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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 20, 2015)
Page 6 New Prices Effective May 1, 2014 Martin Cleaning Service May 20, 2015 O PINION Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG. $45.00 $VPDOOGLVWDQFHWUDYHO charge may be applied CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 Each Area 3UH6SUD\7UDI¿F$UHDV (Includes: 1 small Hallway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) $40.00 ,QFOXGHV3UH6SUD\7UDI¿F$UHD (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 Pre-Spraying) UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Sofa: $69.00 Loveseat: $49.00 Sectional: $109 - $139 Chair or Recliner: $25 - $49 Throw Pillows (With Other Services) : $5.00 ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Area & Oriental Rug Cleaning $XWR%RDW59&OHDQLQJ • 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 Presidential Candidates Lose Touch with Reality Clowning around issues of inequality D ONALD K AUL Hardly a day goes by that an- other candidate doesn’t announce his or her intention to run for the pres- idency. One day it’s Carly Fiorina, the next it’s Mike Huckabee, Bernie Sand- ers, or Hillary Clinton, even. It’s like the circus — when the little car rolls into the center ring and a clown gets out, then another, then two more, and on and on until the ring is over- ÀRZLQJ ZLWK FORZQV RU so it seems. We won’t get up to 1,000 politicians yearning to lead the “free world,” or what’s left of it. But we should reach two dozen presidential aspi- rants who are asking us voters to take them seriously before we’re done. It’s still early, but it looks as though the major message BY of this election is going to be about closing the cavernous gaps between the rich and the poor. Democrats have always suspected that the poor are be- ing victimized by our econom- ic system, but now it seems that the Republicans are th singing that song too. si Former First Brother Jeb Bush, whose family Je has been rich ever since ha his grandfathers got into hi oil and weapons 100 years oi ago, is now excoriating the ³HOLWHV´ ZKR¶YH VWLÀHG JURZWK and left the middle class to twist slowly in the wind. Marco Rubio, the Florida senator who wants to raise the sales taxes that weigh most heavily on poor people, now urges us not to forget those same people — the workers who do our society’s grunt work. He’s also quick to re- mind us that he’s the son of a bartender and a maid. Ted Cruz, leader of the Sen- ate’s loudmouth caucus, does Rubio one better. His parents, he says, were both drunks. How’s that for humble begin- nings? Still, it’s hard to beat the un- intended irony of Hillary Clin- ton. Who else complains with a straight face that “the deck is still stacked in favor of those on top” while she’s busy set- ting up a super PAC that she hopes will raise $100 million for her campaign by July? Bill Clinton isn’t much help either. Asked whether he’ll FRQWLQXHWRPDNHKLVVL[¿JXUH speeches to fat cats while his wife runs for president, he said he’d have to. “Got to pay our bills,” he said. Some bills. Fiorina, who got a $21 mil- lion severance package when VKHZDV¿UHGDVKHDGRI+HZ- lett-Packard, is determined to protect workers from mini- mum-wage raises, which she says hurt folks hunting for en- try-level jobs. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walk- er, a pastor’s son, wants to protect workers from unions, in the name of defending the middle class. And Ben Carson, an African-American neuro- surgeon, thinks that the Afford- able Care Act is the worst thing since slavery. Do you get the theme here? This campaign is going to be conducted almost entirely in a parallel universe. It will have no relation to reality, and what candidates say will have no relationship to anything that’s actually happening. Black is going to be white and white black. Not all the goofballs are run- ning for president — or mar- ried to someone who is — yet. Do you know that there’s a sizeable faction in Texas that thinks U.S. Army exercises over there are prep work for the declaration of martial law and WKH FRQ¿VFDWLRQ RI DOO ZHDS- ons? Gov. Greg Abbott actu- ally tried to deploy the Texas Guard to ensure that wouldn’t happen. What’s happened to this country? It used to be a fairly sensible place. Maybe it’s time to send in the clowns. Oh, I forgot. They’re already here. OtherWords columnist Don- ald Kaul lives in Ann Arbor, Mich.
