December 10, 2008
Page A4
O pinion
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.
Public Jobs
Will Help
We need elected
officials on board
by J udge G reg
Health Care Flaws Must Not Wait
Obama’s victory
was for change
by D r . H enrik M . T readwell
President-elect Barack Obama
will have a variety o f econom ic,
dom estic and foreign policy is­
sues to confront when he takes office in
January, but it is crucial that he follow
through on his prom ises to address the
flaw s in the nation’s healthcare system.
The healthcare issue is frequently
discussed in terms o f the 46 million
uninsured Americans, but in com m uni­
ties o f color there is another crisis rag­
ing: Blacks, Hispanics and Native Ameri­
cans experience daily the devastating
impact o f health disparities that prem a­
turely disable and kill men, w om en and
children.
W e I i ve in a nation where 12.2 percent
o f all N ative Am ericans over age 19
suffer from diabetes, where 9.6 percent
o f all Hispanics are in poororfairhealth,
and where prostate cancer mortality is
tw ice as high am ong blacks com pared
with whites.
C learly, Sen. O bam a broke a barrier
w ith his h istoric win on E lection D ay,
sending an A frican A m erican to one
o f the m ost pow erful positions in the
w orld. But people o f co lo r in c o m m u ­
n ities acro ss the co u n try still face
m any barriers, and few are as d estru c­
tive as h ealth d isp arities and the
lack o f q u ality h ealth care - 2 0
p ercen t o f A frican A m ericans are
uninsured, as are 35 p ercent o f all
H ispanics u nder age 65.
C onsider the pain and suffering
caused by infant mortality. Recent data
show the infant mortality rate for blacks
ate attention is the health conditions in
the nation’s correctional institutions.
African A m ericans com prise 44 p er­
cent o f the n atio n ’s 2.2 m illion prison
p o p u la tio n , o r a b o u t o n e m illio n
p eople, m any o f w hom su ffer from
m ental co n d itio n s th at go largely u n ­
treated. M o reo v er, the p riso n s are
in c u b a to rs fo r in fe c tio u s d ise a se s
ran g in g from HIV to tu b ercu lo sis,
While many Americans are celebrating
Sen. Obama s victory, his administration
must bring about meaningful change.
at 13.5 per 1,000 live births, com pared
with 5.7 for non-Hispanic whites and
Hispanics.
W h at's clear is the need for a new
approach, one that takes into account
the socio-econom ic conditions that
lacks face in the United States, as well as
the broad, stressful im pactof racism and
discrimination. W hen people incom m u-
nities o f color hear about the “change”
that is supposed to com e to W ashing­
ton with the O bam a administration, they
are hoping it includes a new approach to
the infant mortality problem and other
health disparities.
Another problem that needs immedi-
staph in fectio n s and h ep atitis. W hen
inm ates retu rn to th eir fam ilies and
c o m m u n itie s , th e s e d is e a s e s are
spread to th eir fam ily an d friends.
If the prisons provided com prehen­
sive healthcare, these diseases could be
better treated, and even prevented, and
ex-inm ates would not be such health
threats to their com m unities upon re­
lease.
Flawed public policy is at the root o f
the problem.
Also, does it make sense that inm ates
lose their M edicare and M edicaid ben­
efits once they are incarcerated?
To be sure, prison w ardens would
like to operate more healthful institu­
tions, but they lack resources. Their
in stitu tio n s co u ld v astly im p ro v e
healthcare services for prisoners if the
federal governm ent allow ed inmates
to receive M edicare and M edicaid ben­
efits.
If inm ates received better m edical
treatm ent in prison, the cost o f later
treating advanced stages o f m any dis­
eases and conditions w ould be re­
duced.
This is another exam ple w here an
enlightened approach to public policy
can make a difference in com m unities
o f color.
Whi le many Americans are celebrat­
ing Sen. O bam a’s victory, his adm inis­
tration must bring about m eaningful
change. It will be disappointing if busi­
ness as usual continues in W ashing­
ton. T he people voted for change, a
change that gives A m erica a govern­
ment that takes com prehensive ap ­
proaches to im proving healthcare and
addressing the health disparities in
com m unities o f color.
T h at’s the change w e need.
Dr. HenrieM. Treadwell is director
o f Community Voices, a non-profit
working to improve health services,
and health-care access, fo r all Am eri­
cans.
M athis
W e've heard a lot of
new s recently about the
g o v ern m en t p roviding
billions of dollars to bail
out banks and m ortgage
companies. Missing in all
o f this, how ever, is much needed news
about a mass scale effort to support the
m illions o f A m ericans w ho have lost
their jobs and the m illions more on the
verge o f losing theirs.
It looks like help may be on the way
in the form o f m ulti-billion dollar pack­
age that w ould create jo b s and support
M edicaid. Som e elected officials are all
for it; we need others to get on board.
House Dem ocrats are doing their part
by introducing an econom ic recovery
bill that will put betw een $400 and $500
billion aside for states to rebuild their
infrastructure and provide low -incom e
people with m uch needed healthcare.
The nation’s governors also hope
that the federal governm ent w ould p ro­
vide an additional $20 billion to beef up
ailing M edicaid program s.
The idea o f creating jo b s and stim u­
lating with a program that im proves the
nation’s infrastructure is nothing new.
A fter W orld W ar II the public w orks
program put A m ericans to w ork and
built new bridges and roads across the
country.
The idea o f creating
jobs and stimulating
with a program that
improves the nation’s
infrastructure is
nothing new.
M M M O M nO N H M M M O M M M M M N n M M M n M H M O n H O N H i
Peace Community Let Down
by T om
H. H astings
Robert Gates is Bush's
Secretary of Defense and
has been for tw o years.
P r e s id e n t- e le c t B a ra c k
O bam a has announced that
he will retain G ates in an
open-ended offer to remain
in charge o f the Pentagon.
Som ething is wrong with
this picture.
The disastrous Bush-era
m ilitary policies have driven
. ...
the econom ic collapse, killed
more than 4,100 Am ericans,
w ounded another 30,000, and angered
much o f the w orld, beginning with U.S.
citizens.
T he p u n d itry ’s sp e cu la tio n that
G ates would merely provide a transition
is not reassuring to the m illions who
have been opposed to the crim inal stu­
pidity o f invading and occupying Iraq.
We want real change. We want it begin­
ning on Jan. 20, not after a year or two.
As long as the U.S. occupies Iraq, the
killing will continue. Iraqi civilians have
paid the highest price for Bush's deci­
sions— more than 100,000 have died
on the battlefield' and more than a
million have died from the destruction
o f Iraq's infrastructure, according to
No to Gates as Secretary of Defense
Indeed, that is one o f the tw o primary
reasons the peace com m unity first chose
O bam a over Hillary Clinton and then
over John M cCain— we have bipartisan
co n sen su s on this p articu lar m ajor
policy.
--------------------
Along with the cre­
ation of jobs, the heart of
the change we now le-
Gates should be given the
normal pink slip richly deserved by g't«nateiyexpect.having
r
earned it by a long and
any caretaker o f policy so bad it
tough campaign, was to
. .
.
.
get the most electable
kills and drags the country down. y.r peace candidate headed
iQ lih c r » r i h p •
peer-review ed medical studies.
H istorian s have long noted that
A m ericans have the capacity to turn on
a dim e' and wage war. We have shown
how to m assively retool our industrial
base, conscript millions, recruit millions
o f volunteers, train them all and mobilize
them to defeat bona fide threats to our
security.
It's tim e to show that we can turn on
that dim e to wage peace.
Fill Out & Send To:
for the W hite House.
But w hen Robert G ates accepted
O bam a's unconditional offer, he espe­
cially noted to the national press that he
was not interested in rem aining ju st to
help transition to different policies.
W hen reporters follow ed up and
asked about the stark differences be­
tween his publicly stated opposition to
tim elines for exiting Iraq and O bam a's
clear prom ise to get the U.S. out in 16
m onths, m axim um . G ates pointedly
noted that O bam a is pledged to listen to
his appointees in his new cabinet.
Excuse us? O bam a's pledge was to­
ward peace. T here are num erous candi­
dates for the cabinet w ho w ould honor
that pledge. G ates obviously would
not. T his is not acceptable to A m eri­
cans, nor to the rest o f the world.
Mr. O bam a: At least take office be­
fore you begin breaking campaign prom ­
ises— and our hearts. G ates should be
given the normal pink slip richly d e­
served by any caretaker o f policy so
bad it kills and drags the country down.
W e hope for fast change in Iraq—
and you are setting us up for m assive
disappointm ent. W e w orked for you
and voted you in to effect real substan­
tive change and save lives. Robert Gates
is not the w ay to the change we need
and expect.
Tom H. Hastings is director o f
P e a c e V o ice a n d a fo u n d e r o f
Whitefeather Peace Community in Port­
land. He teaches conflict resolution at
Portland State University.
subscriptions are just $60 per year (please include check with this subscription form)
I J U U M I 1UC f
ïh. P o r tla n d (Obsrrurr
N ame :
I CAO
•
A ,tn- Subscriptions,
A ddress : _____________________________________________________________________________
•
PO Box 3137 Portland OR 97208
TOO
fV J T T
T erry F amily
T elephone : ____________
orema/Zsubscriptions@portlandobserver.com
SPINAXOLUMN
An gngoing series of questions and answers about America’s natural healing profession
Dr. Billy R. Flowers
Part 26 KIDS AND CHIROPRACTIC
As the twig is bent so grows the tree
You make the tribute personal.
E very tim e w e a r r a n g e a p e r s o n a liz e d f u n e r a l serv ice, w e ta k e sp e c ia l p r id e g o in g
th e e x tr a m ile
W ith o u r o n lin e M e m o ria l O b itu a ry , n o w w e c a n d o e v e n m o re.
F rie n d s a n d fa m ily c a n fin d o u t se rv ic e in fo rm a tio n , v ie w p h o to s, r e a d o b itu a ry ,
o r d e r flo w e rs a n d leav e p e rs o n a l m e ssa g e s o f c o n d o le n c e s fro m a n y w h e re , a n y tim e
S im p ly g o t o o u r w e b s ite .
www.terryfamilyfuneralhome.com
"Dedicated to providing excellent service
and superior care o f your loved one"
Dwight A. Terry
Oregon License CO-3644
Amy S. Terry
Oregon I.ícense FS-0395
Judge Greg Mathis is vice president
o f Rainbow PUSH and a board member
o f the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference.
THE
2337 N. Williams Ave
Portland, Or 97227
503-249-1788
Wc make the service personal,
Many, including m yself, have called
for the creation o f a m odem day public
w orks program for years. W ith major
bridges crum bling and the streets in
disrepair, it is a much needed initiative.
The A merican econom y is fragile. So
too is its railw ays, its roads and bridges.
A program that breathes new life into
both sim ply m akes sense.
New labor and project m anagem ent
jo b s would be created. As w orkers earn,
they spend. Spending could help lift our
econom y out this tailspin. President­
elect Barack O bam a has voiced support
for such a program. W e need to help him
and the House D em ocrats m ake sure it
gets funded.
The House D em ocrats plan to present
theirbill next month. W rite yourelected
officials. Democrat and Republican. Urge
them to support this legislation. Let
them know that you expect them to
support you ju st as they support big
b usiness.
The recent elections have shown us
that, if A m ericans becom e and stay en ­
gaged in the political process, big things
can happen. Continue to lift your voice
and fight for an A m erica that works.
: I have recently noticed my Q: I have been told that my child highly trained and skilled at han­
son has one shoulder higher needs an operation for a curvature dling problem s like that o f your
than the other. C ould this be in a her spine. Is there an alternative? child’s. D o n 't be fooled by the
A: You most definitely should have though o f “w atching the co n d i­
sign o f a problem in his spine?
: G ood thinking, mom! It a thorough Chiropractic checkup tion" either. W ithout proper as­
surely could. In fact having on your child im m ediately. Spinal sistance it w on’t go away. O ffer
surgery gets. All conservative ef­ your children the best in health
one shoulder higher than the other
is a cardinal sign o f curvature o f forts at handling your ch ild ’s prob­ care. G ive them regular C hiro­
the spine. According to C hiro­ lem should be considered before practic checkups. As the twig is
practic research, the earl ier a cu r­ consenting to surgery. O ur office is bent so grow s the tree!
vature is caught, the higher the
potential for success. T o be cer­
tain about health o f your child,
2124 N.E. Hancock Street, Portland Oregon 97212
call our office today for a profes­
sional spinal evaluation. Spines
(big or sm all) are our specialty.
Q
A
Flowers' Chiropractic Office
Phone: (5 0 3 ) 2 * 7 * 5 5 0 4