Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2002)
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 Friday, November 1,2002 Oregon Daily Emerald Commentary Editor in Chief: Michael J. Kleckner Managing Editor Jessica Richelderfer Editorial Editors: Salena De La Cruz, Pat Payne Editorial Our conscience doesn’tletus pick Spanovich for governor We really wanted to write a gubernatorial endorse ment that would break the mold and get people riled up. We wanted to give the Oregon Commentator fod der for a whole article. We wanted to endorse write in candidate Gary Alan Spanovich. A majority of the editorial board believes Spanovich would be the best governor — he offers en lightened leadership and a change in the way Oregon does politics. But there’s a lot at stake in this race. Spanovich is a man of compassion, and he hopes to bring that ethos to polities, to give Oregon a real vi sion for the future. He would work with leaders in the state to develop compassionate, workable plans of ac tion to benefit most Oregonians. He has extensive ex perience teaching college students, and he has worked with students to bring Nobel laureates to Port land State University for a conference on world peace. Spanovich’s compassion has taken him to India — homeland of his Buddhist beliefs — four times to per sonally improve the lives of people there, including organizing and raising money to build a school for 100 street children. In an interview with the Emerald, Spanovich re called the days of Gov. Tom McCall, when Oregon had the sense that it was creating a different way of life — a better way of life. Today, Spanovich said, there is no larger vision, and Oregon politics is mired the status quo, which means money and influence in leadership, instead of vision and values. We wholeheartedly agree. We want a different, bet ter vision for Oregon than is represented by our cur rent two-party choices. Democracy is corrupt when voters find themselves voting not for the best candi date, but against the worst candidate. Nevertheless, there are stark differences between the two leading candidates — Ted Kulongoski and Kevin Mannix — that are important to us and that we believe are important to students. Kulongoski says he represents choice for women’s bodies, support for state services and protections for the environment. Mannix emphatically does not; his moderate mask is n’t even affixed very well. The easy thing to do, then, would be to endorse Ku longoski. But we cannot, in good conscience, overlook the fact that we believe a better candidate exists. For some people, democracy means everyone votes for what they believe is best, and then after an elec tion, everyone’s voice gets heard at the Big Compro mise Table. For others, the compromise happens within them selves, before the election. They pick from a pre-de termined set of choices, and then the winners make the rules. We’re not telling students which school of thought is right — the system is flawed. But our conscience tells us the only endorsement we can make is for Uni versity community members to vote their conscience. Whatever you choose, please vote. This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald editorial board. Responses can be sent to letters#<My«merai&com. / §r g How X SPEMT MV HAUjOV/EEN- by G-EOB6-E W. t—~lwa 3*. 1* PM.- Blew OPV M»DCA£T ?ZAce TALKS _yo 6AR.VE FUMPk\MS, __________ 7-20 PM. - GO 78.1CK-0K-lZeATtHfC, WITH DAt>DY* *UOB P.M.- 60 TO tJfcp W'TH MA^5iVe" TUMMY ACHe. 5* 03 f.m. - £ caret ine our <?P WHI7C HOUSE TOUR 6ROUP Peter Utsey Emerald Letters to the editor Human services require political attention As the political dialogue is hijacked to narrowly focus on taxation and terrorism this election season, the electorate is inad vertently taxing and terrorizing even more than our education system. Human servic es are beyond the crisis stage in this land of child poverty and substance abuse. As the media virtually ignores funding cutbacks for mental illness, elderly care, counseling services, the arts, health needs and so many more essential services for those who desperately need them, what little humanity we have left is called into question. The interests of those who can afford to buy media messages are tram pling the common sense approach of serving vulnerable citizens. Rarely reported studies show that pre vention is cost-effective four to seven times over when serving at-risk people and families. It saves prison costs, other crime costs, health care costs and other social services costs by simply providing help to people with needs. Disabled, poor, and drug addicted peo ple are not bad people. They, along with the uneducated, children with behavior problems and domestic violence clients will help themselves if given proper inter vention that they have not been previous ly afforded. As service-provider cuts are being ig nored and long-term Measure 11 inmates are finally being released with few prospects and little assistance, the ques tion arises: Is the rising cost of earing so little about each other really worth it? Mike Meyer junior , , Jfppyly,and hqman $qrvices program " 1 ' 1 I i H i i I I < I I | I I ' ! i * Vole no to help Oregon’s economy This is in response to the editorials about Measures 23 and 25 (ODE, Oct. 28 and Oct. 29). Voting yes on both meas ures would negatively affect Oregon’s al ready suffering economy. Voting no on Measure 23 is voting yes for improving Oregon’s economy. It is pre posterous to believe an 8 percent income tax increase is not huge. Most people’s taxes are approximately 30 percent of their salaries. Another 8 percent on top of that means it would be difficult to earn a decent wage. Consider the people who have medical and dental insurance. Not only are insurance benefits worth less if everyone has free health care, but Oregon insurance companies would go out of business, which would add to Oregon’s already ridiculously high unemployment. This relates to voting no on Measure 25. Raising minimum wage another 40 cents will make Oregon’s minimum wage $1.75 above the federal minimum wage. Oregon also has the highest unemploy ment rate. A high minimum wage and a high unemployment rate are related. Rais ing minimum wage forces employers to lay off employees, raise prices or both, be cause they cannot afford to pay $6.90 an hour and expect to earn the same profits. Those who rely on $6.50 per hour may see their wage change if Measure 25 pass es — not from $6.50 to $6.90 per hour, but from $6.50 to zero per hour, with a trip to the unemployment office. Voting no on Measures 23 and 25 is good for Oregon’s economy. Luke Aillaud junior , , , . joyrnali$m Bradbury’s actions fight the hype Before you cast your ballot in the elections, stop and think about what Senator Gordon Smith stands for. The attack ads of the Republican Party and Gordon Smith have done more than stretch the truth. Recently, the Republi can Party ran an ad saying that Bill Bradbury decided to clearcut his own property 10 years ago. Ray Wood, own er of Ray Wood Logging and the man who helped harvest timber on Brad bury’s property, denies this allegation. The truth is that Bradbury went far be yond state environmental laws to protect the health of his land. Smith is running deceiving attack ads to look moderate and divert attention away from his own dis mal environmental record. Let’s take a look at some of Sen. Gor don Smith’s far from moderate votes: The National League of Conservation Voters ranking (2001) — 0 percent; failed to give support for Senate Bill (H.R. 2217) to restrict drilling and mining in our Na tional Monuments; voted against amend ment (H. Con. Res. 83) to increase fund ing for environmental programs in 2002 federal budget; offered amendment (H.R. 2217) to suspend endangered species pro tection for Coho Salmon and two other endangered fish in Klamath Basin of Ore gon and in California. Bradbury believes in a sustainable envi ronmental policy and has received en dorsements from the Oregon League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club. This November, don’t believe the lies. Vote Bill Bradbury for United States Senate. Kevin Curtin sophomore political science
