May 19. 2004 îl?e ^Inrtlanb GObsmwr Page A3 John Kerry Wins Applause in Portland Visit Campaigns on jobs, gas prices and health care said Kerry. "T hank you for putting your country ahead o f everything else and jo in ing together in this great effort." Dean can play an im portant role for Kerry in sw ing states like O regon. Its seven electoral votes are considered up ( A P )— D em ocratic presidential candi date John K erry said T uesday that inac tion by the Bush adm inistration in the face o f soaring gasoline prices and rising health care costs is costing A m ericans their jo b s and savings. ‘‘It’s time we had a president w ho will lead in a way that benefits you,” Kerry said in rem arks prepared for a visit to a training center. "W e know that a strong econom y and a strong middle class are the key to building a stronger America. That is why when we win back the W hite House, we will offer real relief to working fam ilies, so they have the opportunity to save and get ahead.” T he K erry cam paign contended in a statem ent that Bush “stubbornly refuses to offer help" even as h igher gasoline prices, w hich have risen to m ore than $2 per gallon, w ill cost the average O regon fam ily an extra $ 1 ,(X)6 a y ear and squeeze fam ily budgets already hurt by a w eak jo b m arket and hig h er costs for college. U nem ploym ent in O regon was 6.7 per cent in A pril, dow n from 7.2 percent in M arch, and gasoline sells for $2.25 per gallon. Fam ilies in the state are paying nearly 50 percent more for health care than they did three years ago, the K erry cam - Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, DMass., speaks during a campaign rally Monday at Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland. (AP photos) paign said. Kerry received a rousing boost M onday night during a public rally at dow ntow n’s Pioneer Courthouse Square from former rival H oward Dean, who built a substantial following in O regon during his failed bid for the nomination. D ean’s full-throated back ing for Kerry was a clear signal to any o f his backers who might be tem pted by the m av erick cam paign o f Ralph Nader. The form er V erm ont governor ran on a staunchly anti-w arplatform , but he praised Kerry ’ s record as a decorated mi litary hero. "H e served his country w ith patriotism and valor and stood up for w hat’s right,” said D ean. “I w ant som ebody w ho under stands right from w rong.” Dean said he w as confidant that as co m m an d er in c h ie f K erry w ould send troops into h a rm 's w ay only after "telling the truth to the A m erican people about w hy th ey ’re g o in g ." Kerry is seeking to solidify ties w ith D ean ’s supporters. ‘T h an k you for helping to aw aken the D em ocratic Party, to aw aken our country,” Dear Deanna! Graduates Honored The 8,h annual Bridge Builders Black B accalaureate, honoring A fric a n -A m e ric a n g ra d u a te s fro m O re g o n a n d s o u th e a s t W ashington, will be h eld o n S u n day, M ay 23 at the U niversity o f Portland-C hiles C enter, 5000 N. W illam ette Blvd. D oors open at 6:30p.m . with the program begin for grabs in this y ear’s election. In 2000, D em ocrat Al G ore carried the state by just 6,765 votes. "T he only w ay to send G eorge Bush back to C raw ford, T exas, is to vote for John K erry,” D ean said. ning at 7 p .m . T he sacred service in honor o f A frican A m erican achievem ent gives area residents the opp o rtu nity to dem onstrate to o u r youth that we as a com m unity value education and achievem ent. The event is free and open to the public. Advertise with diversity in u P n r tla u b (ft)hsm»er ( all 503-2SK-0033 ads@portlandobseiver.com I m in prison responding to advice you gave a lonely inm ate. W ith a few years left o f his sentence you told him to focus on getting a degree instead o f w orrying about a w om an on the outside. I feel y o u ’re w rong. You also d id n ’t tell him w hat kind o f deg ree he needs. He needs a w om an because it’s lonely in prison and com panionship will help his tim e pass faster and keep him m entally stable. - A n o n ym o u s Inm ate; Soledad, Calif. Hill, a student at Self Enhancement, Inc., looks on as Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., reads to school children Monday at the SEI center at 3920 N. Kerby St. Kerry Meets with Local Kids John Kerry brought his presidential cam paign to the inner city o f Portland M onday and spent som e tim e w ith stu dents at S elf E nhancem ent Inc., a north Portland youth services agency. He read to som e o f the younger children in the library and talked with older students in a com puter lab. K erry took a seat into a tiny chair and Ask Dear Inmate: He had the chance to build a relationship and grow a fam ily when he w as free but lost that chance w hen he com m itted a crim e. R egardless o f the m ajor, an ed u cated ex-con will find em ploym ent faster than one with no books on the brain. A w om an will love you like L uther V andross behind the ink pen but w hen it gets serious, sh e’ll start singing n o rom ance w ithout fi nance and you gotta have a J-O -B to be w ith me. Ö et 3 3 3 3 Real People, Real Advice b t advice column known fo r its fearless approach to reality baaed s abjects.’ asked about a dozen kids gathered around him w hat they w anted to be w hen they grew up. O ckley G reen M iddle School student T ristan Irving, 13, said she w as going to be the first A frican A m erican president. Im pressed, Kerry said he h a d n ’t picked a vice president yet and asked her how old she was. Y ou’re too young to know term inology from the 50s but I noticed the noun “sp ad e” in the colum n for th week ot A pril 14th. T he term spade w as a negative tern lo r A frican A m ericans back in those days and wa often as bad as being called the N -word. T his w on historically w as a put dow n tow ards black people ant it w as unusual to see it in y o u r colum n. -D a v id M a c y , Toledo, O hio Dear David: T hank you to r the correction, the insightful history and exposing a new fact about black culture. It’s good to see som eone from the good old days reading advice o f the new m illennium . You never know what you’ll see in the Ask D eanna! colum n and your w isdom and input is w elcom ed and appreciated. Ask Deanna is written by Deanna M. Write Ask Deanna.' Email: askdeannal @yahoo.com or write: Deanna M, 264 S. La Cienega, Suite 1283, Beverly Hills, CA 90211. Website: www.askdeanna.com rfe fnetwttiatf-store, in toion. E A S Y & C O N C O R D IA O R E N C O S T A T IO N N E 3 3 r d & K illin g s w o r t h P o r t la n d O R 9 7 2 1 1 R A L E IG H H IL L S N E 6 1 s t & C o r n e ll R d H ills b o r o O R 9 7 1 2 4 503 288 3838 7 3 0 0 S W B e a v e r t o n H ills d a le H w y , P o r t la n d O R 9 7 2 2 5 5 0 3 .6 4 8 6 9 6 8 SELLW OO D 1 2 1 4 S E T a c o rr P o r t la n d O R 9 7 2