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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 11, 2001)
Newsroom: (541) 346-5511 Room 300, Erb Memorial Union PO. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403 E-mail: editor@dailyemerald.com Online Edition: www.dailyemerald.com Editor in Chief: Jessica Blanchard Managing Editor: Michael J. Kleckner Editorial Editor: Julie Lauderbaugh Assistant Editorial Editor: Jacquelyn Lewis Thursday, October 11,2001 Editorial Neighboring cities should make peace Eugene and Springfield exist in a strange sort of brotherhood. On the one hand, the two cities, their economies and social lives, are intri cately intertwined. Residents of each town work in the other; many friends and relatives straddle the natural river boundary. On the other hand, a somewhat unfriendly sibling rivalry has always been a part of the relationship. The battle over which city would get the new federal courthouse was not particularly amicable, at least in the me dic and conversations around town. And this rivalry extends to social practices, lifestyles and customs. But Limes chanye. And it’s about time that the rancor of the sibling rivalry also become extinct. Let’s face it; the inter-citv rivalry isn’t al ways pleasant. Visit a local bar or coffee shop, and one can overhear nasty jokes aimed at Spr ng fielders - always focused on the notion that they are rednecks, or that they’re drug users or some other crass, over-generalized nonsense. In Springfield, comments and jokes about the general elitism and smugness ofEugeneans is common. But one can also overhear sexist or racist or homophobic jokes in bars; that doesn’t mean they’re acceptable. Last week, the Emerald editorial board wrote about the stereotypes and attitudes re lating to Springfield. We did not say they were true - we simply pointed out that these ideas are often associated with Springfield. We did so in the context of a discussion about a different issue, and we paid the stereotypes little attention. We were remiss, however, in pointing out that such generalizations not only aren’t true - they’re unfair and rude. People of every stripe live in both cities; people are generally accepted, despite their differences, in both cities. This is an important part of the livabili ty of the region, and it should be celebrated. It’s time for the sibling rivalry to end. Both towns have grown into adults, and at a cer tain point in adulthood, it’s wise to make peace with one’s relatives and move on. Eu geneans and Springfielders should fulfill the values that make both communities such great places to live, and respect each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Let’s let it contin ue from here. Edit alp ■ • ;e e Mortals represent the opinio of the Emerald editorial board. Responses cap be sentto ietters^dailyemera&eQm. letters to the editor and guest commentaries are encouraged, letters are limited to 250wordsand guest commentaries to SSOwords. Please include contaetinformation. The Emerald reserves the right to edit for space, grammar and style. Editorial hoard members Julie Latiderbaugh editorial page editor Jacquelyn lewis assistant editorial editor Jessica Blanchard! editor-in-chief Michael J. Kleckner managing editor 6abe Shaughnessy Grant Lelfler community representative community representative newsroom representative AVOIDING DEBT: Mission Possible v avv m v % \ xi Steve Baggs Emerald Sunday night, I was at the bank, cursing the ATM machine for run ning out of paper. I’m not an anal person who keeps an alphabetized file of every financial transaction, but I wanted to make sure that the bartending tips I just deposited left me with enough funds to cover the rent check I wrote two days before. Normally, my wages and tips are more than adequate to cover my basic bills. However, the start of school three weeks ago signaled an onslaught of expenses in the form of tuition and books, leaving my checking account in the low double digits. Since I don’t fall into the fortunate group of star athletes, future Einsteins or aspiring concert pianists who are basically paid to go to school, I have something in common with the other 98 percent of the student body: finding the winning combi nation of cash from part-time jobs, loans, parental assistance and beer bottle refunds to pay for my education. I could opt for the well-used option of taking out loans. For people like me, who have a fear of debt and signing my finan cial future on the dotted line, scrubbing gum off benches sounds more desirable than owing the government large sums of money. It’ll be great to get out of under graduate school debt-free, knowing I ac complished that myself. And that sense of accomplishment will last about five min utes, as I plan on attending law school and have no hopes of an unknown relative leaving me a large inheritance. The other popular alternative for cash, if parents aren’t part of the equation, is the job. We all have one of these at some time or another, or, in some cases, several at the same time. Making the decision to work during school may seem easy enough, but there are more variables than initially meet the eye. In my case, having to work wasn’t even a decision; it was a given. But in actuality, how heroic am I for pay ing for my education? Sure, it may make me feel like I have a character-building jump start on all the little Ducklets whose parents still foot the bill. I’d like to think it’s worth it for the freedom that comes with providing for myself. Letters to the editor Ending war on drugs would reduce terrorism Now, perhaps more than ever, there is an even stronger case for changing our govern ment’s positioning in the War on Drugs. In addition to disen franchising hundreds of thou sands of non-violent citizens, wasting our tax dollars on pro grams that get larger and deliv er fewer results each year, and helping the spread of corrup tion among our police officers, prohibition of marijuana and other substances creates a black market, which is an easy source of funding for terrorists. Yes, that’s right. Terrorists profit directly from America’s War on Drugs. They grow crops and sell them at the black mar ket’s outrageously inflated prices. That’s exactly what the Tal iban was doing until this year, when George Dubbya handed over 40 million dollars to coax them to stop. They destroyed the crops, but how much do you want to bet they will start right up after Bush pulls any future binding? Ending the War on Drugs would remove the threat of prison from people who don’t belong there, generate tax dol lars that aren’t there now and pull money right out of the ter rorists' pockets. Christopher Palkow Norfolk, Virginia Airdrops are appeasement Resources spent on humani tarian airdrops are resources diverted for self-defense. It shows our leaders putting the lives of Americans below those of citizens in enemy countries. It is also appeasement. Some fear Muslims will think we’re warring against Islam. The air drops are an attempt to show this isn’t true. If we fear these people will turn against us, best we not help them? We’ve been appeasing by try ing to form a coalition with Communists, in refraining from attacking other terrorist countries, in failing to declare war and now in these airdrops. Fifty years of appeasement led to Sept. 11th. More will mean worse. Christopher J Grace Aurora, Colo. Students whose parents pay their bills may not have to worry about making sure the rent is in on time, but those of us who work can pretty much spend our money on whatever we want. I don’t have to justi fy — or even tell my parents — if I decide to spend $300 to fly to Vegas for the week end because it’s my money. If I decide to opt for a Ritta’s burrito for lunch instead of brown-bagging it, I don’t have to feel guilty that Mom intended for me to use that $5 on toilet paper and mechanical pencils. At the same time that I proclaim the bit tersweet freedom that comes from pulling my own weight, I’m a hypocrite. If my par ents offered to pay my bills, I’d say, “Hell, yeah” in a New York minute. You may still find me working behind the bar, concoct ing some great Martinis and Long Island Ice Teas, but it would only be to continue to accumulate great stories to someday write about—not for a winter break trip to Bali. Rebecca Newell is a columnist for the Emerald. Her views do not necessarily reflect those of the Emerald. She can be reached at rebeccanewell@dailyemerald.com.
