P age A4
h BKi ary 5, 1997 • I'm P oru
Gordly’s
economic
development
package
Senator Avel Gordly (D-Port-
land) introduced the first bills ot
her economic development and
equal opportunity package this
week in Salem.
“ W ith O re g o n ’s b o o m in g
economy, we need to make sure
that all Oregonians have the op
portunity to share in the slate’s
growth and prosperity We don’t
have to leave anyone behind," ex
plained Senator Gordly "My eco
nomic development package at
tempts to address specific needs,
so all O regonians share in the
stale’s economy and prosperity."
she added.
SB 326 allows a low income tax
credit. SB 330 exempts savings
accounts specifically used foredu
cational and home purchasing ex
penditures for persons receiving
public assistance. Scrmtor Gordly s
proposals work with the agency
efforts to help people toward self
sufficiency.
SB 327 requires record keeping
and operator training to address
pesticide exposure of agricultural
workers "W e all contribute to this
economy and should all be safe in
our workplaces, and able to earn a
living w age,” asserted Senator
Gordly. As one of the Chief Peti
tioners for the successful initiative
campaign to raise the minimum
wage in Oregon. Senator Gordly
will resist any attempts to rollback
or exempt certain workers from
the minimum wage increase.
SB 328 provides permanent em
ployee status benefits to temporary
workers of temporary labor pro
viders after 90 days of employ
ment . Senator Gordly is concerned
with the continuing trend toward
use of temporary workers in the
labor force and their lack of benefit
coverage. The m ajority of the
people without benefit coverage
above the Federal Poverty Level
are working Oregonians, and many
are families with children, accord
ing to the office of the Health Plan
Administrator.
Senator Gordly is working to
develop a community development
bank fund similar to the federal
fund that would include small town,
locally owned banks in the state
who carry high rates of community
redevelopment She is also explor
ing trade opportunities beyond the
Pacific Rim such as South America.
Senator G ordly’s committee as
signments this session include Sen
ate Trade and Economic Develop
ment. Crime and Corrections, and
Ways and Means Subcommittee
on Public Safety.
J
$800,000 grant for
dislocated workers
pations, building trades, construc
tion, accounting, corrections, hu
man resources, truck driving, and
health-related occupations.
The project will be operated by
Employment, Training and Busi
ness Services in Clackamas County,
the Title III substate grantee.
The dislocated worker program is
a com prehensive retraining ap
proach to assist workers who have
been, or are about to be laid off for
re a so n s such as te c h n o lo g ic a l
change, foreign competition or gov
ernm ent actions. Generally such
workers are eligible if they are un
likely to return to their previous
industry or occupation.
The U.S. Department of Labor
announced today that it is providing
a grant of up to $812,182 to assist
approximately 200 workers being
dislocated as a result of the Simpson
Paper Co paper mill in West Linn,
Ore.
The grant, authorized under Title
III of the Job Training Partnership
Act, will provide a number of servic
es including assessment, job search
assistance, remedial education, vo
cational classroom training, and
supportive services such as day care
assistance, transportation assistance,
and emergency health care.
Targeted occupations for retrain
ing include: computer-related occu-
February is
Black History M onth
Call ikim to reserve advertising space, and
receive special display ad rates: (5113) 288-0033.
‘USDA Has a Dream’
by
D an G lickman
Recent complaints about dis
crimination and lack of service to
minorities in USDA farm loan pro
grams have been made repeatedly
over the past 50 years. Clearly,
there’s a problem. Now is the time
for solutions.
Martin Luther King, Jr. He had
a dream that his children "would
one day live in a nation where they
would not be judged by the color of
their skin but by the content of their
character.” I, too, have a dream —
that USDA customers and employ
ees are not judged by the color of
their skin, but treated with fairness
and efficiency, dignity and respect.
Most of our employees are fully
committed to King’s dream. Some
are not W here we have found dis
crimination, there have been con
sequences--including dismissals.
But we need to do better. My New
Year’s resolution is that we will do
better.
Lewis Latimer isn't often in
cluded in the same sentence as
Thomas Edison, but when the
subject is the light bulb, he should
be Edison, of course, invented
the light bulb, but Latimer, and
African-American inventor, was
the man responsible for the car
bon filament inside the bulb.
Latim er's contribution to his
tory is the subject of an illuminat
ing NBA PS celebrating Black
History Month. The 30-second
spot, featuring Dallas Mavericks
guard Jimmy Jackson, debuted
on Sunday. February 2. during
the Chicago at Seattle game on
NBC The PSA will continue to
air during NBA games and pro
gramming on NBC, TNT and
TBS throughout February
The spot continues the NBA
tradition o f helping increase
awareness about the accomplish
m ents o f A frican -A m erican s
through telev isio n and radio
PSAs. Previous PSAs have high
lighted the achievements of au
thor Langston Hughes, activist
Rosa Parks, U.S. Supreme Court
Justice Thurgood Marshall, in
ventor Garrett Morgan and sur
geon Daniel Hale Williams
our citizens, should be made ac
cording to one strict national stan
dard T hat’s why we have federal
civil rights laws that override local
prejudices.
Last year. Congress reevaluated
our 60-year-old farm program s,
forcing us to rethink our delivery
system with an eye toward the fi
nancial bottom line. Now we have
to look at that same delivery system
to see how it treats people. We
cannot simply say, “W e’ve always
done it that way.” That was the
original argum ent ag ain st civil
rights.
That is sad irony in the fact that
USDA, a federal agency committed
to helping the socially disadvan
taged, discrim inated against some
of the very people we were meant to
help.
The department responsible for
food stamps and im proving condi
tions for the rural poor should be
held to the highest standard.
USDA is a huge, decentralized
bureaucracy. Many decisions that
affect farmers are made at the local
level, in hundreds o f county offices
throughout the country. Many of the
staff actually work for the state or
county, and don’t answer to USDA
directly These offices are important
because they help us stay close to our
customers and put a human face on
the federal government.
FDR set it up that way because he
recognized the benefits o f a local
presence. For his New Deal pro
grams to succeed, his national poli
cies needed to be tailored to fit local
circumstances.
But 1 tear that one downside to
local control may be that some coun
ty officials have used the flexibility
of U SD A ’s delivery systems not to
account for local variations, but to
preserve unacceptable ways.
The history o f civil rights shows
that certain decisions, particularly
those protecting the basic rights of
usiness-Education Summit seen as National Model
mit planned for Friday, January 31
at New Hope Church. (The location
was changed recently to better ac
commodate the expected turnout).
North Clackamas was the only
district west of the Mississippi se
lected by Jobs for the Future as a
School to W ork community. Four
other districts are also working in a
cooperative effort to improve stu
dents perform ance and raise aca
W hen the Fourth Business-Edu
cation Summit is held on January
31, the rest of the country will be
taking notes. Several school districts
involved in a national effort to in
crease school/career opportunities
will be represented by Mary Ellen
Bavaro from Jobs for the Future.
More than 300 education, busi
ness and community leaders will
gather at the fourth Business Sum
demic standards.
The event will be a unique oppor
tunity for business leaders and edu
cators to together explore the skills
needed by students to succeed. In
table discussions, business leaders
and educators will consider how they
can work together to best prepare
students to be ready for a changing
world. They will explore what is
taught, how it is taught and the
desired results from the education
process.
Futurist Thomas G Jones, Ph D.
will keynote the event with a look at
the future and how to prepare stu
dents for that future.
An instructor with the C lacka
mas Community College Small Busi
ness Development Center, Jones is
the winner of the Leavey Award as
one o f the top 15 innovative business
educators in America. A detailed
look at the skills and attitudes neces
sary for success will be presented by
Graham Slater of the State Em ploy
ment Division.
The event is co-sponsorcd by the
N. Clackamas School Districts.
Com m unity members, parents,
business leaders and educators are
all welcome to attend, please contact
the cham ber at 654-7777.
The first annual NW Hair Salon
com petition was held at the Airport
Sheraton Hotel, December I, 1996
in Portland, OR and attended by the
most prestigious hair salons in the
in d u s try .
T he
N o r th w e s t's
Xpressions Hair Salon, located at
2300 NE M artin Luther King Jr.
Blvd. won first place honors. O w n
ers Denise Bixikerand AngelaCart-
er are continually seeking to their
fast growing customer base. The
com petition hosted some eight hair
salons ranging geographically from
Seattle, WA to Portland, OR. The
NW H air Salon com petition is
scheduled to take place in 1997
during the month of October.
Xpressions Hair Salon has dis
tanced itself from other salons in
the industry by centering on Total
Quality Management and C ustom
er Satisfaction as well as creative
expression. Xpressions is also part
of the Network of African A m eri
can Professionals, an organization
founded by Leon McCoy to promote
the channeling of economic resourc
es within African American com
munities locally, statewide, inter
state and worldwide.
You may contact the Xpressions
Hair Salon at 503/280 7977.
For more information regarding
this years NW Hair Salon com peti
tion, contact D onta’ Warren.
Portland Agency Announces
1997 Dividend Payout
More than $22,800,000 million
in dividends will be paid this year to
area Northwestern Mutual Life In
surance Company policy owners,
according to Kent S. Beebe, head of
Northwestern M utual’s Portland of
fice.
“Strong investment performance,
low er expenses and favorable mor
tality experience have all contribut
ed to this year’s record-high divi
dend payout,” said Beebe. “We are
pleased to provide such an excellent
return on investment to our local
policy owners.”
The Kent S. Beebe Agency serves
clients in the State of Oregon &
Southwestern W ashington with 98
exclusive agency representatives.
W ith more than $4,949,376,281 bil
lion of life and disability income
insurance and annuity coverage in
K e n t S. B e e b e , Ga
force, the agency offers specialized
assistance to its clients in the areas of
personal, estate, retirement, small
business and benefit planning
Northwestern Mutual Life Insur
ance is the nation’s largest provider
of ordinary life and disability insur
anee for individuals and their busi
nesses. The com pany’s assets ex
ceed $60 billion and annual revenue
totals more than $10 billion Based
in Milwaukee, W isconsin, N orth
western Mutual Life Insurance is
owned by 2.5 million policy owners
and has 7,200 agents in 50 slates and
the District o f Columbia.
For more information contact: The
Kent S. Beebe Agency, 1221 S W.
Yamhill, Ste. 400, Portland, OR,
97205 or call 503 223-7335 or visit
Northwestern on the Internet: http:/
/www. north westernmutual.com
Is Your Tax Practitioner Qualified?
NBA
celebrates
Black History
Month
vnd O bserver
certain to check the credentials of the
person they choose, Thorbeck says,
and they should avoid practitioners
who engage in or advocate question
able actions.
" For example," Thorbec k ad v i se s,
"don't do business with a tax practi
tioner who refuses to sign a tax return
in the 'paid preparer' space. Thai's a
pretty good sign the person isn't quali
tied or licensed to do the work." By
law. tax practitioners must acknowl
edge responsibility for preparing a
return by signing as a paid preparer.
Other advice for taxpayers from
Thorbeck: Steer clear of offers to
prepare returns where the amount of
the fee is based on the amount of
refund claimed.
Be very suspicious if a practitio
ner encourages you to claim deduc
tions you know you aren't entitled to
take. Ethics codes for licensed op
erators prohibit these practices, by^
unlicensed practitioners have been
known to encourage questionable de
ductions to build up their business or
their fee.
Keep in mind that the Internal
Revenue Service will the taxpayer
responsible for a tax return. If im
proper deductions are disallowed,
the IRS will bill the taxpayer not only
for the additional taxes due. but also
Almost half of all taxpayers seek
professional help to prepare their
income tax return, but in every state
except Oregon, there are no guaran
tees that the "professional" knows
anything at all about taxes. Oregon is
the only state with consumer protec
tion laws that set competency and
ethics standards and require licens
ing of individuals who prepare per
sonal income tax returns for a fee.
State Board of Tax Examiner ad
ministrator Joyce Thorbeck explains
that the board licenses Tax C onsult
ants. who are expert-level tax profes
sionals. and Tax Preparers, who are
apprentice-level practitioners. C er
tified Public Accountants and Public
Accountants licensed by the Stae
Board of Accountancy and Oregon
attorneys are also qualified and au
thorized to prepare tax returns.
According to Thorbeck, a profes
sional license is evidence that a tax
practitioner has met education re
quirements and been tested lor com
petency. A license also means the
licensee must operate according to
ethics laws and rules that are de
signed to protect taxpayers from un
scrupulous practices by a tax profes
sional.
Consumers seeking a professional
to prepare their tax returns should be
for interest on the taxes and probably
for penalties, as well.
Another common problem with
unlicensed tax preparers, according
to Thorbeck, is their tendency to
close up shop and disappear alter tax
season. This is especially trouble
some when, as often happens, the
taxpayer's source information disap
pears along with the practitioner
Taxpayers can avoid the difficult job
of reconstructing accounting records
if they deal only with licensed, repu
table professionals.
Consumers should also be wary of
any tax practitioner who arranges to
have a clients's personal tax refund
sent to the practitioner. Tax Consult
ants risk losing their license if they
engage in this practice. But unscru
pulous individual's have redirected
mailing of their client's tax refund to
themselves and held the check "hos
tage" until sometimes exorbitant
preparation fees are paid.
Thorbeck encourages taxpayers
to contact the Tax Board office if
they have a complaint about per
sonal income tax return preparation
and tocheck tax practitioner licenses
records. Inquires can be directed to
the board at 3218 Pringle Rd. SI:.
#120, Salem, OR 97305 (telephone
503-378-4034).
E n t e r t o W in
i
$ 1 ,0 0 0 and o th e r g re a t p rize s !
Play M E G A B U C K S DOUGH Second-Chance Drawing! just send in four con
secutive nonwinning M E G A B U C K S tickets for drawings dated Nov. / 3, 1996,
through June 14, 1997, for a chance to win great prizes each month!
OurTirsfVlZinnerg
75^
From the D ecem ber 20, 1996, drawing
4th prize - MEGABUCKS D O U G H
denim baseball jacket
l i t prize - $1,000 plus jacket
Phil Garey, Grants Pass
2nd prize - $500 plus jacket
Daniel Kalgaard, Silverton
3rd prize • $100 plus jacket
Sue Brock. Eugene
Lee Bensing, Stayton
Fred Singleton, Klamath Falls
A rth u r Sullivan. Cottage Grove
Margaret Scarlett. Klamath Falls
&
See
brochure
available at
O regon
Lo ttery
Service
C enters for
details.
Byron Mann. Portland
Dianne Pitner, Sandy
A ndrew Hoskot. Blue River
Ellen Cannon, Coos Bay
Darlene M oore. Klamath Falls
LeRoy Mann, Johnson City
Dennis Myers. Eagle Point
Max M ontgom ery Redmond
Ben D uckw iler Scotts Mill
Carlos Turpeinen, Portland
Alice Sears. Salem
Morris Womack. Rockaway Beach
Robert Mazany Beaverton
W ally Fisher, Beaverton
Darrell R. Priester, Lincoln City
Elaine M. Anderson, Vale
Mary L. Ingram, Portland
Ronald T Cross Jr.. Sutherlin
Nila Campanella, Boring
Oralee W inkel, Portland
Bob Taylor, Dallas
Lester M. Baker Jr., Boring
W illiam Pelley, Salem
Gloria Reiber, Coos Bay
W ayne R. Erickson, St. Helens
MEGABIJCK2 DOUGH
ETTl S e c o n d -C h a n c e D ra w in g
Send four consecutive nonwinning MEGABUCKS tickets fo r drawings dated N ovem ber 13,1996,
through June 14 , 1997, w ith this entry for a chance to win! Enter as many times as you like.
This entry is good for one drawing only.
N am e_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Address
C ity_ _
State
Zip
Rhone
Name & location of store where you bought your ticket(s):
February is Black History Month
Call now Io reserve advertising space,and receive special display ad rates: 503-288-0033.
A
Send e n try in a plain w hite envelope no larger than 4 ." x 9 ¡" to:
M E G A B U C K S D O U G H Second-Chance Drawing, PO Box 14280. Salem, O R 97309.
4