Editor in chief: Laura Cadiz
Editorial Editors: Bret Jacobson, Laura Lucas
Newsroom: (541)346-5511
Room 300, Erb Memorial Union
P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
E-mail: ode@oregon.uoregon.edu
Wednesday
May 10,2000
Volume 101, Issue 149
Erfiierakl
Candidates
(primary elections)
This is to determine who will go
onto the ballot in November
Republican:
President: Alan Keyes—This man
is by far the most eloquent speaker
in either presidential race, and his
views are heartfelt and provoca
tive. He and George W. Bush seem
to have similar views on most is
sues (with the notable exception of
abortion), so we go for the most
genuine of the two.
4th District Representative to Con
gress: John Lindsey—This man
has much more government expe
rience than his opponent, Wendell
Robinson.
Secretary of Sate: Lynn Lundquist
—This man (not to be confused
with Lynn Snodgrass, his female
opponent) has many more en
dorsements from fellow Republi
cans than does Snodgrass.
State Treasurer: Jon Kvistad—Un
opposed.
Attorney General: Kevin L Mannix
—Unopposed.
39th District State Representative:
Christopher D. Bevans—Unop
posed.
Democrat:
President: A! Gore—There is no
other nationally-electable demo
cratic candidate.
4th District Representative to Con
gress: Peter A. DeFazio—Unop
posed.
Secretary of State: Bill Bradbury—
Unopposed.
State Treasurer: Gary Bruebaker—
He is a University alumnus and is
the current Oregon Deputy State
Treasurer.
Attorney General: Hardy Myers
Unopposed.
39th District State Representative:
Robert L Ackerman—Unop
posed.
40th District State Representative:
Phil Barnhart—Unopposed.
41st District State Representative:
Vicki L Walker—Unopposed.
42nd District Representative: Bill
Morrisette— He is the former
mayor of Springfield and a current
state legislator.
Judges:
Judge of the Supreme Court, Posi
tion 2: PaulJ. DeMuniz—He has
current experience on the Oregon
Court of Appeals.
judge of the Supreme Court, Posi
tions: Robert D. (Skip) Durham—
Unopposed.
Judge of the Supreme Court, Posi
tion 6: Wallace P. Carson Jr.—Un
opposed.
Judge of the Court of Appeals, Posi
tion 3: Rives Kistler— Unopposed.
J udge of the Court of Appeals, Posi
tion 5: Rick Haselton — Unop
posed.
Judge of the Court of Appeals, Posi
tion 8: Jack L Landau—U nop
posed.
Judge of the Court of Appeals, Posi
tion 10: Rex Armstrong— Unop
posed.
Judge of the Circuit Court, 2nd Dis
trict Position 1: Karsten H. Ras
mussen—Unopposed.
J udge of the Circuit Court, 2nd Dis
trict Position 10: Douglas S.
Mitchell—Unopposed.
These endorsements represent the
opinion of the Emerald editorial
board. Responses may be sent to
ode@oregon.uoregon.edu.
The Emerald’s endorsements
Oregon’s primary election ballots are due May 16. The following are the
Emerald editorial board’s endorsements for national candidates and state
positions and ballot measures.
Measure 77:
Should the constitution be amended to make certain local taxing districts’ temporary property
tax authority permanent7
— Measure 50 in 1997 was approved by voters to provide property tax relief, but three coun
ties were left out because of the way the measure was written. This new measure would fix
that problem and treat these three counties (Deschutes, Linn and the City of Sweet Home) the
same as the rest of the state.
Measure 78:
Should the constitution be amended to lengthen the period of time for verifying signatures on ini
tiative and referendum petitions?
—The Secretary of State’s office only has 15 days to verify the signatures on a ballot measure;
this would increase that amount of time to 30 days and lessen the burden on the Secretary of
State’s office.
Measure 79:
Should the constitution be amended to increase the amount of signatures required to place con
stitution-amending initiatives on the ballot?
— This was a tough call. One one hand, Oregon seems to have a preponderance of ballot
measures, and as we can see from Measure 77 above, sometimes we even have to have meas
ures to fix other measures. Increasing the amount of signatures would require more Oregoni
ans to be in favor of a measure before it comes to ballot and would bring down the overall
number of measures. That said, it is easier for a measure backed by big money to get the re
quired number of signatures because it can pay for signature gatherers. We believe the former
concern outweighs the latter.
Measure 80:
Should the constitution be amended to authorize using fuel tax and vehicle fees for increasing
highway policing?
This measure would allow towns that want to use some of their highway road repair money
for extra police help. It seem reasonable to allow local areas the choice to use the money for
what they identify as the most needed road-related issue.
Measure 81:
Should the constitution be amended to allow the legislature to limit recovery of damages in civil
actions7
—Some lawsuits are out of control, but putting the limit of damages in the hands of the legis
lature isn’t the answer. The courts must be free to determine the limits themselves on a case
by-case basis.
Measure 82:
Should we repeal the truck weight-mile tax and establish and increase fuel taxes instead?
—This measure would stop charging truckers for their damage to Oregon roadways via the
weighing stations. Right now, the weight the truck is carrying determines its fees. This measure
would exchange that system for a new tax on diesel fuel (which would still make truckers pay)
but would also increase all other fuel taxes. Regular drivers should not be forced to pay for
damage that truckers do. The current system is fine.
These endorsements represent the opinion of the Emerald editorial board. Responses may be sent
to ode@oregon.uoregon.edu.
Letters to the editor
Let juries help brain injuries
I am a graduate student in
speech-language pathology at the
University and am writing to ex
press my concern with Ballot
Measure 81. This amendment
would favor wrongdoers and big
companies who deliver poor qual
ity products, while hurting vic
tims of injustices.
As a graduate clinician, I see
first hand the devastating effects of
traumatic brain injuries, many of
which are caused by dangerous
products or someone else’s wrong
doing. People with serious trau
matic brain injuries must concen
trate on relearning old skills,
addressing new attention and
memory problems, and learning to
cope with the emotional issues as
sociated with this sudden life
change. Time off from work, in
ability to return to work, the need
for assisted living and therapy to
regain old skills are all huge finan
cial burdens caused by brain in
jury. Juries should maintain their
ability to consider facts such as
these on a case by case basis when
dispensing justice to victims.
Please join me in voting no on
Measure 81 in order to preserve
the right of juries to help the vic
tims of brain injuries caused by
careless big companies and
wrongdoers.
Christine Miller
graduate student
Olsen is committed to future
I am writing to add my voice to
what others are saying about Tra
cy Olsen. He is definitely the right
choice for City Council for Ward 3.
I have personally heard all of
the candidates speak, and Olsen
continually impresses me as the
candidate who will best represent
the citizens of downtown Eugene.
His ideas and thoughts are clear,
his demeanor is calm and wel
coming, and his vision for Eugene
is right on the mark. He wants to
do what’s right for the majority of
citizens, not just the vocal minori
ty. The City Council needs bal
ance, and electing Olsen to the
council would be a breath of fresh
air for all of us.
Olsen is committed to a healthy,
livable future for the core of our
city and has great concerns for the
people in our community. Olsen’s
extensive community service ex
perience, focusing on kids, has
given him a first-hand look at how
vital it is to give children every op
portunity to grow up in a great en
vironment. The fact that he is a
business owner also gives Olsen
the unique experience of balanc
ing community programs with fis
cal responsibility. He’s smart, and
it shows.
Eugene is a very livable city
with many positive attributes.
Electing Olsen would be another
great step in the right direction.
Heidi Albertson
Eugene resident
I