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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 3, 2015)
Page 6 New Prices Effective May 1, 2014 June 3, 2015 O PINION Martin Refocusing Our Affordable Housing Goals A pathway to Cleaning building 1,000 Service homes M AXINE F ITZPATRICK Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives, Inc. (PCRI), a 22 year ROG QRQSUR¿W FRPPX- nity development cor- poration specializing in the creation and management of f affordable rental housing in north and northeast Portland, is refocus- ing its affordable housing goals. Providing homeownership opportunities and housing coun- seling assistance to low-income families ensures long-term afford- ability, stabilizes residents and their neighborhoods and helps families build equity and break the cycle of poverty. PCRI’s new goal to address ac- tive and ongoing involuntary dis- placement of African Americans and other low income residents from the neighborhoods we serve is by building and creating 1,000 homes, beginning in 2016. The homes will be located throughout the city, with the primary focus on the north and northeast Portland neighborhoods where displaced families previously resided. 'XULQJ WKH SHULRG IURP WKH PLG¶V WR DQG VSHFL¿- cally 2000 to 2010; 10,000 resi- BY 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 ,QFOXGHVVPDOO+DOOZD\ 1 Cleaning Area RQO\ $40.00 ,QFOXGHV3UH6SUD\7UDI¿F$UHD +DOOZD\([WUD Stairs VWDLUV:LWK 2WKHU6HUYLFHV Area/Oriental Rugs $25.00 Minimum Area/Oriental Rugs :RRO $40.00 Minimum Heavily Soiled Area Additional $10.00 each area dents, primarily African-Ameri- cans, were forced to relocate out of north and northeast Portland neighborhoods. Essentially, three people every day for 10 \HDUVZHUHIRUFHGWR¿QG another place to live. To address this in- voluntary displacement, PCRI has established a displacement mitigation initiative called Pathway 1000. The sole purpose interested community members to participate and learn more via PCRI’s website, pcrihome.org and social media channels, where a forthcoming questionnaire will be posted to determine eligibility and housing needs. PCRI will also conduct a se- ries of exploratory sessions with displaced residents and residents on the verge of displacement. We feel that those closest to and ex- periencing the problem are closest 3&5,LVWDUJHWLQJLQYROXQWDULO\ displaced residents who were forced to relocate due to HVFDODWLQJKRXVLQJFRVWVRU EHFDXVHWKHLUUHQWDOKRPHZDV VROGWRDKRPHRZQHU and intent of the effort is slowing and reversing the involuntary dis- placement of our long term resi- dents and current residents at risk of displacement. The 1,000 homes will be con- structed at a level of 100 homes per year over the next 10 years. PCRI is targeting involuntari- ly displaced residents who were forced to relocate due to esca- lating housing costs, or because their rental home was sold to a homeowner. PCRI encourages to and best suited to provide the solutions. It would be fruitless to rehash the details of how African-Amer- icans have been displaced histor- ically in Portland on at least four different occasions. We cannot undo the harms done, but rather must focus on restoring hous- ing justice for those who were harmed. PCRI’s goal is to sup- port and encourage displaced Af- rican-Americans to focus on the future. Homeownership is the sta- bilizing solution to displacement. Investing in opportunities and as- sistance for low-income families ensures long-term affordability and stabilizes residents in their neighborhood. Community development cor- porations like PCRI can support displaced residents by building community awareness of solu- tions through advocacy and civic engagement to create anti-dis- placement policies. *HQWUL¿FDWLRQ DQG GLVSODFH- ment issues must be discussed and addressed on a regular basis. Residents must remind govern- ment leaders and city planners of displacement, and the reality of unintended consequences of strategic growth. Affected resi- dents must get involved in their neighborhood and they must ex- pect and encourage equitable de- velopment. Be aware and look to learn more about PCRI’s Pathway 1000 Ini- tiative, a plan to bring affordable housing back into north and north- east Portland neighborhoods as well as catalyze business growth, development, and job opportuni- ties. Our PCRI supporter partners include the African-American Al- liance for Homeownership and the Portland Housing Center. 0D[LQH )LW]SDWULFN LV WKH H[ ecutive director of Portland &RPPXQLW\5HLQYHVWPHQW,QLWLD WLYHV,QF 5HTXLULQJ([WHQVLYH3UH6SUD\LQJ UPHOLSTERY CLEANING 6RID /RYHVHDW 6HFWLRQDO &KDLURU5HFOLQHU $25 - $49 Throw Pillows :LWK 2WKHU6HUYLFHV ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Area & Oriental Rug Cleaning $XWR%RDW59&OHDQLQJ 'HRGRUL]LQJ3HW Odor Treatment • Spot & Stain Removal Service • Scotchguard Protection 0LQRU:DWHU'DPDJH Services SEE CURRENT FLYER FOR ADDITIONAL PRICES & SERVICES Call for Appointment (503) 281-3949 A Crusader for a Tax on Inherited Fortunes Teddy Roosevelt’s legacy R ICHARD K IRSCH Republican lawmak- HUV FHOHEUDWHG 7D[ 'D\ by voting to repeal the estate tax. If they get their way, the multi-mil- lionaires and billionaires who fund their election campaigns will reap a huge tax break. First, some myth busting. The federal tax on inheritance only applies to estates of more than $5.3 million for an in- dividual and $10.9 million for a married cou- ple. That’s only a few very, very rich people. For example, it only applied to 5,000 of the 2.6 million people who died in 2013. And for the record, only 20 of those estates were small farms or family businesses. No- body ever lost a family farm because of the estate tax. The estate tax is a way to get a few very rich people to pay taxes they avoided while alive. A lot of the wealth subject to the tax is money made in the stock market — which is taxed at far lower rates than money earned from work. BY For a more basic explanation of why we have an estate tax, a good place to start is with Republican President Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt came from a wealthy family and made clear that he respected people who made “a fortune,” as long as “it is honorably obtained and well used.” He was also an avid proponent of taxing inheritances. The way Roosevelt saw it, taxing estates was essential “to preserve a measurable equal- ity of opportunity for the people of the genera- tions growing to manhood.” For this privileged man, wealth wasn’t just an individual asset. He understood that people got rich not by themselves, but because they were part of a productive society. No one gets rich on a desert island, after all. Roosevelt also believed that massive un- taxed inheritances served “no advantage” to the individual, who by inheriting “enormous fortunes” didn’t learn the virtues of work. He knew what he was talking about, as he saw the wasteful lifestyles and entitlement of the people he grew up with. He viewed this as anathema to core American values of equality. Teddy Roosevelt’s values are particularly meaningful today. Highly concentrated wealth is undermining our economy and democracy. The richest 1 percent of Americans holds 40 percent of our nation’s wealth. Put more starkly, six heirs to the Wal-Mart fortune own as much as 49 million low-in- come American families combined. Eliminating the inheritance tax would be a $269 billion windfall over the next decade for these few wealthy families. That’s almost enough to pay for free com- munity college for 9 million students, provide pre-school for all children in working-class IDPLOLHV DQG ¿[ WKH VKRUWIDOO LQ WKH IHGHUDO fund for roads, bridges, and mass transit. Keeping great fortunes in the hands of a few also gives the rich a much greater voice in our democracy than the rest of us. Through their political contributions, they shape the agendas of their handpicked elect- HGRI¿FLDOV Over the years, lawmakers have slashed the taxes rich people pay while they’re alive on income from stocks and bonds — precisely the kind of income that’s most often inherited. The estate tax is the tool we use, when the wealthy die, to insist on a fairer tax system in which they share responsibility for support- ing the nation that made their wealth possible. Teddy Roosevelt understood that, but today’s Republican Party seems to have forgotten. Richard Kirsch is a senior fellow at the 5RRVHYHOW ,QVWLWXWH 6XEPLVVLRQ FRXUWHV\ RI 2WKHU:RUGVRUJ