Newsroom: (541) 346-5511
Suite 300, Erb Memorial Union
P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
Email: editor@dailyemerald.com
Online Edition:
www.dailyemerald.com
Monday, October 28,2002
-Oregon Daily Emerald —1—
Commentary
Editor in Chief:
Michael J. Kleckner
Managing Editor:
Jessica Richelderfer
Editorial Editors:
Salena De La Cruz, Pat Payne
Editorial
Yes on Measure 23
gives health care
basics to Oregon
Health care is one of the basic, fundamental needs
of all human beings. Yet in these times, it is hard, if
not impossible, to have adequate health care without
paying large amounts of money to a doctor, hospital
or pharmacist.
The two options left for those who need medical
care are either being rich or being a member of a HMO
or insurance company. And most HMOs or insurance
companies do not have the best interests of the pa
tient at heart.
This is why we endorse the passage of Measure 23
— the Oregon Comprehensive Health Care Finance
Plan. For a progressive income tax rate of no more
than 8 percent — so much for the “huge tax increase”
that the measure’s opponents threaten — every Ore
gonian will be assured basic health care, dental care
and 24-hour hospital care, should they need it. Our
only concern with the bill is that it does not set ex
plicit residency requirements.
But that is a minor quibble. Nearly half a million
Oregonians have no health insurance. While the free
or low-cost clinics in Eugene and other cities can help
with immunizations and minor ailments, the unin
sured often can’t get care until they need to go to the
emergency room — and even then, they’re stuck with
the bill.’
Those days have to end. We urge students to vote yes
on Measure 23 and bring a health care plan to Oregon
that will help all Oregonians.
Corcoran will best
represent students
Students can find a friend in the state Senate race by
electing Tony Corcoran to represent District 4.
District 4 represents rural areas around Eugene and
the University area. Corcoran is an incumbent, he has
experience representing diverse populations and he
served in the state House for two years before moving
to the Senate.
A strong defender of public education, Corcoran is fo
cused on retaining funding for higher education — un
like his opponent, David Alsup, who appears to be more
concerned with K-12 funding than funding for all of ed
ucation in Oregon.
We appreciate that Corcoran has been a proponent of
labor rights and social services, representing Universi
ty classified staff on numerous occasions as a member
of the Revenue Committee and the Business, Labor and
Economic Development Committee.
And while he agreed that there’s a need to protect
its forests and communities from devastating wild
fires, Corcoran doesn’t propose clearcut logging as a
means to cap the buildup of undergrowth, as does
his opponent.
Corcoran has maintained a self-described good rela
tionship with the Oregon Students Association and with
the current ASUO Executive, giving students a voice in
the state Legislature.
We urge students in the University community
to vote for Tony Corcoran — he will best represent
District 4.
This editorial represents the opinion of the
Emerald editorial board. Responses can be sent
to letters #dai!yemerald.com. Letters to the
editor and guest commentaries are
encouraged. Letters are limited to 250 words
and guest commentaries to 5$0 words. Authors
are limited to one submission'per calendar
month. Submission must include phone
number and address for verification. The
Emerald reserves the right to edit for space,
grammar and style.
America's sexual healing
Every minute, 23 Americans contract
a sexually-transmitted disease. Sixty
three percent of the staggering 15 million
Americans who will get an STD this year
are under the age of 25.
STDs are a seri
ous problem, and
our society is not do
ing enough to com
bat it. Sixteen states
do not currently
provide education
about sex or STDs in
public schools.
This needs to
change. The United
States has the high
est rate of STDs in
the industrialized
world. Estimates range anywhere from
50 to 100 times the rate in other devel
oped countries.
This is not because Americans have
sex earlier or more frequently. The aver
age age for the first sexual experience
and general level of sexual activity is al
most identical in America and other in
dustrialized nations such as France,
Canada, Gennany and England.
However, American teens and young
adults are much more likely to have sex
with multiple partners and engage in sex
ual relationships much more freely.
There is also a significantly lower use of
contraception in the United States.
The partisan divide over all policy is
sues concerning sex has made both the
political left and right overlook the fact
that this problem directly affects our en
tire society. More than 85 percent of the
most prevalent communicable diseases
in the United States are transmitted sex
ually. STDs cost $17 billion in national
health care each year.
Another troubling aspect of our sexual
health is the nature of the diseases them
selves. Two viral STDs, herpes and HIV,
are with the afflicted for the rest of their
lives. Modem medicine has no cure and
very little treatment to offer. New strains
of gonorrhea have become resistant to
several kinds of antibiotics that were for
mally used to treat the disease.
Many STDs can go unnoticed for
months or even years, living in the body
but not causing any symptoms. One of
M. Reilly
Cosgrove
Separate this
every three Americans infected with HIV
is unaware they have it.
Part of the reason that STDs are over
looked is because they are stereotypical
ly connected to Third World countries,
intravenous drug users and homosexu
als. Although these stereotypes are not
wholly without statistical evidence, the
single most common factor among Amer
icans who contract STDs is age. One out
of every four sexually active American
teens will be infected with a sexually
transmitted disease every year, and AIDS
is the number one cause of death among
people age 25 to 44.
College students are 10 times as likely
to contract HIV as the general popula
tion. Almost 10 percent of women in col
lege have an STD. One survey reported
that 19 percent of all college students
currently have an STD, but the survey
was conducted on only 6,000 students.
A friend of mine is very fond of sum
ming up his world view by saying, “No
Peter
human is anything more than a life sup
port system for a reproductive organ.”
Sex is a part of life. Rambunctious coeds
fresh out from under the parental thumb
are as notorious for sleeping around as
they are for getting drunk, experiment
ing with drugs, and — in Eugene at least
— starting riots.
But there is a line between having a
good time and taking unacceptable risks.
Every person must draw that line for
himself or herself. This life support-M*«|
tern recently developed a very diffes(| V
perspective on casual sex. I was exposed"^
to an STD last year.
The STD was a serious one. I was ex
posed by someone who attends the Uni
versity and who knew she was infected. I
didn’t get it, but you might not be
so lucky.
Contact the columnist
atmichaelcosgrove@daiIyemerald.com.
His views do not necessarily represent those
of the Emerald.
Letter to the editor
Trees do not
make a forest
This letter is in regards to Scott J.
Kane’s commentary on logging practices
(“Anti-loggers should re-check facts
about forest thinning,” ODE, Oct. 16).
Kane mentioned that lumber and pa
per companies have been planting mil
lions of acres of trees per year. This fact is
often offered up to show that we can cut
as many trees as we like, as long as we
are planting more than we cut and keep
the right time schedules.
What is overlooked is the fact that the
forest being cut down is actually an
ecosystem; there are many species of
trees, shrubs, mosses, fungi, insects and
animals that are necessary for the forest
to function. These are almost all lost
when an area is clear-cut or heavily
logged. What is replanted is not a forest,
but a monoculture plantation of the most
economically valuable trees. These new
plantations cannot support the ecosys
tem and accompanying species that once
lived there.
In fact, it is this lack of species diversi
ty, not “overgrowth,” as Kane said, that
can make forests more susceptible to dis
ease and insect infestations. A healthy,
in-tact ecosystem is the best weapon
against insect infestations and diseases.
Even the most brilliant ecologists of
our day do not know how to replace a
perfectly functioning ecosystem. For this
reason and many others, our first goal
must be to preserve our forests.
Rudy Dietz
junior
psychology
Online poll
Each Monday, the Emerald
publishes the previous week’s poll
results and the coming week’s poll
question. Visit dailyemerald.com
to vote.
Last week; What’s your favorite
Oregon ski area?
Results: 113 total votes
Hoodoo — 1 vote, or 0.9 percent
Mt Bachelor—41 votes, or 36.3
percent
Mt. Ashland — 7 votes, or 6.2
Other — 1 vote, or 0.9 percent
Don't know —10 votes, or 8.8
percent
Leave me alone!-25 votes, or
m 22 i 1 perce pfc***^ *■'*■-* »***"*»
Well, it looks like Mt. Bachelor
was the most popular skiing and
snowboarding destination to those
who responded.
This week: What are you going
to do this Halloween?
Chokes: ]l
Dressing in costume
Drinking
Gorging on candy
Anything but studying
Don’t know
*»* >V»»V«V«V+: