras, Nighties, Foundation Garments
All Shoes (Dye to Match Styles)
And Much, Much More!
EVERYTHING 40% - 75% O ff ....M ust C lear by M a y 31 st !
Walnut Park
Retail Center
PEST CONTROL
2 2 2 -7 1 2 8
iid
I Free 1-800-852-3671
QFashtons
5306 NE MLK Blvd.
Portland
2 8 4 -6 0 8 9
MEMORIAL DAY SAVINGS
team?
Prices Effective May 22 through May 28,1996 at your nearby Safeway store.
Our Schools
Are In Trouble
Fresh Lean
There are two things you can do!
Ground Beef
1. Join The March
For Our Schools
Saturday, June 1
•
•
•
•
>1 The R o m Garden
Rally at
4
15 R m
bi
arrive early!
Take Th Met to the Roea Quarter Trenail
Center Pick up a Hedge Sheet el Powell e
City ol Hooke Arum ano Travel or
Pint Interetete Welle Fargo Bank
Approximate 5-lb roll
Maximum fat, 22%
Valu Pack, 890-lb
Smaller packages, 990-lb
• SAVE UP TO 8 0 0 LB
2. Give AU You Can
AU donations are tax deductible and will ba
used to buy back taachar a poettiona and
innovative programs which are being cut
1
Y K 1 II W A N T TO M IL P
1
I
PORTLAND'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS
I
* S100Q
I
«25 J
Rions
S7SQ
Other □ _
$50 □
Sweet Juicy
Cantaloupe
California grown whole melons
SAVE TODAY AT SAFEWAY
Look For Your
Safeway Weekly Shopping Guide
In Your Oregonian FOODday in the
Portland Metro Area ...And Save
More Shopping A t Safeway!
19
lb
Enjoy Extra Savings With The
SAFEWAY EXTRA In-Store
Savin gs Guide
Available at your Safeway store.