Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 2024)
Page 2 The Skanner Portland & Seattle August 21, 2024 Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now Bernie Foster Founder/Publisher Bobbie Dore Foster Executive Editor Patricia Irvin Product Manager Graphic Designer Mary Reischmann Digital Content Monica J. Foster Seattle Office Coordinator Susan Fried Photographer The Skanner Newspaper, es- tablished in October 1975, is a weekly publication, published every Wednesday by IMM Publi- cations Inc. 415 N. Killingsworth St. P.O. Box 5455 Portland, OR 97228 Telephone (503) 285-5555 Fax: (503) 285-2900 info@theskanner.com www.TheSkanner.com The Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Association and West Coast Black Pub lishers Association. All photos submitted become the property of The Skanner. We are not re spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicited. ©2024 The Skanner. All rights re served. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission prohibited. Local News Pacific NW News World News Opinions Jobs, Bids Entertainment Community Calendar Updated daily online. ebo m me • nts TheSkannerNews o k • learn • co in y o u r c o m m u n F ac it Hear about it first. Sign up for Breaking News and Events at y The IRA is Still Our Biggest Step Toward a Brighter Future for Our Children batter homes and businesses and leave hundreds of thou- sands of Americans without power. With so many people hurting and at risk, the IRA remains one of our most pow- erful tools to mitigate climate change’s harm. We must con- tinue to learn from our expe- rience implementing it, fill gaps where we see them, and double down on our efforts to protect people, places and the planet we call home. And we must remember that throw- ing everything we have at combating the climate crisis is also the way America wins in the next economy. In the decades since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the shipping of U.S. jobs overseas has helped destroy towns and cities across America. Now, the IRA is fueling a manufac- turing rebirth that is creating good-paying jobs while bring- ing our energy economy into the 21st century. Plans to build a new solar cell factory near Minneapo- lis, Minnesota are currently underway. This factory will create more clean energy jobs in the Midwest while address- ing the need for more Ameri- can-made solar cells. The so- lar company Heliene, which co-owns the project, publicly credits the IRA’s tax credits for inspiring its decision to invest in U.S. solar manufacturing. ice President Kamala Harris has the vision, the intellect and the heart to lead a conver- sation about how to preserve American democracy. As a country, we are still strug- gling to make this “A more perfect union.” We are an in- credibly unique and beauti- fully diverse nation, blessed in so many ways. However, our history of cultural cleav- age and racial unrest still plagues us. At times, the ideo- logical divide seems to be an unbridgeable chasm. There are those who would use po- litical power to exploit our differences and undermine the very democratic institu- tions that have held us togeth- er as a nation. So, America is at the cross- roads. What we choose to do between now and election day will determine our destiny. Will we work hard to keep our democracy, or will we be seduced to accept authoritari- an rule? Let there be no doubt about it: The choice is upon us, and we will have to live with the consequences of our collective decision for years to come. As providence would have it, the American people are Pres. Emerit. National Bankers Assoc. now being offered two very different candidates for pres- ident: one who is the embod- iment of democratic norms, individual liberty and a re- spect for the rule of law. The “ often think about a factory hallway in Dalton, Georgia that is filled with pictures drawn by children. It is a re- minder of what can be, what will be, thanks to the historic Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which celebrates its second anniversary this month. The drawings capture how these children see their par- ents who work at this solar manufacturing plant. There are pictures of beautiful sun- ny days, of the earth with pristine water. Of their par- ents saving the world. These children see their parents as superheroes. As I remember these pictures, I wonder: how can anyone not be inspired by these children to fight every day for a better, livable fu- ture? For more clean energy jobs, in big cities and rural communities across the coun- try, that will power our econ- omy – and our homes – for generations to come? Around this anniversary, the news has been filled with reflection on what the IRA has achieved and what still needs to be done. It is – as it should be – a major focal point at the Democratic National Conven- tion happening now in Chica- What we choose to do between now and election day will de- termine our destiny. other, a candidate who has not sought to hide his vision for America: a welcoming of authoritarian rule. He and his cohorts will work through a master plan (Project 2025) for gutting the federal bu- reaucracy with its system of meritocracy, replacing it with one that favors cronyism and dictatorial decision-making. For an example of how Trumpism would funda- mentally change the Amer- ican political system (with its checks and balances), one need only to observe how he has already transformed the Supreme Court into a vehicle I LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS LOCAL EVENTS on she has announced her pol- icy positions on a number of issues: favoring a wom- en’s right to control her own body; protect the healthcare of millions of Americans; calling major businesses for a summit to discuss price gouging; continuing her de- cades-long fight for equality for all Americans; continuing to address global warming; and protecting her fellow Americans from the insane proliferation of senseless gun violence, she knows that this election is about more than a civil debate about policy dif- ferences. She knows that this election is about protecting our most cherished freedoms as Americans. We, the people, are being given the choice to continue our march towards a more perfect union, or to accept a new model of governance where some are considered above the law and the masses are subjugated to an injudi- cious system where revenge, retribution and cronyism are tolerated with impunity. I think it is interesting that when the American family has become so dysfunctional, a house divided again, that Almighty God would send us a leader who has shown her- self to be a proven guardian of what we hold as sacred: Democracy buttressed by the rule of law. V Saundra Sorenson Reporter ! • L i ke u s of his power-grabbing. In its recent ruling on presiden- tial immunity, six of the jus- tices, disregarding precedent, placed the president above the law. These political hacks - parading as jurists sitting on the highest court of the land – broke with 250 years of jurisprudence to give the president powers reserved for a king. So why did we fight the American Revolutionary War? Donald Trump is working in concert with many others who are prepared to destabi- lize our sacred democracy in favor of a system that is anath- ema to what has made Ameri- ca the envy of the world: A system that celebrates the consent of the governed and the rule of law. Yes, we are at a critical mo- ment in American history not witnessed since the Civil War. The forces of retrench- ment are highly organized, well-funded and prepared to do whatever is necessary to impose their minority will on the will of the majority. Don- ald Trump has publicly stated that he doesn’t need the votes. Is that so? Then, tell us, Mr. Trump, how do you intend to come back into power? Thankfully, Vice President Kamala Harris has prepared herself for this moment in our nation’s history. Like Joan of Arc, she has donned her suit of armor and is prepared to confront the enemies of America’s democracy! While Michael A. Grant, J.D Because a ‘House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand’ Jerry Foster Advertising Manager d ay • to Opinion America Needs Kamala Harris to Win Ben Jealous Dir.Sierra Club, Prof University of Penn. go. You do not have to look hard to find examples of its success. More than 334,000 new clean energy jobs have been creat- ed across the country. More than 3 million U.S. households have collectively saved over “ step ever toward securing a healthy and livable planet for all. No other single piece of legislation has done more to address our climate goals and support the clean energy revolution already underway. Through the Climate Pollu- tion Reduction Grants pro- gram, the IRA is projected to reduce greenhouse gas pollu- tion by as much as 971 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050. That’s equivalent to the emissions from about 5 million homes’ energy use every year for No other single piece of legisla- tion has done more to address our climate goals $8 billion on upgrades that will save them money and make their homes more ener- gy efficient. In Illinois alone, for example, nearly 140,000 residents claimed more than $260 million in tax credits on their 2023 tax returns for in- stalling solar or making other energy efficiency improve- ments on their homes. One fact should loom larg- er than most: the IRA is still this nation’s biggest single more than 25 years. Need a reminder of the ur- gency and necessity of this investment in combating the climate crisis? Just turn on the news. Or step outside. We are experiencing the hot- test summer on record … in the hottest year on record. Supercharged storms and wildfires from all that heat are impacting more and more Americans. Hurricane Ernes- to is just the latest storm to Read the rest of this commentary at TheSkanner.com nt • lo c a l n e w s • eve
