Editorial
City takes positive
approach to agenda
The proposed citywide income tax was shot down by a
margin of more than 4-1 at the polls Tuesday. But rather
than scrap plans to contend with some serious Eugene short
comings. the City Council indicated that it will reinvestigate
the issue and find another way to raise funds.
Following apparent defeat, Eugene Mayor Brian Obie
said that he detected public support for expansion of the
Mahlon Sweet Airport and improvements to the Eugene
Public Library. We agree with his perception. We think that
most area residents would like to see these important
facilities brought up to date.
Therefore, we agree with Obie and the City Council’s in
terpretation of the rejection as an objection to the method of
obtaining the funds rather than an objection to the proposed
use of the funds.
We did not support the tax for this reason and suggest
that the council’s next attempt to collect funds, whether by
income tax or by increased property taxes, be by a proposal
structured to levy a tax on the appropriate people for the ap
propriate projects. For example, because the airport is used
by people throughout the county, the city alone should not
be responsible for footing the entire bill for expansion. Lane
County Commissioner Peter OeFazio’s proposal that the pro
ject be directed to the Urban Services Policy Committee, a
county-representative governmental body, was a positive
starting point.
By the same token, because the Eugene Public Library
primarily serves only people residing in Eugene, city
residents should bear the brunt of library improvement
costs.
Other objections may have contributed to the measure’s
defeat. The tax would have been levied on anyone earning
an annual income exceeding $7,500 within the city of
Eugene, which includes many non-Eugene residents.
Because only Eugene residents were able to vote on the pro
posal, charges of "taxation without representation" were
raised.
In addition, controversy centered on the amount the tax
would raise erupted between city and county officials, and
some of the designated plans for funds generated by the tax
were unclear.
But even though we and the greater part of the city did
not support the measure, we do support the procedures on
the part of the City Council that culminated in the proposal.
Obie took office in January and with the City Council
formed the Eugene Agenda, a comprehensive plan to im
prove the airport, the library, city streets and other public
projects. Before the income tax proposal, designed to
finance Eugene Agenda projects, was put to the voters, the
City Council spent a considerable amount of time guaging
public opinion.
During the summer, the City Council conducted surveys
throughout the city and held 50 public meetings to give the
citizens the opportunity to voice concerns. We appreciate
the sense of responsibility to the public demonstrated by the
city officials.
Even though the campaign was unsuccessful, it is clear
that the council is dedicated to improving the city of
Eugene, and improving it to the specifications called for by
the people of Eugene.
Letters
Free speech
It would seem that the recent
controversy over the showing of
"Rarabo" has become blown
out of proportion. One of the
implications of the concept of
freedom of speech is that people
are entitled to choose the
movies that they view, even if
one of these films happens to be
an outrageous example of
mindless and gratuitous
violence. Perhaps alternatives
could be offered, such as a
series of classic films including
movies like "Gaslight" with In
grid Bergman and Charles
Boyer.
Richard Bruce Wright II
Eugene
Too much noise
I am writing this letter during
the class for which 1 am a
teaching assistant (History 201,
9:30 MWF. 231 Gilbert). I do
not normally while away class
time composing diatribes. To
day, however, I find ample op
portunity to do fust that, for the
pounding of jackhammers and
the whining of power saws, due
to the construction project of
13th and Kincaid, makes listen
ing to a lecture on the American
Revolution an impossibility.
And I am sitting in the front
row!
Finding a solution to the
problem of how we can ensure a
student her/his right to hear a
lecture (for which she/he has
paid for, no less) is not my task.
Rather. I only wish to point out
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that this should not be a prob
lem. That is, a student’s rights
in the classroom in this regard
should be a given. Administra
tion, why do you allow
iackhammers and power saws to
infringe upon our rights? Do
you see this noise as just a tem
porary inconvenience that can
be borne by the students for the
sake of progress? (That IS if
destruction of a small parkland
of trees, shrubs, grass, and wild
animals' homes for the con
struction of another building
can be categorized under the
term progress. But this is
another question. Or is it?)
Peter G. Borg
GTF. History
Great music
Those who packed into Beall
Concert Hall last Tuesday (Oct.
29) heard some of the best con
temporary music that Latin
America has to offer, during a
concert featuring Chilean singer
Isabel Aldunate
The concert was all the more
special because Ms. Aldunate
dedicated some of the songs to
the Chilean women who march
ed the following day in San
tiago to demand Gen.
Pinochet's resignation. Herself
a human rights lawyer,
Aldunate was finishing a con
cert tour and preparing to return
to Chile where she is represen
ting people whose rights have
been violated.
Several more cultural events
featuring outstanding Latin
Americans are being planned
during the academic year by the
Council for Human Rights in
Latin America (located by the U
of O Bookstore) and the ASUO's
Latin America Support Commit
tee. We appreciate the efforts of
the many volunteers who work
behind the scenes to bring these
people to campus.
Jacques Kapuscinski
Council For Human Rights
in Ijitin America
Work together
I find it offensive that some
people among the women's
movement deem it necessary to
stereotype men as not being
conscious of women's problems
or rights. The use of a van to
transport women for their safety
is nnlv rinriinllv ucufui if it
serve* certain individuals.
It seems to me that women on
this campus need special
privileges because they fear be
ing raped or violated. The
groups supporting the use of the
van seem to feel that women are
the only ones in need of protec
tion from violence. Unfor
tunately, this is narrow-minded
and discriminatory.
Women are not the only ones
that can feel afraid for their
well-being Sometimes walking
home from school late at night, I
have felt scared for any number
of reasons. Yes, men can feel
frightened too.
Maybe there should be a van
to transport people. Some pro
ponents of a transport vehicle
for women feel that women will
support women if it is used ex
clusively for and by women. If
people use the van then people
will give support to people,
building up human beings that
help each other instead of in
dividuals. If this were the case,
then women would not have to
say they are forced to be depen
dent on men and hence become
self-sufficient human beings.
It's obvious that what we
need is people working for and
with each other. This is the
solution to the problem — stop
thinking in terms of minorities
and think about majorities.
Blake Louis Sliter
Political Science
Crazy headline
It was with considerable
dismay that I read a headline
(ODE. Oct. 28) that said.
"Proposed ASUO shuttle could
present alternative to women."
I can understand nutritionists
presenting fresh fruit as an
alternative to junk food, and I
can understand pacifists
presenting peace as an alter
native to war. but what on earth
is the proposed ASUO shuttle
presenting as an alternative to
women?
As I read further. I discovered
that the proposed ASUO shuttle
was not presenting an alter
native to women. Rather, it was
presenting .women an alter
native to walking alone on cam
pus. Somehow, that made me
feel much better.
|im Scott
Knulisll