Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, November 03, 1999, Page 6, Image 6

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    SS.* tw ï . «■ - 4 ‘
Page A6
November 3, 1999
ÿortlanit
®b»rrutr
Çurtlaxth (ftweww
Politics/Government
GOP wage bill faces
veto threat
T he A ssociate » P ress ________ _______________________ ________ _________ -—
------------
A nother m
ajor piece
is drawing a veto
zvnouici
uiajvi
pisvv o v.i f Republican-supported
■ —r!-------- legislation
tz
threat, this one a bill to raise the hourly m inim um wage by $ 1 over three years
w hile cushioning the impact on businesses with $30 billion in selected tax
Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers and Labor Secretary Alexis Herman
told H ouse Speaker Dennis Hastert, R -Ill., in a letter M onday that they and
other senior advisers to President C linton w ould recom m end a veto it the
legislation isn ’t m odified drastically.
The H ouse could take up the m easure in com ing days, but M ajority Leader
D ick A rm ey, R-Texas, told reporters today that the votes aren’t yet there
to pass it. " W e aren’t going to put it on the floor if it doesn’t ’ have the votes,
he said.
. . .
.
f
The tw o Cabinet m em bers m ade it clear they prefer Clinton s version ot a
higherm inim um w age,w hich w ould raise the $5.15-an-hour rate by thesam e
$ 1, but over two years instead o f three. A nd it wouldn t include the tax
breaks for businesses
Sum m ers and H erm an com plained that the tax cuts sought by House
Republicans were not supported by offsets in other programs.
•’The president has stated repeatedly that, before w e consider using
projected surpluses to provide a tax cut or for new spending, we m ust put
first things first and address the long-term solvency o f Social Security and
M edicare, ” Sum m ers and H erm an wrote.
The princ ipal version headed for expected House consideration is sponsored
by Rep. Rick Lazio. R-N .Y ., and is co-sponsored by nine others, including
five Dem ocrats.
___
It w ould raise the m inim um w age by 33 cents in April .0 0 0 , another. 3 c e n .
in April 2001 and by 34 cents on April 1,2002.
Rep. Bill Archer, chairm an o f the tax-w riting W ays and Means Committee,
today released a new version o f the tax relief that would cost $30 billion over
five years using projected budget surpluses beginning in 2001.
That package includes a five-year reduction in the estate tax, an expansion
in the low -incom e housing tax credit, expanded pensions, making self-
em ployed health insurance premiums 100 percent deductible in 2001 instead
o f2003, delayed taxation o f federal farm production payments and increasing
the business meal deduction from 50 percent to 60 percent.
♦ ’This m odest tax relief for those who create jobs w ill provide an effective
antidote to the job-threatening potential o f a government- imposed minimum
w age increase, ’’ said A rcher, R-1 exas.
Sum m ers and H erm an said the estate-tax re lie f” is expensive and provides
no benefit to average w orking A m ericans.”
’’M oreover, the relief is poorly targeted to its purpose ofproviding reliet
Candidate George W. Bush seeks safer schools
The A ssociated P re ss________
G eorge W. Bush, challenging the
" m o ra l c h a o s ’’ that he said is
threatening A m erica’s schools, today
called for le g isla tio n to p ro tec t
teachers from lawsuits resulting from
disciplinary actions against students
and fo r a life tim e ban on gun
ow nership for juveniles found guilty
o f a serious gun offense.
‘ ’No child in America, regardless ot
background, should be forced to risk
their lives in order to leam ,” the
Republican presidential candidate
said in remarks prepared for delivery
today in Gorham, N . H .
The Texas governor called for a zero-
to le ra n c e p o lic y for d is ru p tiv e
behavior in A m erica’s classroom s,
and said teachers should have the
right to remove persistently violent
and unruly students. 1 hose children,
he said, should only be allow ed to
return with the teacher’s consent.
He proposed a Teacher Protection
Act to protect teachers and school
officials who enforce reasonable rules
from ” ajunk lawsuit. ’ ’
He also called for strengthening
enforcement ot federal laws making it
a crim e to bring a gun into a public
school. "F o r anyjuvenile found guilty
o f a serious gun offense, there will be
a life tim e b a n on c a r ry in g o r
purchasing a gun - any gun, for any
reason, at any age, ev er,’ ’ he said.
I f schools rem ain unsafe, he said,
states and districts should be required
to g iv e c h ild re n th e o p tio n o f
transferring to a difterent school.
"W h en children and teen-agers go
to school afraid o f being bullied or
beaten or worse, it is the ultim ate
betrayal o f adult responsibility, he
said. ‘ ’ It com municates the victory ot
for sm all business ow ners and fam ily farm s,” they wrote.
........................
i ____ j : __
Bush called for increased spending
on character education so schools
can teach ‘ ’the m oral landm arks that
guide a successful life.” He listed
these as respect, responsibility, self-
restraint, family com m itm ent, civic
duty, fairness and com passion.
Today is B u sh ’s seventh day o f
cam paigning in N ew H am pshire,
which holds the nation’s first primary.
Though the Texas governor leads in
the polls. Sen. John McCain o f Arizona
has been gaining.
» o n . weeks. Rush
In » recent
Bush w
w as
as criticized
criticized
by his opponents for skipping two
candidate forums in New H am pshire
because o f schedule conflicts. But a
c lo se ca ll w h en a tru c k -tra ile r
overturned near his jogging path in
A ustin, Texas, M onday d id n ’t keep
him aw ay this time. Bush sutfered
m inor injuries to his right leg and hip.
Bush started today at a breakfast in
tiny Dix ville Notch, whose two dozen
voters traditionally are the first to
cast their ballots inN ew H am pshire s
BLAND
CHICKEN?
'We've teamed up with Popeyes to spread the word
about flavor. And we mean FLAVOR! Popeyes own
NEW ORLEANS SPICY or LOUISIANA MILD
thicken is so packed with flavor, every bite is a
PARTY FOR YOUR MOUTH! That's every bite of every
way Popeyes serves it up... Chicken Boxes, Dinners,
Sandwiches, Wings and Strips. Not to mention the
taste-tempting side dishes and biscuits!
"Yessir, you can COUNT ON POPEYES to deliver
flavorful goodness, no matter how you love your
chicken. If you are tired to death of that
_
bland chicken those other guys serve, come
on over to POPEYES. And help us in our mission to
SAVE THE WORLD FROM BLAND CHICKEN!"
MISSION
moral chaos.”
In his third m ajor education speech.
T he A ssociatep P ress _____________________
The Suprem e Court w ill not allow an
in te r n a tio n a l tre a ty to b lo c k
executions o f death row inmates who
w ere not yet 18 when they com m itted
theircrim es.
The justices, acting without comment
M onday, rejected the appeal o f a
convicted N evada killer who says his
e x e c u tio n w o u ld v io la te th e
International C ovenant on Civil and
Political Rights, a treaty the United
States ratified in 1992.
M ichael D om ingues was convicted
and sentenced to death for the 1993
m urders o f Arjin Chanel Pechpo and
her 4-year-old son. Jonathan Smith,
at their Las Vegas home.
Police said Domingues forced his way
into the home, strangled the woman
and fatally stabbed her son after
trying unsuccessfully to electrocute
him.
Trtitorl States rAtinnpH
the United
retained thp
the Floht
right to
im pose capital punishm ent on any
person for crim es com m itted w hile
under the age o f 18.
The Senate ratified the treaty as
presented by Bush, including that
reservation.
D om ingues’ appeal to the Supreme
Court argued that the Senate was not
authori zed to m ake a reservation that
had ‘ ’ the effect o f materially altering
the treaty. The appeal also argued
that private citizens should be allowed
to force the governm ent to com ply
with the treaty.
A sked for its view s, the Clinton
adm frustration urged the court to reject
the appeal. But hum an rights groups
in C alifornia and M innesota urged
the justices, in a jo in t friend-of-the-
court brief, to "e n fo rc e the (treaty) to
prevent the im position o f the juvenile
death penalty.”
night.
In earlier education speeches, Bush
called for m ak in g schools m ore
accountable for poor perform ance
a n d fo r g iv in g p a r e n ts m o re
inform ation on school perform ance
and then offering them alternatives
such as charter schools.
Fed Up With
Supreme Court won’t halt executions
w
-A--* ___
D w om ingues, now 22,
was tZ.,.L„-,Lz,
16 w hen he
com m itted the crimes.
A fter losing his first round o f appeals,
Domingues invoked the international
treaty in an attem pt to have state
courts strike dow n his death sentence
as illegal. The treaty prohibits the
execution o f people who com m itted
theircrim es before age 18.
Past Suprem e C ourt rulings have
barred as unconstitutionally "c ru e l
an d u n u su a l p u n is h m e n t’ ’ th e
execution o f anyone who was under
16 when com m itting a crime. But the
court has upheld capital punishm ent
for kil lers who were 16 or 17 at the time
o f their crimes.
The Nevada Supreme Court ruled, by
a 3-2 vote, that the treaty permits
D om ingues’ execution. The state
court noted that when President Bush
proposed the treaty’s ratification, he
stated a "reserv atio n ” under which
lead o ff prim ary. He talked abi
about
leadoft
fostering entrepreneurship, and cited
as examples Neil and Louise Tillotson,
the ow ners o f the luxury hotel and
reso rt w here he stay ed M onday
-R e d d & ZeRe
LIMITED TIME ONLY *T M W i M Rt STMMWMTS
I
I
1W *FC En»f|>ns« 1«.
M IXED P IE C E S for 13."
I'd -
fB rZ g T h is ’e r tiy in io T n “ \ S ” t” a“ Ê jS œ s ” n” r ^ is te r to win one of 50 turkeys'
Ito be given away courtesy of Walnut Park Retail Center. Turkey certificates wnil be
I mailed to the lucky winners. Certificates redeemable at Renaissance Market, 909 N.
Killingsworth for a 151b turkey. Just in time for Thanksgiving!
H o w 's t h a t f o r a h o u s e w a r m in g
g if t ?
J
______
PHONE:-----------------------
I NAME: ----------------------------------------------
-
I
I ADDRESS: —----------------------------------------
Since 1934 we've helped over 26 million Americans get into new
» homes. And starting this year, HUD can help you get a home loan for
\ up to $208,8 00. Be sure to check with your lender to find out what
ZIP CODE:-
the FHA-insured loon limits are in your area. We can also help you
with any questions you might have. Just call 1 -800-HUDS-FHA and ask
! No purchase necessary. Need not be present to win. Management and employees of Walnut Park Retail
1 Center businesses are ineligible to win.
■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■
■■■ •■■■
____________________
™* """"
—
—
___
for our free 100 Questions and Answers brochure. It'll tell you how
to get an FHA loan for as little as 3% down. How to choose the right
Walnut Park Retail Center
lender. How to prepare yourself for the homebuying process.
And much more. In fact, if you're looking for a home, it's all
C o rn e r o f M LK Jr. Blvd & N. K illingsw orth
the inform ation you need.
Reflections
M other Dear’s Tasty Pastries
Blimpie
The Best o f A ll W o rld s
Blockbuster Video
Key Bank
Walnut Park Laundry/Coin-Op
JPs Custom Framing & Gallery
Walnut Park
tOUUMOUMM
OFFOFTW *
800
1 RID and FHA are on your side.
H U D S -F H A
I
I