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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 1997)
■ Did the U.S. House 2 make the right decision in reelecting Newt Gingrich 5 as Speaker? ™ Let us know. editorials, letters, commentary and perspective BY MAIL: P.O.Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403 BY PHONE: (541)346-5511 BY E-MAIL: ode@oregon. uoregon. edu IN PERSON: Suite 300, EMU VAV/,'//, “I hope your chil dren die of cancer." Hugh Grant to pestering photog raphers in Rio. “When you lead a revolution, you’ve got to expect this kind of hostile atten tion.” Newt Gingrich on the ethics charges being made against him. "To be plopped in front of a television instead of being read to, talked to or encouraged to inter act with other hu man beings is a huge mistake and that’s what happens to a lot of children.” Madonna— the television demagogue herself. "I'm certainly going to simplify my life a little bit.” Burt Reynolds on being $11 million in debt. “She has a special lackey who follows 1 after her with an ashtray. She smokes everywhere. At official banquets, j receptions, at par ties, at old-people’s homes and so on.” Swedish journalist Hagge Geiger1 on the Danish Queen, Margre the II. “These are just real ly shallow, shallow, stupid things that don’t count... it's about entertaining people. And at best educating them.” Drew Barrymore's on other j material successes. ; "It was due to my lack of discretion that this kind of inci- j dent occurred. I feel that I must deeply apologize to the Japanese people and government." Japanese Ambasador Morlshia Aoki on his responsibility ] in the Peru hostage \ crisis. : “It’s a fraud.” O.J. Simpson on pictures that al- \ legedly show him in \ the same shoes that \ left bloody \ footprints at the j murder scene. \ The Oregon Daily Emerald is published daily Monday through Friday during the school year and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc , at the University of Oregon, Eugene. Oregon A member of the Associated Press, the Emer ald operates independently of the University with offices at Suite 300 of the Erb Memorial Union The Emerald is private property The unlawful removal or use of pa pers is prosecutable by law Editor-in-Chief: Steven Asbury Managing Editor: Thom Schoenborn Night Editor: Steven Asbury Community: Jennifer Schmitt, editor. Eric Collins Entertainment: Nicole Kreuger, editor. Jesse Stephenson Higher Education: Laura Cadiz, editor. Benjamin Kwasney Opinion: Ashley Bach, Brian Diamond, editors. Chris Hutchinson, illustrator Student Activities: Angie Suchy, editor. Autumn DePoe, Dana Williamson Sports: Mark McTyre, editor. Andrea DeYoung, assistant editor. Chris Hansen. Ryan Frank, Ryan Halvorsen Copy Desk: Sarah Kickler, copy chief Mike Schmierbach. Kendra Smith Presentation: Dennis Bolt, editor. Matt Garton Photography: Mathew Stiffler, editor Joe Bunik, Amanda Erickson, Shannon Kilduff, Chad Patteson Freelance: Carl Yeh, editor. On-Line: Nicholas Stiffler, director General Manager: Judy Riedl Advertising Becky Merchant, director Anne Amador, Lee Yen Beh, Yujin Chi, Matt Johnson, Andrew Lakefish, Anne Miller, Trina Shanaman, Rose Soli, Matt Solomon, Greg Walsh Classified: Tara Sloan, manager. Natasha Lumpkin, Debbie Levy, Heather Moye Production: Michele Ross, manager. Ingrid White, coordinator. Shawna Abele, Laura Daniel. Trevor Kearney,Tara Knight, Melissa Lebahn, Molly McCanta, Ellen Milne, Mike Young Business: Kathy Carbone, supervisor. Judy Connolly Distribution: John Long, Dave Ovall, Ferenc Rakoczi Newsroom .(541)346-5511 Display Advertising .(541) 346-3712 Business Office .(541)346-5512 Classified Advertising.(541) 346-4343 ‘Kick’ education funding up a level ■ OUR OPINION: The Legislature should use funds from a state income tax kicker for public education r | ''he 69th Oregon Legislature deal with many issues, and public -A- education is at the top of the list. Most legislators agree schools are in dire need of help, but exactly what steps should be taken to improve state education is far from certain. Gov. Kitzhaber knows what he wants to do. In his 1997-99 budget proposal, announced in December, the Democrat governor advocated the allocation of a $383 million tax surplus to schools. If state lawmakers are at a general consensus on the future of education, they vary widely on what should be done with the surplus — primarily along party lines. The $383 million derives from the extra income tax revenue the state received from citizens this year. By law, it must be returned to the citizens in the form of a tax rebate. Kitzhaber wants to bypass that state law and give the money to schools. We tend to agree with him. Opposing legislators, mostly Republicans, stand by valid arguments. The citizens are entitled to the money (about 67 dollars each for citizens with income under $40,000, $495.62 for income over $40,000), they say, and should receive it promptly. Unfortunately, with the advent of Measure 47, voters have left the legislature and the state of education in a bind. Without the $383 million “kicker,” public schools — convenes on Monday ready to from Portland grade schools to the University — have a grim future, at best. No matter how much lip service lawmakers pay to education, without drastic measures the overcrowding and the layoffs and the cutbacks will only get worse. The kicker is the only realistic solution currently being discussed. It can be seen as a loophole, even cheating, but it’s the only way to improve the decrepit conditions that public schools face every day. Teachers routinely teach classes of 50 or more in the Portland public school district. Drastic layoffs are commonplace at grade schools across the state. And at public colleges, including the University, tuition has increased by 80 percent since 1990. Republican legislators would like to believe that education can be saved without the kicker. But with an estimated $1 billion cut in the State General Fund, the source of funding for higher education, and a $459 million loss to schools anticipated this year as a result of Measure 47, that claim is only wishful thinking. Indeed, we wish millions of dollars weren’t kept from citizens’ pockets either. But education is an issue that affects all of us and therefore must be given the appropriate attention. Citizens and lawmakers are short-sighted if they don’t recognize the extreme importance of educating Oregonians in the right way — fifi No matter how much lip service lawmakers pay to education, without drastic measures the overcrowding and the layoffs and the cutbacks will only get worse.... The kicker is the only realistic solution currently being discussed. It can be seen as a loophole, even cheating, but it’s the only way to improve the decrepit conditions that public schools face every day. 99 with quality. The kicker cannot be referred to education if the legislature does not agree with Kitzhaber to bypass state law. With 51 Republicans and 39 Democrats in the House and Senate, a final decision on the matter is impossible to predict. Some lawmakers have even called for the issue to be presented to the voters. But whoever makes the decision, giving the tax kicker to schools is the right answer. This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald editorial board.
