<r,!‘* IJ a rtla n b ffihserUer
Page A4
lanuary 26. 2005
Opinion articles do not
necessarily reflect or represent the
views o f The Portland Observer
O pinion
Privatizing Social Security Will Hurt Everyone
Current system
keeps people
out of poverty
Arguments detailing reasons
African Americans should
support privatization are
racially misleading and use
highly deceptive language.
by R ep . W illiam J efferson
A plan to privatize Social Se
c u rity w ill h u rt e v e ry o n e .
Privatization would take $ 1.8 tril
lion from the Social Security Trust
Fund in the next decade, endan
gering the benefits of current re
tirees and directly cutting ben
efits by more than 50 percent for
future generations.
Unfortunately, African Ameri
cans are already behind the curve.
African Americans are more likely
to earn a modest living during their
lifetimes; more likely to have expe
rienced spells of unemployment or
underemployment; more likely to
retire with less income from private
African Americans are kept out
o f poverty by the current disabil
ity benefits; Almost 80 percent of
African Americans age 65 and
older depend on Social Security
for more than 50 percent o f their
pensions, assets or personal sav income and more than one-half
ings; and, more likely toexperience depend on Social Security for 90
disability or early death.
percent o f their income.
The current system is tremen
W ithout Social Security, the
dously im portant for A frican Social Security Administration
Americans and their families: An estim ates the poverty rate would
estimated 68 percent o f disabled more than double.
Letter to the Editor
Thanks for your front page reporting on community groups
coming together to protest the actions of the Tualatin Valley Skins.
However, your report ignored the contributions of one community
group: non-racist punks.
Not all the people protesting against the TVS were pretty, clean
people, as both your article and accompanying picture imply. Many
of the people out in the rain, standing against racism and bigotry in
general, were punks and other ostensible derelicts, some of whom
even called themselves “psychos".
It's important to realize that someone can look delinquent but be
a decent citizen of the human race.
Thanks again for all you contribute to our community.
M. Casey Condon
Northeast Portland
C A N N O N 'S
cent of all retired worker child
beneficiaries, 23 percent of all
child survivor beneficiaries, and
21 percent of all disabled worker
child recipients.
As the voices of the American
people. Congress must focus on
devising ways to assist our citi
zens in asset development that
can supplement Social Security’s
guaranteed foundation of finan
cial support not only for retire
ment but also for survivor and
disability benefits for children
and loved ones.
We must explore funding op
tions w ithout using misleading,
racial arguments that undercut
Social Security’s importance as a
vital source of income support
for generations of African Ameri
cans, past and present.”
Rep. William Jefferson isa mem
ber o f Congress from Louisiana.
Clinging to a Misguided Policy
by
Opponents of Racism
Deep cuts in guaranteed re
tirement, survivors, and disabil
ity benefits are likely under any
plan to privatize Social Security
and African American families
cannot afford any cuts due to the
disparities in income and unem
ployment.
Arguments detailing reasons
African Americans should sup
port privatization are racially mis
leading and use highly deceptive
language. The plans tout the lack
o f inheritable w ealth’ as a rea
son African Americans should
support privatization; however,
the plans offer no solution to this
problem and would cut the guar
anteed benefits on which African
Americans currently depend.
Proponents also say that Social
Security gives African Americans
a lower rate of return due to higher
mortality rates. This argument fails
to address the importance of the
comprehensive benefits Social Se
curity offers through survivor and
disability benefits.
Simply put, diverting money to
fund pri vate accounts completely
undermines the survivor and dis
ability benefits. The com prehen
sive family insurance structure
offered in the current Social Se
curity system is particularly im
portant for the African American
children who represent 20 per
R ev . J esse L. J ackson S r .
President Bush is exercising his
right to select Condoleezza Rice as
his Secretary of State. But the ques
tions and challenges before Rice -
and the Bush Administration - go
far beyond these perfunctory con
firmation hearings.
The foreign policy of the Bush
Administration toward Iraq and the
Middle East - advocated and de
fended by Rice - is morally and
legally indefensible. The fundamen
tal and primary pretext for the w a r-
the declared “existence” of weap
ons of mass destruction (WMD)
and the imminent threat posed by
Iraq - has now been exposed as
misleading and misguided.
The Bush Administration has
admitted as much and officially
ended the search for WMD and
While the
Senate can
confirm Ms.
Rice, it must not
confirm the
Bush policy.
sent its investigators home. But compound the problems in the re
while the pretext for war has been gion.
exposed as faulty, the Bush Ad
T he re s u lts o f the B ush
ministration and Rice will not admit Administration’s misguided lead
to any mistakes. They cling to a ership in Iraq are many: We have
misguided policy sinking in the lost thousands of lives, spent bil
sands of Iraq with no end in sight. lions of dollars, and the U.S. is
The Jan. 30 “elections” will only now more isolated in the world
community.
The Senate must challenge Presi
dent Bush on this matter. We are
going in the wrong direction faster
and deeper. And while the Senate
can confirm Ms. Rice, it must not
confirm the Bush policy.
I commend California Sen. Bar
bara Boxer for vigorously ques
tioning Condoleezza Rice and for
her pursuit of answers that were
not forthcoming. Senator Boxer re
fused to go along with the script in
this perfunctory showcase (the
Senate hearing), and she should be
commended for doing so. The
struggle for peace in Iraq and the
Middle East will continue.
The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. is
a longtime civil rights activist and
founder and president o f the Rain-
bow/PUSH Coalition.
RJB EXPRESS
(FORMERLY CHUCK HINTON’S)
Catering & Take-Out
O ur S pecialty :
R eal H ickory S moked B ar -B-Q
• Sandwiches • Salads
• Chicken • Pork Ribs
• Beef Ribs
CATERING ALL EVENTS
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wed-Thurs
Fri. & Sat.
HOURS:
11 am - 8 pm
I la m - 9 pm
closed
I la m -9 pm
II am - 10pm
Try our new healthy
& vegetarian menu items
* * * N ew L ocation * * *
5410 N.E. 3 3 rd
503-288-3836
Freedom to Build on Dreams
Break the
bondage of
poverty around
the world
B y U .S . R ep . A t . G reen
T his w eek, A m erica w atched
as President G eorge W. Bush
w as sw orn in for a second term .
W e salute him.
In his inaugural speech, the
p resid en t spoke p assio n ately
about the need to spread d e
m ocracy and freedom abroad.
He said, ’the best hope for peace
in our w orld is the expansion o f
freedom in all the w o rld .’
W e could not agree m ore -
Trilltwr frlwtw fo M
LEAR N IN G FOR C H A N G E
fo r w e in this co untry have
fought to plant the seeds o f op
portunity that reaped an invigo
rating harvest o f freedom . Sadly,
that is not shared by all.
W e w ant to w ork w ith both
the president and our colleagues
in C ongress to ensure that the
fruits o f freedom and liberty are
realized at hom e and the w orld
over. To this end, we w ant to
ensure that the m illions suffer
ing and dying in the C ongo and
Sudan at the hands o f genocide
realize their freedom .
W e want to ensure that the
150.1XX) African children who die
each month can live free o f malaria.
At hom e, w e w ant to ensure
that the bondage o f poverty is
broken - so that all A m ericans
D irect F lights
Riverside Resort Hotel & Casino
In Laughlin, Nevada
...a unique public charter school fo r children
in grades K-12
realize: livable w ages for their
fam ilies, higher education for
them selves and good healthcare
for their children.
R ecently, w hile traveling the
tsunam i stricken region o f A sia,
I w as aw estricken by the resil
ient and optim istic spirit o f the
Sri L ankan people in the m ist o f
such vast devastation. T here, I
saw a poster that read, ‘E very
U.S. Rep. Al Green
m an is the architect o f his ow n
opportunity to build upon their
fo rtune.’
W e, the C ongressional Back dream s such that every person
C aucus, w ant to m ake real this can truly be the architect o f his
ideal and will rem ain vigilant in ow n fortune.
Congressman Al Green is a
our fight to address the needed
member o f the Congressional
policy challenges to do so.
W e will w ork to ensure that Black Caucus. He represents
people here and across the globe Houston and the 9,h Congres
have the freedom , liberty and sional District o f Texas.
x
ROOM & AIR PACKAGES
From $
■
•
•
■
•
•
Project based, integrated learning
Curriculum focus o f community, urban and global studies
Small, multi-age classes in a small school community
International studies, foreign language and service learning
Student travel opportunities
Diverse, student-teacher-fam ily population
Now accepting applications at all levels
INFORMATION SESSIONS SCHEDULED
Thursday January 20™ 6 :3 0 PM
(Price Includes All Texes & Fees)
F ro m P O R T L A N D , O R E G O N
To LAUGHLIN, NEVADA
Beginning
FEB 2,2005
Flights Every
Weds - Sat 3 Nights
Sat - Weds 4 Nights
•PRICES ARE PER PERSON, BASED O N DOUBLE OCCUPANCY SINGLE OCCUPANCY $50 AO DITIONAl CHARGE INCLUDES ROUNDTRIP AIRE ARE
Tuesday February 8™ 6 :3 0 PM
visit www tr illiumcharterschool orq or call 503 285 3833
116 N Page S t Portland. OR 97227
GROUND TRANSFERS ANO HOTEL LOOGING AT THE RIVERSIDE RESORT. PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. ARE NOT RETROACTIVE . A N D MAY
NOT Rf AVAR ARI f ON C FRTAIN DF PARTLIRES OR AT TIME OF BOOKING DUE TO t IMITE D SPACE SEE OPERATOR PARTICIPANT CONTRACT FOR
ADDITIONAL DETAILS TICKETS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE CHANGE A N D CANCELLATION PENALTIES APPLY PRICE INCLUDES ALL TAXES AND FEES.
ALl CHARTER FLIGHTS OPERATED FOR SKY QUEST BY RYAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES. MCDONNELL DOUGLAS M O 82 JET AIRCRAFT