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April 02.2003
Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or
represent the views o f The Portland Observer
E h i r o h -i is -C « 11 1- ,P V » 1 1 s h t «
The Portland Observer
C n i T i n l) 11 t t r u i
Paul Neufeldt
Charles H. Washington
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Mark Washington
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The Portland O bserver-Oregon's Oldest Multicultural Publication—is a member of the
National Newspaper Association-Founded in 1885. and The National Advertising Repre­
sentative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York. NY. and The West Coast Black Publishers
Association • Serving Portland and Vancouver.
Troops’ Bravery Commended
Our military
reflects the
diversity of
our nation
Julian Bond, chairman of the
board of directors o f the
NAACP, urges support for
United States troops in Iraq,
despite earl ier opposition to the
war.
“Last fall, we opposed uni­
lateral war against Iraq, but we
fire as one with all Americans in
supporting our fighting forces,”
Julian Bond
said Bond. “More than most of
American society, our military
reflects the diversity of our na­
tion. We commend the bravery
and sacrifice o f our men and
women in uniform, who repre­
sent all races and faiths.”
The NAACP Board of D i­
rectors unanimously passed a
resolution last October ex­
pressing opposition to war be­
fore all options were exercised
in the United Nations.
Bond also is speaking out
regarding an incident in which a
sergeant with the 101 st A ir­
borne Division has been ac­
cused ofthrowing grenades that
killed and injured his fellow
soldiers.
“We mourn the lives lost and
condemn the attack by an
Am erican soldier on his own
com rades,” Bond said.
Bond added that he is pray­
ing “for a swift end to this con-
flict and for a just peace at
home and abroad.”
The National Association for
the Advancem ent o f Colored
People is the nation’s oldest
and largest civil rights organi­
zation. Itshalf-millionadultand
youth members throughout the
United States and the world
are the prem ier advocates for
civil rights in their communities
and monitor equal opportunity
in the public and private sec-
tors.
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Individuals served in
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em ergency hea ting assistance
food boxes
meats ft shelter
refuge from dom estic violence
shelter & schooling fo r teen moms
sports h cam ping programs fo r youth
recre atio n & housing fo r lo w incom e
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• counseling & services for prison
in m ates ft th e ir fam ilies
Reject Gun Industry Protections
There should be
no escape from
liability for
misuse of guns
The NAACP is urging the
U.S. Senate to reject legisla­
tion that would prevent civil
liability against the gun industry
for damages resulting from the
misuse of a firearm.
“Some in Congress, goaded
by the gun lobby, are deter­
mined to slam the courthouse
door in the face of current and
future victimsof gun violence,”
said Kweisi Mfume, NAACP
president and chief executive
officer.
A bill introduced by Rep.
C liff Steams, R-Fla., H.R.
1036, The Protection o f Law­
ful Commerce in Arms Act,
would immunize the gun indus­
try from legal action - even
when it acts in a negligent and
irresponsible manner.
“For decades the NAACP
has fought on behalf of victims
o f gun violence. Part o f that
Kweisi Mfume
fight includes the N A A C P’s
current legal action against fire-
arms' manufacturers and deal­
ers who have facilitated the
supply of handguns to an un­
lawful underground m arket,”
Mfume said.
The proposed law comes
just as the ci vil rights organiza­
tion is preparing for a trial in a
lawsuit against gun makers.
“We urge all m em bers of
Congress to reject H.R. 1036.
In pushingthis bill just weeks
before our trial is slated to be­
gin, the gun lobby clearly placed
the N A A C P’s legal efforts in
its sights,” Mfume said. “ H.R.
1036 makes specific reference
to suits brought by “private in­
terest groups” and contains lan­
guage that would stop dead in
its tracks all pending legal ac­
tion against the gun industry.”
Heath Care is Headed the Wrong Way
by S teven
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W olfson
A recent report from the In­
stitute of Medicine found that
our health care system is con­
fronting a crisis and is inca­
pable o f meeting the present,
let alone the future needs of the
American public.
A previous report from this
agency estimated that 18,(XX)
Americans died last year sim­
ply because they had no medi­
cal insurance. And the ranks of
the uninsured are growing ev­
ery year.
M edicaid and M edicare,
designed to provide universal
coverage to the elderly and
Free HIV Testing
in NE Portland
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Tuesday and Thursday Evenings
5 :0 0 -8 :0 0 p.tn.
(last check in a t 7:30 p.m.)
NE Health Center
MLK J r. Blvd. And NE Killingsworth
(E nter in rear door near Emerson, go to 2nd flo o r)
Sc habla espanol los Martes
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the indigent, once succeeded
in their tasks. But the years
have brought p rogressive
unfunding relative to need.
M edicaid now pays about 40
percent o f the real costs o f
care. M edicare is headed for
the same slope.
The magic bullet suggested
for escalating health care costs
was said to be m anaged care.
B ut the managers not only did
not co nstrain co sts, they
added to the costs by su p er­
imposing adm inistrative ex ­
penses approaching 30 p er­
cent. And w hen they did not
meet the profit expectations
o f their stockholders, they left.
T he H M O s d e se rte d the
M edicaid and M edicare pro­
gram s in droves.
The next approach taken
by the insurance industry has
been the “defined ben efit” ,
meaning that people w hocan
afford insurance will be given
a choice o f the coverage they
will, or will not, have.
In esse n c e , p eo p le are
asked to gam ble with their
lives and fortunes. G am ble
that they will not need outpa­
tient care during the com ing
year, or drug coverage, or
psychiatric services, or with
premium rates rising progres­
sively, that they will be healthy
this year.
The im pact is to shift even
m ore costs to the consum er.
The m ain burden, o f course,
is borne by those w ho have
the poor fortune to get sick at
the wrong time or in the wrong
body part.
Now , the headlines tell us
that the president and C on­
gress are planning to reform
M edicare. The approach is
to be “com petition” . The in­
strum ent will be the HM O.
The controlling force will be
the insurance industry.
It does not take m uch sense
to know that we are headed
for disaster. The costs of health
care are grow ing as the com ­
ponents get m ore expensive
and we can do m ore for the
sick. The insurance offered is
m ore expensive but covers
less. The social net is eroding
and the nation is aging.
How can reasonable people
propose such an unreason­
able solution?
“The answer, my friend, is
M owin' in the wind. The an­
swer is M owin' in the w ind.”
Steven Wolfson is a cardi­
ologist in New Haven, Conn.
Multnomah County Health Department
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