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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 2004)
____________________________ ^ 'ÍJ n rtla u ít ©bsseruer________________________ ocioberzy.zooa Racial Wealth Gap W idens Voters Have Election Doubts (A P ) — T he enorm ous w ealth gap betw een w hite fam ilies and blacks and H ispanics has grow n wider. A private analysis o f governm ent data finds that w hite households in the U.S. had a median net worth o f greaterthan$SM,(MX)in2()O2,11 times m ore than Hispanics and m ore than 14 tim es that o f black A m ericans, the Pew Hispanic C enter said in a study released Monday. A frican A m ericans w ere slow est to em erge from the econom ic dow nturn that started in 2(XX) and ended in late 2(X) 1, the report found. Net worth accounts for the values o f item s such as a hom e and car. checking and savings accounts, and stocks, m inus debts such as m ort gage, car loans and credit card bills. G reater w ealth m eans a g reater ability to w eath er a jo b loss, e m e r g ency hom e repairs, illness and o th er unexpected costs, as well as being able to save for retirem ent or a c h ild ’s colleg e tuition. Doublespeak and Common Sense in Education For the last four years, we have been fed a steady diet o f O rw ellian d o u b le By Reg Weaver, President, N ational E ducation Association speak. leg islatio n that allowed for increased air-p o llu tio n was nam ed the C lear Skies Act. T h e H ealthy Forests Initiative was a w indfall for the logging industry. A nd the Patriot Act actually curtails the rights o f A m erican citi zens in th e nam e o f freedom . But to m y m in d n o th in g was m o re cynical than to label as school refo rm the so-called N o C hild I eft B ehind Act. W hy d o I call it cynical? C ertainly not because it called for raising stan d ard s o f achievem ent in o u r public schools o r required highly qualified teachers in the nation's classroom s. The 2.7 m il lion m em b ers o f th e N ational E ducation A ssociation - classroom teachers and o th e r ed u catio n professionals - have w orked for those things for years. We take issue with th e way the bill was crafted. You see, w ith its com plicated m ath em atical form ulas for scoring tests, Cloud cast by memories of 2000 in Florida (A P ) — M em ories o f F lo rid a’s co n tested 2000 presidential elec tion and a grow ing num ber o f pre election law suits are m aking A m eri can s skeptical about a voting pro cess they on ce took for granted. Six in 10 o f those surveyed in an A sso ciated Press poll say it’s likely there will not b e a e le a r w inner in the presidential race by Nov. 3 - the day a fter the election. A bout h a lf say they fear the results w ill be c h a l lenged in court, according to the poll co n ducted for the A P by Ipsos Public Affairs. B oth D em ocrats and R epubli can s w orry about the possibility o f an u nresolved election - though D em ocrats express m ore w orries. W ith both political parties putting th o u san ds o f law yers on call for E lection D ay, a m ajority o f voters ex p ect the election results w ill be ch allen g ed in court. A m ajority say they are confident the vote count in their ow n state will be accurate. But few er than half o f D em ocrats say they are ‘very confi dent” their state’s vote count will be accurate, w hile three-fourths o f R e Sen. John Kerry (left) gets a big presidential campaign boost from former President Bill Clinton during a rally in Philadelphia Monday. It was Clinton's first public appearance since he underwent heart by-pass surgery last month. publicans feel that way. In the closing days o f the cam paign, the national parties are keep ing especially close tabs on Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa and New M exico, all presidential battleground states w here a challenge to a close race m ight be lodged Nov. 3. M ore than h a lf in the poll, 54 percent, say they think the vote count in Florida in 20(X) w as not fair and accurate, w ith R ep u b lican s overw helm ingly saying it w as and D em ocrats overw helm ingly saying it w as not. E lections officials in m any states are taking steps to im prove secu rity at polling places but are looking for w ays to heighten readiness w ith out posting arm ed police. A lm ost h a lf in the poll say hav ing arm ed police at the polls w ould m ake them m ore inclined to vote, w hile about on e in six say it w ould m ake them less inclined. M inority voters w ere m ore likely than w hites to say arm ed police w ould m ake them less inclined to vote. N CI.B provides at least 37 different ways for a sch<w)l to fail. So far, 27,(XX) public schools, including som e o f the nation's to p blue rib b o n institutions, have stu m b led according to NCLB. R ather th an help schools succeed, N CLB actually sets u p the n atio n ’s schools to fail, an d th en provides p u n ish m en ts I urge w hen they do. Why, if I didn't know better, I’d think th e g o v ern m en t was trying to destroy public edu catio n rath er th an im prove it. you to N ow every parent know s that children learn at different rates, so m eth in g exercise ap parently forgotten by the au th o rs o f the bill. NC.l.B requires all children, your right w h eth er they are recent im m igrants, learning disabled o r hom eless, to m eet the sam e stan d ard s at the sam e tim e, as if they were m ach in e p arts p ro to vote d uced in a factory instead o f children w ith individual needs an d abilities. Dr. D avid I’astrict, su p erin ten d en t of th e M arion C en ter School D istrict in First Black Admiral Dies R etired V ice A dm . Sam uel Lee G rav ely Jr., the first black naval o fficer to becom e an adm iral and to co m m an d a w arship and a fleet, d ied Friday at the N ational N aval M edical C enter in B ethesda, M d„ after a stroke. He w as 82. G ravely began his 3 8 -y ear N avy c a re e r as a fire m a n a p p re n tic e in 1942 an d in the 1960s m ad e h is to ry by b e c o m in g a c tin g c o m m an d in g o ffic e r o f the d e s tro y e r U S S T h e o d o re E. C h a n d le r. D u r ing the V ietn am W a r he c o m m a n d e d th e d e s t r o y e r U S S T a u ssig a n d the g u id e d m issile frig a te U SS Jo u ett. S u b s e q u e n t a s s ig n m e n ts in c lu d e d c o m m a n d o f a c ru is e r d e stro y er g ro u p , the 11 th N aval D is tric t and th e T h ird F leet in the Pacific. Samuel Lee Gravely Jr. Indiana su m m ed th e problem u p recently w hen he said, “1 believe p h ilo sophically in NCI.B, bu t 1 d o n 't believe that all children should be held to th e sam e stan d ard at th e sam e tim e. It just flies in the face o f co m m o n C ,' c ^ l o r t l a n h sense" EDiron-iN-CHiif. nea ab o u t helping schools, n o t labeling an d p u n ish in g them ! NATIONAL If you to o believe in the pow er o f ed u catio n , an d that every child deserves a EDUCATION great public school, I urge you to exercise y o u r right to vote. W h eth er this is ASSOCIATION n e a .o rg th e m o st im p o rtan t election in o u r lifetim es is so m eth in g that o n ly histo ry in today’s upsid e-d o w n w orld, NEA believes th at school reform sh o u ld be can decide, but we can be sure that w hatever we decide this election year, it will have a lasting effect o n o u r children’s futures an d o u r public schools. If your right to vote is challenged in your precinct, you have the right to cast a provisional ballot, a ballot that will be held until the question of your eligibility is resolved through complete and proper channels. Don’t be turned away. Demand your right to a provisional ballot. Even better, get involved with the citizens who are monitoring this election for fairness through the voters rights protection program. The great decisions facing our nation must be determined by the people—our seniors, young adults, men and women alike. P aid fo r by th e A m erican F ed eratio n o f G o v e rn m e n t E m p lo y e e s, A F L -C IO . « B Portland Observer, POBox3137, Portland, 0 R 9 7 2 0 8 Periodical Postage paid In Portland, OR Subscriptions are $60.00 per year 503-288-0033 FAX 503-288-0015 news@portlandobserver.com subscription@portlandobserver.com dassifiedi@pvrtlanddbM.rye.r,ivm I'he Portland Observer-Oregon's Oldest Multicultural Publication--isa member of the National Newspaper Association-Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and The West Coast Black Publishers Association, Serving Portland and Vancouver. This year, every vote has meaning. This year, every person’s vote must be counted. But before you go to the polls, make sure you know your rights. For m o re in fo rm atio n o n v o te r rig h ts, g o to w w w .afg e.o rg /k n o w y o u rrig h ts Posnusnii: Send address changes to 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 newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage without the written consent of the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad © 1996 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. DO N ’T BE TURNED AW AY Vote on November 2nd. It’s your right! It’s your responsibility. P u b l is h e r : E d it o r . M professionals o f th e NEA can get behind. As revolutionary as it m ight so und fo r Every Child Established 1970 C harles H. W ashington i c h a e l L e ig h to n R e p o r t e r : Jaym ee R. Cuti D is t r ib u t io n M a n a g e r : M a r k W a s h in g to n C r e a t iv e D ir e c t o r : P a u l N e u fe ld t O f f ic e M a n a g e r : K a th y L in d e r C o m m o n sense. Now there’s so m eth in g th e teachers an d ed u catio n su p p o rt G irat Public Schools (D b a c ru c r USPS 959-680 4 7 4 7 NE Martin Luther King. Jr. Bivd., Portland, OR 97211
