Kditorial
Eugene should not
consider monorail
> .m have in admit it's an intriguing ulna W hiz
zing around Kugene in I ho splendor of a high tech
monorail system I'ollution-freo. undisruptive ol the
skyline, fit 11 \ compute! ized and automated It lias ,»
( ertain appeal
l bilortunalelv . one look at the prit e tag and oili
er i onsiderations ends all ( onversation ol bringing a
monorail to the nils
List week, the president of a transit system i.ompa
m name to Kugene fo speak on the subject ol bringing
the surrounding area into “the transit ‘Mis." It was a
fantastic proposal: building a monorail around Spring
field and Kugene to serve such areas as Valley River
Center, the fairgrounds. Autzen Stadium and the Cni
versit v
Supposedly, the monorail would streamline transit
in the city, and eliminate traffic congestion, between
the monorail and the current bus system. Kugene tran
sit would be ,i breeze.
However, the proposed six-mile route would cost
an average of $10 million per mile and could be main
tained for a mere $1 million a year It was a nice
thought while it lasted
The Citv Council is not seriously taking the pro
posal under consideration, but it's necessary to stop
am talk before it starts A variety- ol reasons should
keep council members from thinking about this pro
jei t. or anv similar one. in the neat future
l irsl off. the price is beyond exorbitant The citv
simply cannot afford S(>0 million lor a transit sy stem
There isn’t enough revenue, and not near enough tax
dollars to bind such a project, let alone keep it run
ning It seems odd that while the couni il is talking ol
reopening Willamette Street to stimulate dorvnlowu
t omrnert e that they would even listen to such a fuittas
tii proposal
Another reason for rejecting the monorail is the
amount of people needed to make it feasible. While the
system i ouId handle IK.000 an hour i! yyould only re
quire 10.000 people a day to break even I hat might
not seem like a lot hut 10.000 people is a belly per
centage ol the Ir>• al population. It's unlikely that this
many people yyould use the monorail
Some have criticized the i itv s bus system in tin
past Hut in reality LTD does a good job of serving the
area's transit needs A monorail would just take away
from 1 1 1) travelers There is no reason for two transit
-.y stems in Kugene
With the high cost and other problems involved in
sin ii ti system, it doesn't look like Kugene residents
will lie jetting around in the style and comfort of a
monoiai! any time soon It just doesn't make any sense
.it the present time.
TVPICAL CONGRESSMAN’S
POSITION ON CUTTING
TUE DEFENSE BUDGET:
SAME CONGRESSMAN'S
POSITION ON CLOSING
A MILITARY BASE IN
HIS DISTRICT —
I HAVE \
NOT VET 1
City benefits from minor league baseball
Despite the iiu lement weather and sea
son ol the veai the thoughts of some t il\
i imm il members have turned to the glorious
summer game of baseball and with good
reason The laigene 1 meralds. the heloveil
lor a! A league farm < luh for the Kansas t lit\
Kovals mav he readv to go hig tune
Majot League liaseball is being pres
sored h\ Congress to expand to additional
i dies sm h as Denver. Washington 01 St Pe
tersburg b\ l‘lt)4 W hen tills happens, these
expansion teams will need new minor
league farm clubs to provide plavers and
personnel I he lime would he right tot 1 u
gene to step in and bid lor a new ( lass A \.\
i lub
Sut h .1 step would bring a certain
amount ol prestige to the i itv ol course but
more importantlv d might lead to addition
al et onomil benefits as well
Sports is a big business, and in I ugene.
it is a good business 1 he ! ins have led
short season Class A farm i luhs in atten
dant e lor three ol the hist tour veals I nicer
sdv sporting events sm h as football and has
helball regularlv draw well Coinnumitv
businesses, regular sponsors of these games,
are eagei to step into the affluent market of
sports fans
I pglading the I ins to Class AAA is lea
sibie The Kins i urrentlv average jusl less
than 4.000 Ians a filin', which is almost
equal to that ot typical AAA franchises In
ns cut seasons, the Kins have outdrau n in
leu ei games the Port land Heavers AAA
franchise. In addition to the tan support,
there is corporate interest too hast year, the
Kins received a new scoreboard i ourtesv ot
sponsors
Preparations to take advantage ot the
loot expansion would have to begin now
with the renovation ot old Civil Stadium or
the construction ot a new one Hob Beban.
general manager ot the Kins, savs that a
7.000 se.it stadium will be necessarv to
house a AAA i lub
( iv ii Stadium currentIv scats 0.400 but
would need modernization beyond the addi
tional chairs Civil is a great old-style park
that is endearing tin A-level play. but it
would need to tie reworked to meet AAA
level demands, with better loi ker rooms and
training tai ilities. a bigger press box and a
sliglitlv larger field.
Whether it would be better to build a
new stadium or retain < lassv old Civil is
something i itv leaders should caretullv
stuitv and consider W'hichever tliev choose
we encourage them to plav ball and eatt h a
AAA team.
Letters
Authority
i.itr the greatest gilt .mil
ntir.it.It‘ known to m.mkind is
si *i * 11 smipli is ,1 reviikahlo
privilege in mu count i t todas
As (lie polltll I,Ills 1.(1 C 111! t Ilf
mil's .uni llir ilui tins t .nil mil
llli' wishes ul mothers with
iiiiw.inli'il " pregnant n-s who
is in ini’ mil Im I lie rights ul
llii- over -I.OIHI children ivhiis»*
I Ill's ,111- l.lkl'll .111.11 l-l l'l l ll.ll
in (In- n.inn' ul abortion?
Ur agree is it it llir pro-life
si,nil r t il.lt I III Is hl'lsil i( >1 >1
].iii in .Hi’l Huh Unip'i iout:
I rh _’| espressed m llinr lid
Iris \ l h I Id S llir ilut's not
start at birth ralht'i it begins
u i111 i mu i• pt urn as mu ii ill br
tolil bi am st 11• ii11si ur din lor
alike rims the abnrliun ul an
unlHirn < lnhi is nulhing shurl
ul murder
Ue have all hearil the pm
abortion rhelurii relerring to
the l ights ut the mnlher I )!
course a mother has rights hut
those rights end when lliei lie
gill In infringe mi tin- lights of
others 'let there is no gre.iter
infringement of ,i i hilils lights
then prematurely t,iking Ins or
her life
\o ni.ittei him tutu li von tr\
to pistily voiii .11 (inns through
King to voursoKes, 01 i on
fornnng to society choosing
■ ihortion .is ,i solution to on
wanted' plegll.nil V Is the most
self isfi ,ii t li in tli.it ,i motliei oi
t.illiei i .in take Who has given
vou tin- authoritv to keep voiii
< hildren from walking upon
the f.n e of the earth or have
you simply taken the authority
upon y mu selv es>
(.regg \t< ( .ilium
f’sy i hology
David (ones
Politic al sc ienc e
Anneliese taivert
Theatre arts
Tough wait
I read Hoh Weigel's letter
(Ol)l- Fell 1!) and as he re
quested I thought iiljonl what
lie '..ml Ilf would like people
who engage in sex !o !»' pre
p,iii'il Ini .1 pregnant \ e\ er\
limi' .uni to otherwise abstain
Well \\ eigel. sim e un Inis
hand .mil I pi,m to have oui
set mid i Inlil u hen our existing
one is .iliout seven years old.
that means on the lilteenth ot
( )i tohei 1‘ttl i i\ e will he aide
to ai tually have sev
t lee I i an t u ait
hired ot reading align let
ters ’’ I lien sto|i here and go on
to the next
I've had it' Knnugti anti
i hon e In poi ns\ \ll of you
anti i hoii e pseudo-moralists,
here's the liottom line If you
are so sure so < Dimmed, so
positive that alMirtion is mur
der. then what are you doing
organizing on street corners
|ai hie llouev
Mathematn s
w it I) w ills 11111<‘ signs'
l onie tin' It I u cic i am ini r<t
beyond ,1 shadow ill ,i tiuuht
tli.it children were being
slaughtered herem this stati*
in tins i ihilitr> you i .in bet I
would he out ot this university
the next duv. wielding any
weapon needed to stop the
murderers iinniediately
It vmi are so sure that i ertain
evil women and dm tors are
killing (rabies, and you do
nothing ahout it. then you are
no better than the (term.m i ivil
i.tns who did nothing while
one million Jewish children
u ere shoved into ovens
Obviously, you aren't so i nn
\ lined that abortion is murder
How could you be? You anti
i lion e moralists are the same
people who support Hush
Mr Anti-child care, pro-death
squads (I-.! Salvador), and pro
massai re ((Ihina) himsell
Phil /ui kerman
Sociology
Moratorium
Ret ciith them has !>fi;n a
spate ul letters coin erning
abortion in the i'merdhi "l.et
ters" section I'his would not
be so Ii.iti d am ol these letters
presented t.n ts or opinions th.it
were not in several previous
letters
I low ever, situ e am lettei
Ili.it illicit he printed in the In
lure would onh rehash familial
arguments. I propose that the
staff ol the Ktnvruld dec late a
moratorium on letters concern
ing abortion through the re
mainder of the v\ inter term and
possibly spring term as well
I he newspaper at the l niver
sits of Texas. /Vie l)ail\ /c\.m
instituted this pul it \ for the
spring semester of 1‘lBtt All up
prei uited the respite from uhor
tion letters with the possible
exception of extremists on ei
Iher side.
Richard Baldwin
Student