EDITORIAL Proposed gas tax bad idea for city The Eugene City Council wants residents to curb their cars. Punishing gasoline buyers and dealers through a city gas tax is not a solution. The council voted 6-2 Tuesday to refer a 2.7-cents-per gallon gas tax to voters next spring. Money from the tax would pay for a storm water treatment program that's already funded through recent increases in storm water rates. Council members who support the tax say it will encourage automobile users to find other modes of trans portation while decreasing storm water bills, which jumped from $4.69 to $7.87 por month for most homes earlier this year. If the tax is approved, these bills would drop to about $4.50 per month for most residences. Tho council's reasoning behind tho tax is that motorists who contribute to tho storm water run-off problem by driving on city streets will have to pay for the expansive treatment. However, Mike Sherlock, executive director of the Ore gon Gasoline Dealers' Association, said using gas tax money for anything other than street or highway improve ments is against Oregon law. It’s questionable whether storm water run-off could bo classified as road-related. "Wo expect to challenge it at the poll." said Sherlock, who represents 2.000 Oregon dealers. "It's just an incred ible waste of taxpayer's money because no one expects it to pass.” Oregon gas prices are already among the highest in the nation. Gas buyers in Oregon pay 18.4 cents per gallon in federal taxes and 24 cents per gallon in state taxes, according to Sherlock. That puts regular unleaded gas at about Si .28 per gallon in most areas of the state. When compared with states such as Oklahoma or Wyoming, whore gas is closer to $1 per gallon. Oregon’s rates are outrageous. A citywido gas tax would be a painful setback for local service stations, especially those close to Springfield. Gas buyers would drive outside of city limits to avoid the tax and tho local economy would suffer. According to Sher lock. two service stations in Washington County went bankrupt when county officials passed a similar tax there. Council members discussed forming a regional tax with Springfield to ease the burden on Eugene stations, but two Springfield officials told The Register-Guard that such a tax would bo illogical. The city council should listen to its neighbors. A 2.7 cent gas tax would not decrease tho amount of automo biles on Eugene streots. City officials must work to accom modate Eugene’s growing population or find more effec tive moans of controlling automobile usage. Giving residents incentives for parking their cars, like reserving a car pool lane, would work better than punitive solu tions. Council president Paul Nicholson said putting tho tax to a vote — even if it fails — would help open debate on ways to keep cars off the streets. However, spending council time and money for this election is self-defeat ing. Oregon Daily Emerald PO UOl JIM i uGl *t puhtshad Oat)y Monday through f nday Outirvg if» athojp »•*' and Tuesday and Thursday dufing the summer by the Oregon Da.ly Emerald PuCAthpnn Co . Inc at the Uwersdy of Oregon E ugene. Oregon Tha tmeraa operelee rndapondsntty of the l>vv«vty wrth o - , . _ - UnvwMy _ trt) Memorial Unton arid is a member ol the Aasoctalod Press byi onxes at Suita XX) of tha Tha £>ward ts private property Tha uniewrfui removal or uaa of papers a prost* Managing Editor Editorial Editor Qraphics Editor Freelance Editor In-Depth Editor Editor-In-Chief Katy Soto Oavtd Thorn Naan Editor -toe Harwood Sport• Editor daft Paslay Photo Editor *tama Baum Supplamartta Editor Ed Kiaplansiasn Night Editor flflbecca Monti China Mefr Mchaei Shmder T f'ata Noaf Kna ttanry AHodrli Edit ora Frraoarxh won Carp. Student Government AytTvrhes, Marcatana E dreads. Copnmprviy. Tpftany Smth. 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M6-JT12 Bualnaaa Oft lea ..JM-S512 Claaarllad Advartlaing .M4-4343 2 Oregon Daily Emerald Thursday. Sepiombor 29 1994 11 I '*£>TfJ rtf h**»LO Mtw, ajow BACH 7b out Qc<*jlMky ScMttxjUD sex 4HQ VIOLlHtl N(Q ■ LETTERS Art and respect When I walked by the black curtains in the EMU the first day of m hool, I wondered what kind of dastardly demented objects d‘ art might lx< lying in wait for me behind the protective sleeve. Imagine my sensing some humor when 1 saw what was displayed behind — rude to be sure, but hardly anything shocking. 1 thought, in that heightened state of awareness that only truth and art can bring, that 1 had discov ered the nested reality that cen sorship itself is a work of art, bril liant and creative in its assertion of barriers and suppression of condoms. Shock and confusion tame lat er, in the form of Catherine Burke's letter in the Emerald I know I'm way off base as far as the lot of linguists is concerned, but surely I wasn't the only one who saw the twisted, yet relevant and completely expressive nature of the very sign of the censorship curtains. Burke has misplaced not only her tolerance and sense of humor but her vision of the incredible scope that art uni take once we get some perspective on the situation I don’t know if the curtains wore meant to bo art or censor ship frankly, I could uire less I subjected myself to the sight and I accept the punishment or reward of my own interpretation of it. But for future reference, I would like to point out to all of you artists that even if you are called by God itself to express yourself to mo. if you impose yourself on me against my will in an attempt to alter my per ception of reality, then you (an nul seriously see yourself as any less of a cognitive rapist than cen sors or television preachers, At least you can turn the channel on them Burke suggests it would be best if my freedom to choose to walk or not to walk through the curtain lx* revoked; that my free dom should have been denied me by decree of the forces of art A tired cliche, and it makes me sound older than 1 am. But with freedom in society comes respon sibility and respect And, like human sexual preference, respect and responsibility go both ways — and many more too kinky to mention. What a work of art we are, the creative, the destructive, the definers of truth l hope Burke is laughing at herself, ns I laugh at myself as I sign this. Gary Tucker Linguistics Skewed voting "Where will it all lead?” Peo ple often ask me about the homo sexual agenda. "Where will it all end?” To leant about the future, it's helpful to study the past. In 1973, an event foretold the direction of the homosexual movement in America. That's when the American Psychiatric Association removed homosex uality from its list of mental or sexual disorders. The homosexual groups that formed in the 1960s correctly understood that they would got nowhere politically if members of their group were classified as “mentally disordered." Then the homosexuals intimi dated psychiatrists across the nation who tried to present evi dence of homosexuality ns a men tal disorder. Naturally, the task force in 1972 issued its report that homo sexuality and bisexuality are nor mal expressions of human sex uality. In 1973. the APA sent out a letter that was secretly written and funded by the National Gay Task Force. That fad was hidden because those in charge knew it wouldn't get the needed votes if members knew its source. Only one-fourth of the mem bers of the APA responded. A narrow majority of those — that is, one-eighth — voted yes. So homosexuality came off the list, although later surveys that pro tected the privacy of doctors showed more than two-thirds still classed it as a disorder. 1 his political triijk has paid off handsomely in swaying public opinion and laws. More than 100 laws now classify homosexuali ty as equal in status to race, including one in Eugene. Whnt's next? The AI’A has changed the definition of pedophilia in its diagnostic man ual. Now adults having sex with children is only considered a sickness if it interferes with the adult's work. You can visualize the future for yourself. Halt the march of this agenda in Oregon and prevent teaching homosexuality in school by vot ing yes on Ballot Measure 13 in November. Patty Duncan Director, Lane County OCA Choose heaven Aicording to Darrell Neet's let ter "No minority" (ODE 8-22), homosexuality is a changeable status unlike gender. Lot me point out that with today's tech nology. gender is more change able than being homosexual. Neet says that "thousands" have “left the lifestyle." But if we did a study, we would soon understand that thousands of those thousands have not magi cally turned heterosexual but are actually choosing to remain celi bate. The fear these chosen peo ple have to endure is remarkable It is no wonder they are closing the closet door behind them. As for Larry AIIwander's letter “Unsafe lifestyles." church and state are legally supposed to be separate. Ballot Measure 13 reads like a passage out of the Bible. To Darrell and Larry, a few things to ponder. You should both know that someone near and dear to your heart is a homo sexual. But. unfortunately, due to your prejudicial beliefs, that person is either destined to live in the closet or without your love and support. With all this in mind, I do hope you can live a successful, loving life with your loved ones with out alienating those who are of your genetic structure. We all choose whether to go to heaven or hell, and 1 choose heaven because we will all understand equality when we are asked to join hands and walk through the gates of heaven. Cod bless the children. Kelly Dath Springfield