A KICKER in the Pants!
With three weeks left in the kicker campaign, the Portland Public Schools Foundation reports a steady stream of checks rolling in--many with outraged missives attached. It's not that folks are mad at the schools. Far from it. They're angry at state lawmakers for rejecting Gov. John Kitzhaber's request to keep the tax refunds and boost the education budget. One donor called the tax refund "blood money." She gave the foundation half her windfall and said she planned to donate the balance when she found an organization dedicated to "kicking out the scoundrels who created this situation." Another donor recommended "spinal transplants" for state lawmakers who continue to underfund Portland's public schools. Then there was this short and sweet letter from Portlander Leigh Dolin: "This was mistakenly given to me by the Oregon Department of Revenue. It belongs to you--use it for our students." Some letter writers even credited tax activist Bill Sizemore for driving them to the donation box when he predicted doom for the kicker campaign and urged Oregonians to go Christmas shopping with their checks rather than send them to schools. "While I love being in the minority," one donor wrote, "I would also love to prove Sizemore wrong." By last Friday, however, Sizemore was still right. Of the estimated $80 million in kicker money being returned to metro-area residents, the foundation had received 1,000 checks, totaling $250,000. Although that's less than 1 percent, the foundation's director, Cynthia Guyer, says it is 10 times what the group raised during 1996's year-end fund drive. There's only one thing Guyer is still waiting for. "Where is Gov. Kitzhaber's check?" she asks. "Is he participating? I want to know." Kitzhaber spokesman Bob Applegate says his boss isn't saying what he did with his tax refund. Meanwhile,Mayor Vera Katz recently mailed her check to Guyer with a letter of support. --EM
'Tis the Season
This is the time of year when all manner of worthy organizations come calling for help. Here are four of our favorites, which we described in more detail in last week's paper ("Reasons for Sharing," 500 Words, WW, Dec. 10, 1997). SMART pairs volunteer readers with kindergartners and first- and second-graders who are lagging in language development. Send contributions to SMART in care of the Oregon Children's Foundation, 200 SW Market St., Suite 1930, Portland OR 97201. To volunteer in Multnomah and Washington counties, call 833-4838. Or become a Book Angel by buying books for SMART at a discount from local bookstores. Despite the success of the Oregon Health Plan, many low-wage workers and their families don't have access to health care. Wallace Medical Concern, which offers free health-care services, needs doctors, nurses and money. If you can help, contact executive director Katherine Hammock at 274-1277 or write to PO Box 6972, Portland OR 97228. Sisters of the Road Cafe provides food for the homeless. Contact Development Manager Christine Fry by phone (222-5694), fax (222-3028) or e-mail (Sisters133@aol.com) or send contributions to the cafe at 133 NW 6th Ave., Portland OR 97209. In addition to providing training in English as a second language, the Bridge School publishes The Burnside Cadillac, a 5,000-circulation monthly written by and about the homeless. Contact Sharon Pearson at 1231 SW Morrison St., Portland OR 97205, or call 228-5657. Every little bit, as they say, helps. Chasing Skirts
Linda Peters may have gotten the jump on winning the women's vote in Oregon's 1st Congressional District, but opponent Thane Tienson is close behind. Both, along with high-tech lawyer David Wu, are seeking to win the Democratic primary for the seat being vacated by Elizabeth Furse. Peters, the chairwoman of the Washington County Commission, was endorsed early this month by Emily's List, the national political organization that spends big bucks on female candidates. But Tienson, a Portland lawyer who specializes in natural-resource issues, fired back last week, announcing that he had signed up Celinda Lake as his campaign's pollster. Lake is a leading strategist for the Democratic Party and one of the nation's premier experts in attracting female voters. American Politics called her "a super-strategist, or, better yet, Godmother." The women's vote may play a big role in the general election as well. Republican Molly Bordonaro is seen as the front-runner in the GOP primary. -MZ
Follow-up
More Changes
After months of prodding and complaining to the state Health Services Commission, Olivia Jaquay and Margaret Deirdre O'Hartigan have finally gained some ground in their uphill battle to get the government to pay for sex changes. The two transsexuals have argued that gender-reassignment surgery and other medical services for transsexuals should be covered by the Oregon Health Plan ("Changing Protocol," WW, Sept. 24, 1997). As a first step, they want the commission to review the list of prioritized services the plan covers. Last week, they finally got their wish. Darren Coffman, director of the Health Services Commission, said the commission decided to refer the issue of Gender Identity Disorder to a mental-health review committee that will assess the effectiveness of hormone therapy, gender-reassignment surgery and psychotherapy. The Oregon Health Plan prioritizes health services by ranking most known medical and psychological conditions in order of effectiveness, cost and value to society. Transsexual services are now listed at line 745, and the current budget allows coverage only down to line 578. Many transsexuals point to scientific studies showing that sex-change operations often resolve psychological and drug problems that frequently plague transsexuals. Hersh Crawford, director of Medicaid programs in Oregon, says those benefits must be weighed against others. "[Transsexual] services may be very important to those individuals," he says, "but we must look at the good to society at large." --RR |
