®'* $lortlanb (Dbserucr
Page 6
December 28, 2011
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New Prices
Effective
May 1 ,2 0 1 0
Martin
Cleaning
Service
Carpet & Upholstery
Cleaning
Residential &
Commercial Services
Minimum Service CHG.
$45.00
A sm all distance/travel charge
m ay be applied
C A R PE T CLEAN IN G
2 Cleaning Areas or
more $30.00 Each Area
Pre-Spray Traffic Areas
(Includes: 1 small Hallway)
1 Cleaning Area (only)
$40.00
Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area
(Hallway Extra)
Stairs (12-16 stairs - With
Other Services): $25.00
Area/Oriental Rugs:
$25.00 Minimum
Area/Oriental Rugs ( Wool):
$40.00 Minimum
Heavily Soiled Area:
Additional $ 10.00 each area
(Requiring Extensive Pie-Spraying)
U PH O LSTERY
C LE A N IN G
Sofa: $69.00
Loveseat: $49.00
Sectional: $ 109 - $ 139
Chair or Recliner
$25 - $49
Throw Pillows (With
th *
Other Services): $5.00
%
A D D ITIO N A L
SE R V IC E S
• Area & Oriental Rug
Cleaning
• Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning
• Deodorizing & Pet
Odor Treatment
• Spot & Stain
Removal Service
• Scotchguard Protection
• Minor Water Damage
Services
SEE CURRENT FLYER
FOR ADDITIONAL
PRICES & SERVICES
Call for Appointment
(503) 281-3949
MHMMHMI
Move Your Money to a Better Bank
One that invests
in the local
community
energy projects that are polluting
our environm ent, or helping a co r
poration m ove jo b s into over
seas sw eatshop factories. It's
in the C E O bonus, and the
C FO bonus, and a hundred
by A ndrew K orfhage
o th ers."
D uring a key scene in
As O ccupy W all Street
the classic holiday film It's
and related protests grew this
A W onderful Life, savings-
fall, an g er at the giant banks
and-loan proprietor G eorge Bailey, rightfully sw elled as w ell, w ith a
played by Jimmy Stewart, memorably "B ank T ran sfer Day" declared for
explains to the tow nspeople how his pulling m oney out o f the big banks
business w orks - that he's not sitting and m oving to sm aller local banks
on piles o f m oney ju st because he and credit unions.
runs a small, local bank.
But not every new s story co v er
" Y our m oney's not h ere," G eorge ing this issue took note o f the finan
tells the crow d. "It's in the K ennedy cial institutions specially designed
house, and the M acL aren house, to play a positive role in local co m
and a hundred others. Y ou all put m unities.
your savings in here, and then we
C om m unity developm ent banks
m ake loans to people to buy hom es, and credit unions — collectively
and cars and other things."
called C D FIs for "com m unity devel
A las, w hen you save or invest in opm ent financial institutions" —
big corporate banks in the 21 st c en direct their lending tow ard those
tury, the bank isn't likely to explain w ho have been overlooked by co n
to you, G eorge-B ailey-style, how ventional lenders.
your m oney is going to w ork in the
Unlike the conventional banks that
world. Im agine w hat it w ould be like contributed to the 2008 global eco
if they w ould.
nom ic crisis by lending out billions in
" Y our m oney's not here," the bank unsound and predatory subprim e
m ight say. "It's financing fossil-fuel m o rtg a g e s th a t th e ir b o rro w e rs
^ ÿ lo r tla n b (Dbseruer
Established 1970
USPS 959-680 _______________________________
47 47 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211
Charles H. Washington
EDiTOR.Michael L eighton
D istribution M anager : M ark W ashington
C reative D irector : P aul N e u feld t
E ditok - in -C h ief , P ublisher :
couldn't repay, C D FIs take pride in
their expertise with lower-income bor
rowers. They take the time to get to
know their clients, determ ining what
h o m eo w n ers and sm all-b u sin ess
ow ners can actually afford.
W ith m ore o f a com m unity focus,
these financial institutions pursue
reasonable, rather than excessive,
rates o f return. T hey target projects
that lift up underserved co m m u n i
ties, and boost local econom ies by
financing sm all businesses that p er
form vital local services.
By c o n tra s t, th e N ew R u le s
Project reported in 2010 that the 20
biggest banks "devote only 18 o f
their com m ercial loan portfolios to
sm all business," despite the clear
need to spur sm all-business grow th
to ju m p -start o ur econom y.
W here are the big banks d irect
ing all their m oney if they're not
supporting sm all businesses? For
one thing, m ega-bank C E O s as a
group have seen their pay skyrocket
back to 2008 levels and higher. The
Financial T im es reports that big-
bank C E O pay rose 36 percent in
2010, w hile average w orkers in p ri
vate industry saw their pay rise only
tw o percent.
If you'd rath er see y o ur banking
and in v estm en t d o llars going to
im p ro v e y o u r o w n c o m m u n ity ,
rather than lining the pockets o f
C EO s or financing projects that don't
m atch y o u r values, there's an easy
s o lu tio n . W h en y o u p u ll y o u r
m oney out o f y o u r m ega-bank and
start banking w ith the com m unity
banks and credit unions, y our old
bank will hear your voice even louder
and clearer than if you w ere stand
ing on W all Street w ith a bullhorn.
A nd you'll be jo in in g a grow ing
m ovem ent. Funds invested in C D FIs
grew from $5 billion in assets to
nearly $40 billion o v er the last d e
cade.
Y ou can find lists o f banks and
cred it u nions m ain tain ed by the
C om m unity D evelopm ent B ankers'
A ssociation and the F ederation o f
C om m u n ity D ev elo p m ent C redit
U nions at cdcu.coop.
Y ou can use these resources to
find your ow n local "George Bailey,"
and m ake a N ew Y ear's resolution to
m ake your banking part o f the solu
tion, rath er than part o f the problem .
Andrew Korfhage is an online
and special projects editor fo r
Green America.
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