EDITORIAL
There’s more than a
library in proposal
The voters are the rabbit and Eugene's proposed
library is the carrot dangling in front of the rabbit's nose.
Voters will be asked Tuesday to approve $56.2 mil
lion in general obligation bonds, financed through an
increase in property taxes. The new library is the cor
nerstone of the proposal, but it is loss than half the cost
of the measure.
The most expensive part, maintenance of city build
ings. eats up $33.8 million of total cost to voters. The
library, the second most costly item, has a proposed cost
of $19.1 million. Activating the Hailey Mill Fire Station
will cost taxuavers $800,000
Tho maintenance part of the proposal provides $2.8
million a year to maintain city buildings throughout
Eugene. New construction is not an option in the pro
posal. Tho funding would last for to years, paying for
modest cosmetic changes as well as making buildings
handicapped accessible where it's needed.
The flagship of the measure is the new public library.
Occupying tlx; old Soars building downtown, coupled
with a now addition on the east side, the library would
provide 100,000 square feet of needed space. The fourth
floor of the east wing. 23,000 square feet, would be
reserved for city offices until the library needs the area
for future expansion. The current library functions with
35.000 square feet, and many of the seats in the existing
library have been traded in for books with a six-fold
growth in text since tho library opened in 1959.
Moused In the new library will bean impressive com
puter sj stem that will offer personal < omputers to the
public. Residents will be able to use library services
from their homes via modem.
Putting the Dailey Hill Fire Station into service is the
third part of tho bond proposal. The station would put
area residents within four minutes of lire and medical
services. The bond does not include operating expons
es.
Approving tho proposed measure will result in
increased tax rates for proporty owners. For every
$1,000 In assessed property value, owners can expect a
75-ceut increase in taxes.
Tho bond proposal uses tho library as a lure. Taxpay
ers would shun a tax increase to maintain city buildings
or open a fire station. However, taxpayers, when polled,
havo already said they would approve a tax hike to pay
for a new library. Using the library as a vehicle to pass
less appealing tax increases is nothing short of politics
and it's expected.
Eugene makes good use of its library. Last year. 62.043
people chocked out material from tho library 1.4 million
times. The current facilities are operating in the dark
ages and a now library is needed. Maintenance for city
buildings and a fire station In Bailey Hill are services tho
city needs, but taxpayers would be slow to respond
without something appealing, such as the library.
Approving the bona proposal on Tuesday would be
a good move by area residents. Ail three parts of the
measure would serve taxpayers well. The Eugene area
is growing, and passing this measure would continue
to stimulate growth.
Oregon Daily
Emerald
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LETTERS
Logical?
lor I hi- sake of upenmin ded
ncss. Mr. Crawford. I'd 1»* inter
ested in hearing your "very log
it id and reasonable arguments"
with which you claim to be able
to back up your statement,
"homosexuality is 'wrong' both
morally and ethically” (ODH.
May 10) Especially since you
employ several non-"reason
ohle" tactics in your essay You
decry the "propaganda of the
liberal left" while at the same
time you use such propagandis
ts words as "insidious trend"
and "thought cleansing": you
clearly misinterpret the intent of
the arlu les by l.ia Salt it t 1a and
Tashn hit henseher in order to
back up your argument (merely
making yourself appear defen
sive): you justify your queasi
ness about what homosexuals
do beneath the sheets with the
questionable assertion that it has
been a "normal human reaction
for most of society throughout
time" (This strikes me as ironic,
considering how you seem to be
criticizing a follow-the-herd
mentality).
!'m a little more openminded
than you think in other
words, you'll have to try using
slightly more "logical and rea
sonable arguments tb make me
understand your point of view
John Todoroff
Music Education
Applause
1'hank.s and applause for pub
lishing Stephen Crawford's
thoughtful and appropriate coni
nientnry [ODE, May 10).
Stephen, I congratulate you for
being brave enough to say what
should hove been said long ago
1 believe that everyone has a
God-given right to choose his or
her own lifestyle, as long as it
does not harm others I am het
erosexual and have strong reli
gious beliefs which do not con
done a homosexual lifestyle
Many of my friends are gay.
These people are my friends
because we respect each other's
personal freedom and our right
to believe as wp choose. No con
flicts arise among us merely
because they are in a societal
minority and I am not
I respe< t tint Hmfraid's efforts
to fairly represent minority amt
rai.ial issues in its daily cover
age Perhaps wo of tho majority
could encourage the editors not
to neglect or distort issues that
concern us Please don't make
me feel guilty or out of touch
merely because I happen to let a
white heterosexual upper-class
woman.
To those people everywhere
who are members of u minority
group, whoever you may be:
Remember that every human
being has a lifestyle and a her
itage. and a right to live in free
dom and dignity. May we live in
mutual respect and love because
of, not despite, our differences.
In other words, I honor your
diversity. Won’t you honor
mine?
Rebecca M. Foster
Theater Arts
See all colors
1 always felt there was an
advantage in seeing in color. As
a kid I full sorry for niv dog. who
could only son in shades of gray.
And I was envious of certain
hugs who could see in ultravio
let. For those bugs it seemed as
though a whole new world was
opened up to them
The other day I went outside
to meet the spring and a town in
bloom It was then that some
body walked by in a "See No
Color” T-shirt I took in the
thought, as I looked at the flow
ers around me. and began to feel
frustrated. For I had seen the
effort to push these T-shirts and
the concept behind them. I
began to wonder what was
wrong with me that I couldn't
accept this shirt's message I
began to wonder if my response
was all that rare
Was there something I wasn't
supposed to see? Was there
something wrong with the abili
ties that I had? Suppose there
existed a bias for or against tri
anglos. Then the T-shirt would
have read "See No Shapes " A
difficult demand, especially for
those geometry majors.
I am all for "Assume Nothing"
to whatever degree that can bo
achievod. Yet. I don't under
stand encouraged color-blind
ness Black, white, pale, brown,
red, tan, and how about those
unexplored regions of the color
spectrum I want to see it all and
to "See All Colors.” I'll be
waiting to see that on a T-shirt.
Jake Blei
Psychology
Anyone
Hu is the proud owner of an
AK and many other assorted
deadly weapons He's a macho
stud that runs on beer and
enjoys an occasional bar brawl.
He is an ex-husband of mine.
Recently a tragic family funer
al brought my ex and me togeth
er briefly. After the funeral we
drank, beer and talked. My law
suit against the University came
up and be was curious to know
what had happened. I asked him
if I could demonstrate physical
ly the assault that I endured in
George Kokis' class He agreed
to a re-enactment I instructed
him to relax, recline and pre
tend 1 wasn't there When ho
seemed relaxed 1 pounced on
top of him like a lion going in
for the kill 1 had a fixed fero
t ious stare as 1 growled and
shook him savagely For the first
time in the 20 years I've known
him. fear flashed in his eyes,
which turned to a stone-cold
glare of anger as he forcefully
pushed me off.
Rubbing his shoulder with a
perplexed, pained expression,
he said, "No shiftin', that's what
he did to you?"
"Yeah, I thought he was a
crazed rapist."
"1 would have killed the
motherfucker"
I shared this story in order to
prove Jenifer Beckett wrong
iODt:, April 2H). In her letter she
claims that my furious reaction
to being assaulted in class was
caused by the fai t that 1 suffer
from post-traumatic stress. The
fact is. the manner in which 1
was uttacked would terrify and
traumatize any human being,
like my ex. regardless of person
al history.
Devon Gray
Eugene