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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 2005)
œi’1 Jlortlanò © b sm ier Page A4 October 5. 2005 Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views o f The Portland Observer O pinion Diversity at its Best I w as d riv in g h o m e fro m w o rk w h en a m o st u n iq u e situ atio n h ap p en ed . I had ap p ro a ch ed th e in tersectio n o f N o rth east M artin L u th er K ing B o u lev ard an d L o m b ard w hen m y ey e cau g h t a su b u rb an b lo c k in g traffic. Inside the tru ck w as an A sian m an try in g to m o v e the v eh icle by h im self. S u d d en ly , th ree y o u n g H isp an ic m en a p p e ared an d tried to push the su b u rb an o u t o f th e street. T h e v eh icle w as on an in clin e and b arely m o v ed . T h e n an A frican A m erican m an sto p p ed to help. W h en I sto p p ed , he to ld m e to g o around! I rep lied , “N o, I am h ere to h e lp !” I ’m sure he w as p u zzled that m e, a sm all p etite C a u ca sia n w o m an w earin g je a n s an d flip flo p san d als w as g o in g to m ak e an y d iffe ren ce w ith th is cu rren t situation. A s a cu ltu rally d iv e rse g ro u p w ith n o lim ita tio n s o r rese r v atio n s w e w o rk ed d ilig en tly to m o v e th is m a ssiv e tru ck from h arm s w ay. N ow th at is w hat I call d iv ersity ! W e w ere an o d d b u n ch , w o rk in g to g eth er. N ot m any th in g s w ere said, b e ca u se w e w ere all there on a m issio n , w ith the sam e p u rp o se to h elp a fellow p erso n in need. I left the scen e in aw e k n o w in g that so m eh o w , the w o rld is ch a n g in g and it w as satisfy in g to m e to k n o w that w e can co u n t on those aro u n d us to help us not b ased o n co lo r, sex, o r creed , b ut on th e b asic h um an need that w e all need each o th e r an d w e are all here to h elp each other. T h is ex p e rien c e left m e feeling ca lm and p eacefu l and w as d efin itely the g ran d fin ale to a p erfec t day! Brenda Richards North Portland Making Poverty A Priority M arian W right E dei . man O ne o f the unexpected side effects of Hurricane Katrina is that the storm opened up a n a tio n a l c o n v e r s a tio n on poverty. K atrin a ripped the blinders o f denial o ff on the chronic, quiet, invisible tsu nam i o f poverty that afflicts 37 million Americans, including 13 mil lion children. People were forced to see what poverty looked like on the clear pictures on their television screens: fam ilies w ho d id n 't have enough m oney to own a car or have a credit card or enough cash to pay fo r a n o th e r w ay o u t o f th e by h u r ric a n e ’s p ath , f a m ilie s le ft s tra n d e d w ith o u t food, water, or shel ter w hen the storm came. T he pictures of Hurricane Katrina’s poor victim s w ere hard to ignore. They put a vivid and desperate face on w hat is really a constant, daily crisis for m illions o f people in our rich nation. All over the country, poor fam ilies and ch il dren are being left behind as the benefits o f a stead ily g row ing econom y fail to trickle down. Bush can change misguided, unjust policies The day after H urricane K atrina hit, the U.S. Census Bureau released the latest data on A m erican pov erty show ing that in 2004, poverty increased in our rich country for the fourth year in a row. The num ber of A m erican children living in pov erty has grow n by 12.8 percent over the last four years, and is now over 13 m illion. T his m eans 1.5 m illion m ore children w ere poor in 2004 than in 2000. As these num bers were being released, w as our governm ent re sponding by announcing a federal em ergency m anagem ent plan to deal with child and fam ily poverty? Join us for the Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Awards Luncheon Just the opposite: T he Bush A d m inistration and C ongress were proposing additional tax cuts for the w ealthiest and budget cuts in program s that serve low -incom e children and fam ilies. T he persis tent and grow ing high level o f chi Id poverty reflects conscious, m is guided and unjust choices. How can the Bush A dm inistration and C ongressg iv een o rm o u stax breaks to the w ealthiest A m ericans w ho have benefited m ost from the eco nom ic recovery w hile seeking to underm ine the guarantees and cut the budgets for M edicaid, food stam ps, and other program s that assist poor children w ho continue to be left behind? M ore than 7 out o f every 10 poor children in 2004 had at least one em ployed parent. W orking hard and playing by the rules is not hit, President Bush said, “W ithin the G u lf region are som e o f the most beautiful and h isto ric places in A m erica. As all o f us saw on televi sion, there is also som e deep, per sistent poverty in this region as well. And that poverty has roots in a history o f racial discrim ination, w hich cut o ff generations from the opportunity o f A m erica. W e have a duty to confront this poverty w ith bold action. So let us restore all that we have cherished from yesterday, and let us rise above the legacy o f inequality.” President Bush is still correct to say that poverty is w rong and un worthy o f A m erica’s promise. Now is his opportunity to translate that assertion into action. en o u g h to lift fam ilies o u t o f poverty. Even if a parent w ith one child w orks full tim e at the federal m inim um w age, w hich h asn ’t been raised since 1997, the fam ily still lives in poverty. Poverty affects all kinds o f fam ilies and child poverty has risen significantly am ong all racial groups. Extrem e child pov erty, defined as living with an an nual income below $7,610 for a fam ily o f three, increased by a terrible 20 percent betw een 2000 and 2004 and now affects alm ost 5.6 million children. F ar less w ealthy industrialized countries have com m itted to end child poverty, w hile the United States is sliding backw ards. We can do better. W e must dem and that our leaders do better. In an address to the nation from N ew O rleans 17 day s after the storm Marian Wright Edelman is chief executive officer and founder o f the Children's Defense Fund. We have a plan for college. Featuring Guest Speaker Martin Luther King III We will celebrate and recognize outstanding small minority- owned businesses in Oregon and Southwest Washington at the awards luncheon. Saving for college may not be easy, but it helps if you have a plan. That's why families all over Oregon are investing with the Oregon College Savings Plan. - investors enjoy these benefits - October 5,2005 Oregon Convention Center 11:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m. State tax deduction up to $2000 per year' Tax-free growth and withdrawals2 Use your savings at schools nationwide Please register online at www.oreqon.feb.gov/mboc. for your free enrollment kit. Call toll free today or visit our website OREGON 1-866-772-8464 C P U {G F SA VIN G S PLAN PART OF TU P ORPOON C O L I.PGP S A V IN G * NCTW ORK R a n d a ll E d w a r d « O rag o n State Treoiurer w w w .o re g o n c o lle g e s a v in g s .c o m THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS UL £ THfc DAILY J<M R.NAL & „ C om m unhy mb tro 0 OppenheimerFunds' PORT OF PORTLAND ’ r Ourrtbewr me This plan helps Oregon families achieve the dream of higher education. Its flexibility and outstanding tax benefits make it an ideal choice when saving for college. Possibility in »very direction ' State Treasurer Randall Edwards. Plan Administrator I* Provwfc-sir» I H ealth S yxt*m T R IK 4 M E T A carli caring d lffaran c e yaw «an I AG Cx ■••A' AA < ••••»» V « •»•••« A A c a u w r V Impregilo Healy Joint Venture PC SAFEWAY vTE w i i i£* FARGO The Oregon College Savings Plan is administered by Oregon State Treasurer Randall Edwards. The plan Is managed bv Oppenheimerl-Tmds, Inc., a registered investment advisor and distributed by OppenlietmertTinds Distributor. Inc., a registered broker dealer Some stales offer favorable tax treatment to their resklents only II they invest in the state's own plan If you ate not a resident of Oregon. you mav want to Investigate wlietlier your state offers Its residents a s29 plan with alternative tax advantages The tax b ill exempting ra n itn g i on qualified withdrawals from Federal income taxes expires December A1. 20 Id. requiring Congress to take furtlier action tn extend those provisions beyond that date N o t FOIL in s u r e d n o r g u a r a n t e e d a n d m ay l o s e v a lu e . Please read the Plan Dweriplkin and Participation Agreement prior to Investing (x>r more infnrm aikm regarding investment objectives, risks and expenses Oregon state tax deduction for contributions of up to »2000 per tax filin g 'Tax free withdrawals for qualified expenses. I I I