Commisioners to decide Sales tax plan referred to county By Michele Matassa Of the Emerald The proposed Oregon state sales tax rounded one more curve on the road to public vote Tues day, as the Lane County Legislative Committee decided unanimously to refer the plan to the Board of County Commis sioners for consideration. The commissioners now must decide whether to request an election next spring for the pro posed 4 percent tax. The state Legislature passed a bill during its recent special ses sion requiring that a majority of each of the state's local govern ments — county and city govern ments and school boards — ask Secretary of State Norma Paulus to hold an election for the tax pro posal before voters have the op portunity to decide the issue. The tax plan, designed to pro vide state property tax relief, con tains a government expenditure limitation that would restrict spen ding to the highest amount of covered appropriations in the last six fiscal years prior to fiscal year 1985-86, said Bud Rainey, senior management analyst for the county. Rainey said that request for an election is not "ratification or sup port one way or another (for the tax plan)." Commissioner Bill Rogers, who chairs the legislative committee, expects the Board to recommend an election. "Many people who are philosophically opposed to sales tax see nothing wrong with sen ding it out and letting people vote on it," Rogers said after the meeting. Rogers said he supports not on ly the election, but the tax itself.' The plan's spending limitation shouldn't affect the county government severely because "we have such a low tax-base expen diture," he said. Pending approval by local governments, voters will have a chance to judge the proposal on March or May, 1984. So far, three counties, five cities and one school district have re quested an election, says Donna Morgan, administrative assistant to the state's director of elections. Before an election is approved, 122 cities, 163 schools and 19 counties must request one, Morgan says. The Legislature determined this ratification process when it pass ed the property tax relief plan, which contains four bills. In the main bill, the ratification process accompanies the con stitutional features of the sales tax and government expenditure limitation. A separate bill would implement the sales tax and expenditure limits if approved by voters. Special election provisions for the referral to the voters make up the third bill. The last, which already is law regardless of public vote on the sales tax, freezes pro perty tax rates, with some excep tions, until 1987. 'Myths' lead to nuclear conflict, author says By Melissa Martin Of the Emerald Soviets wear black hats and are the root of all evil while Americans wear white hats and are sinless in the eyes of the Reagan administra tion, Los Angeles Times writer Robert Scheer told a University crowd Tuesday. And if Reagan continues to believe a build-up in nuclear weapons will lead to prestige, power and influence, the world will face a future nuclear war, Scheer said. "If we keep on with simplistic thinking that we can do anything and they can do nothing then we are headed for war," said the author of a recent book, "With Enough Shovels: Reagan, Bush and Nuclear War." Scheer called for more com munication between the Soviet Union and the United States because "there has never been such tension between the two super powers as we have now." The "Star Wars system" has nuclear arms devices circling above our heads as a way of pro tecting ourselves." American people and the Reagan administration share several myths about nuclear war, 'If we keep on with simplistic thinking that we can do anything and they can do nothing then we are headed for war' — Robert Scheer brought the world to the most dangerous stage of the nuclear arms race, Scheer said. "We've taken civil defense into the heavens and we see it as a nuclear umbrella," Scheer said. "Like Star Wars, we have Scheer told the packed PLC lec ture hall. The nation thinks the Soviets are responsible for the world's problems, and don't believe Sov; .’f concern for national defense can be justified. These simplistic ideas are at the heart of the nuclear arms race, he said. And the idea that the United States disarmed during Carter's arms control period while Soviets took advantage of the situation to build up their weaponry is also false, he said. “The U.S. built every nuclear system it wanted to build," Scheer said. But the American people aren't the only ones with misconception of Soviet society, Scheer said. In a recent interview with Scheer, Reagan called the Russians “godless monsters " Scheer called this a simplistic categorization of a complex society. “If we don't challenge percep tions we can't deal with the arms race,” Scheer said. State senators fly to Nicaragua Saturday A group of 11 women, including Oregon state Senators Margie Hendriksen, D-Eugene, and Jeanette Hamby, R-Hillsboro, will leave Saturday, Nov.5 for a 10-day tour of Nicaragua. It is the second in a series of tours organized by the Nicaraguan Women's Association and the Eugene Council for Human Rights in Latin America. The diverse group consists of women from Oregon's business and professional fields, as well as state and local government. The only non-Oregonian to participate in the tour will be Washington Senator Nita Rinehart, D-N.E. Seattle. While in Nicaragua, the group will meet with several high level Residents dismiss hazards cited by BPA By Paul Ertelt Of the Emerald Several area residents say the Bonneville Power Administration has exaggerated the possible health hazards of weatherization and should expand its energy con servation program. Residents responded Tuesday to a recent Draft Environmental Impact Statement issued by the BPA at a public hearing in the Eugene Conference Center. The statement says sealing air leaks in homes can increase the concen tration of various air pollutants. Started by the BPA in 1981, the weatherization program sub sidizes installation of insulation in electrically heated homes. It also subsidizes house sealing weatherization, such as caulking, weather stripping, and installing storm windows, but 70 percent of area homes are not eligible for this program because their levels of air pollutants are considered too high. Currently, the BPA is consider ing whether to expand the pro gram, maintain it at its present level or delay action for three to five years to conduct further research. Norman Clark of the BPA said expansion of the program could conserve enough energy to pro vide power for 26,000 homes and save the BPA $26 million per year, but these savings must be weigh ed against the possiblity of pro ducing from 2 to 65 lung cancers per year because of the pollutant problem. But Fred Walter of Cottage Grove said the effects of the pollutants can be mitigated by us ing heat exchangers and dehumidifiers. Chris Attneave of Eugene called the BPA's report on the hazards of weatherization "overkill." "It looks like the Bonneville doesn't want to do the conservation," he said. Representatives of the Eugene Water and Electric Board, Lane Electric Cooperative and OSPRIG also spoke in favor of weatherization. One resident, however, came out against expanding the pro Continued on Page 5A government officials, including the Minister of Health, Tea Guido, and the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nora Astorga. The group will also visit an open prison farm project and talk with members of the Nicaraguan Human Rights Commitee. The women emphasize that the trip has a strictly educational rather than political, purpose and that group members will pay their own expenses. "I want to learn what is going on in Nicaragua," says Hendriksen, "I feel that Oregonians are con cerned about Central America and I want to be able to speak about the situation drawing on my own personal experiences." Hamby said that in addition to gaining "a first-hand look at the situation" she hopes to establish a hospital contact through which medical supplies can be channeled. "As soon as I can find an in dividual and an address at the hospital, there will be a continual shipment of medical supplies from St. Vincent's Hospital in Portland to Managua,” says Hamby. pUO== BOOKSTORE Overnight Photo Processing color prints only In by 2:30 p.m. Out by noon One $4 98 HI ftK Expires 11/5/83 Expires 11/5/83 5x7 Color Entargement • From your favorite C-41 pro- I cmb no. 126 or 136 color negative or elide only • Ona alia slide or nagatlva only 89*. 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