September 24, 2008 Page A4 O pinion viWY oc People A WAR HERO, b A ctua U Y î n s I n n o c e n t people in acount W< X Y o U - W T po AViKBS You 0HÎGVBY QLjAlTFißD -To NEXT P R é S lW T onneo or AM é W A TV AT MAP ' X ------ Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views o f the Portland Observer. We welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. Ì T ortured n IN VIETNAM/ Bail Out the Unemployed Time to give average Americans some support by J udge G reg ‘o & H . f E C o tto tff iS T s ^ o R S T S waps Since -rue anv > who drive our economy. The unem ployment rate in this country is just over 6 percent; the highest it has been since 2003. Since January, more than605,000jobs have been cut from the economy. Because the jo b market is tight, many job seekers find themselves out o f work for many months. Unemployment benefits typically last 26 weeks, or six months. In June, Congress extended the length o f time a recipient may collect benefits to 39 weeks. For those who find themselves out of work much longer, losing what may be their only source o f income could result in financial disaster. Considering the number o f currently unem ployed people in this country, it is not unlikely that this could create a chain reaction that not only affects individuals and families but also the nation's economy. National lawmakers must work quickly and extend the length of unemployment benefits for out o f work Americans. If there is no extension in place by October, 8(X),(XX) unemployed people will stop receiving their much-needed benefits. There is currently a bill in front o f Congress that would extend unemployment benefits for up to 46 weeks. States with high unem ­ ployment rates, like Michigan and California, will have the pow er to extend benefits for up to a year. W hen large companies like AIG. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Bear Stearns started to crumble, the feds stepped in and either facilitated or sponsored their bailouts. The American people are faltering and need the federal government to step in and throw them a life line. African Americans, in particular, need support. U nemployment has risen dramatically among our women. Since most of our families are run by single women, we need to work to ensure that they - and theirchildren-have some incomecoming in while they look for work. Lift your voice and exercise the poweryou haveasavotingcitizen. Contact yourelected officials and dem and they support an extension of unem ployment benefits. Tell your family and friends to do the same. Judge Greg Mathis is vice president o f Rainbow PUSH and a board member o f the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. R e n t in g NORTH PORTLAND MNMNMMMNMMMl ‘More of the Same’ Isn’t Change by D onai . ii K a il John M cCain is running for the presidency because, he says, it’s tim e for a change. On the face o f it, th a t's bizarre. After all. McCain is a Republican. Republicans have occupied the W hite House 20 o f the past 28 years. During much, if not most, o f that tim e they’ve also co n ­ trolled the House and Senate. So if you believe it’s lime fo ra ch an g e, it’s R ep u b lican s you should w ant to ch an g e from. Right? Apparently not. Mr. McCain says the country is in trouble And has gone so far as to run an ad saying, "w e ’re worse o ff than we were four years ago.” M akes your head spin, d o esn ' t it? Som ehow aeam paign rallying cry o f "W e’ve done a lousy job; re-elect us" doesn’t seem to make a lot o f sense. Which would be true if McCain were running as a Republican, but he's not. H e’s running as a “mav­ erick," that is, a candidate who carries no man’s (or party’s ) brand. And a m averick M c C ain ’s been. H e’s often opposed Presi­ dent G eorge W. Bush. Except, o f course, on the inva­ sion o f Iraq, w hich he prom oted before the fact and has supported w ithout fail ever since. And Bush tax cuts that How We need answers and action by M. L inda J aramillo N e w s re p o r ts are Hooded with information about the econom ic im ­ pact o f the collapse o f m ajorW all Street firms. As I read and listen to com m entaries by econom ic ex­ perts, 1 am struck by the m agni­ tude o f the losses that may reach the trillion-dollar mark. It goes way beyond the usual stock m ar­ ket bedlam on Wall Street. For exam ple, this m orning I listened to a public radio report about the huge econom ic impact being felt in places as far aw ay as China as well us on main streets in cities across the U.S. We have only begun to learn how the collapse o f these major giants will affect the average A m erican. R egulations were in place and m eant to protect us from a repeat of the crash that our In Gratitude To my family, friends and con­ stituents who. in so many wonder­ ful ways, shared their heartfelt ex­ pression o f love and concern be­ fore and after my husband's pass- parents and grandparents ex p e rien c ed d u rin g the G reat Depression. W hen many o f these regulations were dropped and the m ar­ ket was allow ed to reign unchecked, eco n o m ists' w arnings were ignored. Thecom plexitiesof Wall Street finances are not something that most of us are familiar with. How­ ever, millions o f Americans have and will experience first hand the far reaching damage of the sub­ prime mortgage collapse that is now extending into prime mort­ gages. It hit those who invested in their first hom e with the prom ise o f affo rd ab le housing. W hile som e m ortgage com panies over­ ex ten d e d th em selv es as they sought big profits by making loans to unqualified buyers, many bor­ rowers were qualified and simply ingonA ug.26. The Outpouring of support during this time has been amazing. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. As most of you know, Ted was my partner and friend in life forover 37 years. Sometimes we do not A REACH Community Development Property 5204 N. I nterstate A ve . 97I.2S S .4444 V Patton term im pacts are still unfolding. It is a bleak picture indeed and I must adm it that thinking about it can thrust us into despair. Rather than giving way to our discour­ agem ent. we must rise to the chal­ lenge and educate ourselves so that we can ask critical questions. During this m ajor election sea­ son. these are questions we should ask candidates running for state and federal public office: How w ould you restore stabil­ ity to the financial'system ? W hat safeguards are needed to p rev en t the rec u rren c e o f crashes like this one? How would you prom ote home ow nership w hile m aintaining a sound m ortgage industry? Wall S treet’s business is our business. We need answ ers and action. realize how many lives one person has touched in their lifetime and Ted touched many. I see that more each day. I appreciate beyond words the prayers, donations to Ted's choice o f charitable organi­ zations, cards, flowers, emails, phone calls and to Cafe Today for an abundance of wonderful ftxxl served after the service, many thanks. To my angels who provided transportation, ran errands and provided me a soft shoulder, my utmost gratitude. And to the un­ sung heroes who cleaned the Sen­ ate Cham ber afterthe fire andorga- nized and participated in Ted's m e­ morial service, my deepest thanks. M. Linda Jaramillo is execu­ tive minister for Justice and Wit­ ness ministries in the United Church o f Christ. Sen. Jackie Winters Chicken Sausages Events a Meetings * Pork « Beef 503-290-4860 G. I . N orm an. II., D iff errnre •* it»«- Qlliilllv S a le s R e p r e se n ta tiv e 5150 M M l K B o u le v a r d le i. ditor • • • • • DPÛ4_-t>Piïe APPROA^ TO. OUR EHePSY 9 BUT PSHT THAT A VbRNy OFJECO-ToRVbR £ ¥ ^ YOU HAVE S TX Tt> TbO O o HT K tio W M UCH ABOUT "THE Y ^ T YoU S E E M Y o O'RE RSkVY "To VEAöYHE C o O t f lW - W C V fcCCoONTS F ô k SUCH H ? x B ÎZ A R R E LAPSE ÏU L O G IC ? M athis The federal governm ent has spent billions of taxpayer dollars bailing out or assisting in the bail outs o f some o f the country's largest corpora­ tions. Insisting their support was intended to stop a complete collapse o f the nation's financial market, the feds dipped into its reserves, despite criticism from experts that the bailouts were only prolonging the inevitable. Where, then, is the federal governm ent's support of the average American'.’ In these tough econom ic times, people in this country are greatly in need assistance. It is time for our nation's leaders to stop acting on behalf o f corporate interest and work for those individuals Now I SUMMERS WINTER (TEAllAM T 1 ? park Get it while its hot! V 1 State Farm® Providing Insurance and Financial Services IM IU M N d Hottie Office. Bloomington, Illinois 61710 Michael E Harper Agent We m oved to o ur new location at: 9713 S.W . C apitol, P o rtlan d, OR 503-221-3050 Fax 503-227-8757 I