RE: [Futurework] smart or dumb?

[Karen Watters Cole]

Ray, what can I say?  When I lived in Tennessee in the 80s, according to my Virginia friend, if you weren’t from the Tidewater Basin you weren’t worth knowing anyway.  Were you wearing your hair in a pony tail back then? Black hat?  Did the Tea Ladies faint when you walked into a room?  I guess they didn’t’ care that the Cherokees were Southern Indians, did they?  Go back there now and tell them your cousin says your mother’s family goes back to Jamestown and has a historical house to prove it.  They might diss a Native but they would not mess with a Scotswoman with documents.  You were threatening to them.  A blue-eyed Indian off the reservation knew their music better than they did and you probably didn’t mind making sure they saw how well educated you were.  Shame on you.  Teasing aside (you love it) there are stories to tell that explain how we got to what we are today.  I am beginning to wonder if there is a backlash against education, a generalized resentment of teachers and a I Give Up mentality.  I mean, there is general stupidity, of which we all have.  A few weeks ago a car full of young white men a bit drunk got into their car and headed to NE Portland, where the blacks folks live, they thought, because they’d never been there before, and started shooting randomly as they drove down streets after dark.  Two of them were minors, but the two whose mug shots were shown looked like all too many of those whom teachers shake their heads, saying “I wondered what happened to him” and the parents in their anguish, if they have any left, try to blame the teachers.   To me, having grown up as a visitor in another culture, not entirely unlike your experience in-between two cultures, where education was an obsession and there is a still-common Supermother who ruthlessly, tirelessly pushes her children in school and sacrifices herself in every way for that goal, I have been startled to run into parents who were eager to get their kids out of their house as soon as they turned 18, who never attended PTA meetings after 3rd grade, who didn’t give their kids any evidence that achieving in school was worthwhile.  As I came to understand it, Oregon had thrived economically with natural resources and the fishing and timber industries, and when you add transportation and general manufacturing, there were generations after the Depression and WW2 who did not need a higher education to raise a family with a living wage.  So when the gov’t came in and said the spotted owl was worth more than timber mills and jobs, when salmon recovery meant that more restrictions were imposed, these (mostly) men were caught in midlife without systems in place for job retraining and they had to be rescued by the federal government or they moved out of state or they gravitated to service jobs.   Maybe not coincidentally, this was “brewing” under Reaganism and a small state mentality that they weren’t sure they wanted to progress to a modern place.  BTW, Oregon’s constitution forbade free blacks from coming into the state and this was taken off the books just last year with a hearty Good Riddance attitude, but it is still their history.  It was such a white place for so long except for the remaining Tribes that the immigration of the past 15 years has caught many native Oregonians off guard and not as progressive as our Bottle Refund and Assisted Suicide laws would lead you to believe. There are a lot of Bible thumping gay-hating circle-the-wagons zealots here and there is also an embracing community celebrating diversity and creative solutions to problem-solving.  This may be too much of a stretch, but I see a lot of Jenkins’ The Next Christianity North vs South dichotomy here; a real clash of cultures not just class warfare.  So maybe that throws a little light on the subject.   Good to read that you are getting out to the stomping grounds, into clean air.  Everyone needs to get a little red dirt between their toes occasionally.  Cousin Karen   Hello Cousin,   Years ago when I was directing music in a church in Springfield, Va. just outside the Nation's capital as a second job, my first was the Army Chorus, I had a chance to see this dumbness first hand.      They hired me to direct two choirs but in the process of doing the work people asked for choirs for their children as well and you know how I love to build things so I just built six choirs for them for the same price as they got the two, that is, my salary was the same.    I did run the budget up a couple of hundred dollars which was peanuts compared to the cost of such things in other churches.   In today's money that would be $1,200 for six choirs.     Because they were in a building program I saved them several times that amount in the purchase of pianos because I'm good at bargaining and do a lot of research.    The committee decided that, since they were all business people and bureaucrats that they would not OK the deal until they took a shot at it.    I had gotten the good deal for the church because I agreed to purchase a Grand Piano for my own studio as a part of the deal.    They decided that I was getting a free ride and deducted the Grand Piano which kicked up the price on the uprights by 1/4 ( $1,200) beyond the price I had gotten.      They went back to the church "with their tails between their legs" and to their credit admitted that I was better at buying pianos then they but they took revenge on that overrun for those six choirs.    When the next year came around they cut the money for the choirs and then insisted that I keep the choirs anyway with no money for music.  (Sounds like Oregon and California.   Didn't you have a big influx of Californians a few years back?)   Well anyway......they knew that I had written music as well and assumed that I would continue to illegally copy (steal) what I needed and write the music myself.   Instead I told them that they could take it to the Church business meeting and tell the church which choirs they were refusing to fund.     I won that fight too as the Church members realized that you couldn't claim to want something and then refuse to feed it.    That claim was a lie and that was just that.       Meanwhile, that group of busynicrats got real nasty and said some very ugly things about me personally, seeing as how I "was not Christian" and directing their choir.    Now I had never considered that because I conducted choirs at home, on the res, in churches and always felt like a member of that community.     But as I thought about what I had seen and how I had been "gifting" them all along and they didn't see it or acknowledge that it was being done AND when I brought in traveling ART exhibits from the National Gallery and got friends in the Army Chorus to come sing as a favor to bring their choir participation and quality to a higher level they complained and wanted to know where the money was coming from.    Well it was FREE and surprisingly they didn't like that either since it WAS THEIR government and THEIR taxes (the NATIONAL Gallery and THEIR Army).    I guess they figured I was being paid too much as a Staff Sergeant if I had time to give them all of that.  (That was the year that I put in my first of many applications to buy a small house on the VA plan but I never had enough money to qualify, but I was still getting too much money for their liking.)     But I considered it MY culture and "gifting"  was a part of the religion that I was taught at home.      But they definitely were not my people so I resigned and put my time into teaching which brought me as much pleasure and a lot more money.   There were people that I loved and valued in that religion and I still do but when I look it in the face I see that they are my friends but not my culture which is OK.    I attended that church many years later and was gratified to see that the good guys had won.   They had wonderful music and the wonderful minister who could tell the best stories and was a genuine American historian was still there doing his thing.    It was after the Indians were given the right to worship in the US of A 1978 (ten years later) and I was glad to see that the pianos had held up well also.    But the busynicrats had moved uptown and were getting ready to push Reagan (Hollywood Cowboy I) into the White House and that Roman Catholic Scalia who has done so much harm to Indian Spirituality was just a gleam in everyone's Latin eyes.    Well Cousin, you figure it.    Ray         ----- Original Message ----- From: "Karen Watters Cole" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: "Ray Harrell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Brian McAndrews" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2003 4:14 PM Subject: RE: [Futurework] smart or dumb?   > Brian, I was not going to post any political pieces today, but since you > asked, here's my update on Oregon that not coincidentally is part and parcel > of the unfolding changes determining what it means to live and work in > Oregon now, as compared to a generation ago, and what may become a less > lovely place to live and raise a family, if the glass is indeed half empty - > and leaking.  See article below. > > Strong last minute No votes killed Emergency Tax Measure 28 from what > yesterday was a 48 - 48 split with 4% undecided.  This may be as dramatic a > split between Urban and Rural counties as any in recent memory.  There seems > to be a sentiment of "if that's what they voted for, let them see how bad > it's going to be" regarding schools and quality of life ripple effects, > especially the signal this sends to businesses who might have been > considering locating in Oregon. > > Although supporters say they are encouraged by the closeness of the vote, I > have heard that "teachers are looking for work elsewhere".  They have been > targeted for years by people who resent their benefits and retirement, and > now face even larger classes and less pay, both of which they showed > flexibility on in contract talks but held firm on benefits.  The huge loss > of jobs in the lumber and fishing industries since late 80s has deepened the > Urban vs Rural divide.  (New Civil Wars?  Can Portland and Salem secede from > the state?).  Wouldn't universal health care solve so many problems with > contracts? > > There will be an effort to protect K-12 schools, but there are a few reports > that high school seniors are already being cold shouldered by out of state > schools.  Portland already has the shortest school calendar in the nation > and some rural districts were running long days M -TH.  Portland actually > cut Spring sports from their budget, and only private donations have saved > it thus far, prompted by concern that many seniors counting on athletic > scholarships would lose their chance at college.  Tuition will go up again. > Have seen TV commercials asking for private donations to "save Outdoor > School", a very popular science camp for 6th graders that was cut.  Will let > you know if and when the schools shorten the calendar, as predicted, and if > that does indeed threaten their certification, especially with the > Reaganesque No Child Left Behind policy in place that has no money to make > it happen. > > A news report this morning mentioned that Multnomah county jail will begin > releasing prisoners today.  This happened before due to temporary > overcrowding, but this is assumed to be permanent.  Previously, seven City > prosecutors were pink-slipped, and court is in session M-TH to save paying > court clerks and admin costs, so that court dockets are already affected. > There is talk of raising the bar on what goes to trial, thus the Police > Chief warned last month that criminals will have less to fear.  Not a pretty > picture, even more so if nonviolent prisoners are released early into a high > unemployment situation where white collar folks with education can't find > jobs. > > Since Oregon does not have military bases or produces much in > military-industrial-complex revenue, I am not anticipating benefits from any > residual war spending - that will go to Washington State.  The whole > archeology dept at Oregon State moved to Texas last summer.  Lock, stock and > barrel with 22 faculty gone.  Business leaders will soon be tiptoeing around > hoping not to hear the phrase, Brain Drain. > > After years of complaining about the size of government and NIMBY, I heard > one conservative complain on TV last week that they hated it that Oregon was > getting all this "negative national publicity".  The projected tax would > have been $17 for AGI $10-20K,  $49 for $20 - 30K and $80 for $30-40K, each > year for three years ($212 for $75-100K, $385 for $100-200K, over $200K > $1,686; all returns $114) and took into account changes in the federal > deduction for state taxes.  I know plenty of people who easily spend $40 on > lattes a month, not a year. > > There is a breakdown of trust: is the state lying about how bad it is or > not?  The impact of a generation of voters hearing nothing but how bad and > evil Big Gov't Is has come home to roost in a recession.  -  Karen Watters > Cole > Voters reject tax increase > By Jeff Mapes and James Mayer, The Oregonian 01/29/03 > Oregon voters on Tuesday rejected a three-year income tax increase, turning > aside fears that schools, state police and the needy would be hurt by new > budget cuts.  The defeat of Measure 28 underscored Oregonians' historic > reluctance to approve new taxes of almost any kind. Although voters did > agree to raise the cigarette tax last fall, they've never approved a general > tax increase of any kind since they adopted the current income-tax system in > 1930. > In the wake of the defeat, Republican legislators said they'd push to ease > the impact of some of the harshest budget cuts, particularly to the mentally > ill and the elderly.  But Gov. Ted Kulongoski opposes trying to rework the > cuts, his spokeswoman Mary Ellen Glynn said Tuesday night. > Opponents, who were caught off guard by a rise in support for Measure 28 in > recent weeks, were jubilant at its demise.  "This is more of a mandate than > I thought we'd receive," said Russ Walker of Citizens for a Sound Economy, a > pro-business group that opposed the measure.  "It really says something > about where people's priorities are.  They don't buy the line the state is > hurting that bad." > Supporters said they took comfort that there was a relatively strong vote > for the proposed tax increase -- at least compared with many previous tax > measures that failed to capture even a third of the voters.  "We had great > success getting this issue in the forefront," said Kris Kain, president of > the Oregon Education Association, the teachers union.  "I think it shows > people really care about these issues.  They disagree, but they really > care." > Even before the vote, Kulongoski and legislators from both parties had met > privately to talk about whether to move away from some of the scheduled cuts > if Measure 28 failed.  House Speaker Karen Minnis, R-Wood Village, said she > particularly wants to look at cuts to mental health care and senior citizen > programs that "could absolutely put people out on the street." And Rep. Dan > Doyle, R-Salem, is working on a plan that would reduce cuts to the Oregon > State Police. > Yet Glynn said Kulongoski thinks that "what's done is done" and that the > Democratic governor did not want the Legislature bogged down in further > debate about what to cut to make up for the failure of Measure 28.  "We need > to face up to the fact that Oregon is in a recession," Kulongoski said in a > statement, "and our tax structure is such that when the economy takes a > downturn, state services take a hit." > The measure was winning in just four of the 36 counties. It was passing in > heavily Democratic Multnomah County, but losing in suburban Clackamas and > Washington counties.  And the yes margin in Multnomah County was not strong > enough to offset the big no vote in the rest of the state. > Although the defeat of the proposed tax increase followed a common pattern, > the election itself was one of the most unusual in Oregon history.  In > September, the Legislature referred the proposed three-year tax increase to > voters after the recession caused a $2 billion dive in expected revenues for > the state's 2001-03 budget. > In addition to the Measure 28 income tax increase, lawmakers raised > cigarette taxes and delayed an income tax cut.  They tapped reserves and > used other one-time revenues for $963 million and cut agency budgets by more > than $720 million.  The referral was a compromise between lawmakers who > preferred to impose a temporary tax without sending it to voters and those > who wanted to balance the budget with spending cuts.  In fact, many > legislators who voted to refer the measure to the ballot did so expecting it > to fail. > Outside the Legislature, the measure's chances were widely derided, but the > state's public-employee unions decided they had a chance if they allied > themselves with school and social service activists.  While opponents > largely slumbered, the unions assembled platoons of volunteers who helped > wage a campaign that largely flew under the radar.  They avoided television, > instead using extensive phone banking and carefully targeted radio ads. > State agencies, ordered to cut $310 million out of the last five months of > the two-year budget cycle, came up with a series of reductions that further > spurred the campaign.  For example, the Department of Human Services last > month sent 63,000 notices to care providers and social-service recipients > warning that they faced benefit reductions and cutoffs.  Critics complained > that the cuts were more harmful than they needed to be, a charge denied by > state officials who said they had already made millions of dollars in > administrative cuts. > By mid-January, a statewide poll showed the measure dead even in the > polls -- the first time in at least two decades that support for a tax hike > increased over the course of a campaign.  News that the race was close did > spark some opposition advertising on radio.  And opponents said the > relatively heavy turnout for a special election -- it exceeded 60 percent -- > showed that both sides were getting their voters to return their ballots. > "It takes a lot of pushing from proponents to get the tax measure up," said > Portland pollster Tim Hibbitts, "and it doesn't take much for the opponents > to push it back down." > Harry Esteve of The Oregonian staff contributed to this report. Jeff Mapes: > 503-221-8209; [EMAIL PROTECTED] James Mayer: 503-294-4109; > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/10438463 > 9752540.xml > > Outgoing mail scanned by NAV 2002 > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework