Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 17, 2003)
PaSeA4 ________________________________ (CljV “I lo rtlattò (ßbsertier September 17,2003 O pinion The Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views o f The Portland Observer Portland Observer E D IT O R - IN - C H I E F , P U B L I S H E R Charles H. Washington C m n n D ir e c t o r Paul Neufeldt USPS 9 5 9 8 8 0 E Established 1970 M O r fic i d it o r Michael Leighton anager Kathy Linder • 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., D is t r ib u t io n Portland, OR 97211 M a n a s e » R Mark Washington e t o r t e » Jaymee R. Cuti P ostmastcr : Send address changes to Portland Observer P0 Box 3 1 3 7 , Portland, OR 9 7 2 0 8 P e rio d ic a l Postage paid In P o rtla n d , OR i S u b scriptio n s «re $ 6 0 .0 0 per year 5 0 3 2 8 8 0 0 3 3 • FAX5 0 3 -2 8 8 0 0 1 5 • EMAIL: news@poitlandobsener.com subscnpbon@portJandobsener.com ads@portlandobsenei.com The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property of the new spaper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage without the written consent o f the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition o f such ad. © 1996 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER AL1. RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART W ITHOUT PERM ISSION IS PROHIBITED. * The Portland O bserver-Oregon’s Oldest Multicultural Publication-is a member o f 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. Electing an American President -2004 Politics must speak to the center of people’s lives bv C ongressman E lijah E .C lmmings People yearn fo ra 'p o litic s o fth e c e n te r,’ the late S e n a to r P au l W ellstone counseled before his tragic death in a M innesota plane crash last year, "not 'th e cen ter’ so widely discussed by politicians and pundits in W ashington, but, rather, a politics that speaks to the center o f people’s lives. I am convinced that President Bush is losing pop u lar support because o f his failure to heed Paul W ellstone’s adm onition. Spurred in part by recent public opinion polling that confirm s that m ore A m ericans now oppose his reelection than support it, G eorge B ush is now out o n th e c a m p aign trail. He has the pow er o f incum bency behind him , as w ell as a w orld- class “spin m a ch in e.” N e v e rth e less, he m ust be finding it difficult to look the A m erican peo p le in the eye an d answ er som e very tro u bling questions about his stew ard ship o f the W hite H ouse. The national unem ploym ent rate is now o v er six percent. Jo b less ness in A frican A m erican com m u nities is tw ice that appalling figure. H ow w ill the President explain the reality that, since he took office in January o f 2 0 0 1, the U.S. econom y has lost o v er three m illion jo b s? H ow w ill he attem pt to ju stify rejecting D em ocratic proposals that w ould have stim ulated the national econom y by providing m eaningful tax cuts to m iddle-incom e A m eri cans and sm all businesses? W hy did his A dm inistration ram through m ore than $ I trillion in tax cuts that principally benefit the w ealthiest one percent o f o u r citizens w hile at the sam e tim e, denying a child tax credit to the fam ilies o f 12 m illion A m erican children (2.4 m illion o f w ealthy, w e could have assured high-quality health care for every A m erican child up to age 18 - and have given a defined, guaranteed p rescrip tio n d ru g benefit under M edicare to every senior. W hy has his A dm inistration not provided the federal funding that w ould have given the four out o f In the most affluent country o f the world, how does the President reconcile the fact that more than 44 million Americans still have no health insurance? • w hom are A frican A m ericans)? In the m ost affluent country o f the w orld, how does the President reconcile the fact that m ore than 44 m illion A m ericans still have no health insurance? H ow does he rationalize this reality w hen, for a f r a c tio n of th e B u sh A dm in istratio n ’s generosity to the every ten children w ho are eligible, but do not y et receive, the H ead Start that they need and deserve in life? W hy are the President and his R epublican allies shortchanging federal aid to public education to the tu n e o f9 billion dollars - under- funding the N o C hild Left B ehind A ct, freezing the level o f student financial aid and starving histori cally black colleges and universi ties? W h y - w hile the Bush A dm inis tration is spending billions each m onth in its attem pt to “go it alo n e” in Iraq - has it not yet provided the states and o u r m ajor cities w ith the federal support that w ould allow our “ first responders” to m ore safely defend o u r ports, our railw ays and o th er public infrastructure against the terrorist threat? Since this A dm inistration and th eir congressional allies talk en d lessly about “defending our free d o m ,” w hy have they asserted the m ost extrem e assault upon ou rciv il liberties that I have w itnessed in m y lifetim e? H ow could they have the hubris to call the centerpiece o f th eir challenge to our fundam ental freedom s the “Patriot A ct?” W hy have they nom inated fed eral ju d g es With no dem onstrated com m itm ent to o u r civil rights o r liberty? W hy, w hen the C ongress passed sw eeping election reform legisla tion to address the 2000 presiden tial election debacle, have the Presi dent and R epublicans in C ongress not yet provided the cash-strapped states w ith adequate financial sup port to im plem ent these reform s? W hy has this President failed to keep the solem n prom ise to govern from the center that he m ade to us after the contested presidential elec tion o f 2000? C e n trist talk is not en o u g h fo r a p e o p le w ho n eed jo b s , e d u c a tio n , h ealth c a re and h o u sin g - a p eo p le w h o d e se rv e freed o m , as w ell as se c u rity . W e are liv in g th ro u g h a tim e o f c risis - a tim e th a t c rie s o u t fo r a p re s id e n t w ho w ill d efend this country w hile also a d v a n c in g th e p o lic ie s th at w ill bind us to g e th e re v e n m ore firm ly as a n a tio n . U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, D-Md. serves as chair o f the Con gressional Black Caucus. Redouble Efforts at Police Reform Revenue Fix Falls Short K ristian W illiams W hen 1 heard ofM ark K roeker’s resigna tion my first response w as sim ple disbelief. T hen, 1 cheered. A nd then, 1 started to worry. The labor m ovem ent has a m axim , "A bad boss is the best organizer.” K roeker’s tim e ran out as his credibility took one hit after another. His career as police chief is best sum m arized by a long list o f scandals and controversies— M ay Day, hazing rituals, anti-gay speeches, the cover up o f an off-duty beating, the M ejia shoot ing, the H am m ick shooting and the K endra Jam es shooting. He faced a law suit for brutality against anti-w ar protesters; his civilian review board suffered a com plete m eltdow n w hen a m a jo rity o f its m em bers resigned and d e nounced the oversight process as a sham ; and an independent report found the police b ureau’s investigations o f officer-invol ved shootings to be lacking in every way. It w as in this context that K roeker finally a n n o u n c e d th e s u s p e n s io n o f S c o tt M cColl ister, the cop w ho shot and killed the bv unarm ed Jam es fleeing a traffic stop. The tension surrounding the case, high lighted by d em onstrations involving th o u sands o f people, put K roeker in an im pos sible position. H e could either capitulate to the public and lose the support o f his o ffic ers o r he could defend the police and face Civil rights advocates cannot afford to relax their scrutiny o f the police bureau or delay their prodding for change. || m ounting opposition from the com m unity. In earlier police-public battles, K roeker had alw ays backed his troops, regardless o f the evidence or the dem ands o f com m on decency. As a consequence, w e saw an increasingly arrogant police force, an in creasingly skeptical new s m edia and an in creasingly angry public. O bviously, the police bureau could not continue dow n this path and retain any claim to legitim acy. So, by suspending M cC ollister fo r five and a h a lf m onths, K roeker offered the public a partial conces sion. B ut the effo rt'b ack fired . The police union felt betrayed, and critics felt the dis cipline too w eak. A nd both sides blam ed, to g reater or lesser degrees, the c h ie f s per sonally. T his gave the m ayor an easy out. She asked for his resignation. W e can, and should, celebrate the end o f K roeker’s ugly tenure. But civil rights advo cates cannot afford to relax their scrutiny o f the pol ice bureau or delay their proddi ng for change. N ow is the tim e to am plify o u r efforts. If w e w ant to see real change, w e need to bring intense pressure to bear w hile the crisis persists. It w as true w hen Frederick D ouglass said it, and it’s true now ; Pow er concedes nothing w ithout a dem and. Kristian Williams is a member o f Rose City Copwatch and the author o f Our En emies in Blue: Police and Power in America (Soft Skull Press, 2003). Seniors still impacted by service shortfalls F ran L andeair , E lders in A ction A fter w itnessing the longest legislative session in O regon history and en d u r ing a rancorous, nearly tw o-year debate on how to co v er o u r state’s revenue shortfall, it is tem pting to breathe a sigh o f re lie f afterG ov. Ted K ulongoski signed the tem porary revenue package, on A ug. 27. H ow ever, for thousands o f seniors | and o th er vulnerable citizens in our state it w o n ’t be that easy. T he revenue package is only a tem porary solution to the state’s budget crisis. The $792 m illion - raised mostly from taxes paid by higher-incom e households and businesses - i s a fair and balanced approach to recovering som e o f the revenues needed to keep schools open, keep our com m unities safe and m aintain services for the elderly, poor and disabled. H ow ever, anti-tax extremists, with no real solution on how to fund these basic qualify o f life services, have vow ed to obtain the necessary num ber o f petition signatures to force a referendum on the tax package in a Feb. 3,2004 special election. People need to realize, even with this partial revenue fix, som e o f our state’s m ost vulnerable citizens w ill still be w ithout essential services. F or instance, O regon Project Independence is a program o f in-hom e services designed for low -incom e seniors w ho have difficulty with the basic activities o f daily life, and w ho do not qualify for M edicaid, yet need services to prevent m ore costly institutional care. f O PI w as form erly funded at $ 17 m illion. It is now listed in the rem aining state budget fo r2003-05 at $6.5 million. Last year, approxim ately 4,000 O regon seniors w ere served in their hom es through O PI . A t this greatly reduced funding level, the i program w ill serve far few er clients at reduced levels, leaving m ore seniors by I If It’s New or Informative, You Probably Saw It In JJnrtlanb (©bseruer The Portland Observer is Oregon's Oldest and Largest Multi-Cultural Newspaper. The Portland Observer’s distribution of nearly 40,000 papers encom passes a w ide cross-section o f residential and state readership, as well as a large percentage of the local business community. Become a part of our community. Contact Us to participate in the upcoming Minority Business Edition on October 8. 2003. We took forward to hearing from you. Call 503-288-0033 Read the Portland Observer News. 1 Year $60.00 2 Years $ 100.00 Make check payable to the Portland Observer News or pay by Visa or Master I aid. Renewal $60.00 Online subscriptions are also available at subsaiptwnstopunlandobservneom. Name A d d ress C ity ____ State P h o n e __ Fax vulnerable to declining health and safety issues. Since F ebruary, m ore than 6,000 seniors and persons w ith disabilities - m ost o f w hom live in their ow n hom e - have lost state provided in-hom e care services. In spite o f this new revenue package, m ore than 2,500 clients w ill still lose these critical services. T he saying, “penny w ise and pound foolish” rings in m y head. T he average cost p er case for in-hom e care under OPI is about $250 per m onth. By com parison, nursing hom e care costs about $3,000 per m onth. W hat can concerned citizens do to help o u r state’s m ost vulnerable? First, find opportunities to volunteer in your com m unity. For m ore than 35 years, the not- for-profit E lders in A ction has w orked to im prove the quality o flife for older adults. T he organization represents the interests o f seniors in the Portland m etropolitan area through its volunteer O m budsm an S ervice that offers assistance, advocacy and em otional support to seniors and persons w ith disabilities in the areas o f housing, health care and elder crim e abuse T he services w e offer run the gam ut from helping to solve sticky housing issues, helping sort through the com plexities o f getting prescription m edication, DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO EARN. THE GREEN BERET? Zip Code Com pany N ame I, your answer is yes, then the United States Army has a unique opportunity for you to become a Special Forces Soldier - a Green Beret You'll learn from some of the G ift subscriptions arc also available for h a lf price w ith your renew al. best Soldiers anywhere, and put your new skills to work in duty stations around the world It takes plenty of hard work to earn the green beret, but the pride you'll feel when you wear it tor the first time will make it all worthwhile. Name A d d ress C ity ____ State Phone Fax Z ip Code > > So it you're a high school graduate, between 18 and 30. interested in finding out how you can become part of an elite group of proud professionals, call Rose City recruiting station at 503-284-4005 or stop by Rose City recruiting station at 13)7 NE Broadway Street And check out over 200 ways you can become AN ARMY OF ONE il,r |J o rtIa n h ODbaeruer P.O. Box 3137 P o rtlan d , O R 9 7 2 0 8 ; 5 0 3 .2 8 8 .0 0 3 3 o r Fax 5O3.288.OOI5; p o rtlan d o b serv er.co m ■ o irm y com ©MOI Paid tai m n» U S Arm» « I njM> « M in i AN ARMY OF ONE and helping seniors w ho have been the victim s o f crim e and abuse, in cluding the ram pant problem o f iden tity theft. Since state budget cuts began im pacting social services for seniors this year. Elders in A ction has experienced a near 40 percent increase in requests for assistance. All w e ask is that you donate a m ere 8-10 hours per m onth to helping those in need. C all us at 503-823- 5 2 6 9 o r v i s i t u s o n li n e a t w w w .eldersaction.org. F inally, m ake state governm ent officials m ore accountable for creat ing a fair, equitable and balanced tax system . No o th er state in the nation is m ore reliant on a single tax than O regon is on the incom e tax. Contact your legislators to encourage them to create tax reform that is not as vulnerable to fluctuations in the econom y, that creates a rainy day fund, and that it is less dependent on incom e taxes. Learn m ore about the state budget and how our system o f taxation works, and most importantly, help others to leam m ore too f