May 19. 2004
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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
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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.
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