Commentary
Oregon Daily Emerald
Friday, October 29, 2004
NEWS STAFF
(541)346-5511
JEN SUDICK
EDITOR IN CHIEF
STEVEN R. NEUMAN
MANAGING EDITOR
JARED PABEN
AY1SHA YAHYA
NEWS EDITORS
PARKER HOWELL
SENIOR NEWS REPORTER
MORIAH BAL1NCIT
MEGHANN CUNIFF
KARA HANSEN
ANTHONY LUCERO
CANELAWOOD
NEWS REPORTERS
CLAYTON JONES
SPORTS EDITOR
JON ROETMAN
SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER
STEPHEN MILLER
BRIAN SMITH
SPORTS REPORTERS
RYAN NYBURC
PULSE EDITOR
NATASHA CHIUNCERIAN
SENIOR PULSE REPORTER
DAHVJ FISCHER
AMY IJCHTY
RYAN MURPHY
PULSE REPORTERS
DAVID JACERNAUTH
EDITORIAL EDITOR
IENNIFER MCBRIDE
AILEE SLATER
CHUCK SLOTHOWER
TRAVIS WILLSE
COLUMNISTS
ASHLEY GRIFFIN
SUPPLEMENT
FREELANCE EDITOR
GABE BRADLEY
NEWS FREELANCE EDITOR/
(SECTOR OF RECRUITMENT
DANIELLE HICKEY
PHOTO EDITOR
IAUREN WIMER
SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
TIM BOBOSKY
PHOTOGRAPHER
NICOLE BARKER
PART-ilME PHOTOGRAPHER
ERIK BISHOFF
PARTTIME PHOTOGRAPHER
BRET FURTWANCLER
GRAPHIC ARTIST
KIRA PARK
DESIGN EDITOR
ELLIOTT ASBURY
CHARLIE CALDWELL
DUSTIN REESE
BRLANNE SHOLLAN
DESIGNERS
SHADRABEESLEY
IEANN1E EVERS
COPY CHIEFS
KIMBERLY BLACKFIELD
PAUL THOMPSON
SPORTS COPY EDITORS
AMANDA EVRARD
AMBER LINDROS
NEWS COPY EDITORS
LINDSAY BURT
PULSE COPY EDITOR
ADRIENNE NELSON
ONLINE EDITOR
SLADE LEESON
WEBMASTER
BUSINESS
(541) 3465511
JUDYRIF.DL
GENERAL MANAGER
KATHY CARBONE
BUSINESS MANAGER
REBECCA CRITCHETT
RECEPTIONIST
NATHAN FOSTER
AIB1NG CUO
ANDREW LEAHY
JOHN LONC
MALLORY MAHONEY
HOLLY MISTELL
DISTRIBUTION
ADVERTISING
(541)346-3712
MEUSSA GUST
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
TYLER MACK
SALES MANAGER
ALEX AMES
MATT BETZ
HERON CAUSCH-DOLEN
MEGAN HAMLIN
KATE HIRONAKA
MAEGAN KASER-LEE
MIA LEIDELMEYER
EMILY PHILBIN
SHANNON ROGERS
SALES REPRESENTATIVES
KELLEE KAUFTHEIL
AD ASSISTANT
CLASSIFIED
(541)3464343
TRINA SHANAMAN
CLASSIFIED MANAGER
KATY GAGNON
SABRINA COWETTE
LESUE STRAIGHT
KERI SPANGLER
KATIE STRINGER
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
ASSOCIATES
PRODUCTION
(541)3464381
MICHELE ROSS
PRODUCTION MANAGER
TARA SLOAN
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
JENCRAMLET
KRISTEN D1CHARRY
CAMERON CAUT
ANDY HOLLAND
DESIGNERS
TTie Oregon Daily Emerald is pu6
lished daily Monday through Fri
day during the school year by the
Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing
Co. Inc., at the University of Ore
gon, Eugene, Ore. The Emerald
operates independently of the
University with offices in Suite
300 of the Erb Memorial Union.
The Emerald is private property.
Unlawful removal or use of
papers is prosecutable by law.
Courtesy
■ Guest commentary
Rein in savings for Social Security
Since the presidential debates began,
there have been few comments on an
issue that should register as a top prior
ity, especially among young Ameri
cans: Social Security. In this race for sol
vency, each candidate has placed his
bet on a different horse. President Bush
puts his money on Nest Egg, a relative
ly young system with great potential
derived from a foundation in the
Protestant work ethic and the Ameri
can dream. Senator Kerry has endorsed
TVust Fund, a veteran racer who re
placed Seabiscuit in the limelight in
1935 when the pay-as-you-go system of
Social Security came to the United
States.
This issue has been left in the stable
for two reasons: Neither candidate
wants to scare seniors — the most con
sistent voting demographic — by dis
cussing changes in Social Security, nor
do they want to scare those who must
bear the burden of the failed system —
young Americans. Political procrastina
tion has forced our generation to inher
it the single greatest financial debt the
world has ever known. We are faced
with the challenge of financing Social
Security’s promise to our retiring par
ents, securing our own retirement and
preventing the next generation from in
heriting the same burden.
The current pay-as-you-go system is
both economically and socially ineffi
cient. Economically, it fails to adequate
ly meet the needs of the growing num
ber of retirees. Socially, the current
system disconnects effort and reward,
the foundation of the American dream.
These inherent flaws must be resolved
to maintain long-term viability in our
country’s largest social program. A sys
tem must be developed that allows the
workers of our generation to take re
sponsibility and ownership for our fu
ture instead of simply transferring debt
from one generation to the next. We
need a system based on the fundamen
tal American principle that hard work
pays off. Finally, we need to accom
plish these goals without forcing work
ers of the previous generation to live in
poverty.
Financial independence builds So
cial Security through individual secu
rity. If all Americans save for their re
tirements, future financial burdens
can be avoided. Encouraging work
ers’ ownership in their Social Security
gives them ownership in our country
and economy. With personal retire
ment accounts diversified in stocks
and bonds, financial markets will
thus experience a great increase in
supply, resulting in a lower price and
economic growth. Economic growth
will increase wages, employment and
general tax revenues that can be used
to help meet much of our inherited fi
nancial obligations to retirees.
Common sense, history and empiri
cal evidence from other nations tell us
that by leveraging the far greater re
turns generated through investment,
we can return Social Security to finan
cial soundness. Money that is simply
taken from one person and given to an
other does not generate additional
wealth. Throughout history, our econ
omy has, without exception, yielded a
positive average return greater than
that currently earned in the intergener
ational wealth redistribution system in
place today.
We must take Social Security seri
ously and stop the trend of shifting re
sponsibility to future generations.
More effective and reliable means of
financing a national Social Security
system have been developed, imple
mented and proven successful else
where. It is time for us to adopt these
principles. For the United States to
continue to be one of the world’s
great nations, we must make the nec
essary adjustments to procure Social
Security as an effective compulsory
savings program.
Jonathan Osborne wrote his senior
thesis on Social Security.
■ In my opinion
Columnists decide to play it SAIF on Measure 38
Chuck Slothower — NO
Measure 38 is a particularly repulsive
ballot measure. It’s funded by Liberty
Northwest Insurance, a subsidiary of
the Boston-based, multi-billion dollar
insurance giant Liberty Mutual. Liber
ty Northwest has tried for years to get
the Oregon legislature to limit SAIF; it
hasn’t succeeded and so decided to
bother voters with an initiative to abol
ish it. While doctrinaire free marketeers
might like the idea of getting govern
ment out of the insurance industry,
SAIF’s existence hardly prevents Liber
ty Northwest from competing in Ore
gon as it is. Liberty Northwest is Ore
gon’s second-largest provider of work
ers’ compensation insurance, behind
SAIF. Abolishing SAIF would effectively
SAIF, page 3A
OREGON DAILY EMERALD LETTERS POLICY
Letters to the editor and guest commentaries are encouraged, and should be sent to tetters@daityemerald.com or submitted at the Oregon Daily Emerald office, EMU Suite 300. Electronic
submissions are preferred. Letters are limited to 250 words, and guest commentaries to 550 words. Authors are limited to one submission per calendar month. Submissions should
include phone numbef and address fortification. The Emerald reserves the right to edit for space, g-ammar and style. Guest submissions are published at the discretion of the Emerald.
■ Editorial
Costs of 37
too high for
Oregonians
Measure 37 — No
Measure 37 is a repackaging of Measure 7,
which passed in 2000 but was thrown out by the
Oregon Supreme Court on a constitutional techni
cality. This version would amend Oregon statutes
to say government must compensate property
owners to enforce land use restrictions that lower
property value.
There are times when the government acts ar
bitrarily and unfairly toward property owners.
But no amount of property rights horror stories
can make this measure seem like a good idea,
since the huge costs are not worth the marginal
benefits.
First, the measure will obligate various govern
ment agencies to pay between a total of $64 mil
lion to $344 million per year with no proposed
source for funding these obligations, according to
a non-partisan estimate of financial impact.
Even more disturbing is the philosophy behind
Measure 37. While there are abuses of the sys
tem, land use restrictions by and large exist to
benefit all of us. Vote no on Measure 37.
Measure 38 — Yes
It’s time for SAIF to go.
Measure 38 would eliminate SAIF, the para
governmental insurance corporation that current
ly has a state-sanctioned monopoly on workers
compensation insurance in Oregon.
Throughout its illustrious career, SAIF has been
rife with corruption. Those who still believe SAIF
has their best interests at heart are living in a fan
tasy world.
It may cost the state money to get rid of SAIF,
but a few million bucks is a small price to pay to
take a step toward kicking state-sanctioned priva
teers out of Oregon.
Screw us once, shame on you. Engage in a
consistent, sustained pattern of screwing us while
we continue to sit back and take your promises
self-reform at face value, shame on us. Vote yes
on Measure 38.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Jennifer Sudick
Editor in Chief
David Jagemauth
Editorial Editor
Steven R. Neuman
Managing Editor
Gabe Bradley
Freelance Editor
ONLINE POLL
THIS WEEK’S RESULTS
Do you support Oregon Measure 33, which would allow access
to medical marijuana through government-run dispensaries?
29.2% Yes - Medical marijuana patients need safer and more
convenient access to this medicine.
31.3% Yes - But why not take it one step further and legalize
marijuana for everyone?
27.1 % No - The current access patients have, through licensed
civilian caregivers and personal supplies, is working fine.
12.5% No - Marijuana is a dangerous drug and should be
illegal for both medical and recreational use.
0.0% Undecided.
Total out of 48 votes.
Look for next weeks poll in Monday's issue.