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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 2003)
Page A4 (Clic |Llo rt lattò (Dbseruer October 22. 2003 O pinion Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views o f The Portland Observer Ihe P o rtla n d O b s e rv e r E It I T U K I H - C H I I t , P V K I I i H I n C R t a Charles H. Washington T I v e 111 i r t T o K Paul Neufeldt USPS 959-680 illtO Established 1970 I Michael Leighton O r r t c £ M a n a G t Kathy Linder R 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., D is t r ir v t io s Portland, OR 97211 M a n a g e r R Mark Washington e p o r t e r Javmee R. Cuti P ostmaster : Send address changes to Portland Observer P0 Box 3137 . Portland. OR 97208 Periodical Postage paid In Portland, OR i Subscriptions are $60.00 per year 0 8 2 8 8 0 0 3 3 • FAX5 0 8 2 8 8 0 0 1 5 • EMAIL: r The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and w ill be returned i f accompanied by a self addressed envelope. A ll created design display ads become the sole property o f the newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage w ithout the w ritten consent o f the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition o f such ad. © 1996 TH E P O R T LA N D OBSERVER A L I. R IG H T S R ES E R V E D , R E P K O D l'C T IO N IN W H O I.E O R IN P A R T W IT H O U T P E R M IS S IO N IS P R O H IB IT E D . The Portland Observer--Oregon's Oldest M ulticultu ra l Publication—is a member o f the National Newspaper A ssociation-Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising Repre sentative Amalgamated Publishers. Inc. New York, N Y. and The West Coast Black Publishers Association • Serving Portland and Vancouver. Vouchers Won’t Help School Children Action by Congress makes my blood boil Most o f the D.C. C ity C ouncil and 85 percent o f the people o f the D istrict don't want them. How dare Dianne Feinstein, who lives 3,000 miles away and w ould not dare to support vouchers fo r I must admit that I'm not objec schools in Cal ifornia, decide what tive about it.lt makes my blood boil. is best fo r the children o f D.C.? I'm talking about the move to cram How dare Ihe Republican leader school vouchers down the throats ship o f Congress make decisions o f the people o f the District o f Co for the people o f the District o f lumbia. Il sjust racist and undemo Columbia, which is mostly Demo cratic. And it d idn't happen by crat? How dare the House leader chance. ship, in a particularly devious and We have a plan for college. surprise move, schedule a vole on D.C. vouchers (for a majority A fri- ean American school system) on the very evening that the Congres sional Black Caucus was sponsor ing a Presidential television debate in Baltimore? How dare Washing ton M a yo r A n th o n y W illia m s prance himselfonto the Senate floor, the first D.C. Mayor to be invited to do so in 25 years, like a grinning poster child o f the b ill’ s sponsors, while he sold out thousands o f D.C. public school children? It just makes my blood boil. But what really makes me angry is how conservatives have cyni cally identified the great respect for education that many in the African American community have, which grew out o f being denied education during slavery and an understand ing that education was the door way out o f the ghetto, and have funded a "movement” for school vouchers in black communities across the nation. by B ernice P owell J ackson Many o f the cities targeted by the right do have very real prob lems in public education, but vouch ers won’ t solve these problems. Vouchers won’ t solve the very real needs o f children living in dire pov- learning materials they use. Vouch ers won’ t solve the problems o f the school systems which face build ings which are falling apart and which are facing tax cuts as states are forced to cut budgets because o f falling revenues Vouchers won’t solve the problemsof95 percent o f the children who w ill be left behind in public schools, which w ill have even fewer dollars, when they can't or won’t he accepted into private schools. Perhaps i f M a yo r W illia m s w ould have visited Chicago to see what is happening in the schools there or even Cleveland, - Bernice Powell Jackson where despite the drain o f funds from Cleveland public schools to erty. V ouehers won’ t solve the prob the voucher program and even to lem o f children living with parents charter schools, w e ’ re seeing who are unable or unw illing to pro small, incremental steps o f im vide fam ily support mechanisms provement, he m ight not have most o f us take for granted. Vouch been so taken by the rig h t-w in g ’ s ers w on't solve the problems o f attempt to privatize D.C. schools. children who don't find their own Perhaps i f real democracy ever cultures reflected in the books and comes to W ashington, D.C. the Vouchers won't solve the problems o f 95 percent o f the children who will he left behind in public schools. people o f that city w ill have the right to choose what they want fo r themselves and their children. The good news is that the plan for school vouchers in D.C. was withdrawn from the U.S. Senate floor in the midst o f the Bush administration's $87 bi I lion request for Iraq. But Senate leaders vowed to return, perhaps in the omnibus federal spending b ill that w ill come at the end o f the month. Bernice Powell Jackson is the Executive Minister for Justice anti Witness Ministries fo r the United Church o f Christ. betters ta the f f e f iter; Concerned About PUD Saving for college may not be easy, but it helps if you have a plan That’s why families all over Oregon are investing w ith the Oregon College Savings Plan m era tor a on¡oy thaaa benefits - State tax deduction up to $2000 per year Tax-free growth and withdrawals' Use your sayings at schools nationwide Call today for your f r e e enrollment kit. 1-800-368-9484 w w w .oreg on colleg esaving s.com O OREGON Oregon 52» College Saving* Network u it A m erican F unds STRONG E ■Sr' sm vn / 1 »trenn Mate Wt deduction tot umrrtbutiofu >4 up to $2.000 per lax filing lax free withdrawal* for qualified expenses Hie plan is managed bv Strong Cap-” - ‘ . Seciirnies dmribund .. . . . hs 'Stroi apital * Management • Ins., a -------------J registered --------------- invatmem advisor Investments Int an affiliated o company ( main other « n in n o provided hy U.S Bancorp Asset Management Ins Not FU R insured/No Bank I .uaramee/May I-nac Value Hie Oregon ( oliege Savings l’Un is administered hs State In-asurrr Randall Edwards Mans lederai tax attribute* will expire on 12/31 / I I I Unless nuidilied hy future legislation, the earnings portkxt of the qualified disrrihuiion made after rlus date will he raxed at the henefkiarv s tax rale Investment values fluctuate QSO3H463 0903 Anti-Government Myth I moved herefrom Nashville. Tenn. and have been trying to catch up on this PGE vs. PUD debate. Frankly, I ’ m shocked to see the deceptive “ Citizens Against the Government Takeover" commer cials on T V warning that voting yes on measures 21-51 and 52 w ill "add another layer o f government." This scare-tactic rings loudly o f the bogus "government is wasteful and private companies are efficient" line that we have been fed since the Reagan era. Hello, people! I spent years working for a Fortune 50 company and personally watched m illions o f dollars wasted on poorly man aged projects that bled on and on fo r years because no one was w illin g to take on the department head in charge with project. Why? Because he was related to the CEO and to question him would have been career-suicide! Private industry is no more organized and efficient than government — human nature is human nature, just think Enron! Wake up, Portland! See through this anti-government myth and take back the electric resource that is rig h tfu lly yours! Sarah Walton As a northeast Portland resident, I want to share with my neighbors why I m concerned about Measures 26-51 and 26-52. These measures would form a people’ s u tility district to take over PGE's and Pacific Power's reliable service in Multnomah County. What voters may not know is that this proposal would hurt programs that we all count on-including affordable housing programs, low-income energy assistance, energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. A takeover would damage social and environmental programs that are important to low-income, elderly and disabled residents o f Multnomah County. Pacific Power and PGE contribute close to $20 m illion a year for "public purposes,” such as low-income energy assistance, weatherization, energy efficiency and affordable housing. W ith a new PUD, this money would be lost. These programs are already struggling. This is the worst possible time to cut them by m illions o f dollars per year. Unlike PGEand Pacific Power, which generate most o f theirown electricity, this new u tility would have to buy all o f its electricity from others. No one knows how much it would cost, or how high rates would go. Even the Oregon O ffice o f Energy has concluded that there is no way this new government u tility can guarantee lower electric rates than what we art already paying. Margaret Carter, State Senator Use your Card For a chance to... Win One of Over 350 Prizes! I ""» M a up o j NECESSARY CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS APPLY WINNERS SELECTED FROM ELIGIBLE ENTRANTS AMONG ALL SAFEWAY COMPANIES STORES SEE CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR RULES AND DETAILS. Pork Shoulder Blade Roast Red Crimson Seedless Grapes Bone-in. Slow cook. Crisp healthy snack. SAVE up to $1.41 lb. SAVE up to $1.01 lb. Safeway Club Price Safeway Club Price Snack Sized Packaged Candy Red Delicious Apples 9 to 22-oz. Selected varieties. Limit 6. While Supplies Last. Selections may vary by store. Northwest grown. Excellent low calorie snack. SAVE up to $1.31 SAVE up to $1.58 on 2 lbs. 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