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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 2006)
£1. Pa£t‘ A4 1 ^Jnrtlanò ©hscruer December 13, 2006 O pinion Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views o f The Portland Observer Tobacco and Children: An Ongoing Fight M arian W hig i i i - E i IHM AN bx i Against relentless, powerful opponent In the midst o f all the focus on the war in Iraq and current moral seandals ann nig some of our pol it i - cal and religious leaders, a different issue was quietly appearing on ballots across the country on Elec tion Day. Voters in Arizona, Florida, Nevada, Ohio, and South Dakota all approved statewide measures that required either smoke-free work places, increased stale tobacco taxes to fund needs like health care and early child development pro grams. and/or funded tobacco pre vention programs. The fact that more states and communities are passing laws like th ese, w hich are c ritic a l for children's health, should renew our courage to keep fighting against tobacco companies whose deadly products cost many thousands of lives every year. Smoking can harm children be fore they are born. Women who smoke during pregnancy are at greater risk of having a-premature birth, pregnancy complications, low birthweight infants, or a still birth, and have a higher rate of infant mortality. Smoking during pregnancy is also associated w ith Sudden Infant I )eath Syndrome (SIDS), |x>or lung development, asthma, and other n eg a tiv e c o n se q u e n c e s for children's health and development. Increasing access to prenatal care is one key to helping address nega tive behavioral habits like smoking that can harm children. There is 1 |Jnrthinb (fihsvrvvY Established 1970 USPS 959-680 ___________________________________ 4 7 4 7 NE Martin Luther King. Jr. Blvd., Portland. OR 97211 E ditor is -C m n . P dri . isher : Charles H. Washington E ditor : M ieltael Leighton The struggle to stop children and youths from smoking is even fiercer. P ostmaster : Send address changes to Portland Observer. P0 Box 3137, Portland. OR 97208 CALL 503-288-0033 FAX 503-^88-0015 news<Snurtlandubser\er.com ads@portlunilobsener.eom sitbseriDtianldportlandabsener.eoni , « I R l GOSPEL CHRISTMAS D ECEM BER 8- 1 0 • 7 : 3 0 the governor’s education budget: K -12 funding $6.06 billion. This is cause it begins (he strategic the first time education has been reinvestment in our schools. above essential budget level in 10 We have a great deal of ground years, and I believe it is an excellent to make up. and the governor's start in the strategic reinvestment long-term plan recognizes that. in Oregon's K-12 system. His budget is also very good I support the establishm ent of news for the state of Oregon an Innovation Fund, and I will because strong education fund work to increase the resources ing is the catalyst for Oregon's continued recovery and long-term prosperity. We must ensure that we make good choices with the dollars we have been given. Our opportunity is for smart re-investment - to in vest in education programs and services that deliver increased stu dent achievement. That isourgoal and our purpose. As we move forward this ses sion, one of the key principles for available in that fund. I am thrilled K-12 education is spending must that the governor has earmarked be its transparency. We need to $10 million for new high school ensure that we make the most of grad u atio n req u irem en ts. We every dollar we have been given, need these funds to successfully but we must also ensure that our im p le m e n t the c h a n g e s the communities know what we are StateBoard of Education is pro doing and why. I believe that K-I2 posing, and I am gratified that the education does a wonderful job in governor recognizes the funda showing where the dollars go, and mental need for these funds. the Open Books Project is a perfect I support moving the corporate illustration of that. Every school kicker into a "rainy day fund." and district's actual spending is set out I support the proposal to raise the for review' and comparison with corporate minimum tax. These other districts across the state. funds will add much-needed stabil I’d like tohighlightafewitem sin ity to the state school fund and will Advertisegwith divwsity PM in P o rtla n d ffi u p e r Uilr Floyd joins inspirational soloists and the passionate and powerful Northwest Community Gospel Chorus for this heart-stirring celebration o f the season. TICKETS $ 2 5-7 3 g j) OREGON SYM PHO NY _________ _ 503-228-1353 I | _ _ . I Ci ÏN OrSymphony.org j (f i t d ) Call 5(|3-288-()033 KtrtlantlTribiinc uds@ portlttnd()ba«/er.com A R L E N E S C H N IT Z E R C O N C E R T H A LL SW Main 4 Broadway Marian Wright Edelman is presi dent andfounder of the Children's Defense Fund. allow for full funding of Head Start for all eligible students. I am pleased the governor sup ports the expansion of full-day kindergarten across the state. I strongly support the expansion of performance audits for schools and districts. I am especially ex c ite d a b o u t the fu n d in g o f O regon’s Teacher M entor Pro- Our opportunity is fo r smart re-investment - to invest in education programs and services that deliver increased student achievement. v Lift holiday spirits high with the joy ful sounds ol Christmas. Dynamic conductor ( hartes -Akt ism. Events like this can make a real difference in teaching young people some of the facts about and conse quences of tobacco use. and the ways tobacco companies’ market ing tactics are addicting them to life-threatening habits. Many organizations provide materials specifically to help par ents teach their children about the dangers o f smoking. And all of us can pay attention to and support more ballot measures like the ones that passed this year. Together, we can make a real difference in pro tecting more children from second hand smoke and reducing the num ber of children who start smok ing— two key steps in giving more children the Healthy Start in life they all deserve. Good News for Schools, State BV St SAN C A ST II 1 .0 It is very different today than it was w hen G ov. Ted K ulongoski and I took office four years ago. Then we were looking at unprec edented budget cuts. Now we are looking at an opportunity for un precedented reinvestment. I want to thank the governor for his com mitment to education, and I want to thank the voters across the state of Oregon for turning back measures 4I& 4 8 . The governor's budget is good news for students and families be- I lie Portland ( ibserver welcomes ,reelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and w ill be returned it accompanied by a sell addressed envelope. A ll created design display ads become the sole property o l the newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage without the written consent o f the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition o f such ad. © 1996 I HI PORTLAND OBSERVER. A l l. RIGHTS RESERVED. Rl PRODI ( NON IN WHOI EOR IN PART W IIH O I I PER MISSION IS PROHIBITED. Ihe Portland Observer--Oregon’s Oldest Multicultural Publi cation is a member o f the National Newspaper Association bounded in 1885, and Ihe National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers. Inc. New York. N Y. and Ihe Wes, ( ’oast Black Publishers Association S Y M P H O N Y 'S quit, and to protect everyone from illnesses. secondhand smoke. They’ve stud Almost 90 percent of adults who ied all the facts about children and smoke took their first puff at or smoking and have a long list of before the age of 18. The tobacco compelling reasons w hy it's impor industry spends more than $9.7 tant to protect children now. Here billion a year or more than $26.5 are just a few of the alarming reali- million a day, advertising and mar keting its death products. Parents and adults who want to keep chil dren away from tobacco and ciga rettes are definitely fighting a re lentless and powerful opponent. These statistics are a wake-up call for anyone concerned about children’s and public health. Every year, the Campaign for Tobacco- done. ties: Free Kids sponsors a "Kick Butts The struggle to stop children Every day. another 1.500 chil Day" to expose and counter the and youths from smoking is even dren become daily smokers. O f these tobacco industry’s marketing strat fiercer. The nonprofit Campaign for children and youths. 148.482 will egies aimed at young people. Stu Tobacco-Free Kids is at the fore die prematurely from their addic dents of all ages take part in events front of the fight to prevent young tion. Altogether, more than 5 mil like youth-led rallies in state capi pt ^ _ dangerous lion children alive today will die tals, surveys of tobacco advertis smoking habits, to help smokers prematurely from smoking-related ing in local stores, and street activ- A welcome reversal of fortune I’lmit R elations : Mark W ashington ('m a in D irector : Paul N eufeldt O w n M anager : Kathy Linder R eporter : Sarah Blount THE O R E G O N good news here: The percentage of women who smoke during preg nancy has declined during the last decade. But in 2002, more than one in 10 women giving birth still re ported smoking during pregnancy, so there's much more work to be Portland Center for the Performing Arts gram. This is the first funding for this essential program in lOyears, and it will make a huge difference for teachers and students across the state. Finally, I wish to thank the gov ernor for his support for the KIDS project, O regon’s integrated data sy ste m . T h is in itia tiv e w ill stream line data collection and allo w fo r so p h istic a te d data analysis, leading to im proved classroom instruction and stu dent achievem ent. Susan Castillo is the state schools superintendent. Staggering Jobless Rate Editor’s note: U.S. Rep. Melvin L. Watt, chair man o f the Congressional Black Caucus, released the following statement an behalf o f the CBC: Unemployment figures from the U.S. Depart ment of Labor show that African American unem ployment is a staggering 8.6 percent, compared to 3.9 percent for white Americans and 4.9 percent for Hispanic Americans, once again widening the already dramatic gap that exists between African Americans and other Americans. The rate of unemploy ment for African Americans is consistently more than double the rate for white Americans. Such a huge gap shows that African Americans lag woefully behind in jobs, employ ment opportunities and the ability to survive. This, unfortunately, impacts on all aspects of life and widens the disparities gap for African Americans in health care, retirement security, education, employment security and wealth building. As we approach the end of another year, this trend must end. It is harmful to the millions of African Americans still unemployed who are unable to participate fully in this society. We once again call on President Bush to show his personal commitment to closing the disparities that continue to plague our country. 0,aceflWerZ3Et20.0A ¡ C i í h c p r i K p f 503-288-0033! ■ O U U Ò C I1 U C I 7 io fle e t (i Fill Out & Send To: - ^ ^Jo rtlan b (Dhsmier u re n Attn: Subscriptions, PO Box 3137, Portland OR 97208 I I I ! N ame : I I ■ T elephone : A ddress : I -I or email suhscriptions@portlandohserver.com I . J s u b s c r ip tio n s are ju s t $ 6 0 p e r y e a r (please include check with this subscription form) Tickets available @ 2 1 S -U P ÎD Pequired I j I