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Measure 47 must be defeated for education to prevail
■ OUR OPINION:
The Oregon
Student Lobby
needs everyone’s
support to stop
further increase
of college tuition
CONTACT US
What do you think?
Write us a letter
expressing your
opinion or E-mail us
at ode@oregon.uore
gon.edu
Letters to the editor
must be limited to no
more than 250
words, legible,
signed and the iden
tification of the writer
must be verified
when the letter is
submitted.
The Emerald
reserves the right to
edit any letter for
length or style.
Ballot Measure 47 has the
potential to cripple Oregon’s
wounded-but-healing system
of higher education. Taxpay
ers will vote in November on “the
cut and cap initiative.” The mea
sure, if passed by voters, will cut
property taxes by 10 percent or roll
them back to 1994 levels, whichever
is lower. It will also cap future
increases to 3 percent.
If this measure passes, higher
education in Oregon should brace
itself for more of the same tuition
hikes and budget cuts. As students
and as voters, we cannot allow this
to happen. Oregonians must know
that when they vote to cut taxes,
they essentially cut education.
The last five years are proof of
this.
The sweeping effects of 1990’s
Ballot Measure 5 — the property tax
limitation law — have been felt
throughout the state’s higher educa
tion institutions. Tuition has
increased as much as 80 percent at
some colleges and universities. The
number of students who say they
have to borrow at least $20,000 to
get their degree has doubled since
1990. Many institutions have been
forced to cut budgets and programs.
Funding from the state’s general
fund has dropped significantly.
The Oregon Student Lobby has
worked tirelessly, trying to counter
these effects by making its presence
felt in Salem. Last Friday, members
of the OSL presented Gov. John
Kitzhaber with 3,000 postcards from
students demanding a tuition freeze.
However, the money that will
help freeze tuition has to come from
the state’s general fund, which is
generated with taxpayers’ money.
The OSL has been mobilizing to
launch a major voter registration
and education campaign for the fall.
Voters must turn out in force to
defeat Ballot Measure 47. Students,
-L
STATE OF OREGON
administrators and faculty must
educate the public-at-large that a
vote for this initiative is a cut in
education.
This is the first step. Once Ballot
Measure 47 is defeated, students
and staff must keep the pressure on
as the legislature goes into session.
Gov. Kitzhaber said, “I can put it in
my budget, but the legislature has to
pass it.”
The OSL cannot save higher edu
cation by itself. Students, faculty
and administrators must fight for
funding for education. It is Oregon’s
future that is at stake.
HISTORICAL
In 1990, Oregonians passed a property tax-limitation law with
Ballot Measure 5.
In 1990-96, students saw tuition increase as much as 80
percent in some institutions.
On August 9, the Oregon Student Lobby presented Gov. John
Kitzhaber with 3,000 postcards from students demanding a
tuition freeze.
In November, voters will decide whether to approve another
property tax-limitation law, the “cut and cap" Ballot Measure
47 that would cut even deeper into potential funds for higher
education.
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LETTERS
Shame on NBC
The Centennial Olympic Games mark
the first time that all members of the
International Olympic Committee have
come together for an athletic festival. A
record number of nations proudly joined
the “Parade of Nations” in this non-boy
cotted Olympic summer event. However,
criticism of the TV coverage of these
games has come from many different
countries in many different languages.
The major criticism is focused on
NBC’s one-sided and biased coverage of
the events. NBC ignored many great ath
letes from different countries. This failure
to cover the games in such a way that
reflects the deep-rooted Olympic spirit to
promote peace, prosperity and friendship
reached its climax when NBC’s Bob
Costas made his comments concerning
the Chinese delegation and its athletes.
“With an economy growing at the rate
of about 10 percent a year, every eco
nomic power, including the U.S., wants
to tap into that huge potential market.
But, of course, there are problems with
human rights, copyright disputes, and the
threat posed to Taiwan. And within the
Olympics, while they have excelled, they
were fourth in the medal standings in
Barcelona, with 54 medals, 16 of them
gold; this after a 30-year absence which
ended in 1984. They’ve excelled athleti
cally. They’ve built into a power, but
amid suspicions, Dick, especially con
cerning their track athletes and their
female swimmers possibly using perfor
mance enhancing drugs. None were
caught in Barcelona, but since those
games of 1992, several have been
caught.”
Obviously, there is no connection
between China’s economic growth, tap
ping into markets, copyright disputes,
human rights issues and relations with
Taiwan, and the Olympic Games.
When controversial conduct occurs
and can be substantiated, then that is
legitimate news and should be reported.
However, broadcasting unsubstantiated
accusations and suspicions only dis
graces the values and principles the
Olympic Games represent. Sportsman
ship demands that NBC and Bob Costas
apologize to the world for the misleading
information they have broadcast and the
unfair commentaries they have made
during their coverage of the Centennial
Olympic Games.
Luchen Li
President, CSSA of the UO
Bottle bill
This November there will be an initia
tive on the ballot to expand Oregon’s Bot
tle Bill. This new measure will cover all
single-serving, non-carbonated beverages
with a five cent deposit. It’s about time!
It’s been 25 years since we passed the
original bottle bill, and since then we
have been inuandated with huge num
bers of new non-carbonated drinks. Many
of these beverages such as juices, iced
teas, and bottled water are not covered
under the current deposit system, and are
ending up on our roadsides, parks and
landfills.
The major opposition to this campaign
is coming from out of state. Big corpora
tions like Safeway, Coke, Pepsi and
Philip Morris are spending millions of
dollars to prevent this law from passing.
They have gone so far as to hire Winner,
Wagner and Mandabach, a high priced
PR firm out of Los Angeles, to run a
multi-million dollar ad campaign against
the bottle bill.
I urge my fellow citizens to pass this
measure, expand the Bottle Bill, and keep
Oregon clean for generations to come.
Micheal Arthur
Eugene