OPINION
Citizen involvement doesn’t stop at the voting booth
As tho fight over Ballot
Measure <1 grips the state's
attention, action on tho
basic problems driving Ore
gon's descent into socio-eco
nomic oblivion remains pain
fully Inadequate.
It is not a pretty picture —
Oregon's days as a re source-de
pendent economy an; limited,
the promotion of "high-tech”
industry has largely failed, our
schools und universities are be
ing stripped and shut down,
and tiie most basic human ser
vices are. or soon will be, on
the chopping block
Politically, the scene is little
better — from the fascist Ore
gon Citizens Alliance to tho
dramatic rise in hate crimes to
the dismal luck of funding for
education and human services.
This desperate situation (all
the more desperate because so
many continue to ignore it) is
not without hope. Dofenting
Measure 9, supporting Measure
7 and helping the Democrats re
capture the Oregon House are
the best opportunities in the
upcoming election.
This election at best repre
sents only the chance for a few
feoblc slops laward some solu
tions Democracy is not about
spending a fow minutes in a
voting booth; it is about debate,
action and education
Democracy has never lawn a
gift what wo have now was
won through militant political
struggle that, without excep
tion. took place outside "the
proper channels "
This election Is important,
but we need to look at the class
forces that shajx' our politics
Oregon is a largely "middle
class" state; the degree of suc
cess achieved by the OCA
serves as a barometer not just of
the power of the Christian right
nationally, but of the likelihood
that upstanding middle-class
folks will turn right and not
left — in times of social and
economic crisis
As jolw get fewer and worse,
as the lack of social services
further squeezes the poor, as
education budgets are hacked
and as insecurity grows more
pervasive and profound, socie
ty will become unglut-d. lead
ing to more (XIA-stylo politics
Current No on 9 efforts have
done little to erode the (X^A’s
support among the threatened
resource-dependent working
class und their communities
Because of No on 9’s basically
defensive posture, the right is
poised to score big by winning
over "fear of-falling" suburban
ites scared of losing what’s left
of the American Dream.
For the present. they »iw (hr
(X^A us Uk> crude. but just us
1’at Buchanan articulated the
fascist agenda lietler than David
Duke. It Is likely that a political
force will soon emerge to win
these pleasant suburbanites
over to the ultra right Koss
I’erot's campaign clearly marks
the appeal of can-do authoritar
ianism to the middle class
Mention* about victimized
small businessmen anil poor,
elderly, apartment dwelling
grandmothers. Measure 7 will
in fact help both small busi
nesses and renters
The former will benefit front
a healthier economy spurred by
education and social service ex
penditures, and the latter from
a renter's rebate program like
11 is critical
to prop up the
economy to
forestall a
middle class
turn to the
right, and the
host way we
can help out
in this elec
tion is to sup
port the strug
gle for rev
enue replace
ment and tax
justice em
ir o die d in
Measure 7,
Just as Pat
Buchanan
articulated the
fascist agenda
better than David
Duke, it is likely
that a similar
political force will
soon emerge from
the OCA.
■ mo one abol
ished in the'
last legislative
session
Hv restoring
about (Ml por
coni of the
revenue lost
b y 1 » » 0 ' »
M o 8 s u r o 5 ,
M o a s u r tt 7
would allow
for thu exer
( iso of soino
o I o in o n t a r y
oto n o m I i
. good SOUS!
The Oregon
which would spill me properly
tox rolls between homes and
commercial property, business
es would pay their fair share
and homeowners would get
real tax relief, promised but not
delivered bv Measure 5
Since 1 990, as many
homeowners saw their property
taxes Increase, big commercial
Interests like utilities, railroads
and (sinks received million -dol
lar tax breaks Despite the ' slop
the tax" crowd's Incessant fab
Legislature inuiii uiiimiiiui ana
enhance existing social ser
vu ns, which, when combined
with fewer tuxes on poor and
working people, would effec
tively Ixxwl consumer spending
at the most important pert of
the economy the bottom
We know there will be more
investment in a state with a rea
sonable lax structure that sup
ports a quality educational *ys
tern and social services, if one
doubts the proposition, look at
those si.ill's will) I ho lowest lux
burdens ami the lowest levels
of social spending, like Arkan
sas, where the top Industries
are chii ken processing and tox
ic waste
The simple for tax justice,
embodied ui Measure 7. goes
hand-in-hand with the fight
against Measure 0 If we are to
defeat the OCA right, we need
to provide a degree of social
iind economic: security that is
impossible without fair taxa
tion.
Our responsibility does not
end on Kleetlon Day The do
feat of Measure 0 or the victory
of Measure 7. as with any pro
gressive electoral victory, rep
resents just the lieginning
If we vvisli’ to i fiange (iregon,
we have to build social move
ments that seek empowerment
first, not vague notions o! elec I
ing more Dome* ruts to offii e
Only then can we reassert con
trol over our schools, our
neighikirhoods and communi
ties, and our workplaces that
is where we ran find democra
cy on Election Day and every
day after That is where we will
ultimately win or lose the
struggle for social justice
Inson IV. Moore writes a
monthly column for the bmer
aid
But what if...
The answer to all of the
measures we are to vote on is,
''Peace means respect for the
rights of all."
No ifs, amis, or huts.
Joy Halllwall
Library
Rest assured
I'm sure that Oregon's homo
sexual citizens will breathe a
sigh of relief now that Allen
James, biologist, has assured
them that their jobs, businesses
W«4., Oct. 24
SB EXPO 7:00 P.M.
MOVIE 8:00 P.M.
South Eugene High School
Tklnta $4.00
and lives are safu from Ballot
Measure 9 (ODE. Oct. 26).
Qualified attorneys may duck
for cover when asked to predict
how the courts will interpret
the murkier phrases of the
measure, hut now that James
has given his opinion, guy peo
ple everywhere tain rest assured
they won’t bo hurt by Measure
9.
Aside from duhutuhlo issues
of life, liberty and property, the
undeniable core of Measure 9 is
the requirement that all public
schools (including the Univer
sity) teach that homosexuality
is "abnormal, wrong, unnatural
and perverse."
Them is not the slightest sci
entific evidence to support tins
proposition, which many In
hove is bigoted and immoral in
itself
Regardless of your religious
tieliefs or your personal findings
about homosexuality, do you
really want the schools to bo
bold hostage by a curriculum
that seems to come straight
from the Old Testament book of
Leviticus' Or shall academic
freedom prevail ' Please vote no
on 9
Jerry Russell
Psychology
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_I
Rare jewel
In lulu July of this year. our
family took a leisurely evening
canoe trip through Alton Baker
Perk with a visiting guest from
a Palo Alto high tech computer
firm
We saw heavers, nutria, her
ons und u water snake. We
wore as excited and awestruck
as our friend, who exclaimed,
"What a ram jewel a place
like this right in the middle of
town ”
We are an avid soccer family
with two kills playing year
round soccer
However, we (relieve %<x c cr
fields are lies! located else
where
Please preserve our city's
jewel, Alton Baker I’ark Vote
yes on Ballot Measure 20-01.
Glnnle Lo
Professor
Paul Nicholson
Eugene City Council
end two co signers
Waste is a luxury
we can’t afford.
Every two days each done
resident wastes m average ol J1
worth ol lood II doesn't lake a
math major to figure out trial s a
lot Ol MM
Once you ve scraped trial mile
iM oI lood you dtdnl eal »i the
garbage can. # becomes
garbage Thai s the same as
scraping money rto the garbage
In other words you have the
power to mw ttw waste or
create more garbage
And Q*rtm<j0 it a total toss tt u
costly to handle and rt waste* the
i»m4od resources that produced
the food When tf rose resources
ere wasted food costs more end
you p«iy more
You can stop !f«s waste try
serving only w*iet you wet eat
Looh at conserving tood fcfae
addMig to your savings account
Tha mala you sava, you can taka to tha bank.
^RECYCLING
346-1529