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EDITORIALS for the Portland Observer
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May 28, 2003
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The Portland Observer
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E d it o i
When You've Got Family Behind You,
You're Never Alone!
M ichael Leighton
M 4 n A a 1 i
Mark Washington
D is t iiiu t io m
C I I I I I H
D
I I I C T O I
Paul Neufeldt
O ffic e d i m m i
Kathy Linder
J s s o c n n E d it
Wynde D yer
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o i
Change the System
People from all walks oflifejoined
together to call for accountability
and changes in our police depart­
ment, the office o f the district attor­
ney and the office o f the mayor.
James’ death remains completely
unacceptable in our view.
We question the fairness o f the
The follow ing is an editorial o f police investigation, the district
The Portland Observer:
attorney’s presentation o f the facts
The voices were strong, deter­ before a secret grand jury and the
mined and from the heart.
attack on Jam es’ background.
Saturday’s march for justice in
A uthorities have painted the
memory o f Kendra James was a 21-year-old m other o f tw o ch il­
defining moment for north and dren as a “crack ad d ict”, but as
northeast Portland.
A frican A m erican P astor LeRoy
A sea o f African Americans H aynes cried out to m archers
joined by people from al 1 races gath­ Saturday, “W e say she was a child
ered peacefully in one o f Portland’s o fG o d .”
largest civil rights protests.
We echo the words o f Bishop
Community finds
unity in outrage
over Kendra
Jam es’ death
That's why so many single people, in your hometown and all over the country rely on
American Family Insurance for their insurance protection. American Family Insurance Is
A. A. Wells, another black leader,
who spoke o f good cops who are
true peace officers who have re­
spect for all human life, compared
to “outlaw cops, cowboy cops, trig­
ger happy cops, rude cops and
disrespectful cops that must be
weeded out.”
James obviously made a mistake
when she resisted arrest by getting
behind the wheel o f a car to escape
a traffic stop. But police must be
accountable for their actions.
We encourage you to support
another rally for justice on Wednes­
day, June 4 at the capitol in Salem.
The voices raised will call for
changes in the grand jury system
and the laws governing police use
o f deadly force.
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Guilty of Driving While Black
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What exactly is a routine traffic
stop and why have 1, as a white
female, never been stopped for “fail­
ing to come to a complete stop?”
I see all kinds o f questionable
driving, including failure to stop at
stop signs, failure to use turn sig­
nals while driving fast and reckless
driving in freeway traffic. Yet I rarely
see police officers stopping some­
one for “failure to come to a com­
plete stop.”
White privilege means I don’t
have to worry much about these
things. Driving while black resulted
In her case, the ultimate price
in the tragic death o f a young woman was paid during an interaction with
o f color who was out late— the same “public servants” out to suppos­
activity w hite people take for edly keep the peace and protect the
granted. White people don’t worry public.
about a police officer following their
Then, the white officer walks and
car or keeping their hands in view people say this has nothing to do
so cops don’t shoot them.
with race.
The Black community puts out
1 don’t understand why the en­
brochures on how to interact with tire city is not on fire with rage
police, outlining what your rights about this injustice.
are. Why? To save lives and pre­
Linda Kanzinger
vent tragedies such as the Kendra
Northeast Portland
James shooting.
W h a c k e d B u d g e tin g
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
IN APPRENTICESHIP
Are you interested in a FUTURE in the Piping Trades?
U.A. Local 290 will be accepting applications for
Metal Trade Pipefitters Apprentices (MA #1043)
by M ichael
This is a notice to establish a pool of eligibles.
WHEN:
MONDAY, June 30 through FRIDAY, July 11,2003,
9:30am - 4pm weekdays
WHERE:
Apply in person: U.A. Local 290 Training Center, 20220
SW Teton Avenue, Tualatin, Oregon 97062; 691-1997.
Contact: Robert Kimes
AGE:
Must be at least 18 years old (proof required — non-
returnable copy of birth certificate, or current driver’s
license)
REQUIREMENTS: High school graduate with C average or better OR
GED with a minimum score of 255 if test was taken
before 1/1/02 or a score of 2550 if the test was taken
after 1/1/02; AND C or better in one year high school
algebra. Official transcripts are required and must be
mailed directly from the institution to Local 290
Training Center before July 18, 2003.
NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS
The United Association Local 290 Apprenticeship and Journeymen Training Trust
Fund admits students of any gender, race, color, national and ethnic origin to all
rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to
apprentices at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race,
color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its apprenticeship policies,
admission policies and other Trust-administered programs.
John Endicott, Business Manager
I
Tax breaks for
the wealthy
should not be
the priority now
1
L eachman
Public policy decisions often
come down to a matter o f priorities.
Which spending proposals are more
important to fund?
During the state budget process,
legislators scour state agency bud­
gets, demanding that various ser­
vices and programs be reduced or
eliminated. At the same time, O r­
egon spends millions o f dollars
through tax breaks with little over­
sight. These tax breaks are not ac­
counted for in agency budgets, but
they are government spending all
the same.
Because tax breaks have re­
ceived so little scrutiny while state
agency budgets are being slashed,
Oregon’s priorities are increasingly
outofwhack. Forinstance.overthe
next two years, Oregon will provide
tax breaks worth about $36 million
to well-off residents, those earning
over $100,000, to help cover the
costs o f medical and dental care.
Meanwhile, legislators are elimi­
nating the Medically Needy pro­
gram which provides prescription
drugs and other medical services
for low-income seniors and dis­
abled Oregonians. The cost o f this
program over the next two years
will be $37 mi I lion, roughly the same
as the cost o f the medical care tax
breaks.
Which o f these two programs is
more important? The Medically
Needy program is a matter o f life or
death for some recipients. Douglas
Schmidt ofPortland fell into a coma
after losing access to prescription
drugs for epileptic seizures when
the Medically Needy program was
eliminated on Feb. I . The medical
care tax breaks, on the other hand,
are typically a luxury for high-in-
come Oregonians.
W hile low-income seniors are
losing access to prescription drugs
through the M edically Needy pro­
gram, tax breaks are helping high-
Because tax breaks
have received so little
scrutiny while state
agency budgets are
being slashed, Oregon s
priorities are
increasingly out o f
whack.
- Michael Leachman, Oregon Cen^r
for Public Policy
income seniors purchase both pre­
scription drugs and a wide variety
o f less vital products, including
contact lenses. W hile low-income
Oregonians o f all ages are losing
access to alcohol addiction treat­
ment services, the tax breaks are
subsidizing the same services for
w ealthy residents. W hile thou­
sands o f low-income Oregonians
are losing all access to preventive
and dental care, the tax breaks help
wealthy Oregonians cover the costs
o f these same services, and help
pay for other services such as acu­
puncture and chiropractic care.
If the medical care tax breaks
were budget line items, would they
have survived the last two years o f
budget cuts?
Imagine your local legislator
standing before her colleagues to
defend the “Contact Lenses for Rich
Ladies program," while at the same
time voting to eliminate anti-sei­
zure medication for low-income
Oregonians.
Other tax breaks would likely not
have survived as direct spending
programs. Would you support an
affordable housing assistance pro­
gram that helps millionaires buy
mansions? In fact, you do. Under
the guise o f making housing more
affordable, Oregon allows people
buying million dollar houses to
deduct all o f the interest they pay
on their mortgages.
M e a n w h ile , o n e -fifth o f
O regon’s renters are paying more
than half their income in rent with
no additional low-income rental
assistance in sight.
By offering tax breaks that pro­
vide government assistance to the
well-off, Oregon spends money
that otherwise could be used to
help pay for good schools and safe
neighborhoods. At a lime when
vulnerable Oregonians - children,
disabled people, low-income se­
niors and other poor families - are
bearing the burden o f extreme state
budget cuts, tax breaks for the
wealthy ought to be receiving more
scrutiny.
It’s time to put our priorities in
the right order.
M ichael Leachman is a policy
analyst the Oregon Center fo r Pub­
lic Policy.