May 2, 2001
Page A4
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Opinion
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STAFF
E d it o r
New Vaccine Plan Needed to Protect Children
S ta te S e n . M a r g a r e t C a r te r ,
v ic e c h a ir o f th e S e n a te H e a lth
a n d H u m a n S e r v ic e s C o m m it­
te e , h a s c a lle d f o r th e S ta te
H e a lth D iv is io n to d e v e lo p a
p la n fo r im m u n iz a tio n s to p r o ­
te c t c h ild r e n a g a in s t th e d e a d ly
b a c te r ia , s tr e p p n e u m o n ia e (a
c a u s e o f m e n in g itis ) a n d H e p a ­
titis A .
“ M e n in g itis is a d r e a d e d
b a c te r ia in f e c tio n th a t c a n b e
fa ta l i f n o t tr e a te d q u ic k ly , a n d
e s p e c ia lly f o r c h ild r e n a t h ig h
r is k - a n d c a n c e r , ” C a r t e r
s a id . A n o th e r s e r io u s p ro b le m
is th a t o th e r d is e a s e s , s u c h a s
State Sen. Margaret Carter
s ic k le c e ll a n e m ia , im p a ir s th e
s p l e e n 's r o l e in p r o t e c t i n g
a g a in s t c e r ta in b a c te r ia l in ­
fe c tio n s , in c lu d in g p n e u m o ­
c o c c a l d is e a s e . H e p a titis A is
a s e r io u s liv e r d is e a s e .
“ It is im p o r ta n t th a t p a r e n ts
k n o w th a t n e w v a c c in e s a re
now a v a i l a b l e ,” C a r te r s a id .
T h e p n e u m o n o c c a l c o n ju g a te
v a c c in e (P R E V N A R ) w a s r e ­
le a se d la st J u ly , p r o v id in g p r o ­
te c t i o n a g a i n s t m e n i n g i t i s ,
p n e u m o n ia , s e p s is (b lo o d
s tre a m in f e c tio n ) a n d in f e c ­
tio n s a r o u n d th e e y e ( o r b ita l
sh o w n to be h e lp fu l in d e c r e a s ­
in g r e c u r r e n t e a r in f e c tio n s in
s o m e c h ild r e n .
T h e P R E V N A R v a c c in e fo r
m e n in g itis is a d m in is te re d w ith
o th e r ro u tin e v a c c in e s to in fa n ts
a n d to d d le rs u n d e r 24 m o n th s o f
a g e o n th e fo llo w in g sc h e d u le :
2 ,4 , 6 a n d 15 to 24 m o n th s.
C a r te r w a n ts a sta te p la n d e ­
v e lo p e d to a d m in is te r th e v a c ­
c in e to m o st chi ld ren b e fo re th e y
e n te r th e sc h o o l sy ste m . S h e
sa id c h ild re n , w h o a re at h ig h
ris, w ith sic k le c e ll, d ia b e te s , o r
c a n c e r, s h o u ld b e id e n tifie d and
im m u n iz e d a p p r o p r ia te ly fo r
th e ir ag e .
A m e n d m e 1 ts to C a r te r ’s im ­
m u n iz a tio n I g isla tio n . S e n a te
B ill 4 8 2 , c a lls fo r th e O re g o n
H e a lth , in c o n s u lta tio n w ith
m e m b e rs o f th e m e d ic a l c o m ­
m u n ity , e d u c a to rs an d c o u n ty
h e a lth d e p a r tm e n ts , to fo r m u ­
la te a p la n to b e r e p o r te d to
th e H e a lth In te r im C o m m itte e
p r io r to th e n e x t L e g is la tiv e
s e s s io n a n d f o r im p le m e n ta ­
tio n b y J u ly 1, 2 0 0 6 .
c e llu lite ).
T h e v a c c in e a ls o h a s b e e n
C h ie f ,
in
P lB L IS H E R
Charles H. Washington
E d i T o R
The ‘American Dream’ is
Fading for Too Many Families
Larry J. Jackson, Sr,
H ard w ork no longer guarantees fam ilies can
m eet their basic needs in O regon or in the nation
B
u s in e s s
M
anager
Gary Ann Taylor
A sst . P ublisher
Michael Leighton
C
E
opy
d it o r
Joy Ramos
C
r e a t iv e
D
ir e c t o r
Robert Parker
4 7 4 7 N E M a r tin L u th e r K ing,
Jr. B lvd .
P o rtla n d , O R 9 7 2 1 1
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n ew s@ p o rtlan d o b serve r.co m
subecriptkvi@portiandobserverxom
a d s@ p o rtlan d o b se rv er.co m
P ostmaster :
B y M ichael L eachmam
To develop good public policy,
O regon’s elected officials need an
accurate picture o f what is hap­
pening in the lives o f their constitu­
ents. Yet. most policy makers have
missed a fundamental development
in the lives o f O regon families:
families who work hard and play
by the rules can no longer expect to
get ahead.
The average working household
in Oregon in the late 1990s was
working 278 more hours per year
than in the late 1970s. These addi­
tional hours spent at w ork have
failed to compensate for the wage
decline over the same period.
Adjusted for inflation, O regon’s
median hourly wage fell from $13.21
in 1979 to $10.99, in 1996, re­
bounding somewhat to $ 11.98 in
1999. In the midst o f the economic
expansion o f the late 1990s, the
m edian annual incom e o f four-
person families in Oregon was about
the same as it had been 20 years
earlier.
Poor fam ilies have been b u r­
d en ed h e a v ily by the sh ift in
O re g o n ’s w o rk in g fa m ily life
sin c e , c o n tra ry to m y th , p o o r
fam ilies work. In 1997-99, 84.2
p e rc e n t o f p o o r fa m ilie s w ith
c h ild re n in O regon w orked at
som e point during the year, up
from 72.7 percent in 1991-93.
O n average, these fam ilies work
nearly 39 w eeks per year, even
though som e jo b s, such as can­
nery and agricultural jo b s, pro­
vide only seasonal w ages. Just
8.5 percent o f all poor fam ilies
w ith children in O regon received
the m ajority o f their incom e from
p u b lic a s s is ta n c e in th e late
1990s.
Hard w ork no longer guaran­
tees fam ilies can m eet their basic
needs in O regon or in the nation.
T here are plenty o f lousy jobs
out there today - jo b s w ith paltry
w ages and no benefits - and these
are the jo b s held by O re g o n 's
poor. W elfare reform ignored this
reality. Poor people w ere told to
get a job, any job, and th e y 'd be
better off. The result: despite a
strong econom y and m inim um
w age increases, the poverty rate
am ong O reg o n ’s w orking fam i­
lies w ith children rose from 10.4
percent in 1993-94 to 15.3 p er­
cent in 1997-98.
O re g o n ’s poor fam ilies with
kids in 1998-99 earned an aver­
age annual incom e from work
a n d c a s h a s s is ta n c e o f ju s t
$8,800, essentially the sam e in­
com e they w ere earning before
( j u n T u rn ~ l n 2.001
w elfare reform . A nd thanks to
w elfare reform , the next tim e a
recessio n hits the p o o rest O r­
egonians w ill fall back tow ards a
safety net that is incapable o f
catching them .
W elfare reform only e x acer­
bated a trend that has been d evel­
oping over the last generation.
A lthough the poverty rate am ong
w orking fam ilies w ith children
increased dram atically follow ing
w elfare reform , the rate has been
increasing for 20 years and has
doubled since the late 1970s.
T h e p r o m is e o f s u c c e s s
th ro u g h w ork w e ak en s as the
quality o f jo b s declines.
O regonians are w orking m ore
hours, spending less tim e w ith
their fam ilies, and are frustrated
that they still a re n ’t getting ahead.
This is the new reality that policy
m akers and the m ed ia do not
fully understand. T he “ A m e ri­
can dream ” is fading for too m any
fam ilies. W ill O regon w ake up in
tim e to act?
Michael Leachman is a policy
analyst at the Oregon Center fo r
Public Policy. He can be reached
at
m leachm an@ ocpp.org,
OCPP, P.O. Box 7, Silverton,
OR 97381-000 7, or by calling
503-873-1201.
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k
Minister S • I « iks
Out Against
President Bush’s
Faith-Based
Heads up.
Safety is the first
step in all your
outdoor home and
yard fix-up projects.
Initiative
At a news conference called by the
Coalition Against Religious Discrimi­
nation, the Rev. Arnold Howard joined
religious leaders from across the coun­
try and the theological spectrum in
voicing opposition to the Bush
administration’s plan to fund religion
with tax dollars. Rev. Howard, who
called the plan “bad for government,
and worse forreligion,” is vice chair of
People For the A m erican W ay
Foundation’s African American Min­
isters Leadership Council and the pas­
tor o f Enon Baptist Church in Balti­
more.
At the news conference, a petition
to the president and Congress bearing
the signatures of hundreds of faith
leaders opposing the administration’s
plan was unveiled. Rev. Howard com­
mented that African Americans have a
p a rtic u la r in terest in opposing
government’s funding o f religion, be­
cause such a plan “would weaken the
African American church’s voice and
moral power as a force for social jus­
tice." Citing the African American
church’s historic role. Rev. Howard
added, “ When we go to the govern­
ment, it must not be with our hands out,
but with our heads high and our voices
unrestrained.”
I
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