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»Opinion
The Clackamas Print
Wednesday, Februray 7,1996\
Light rail will hold off gridlock on the road AIDS still
Damon Fouts
Staff Writer
We’ve all heard the validity
of the dwindling petroleum re
source and environmental impact,
arguments for public transporta
tion options such as light rail.
A third reason is becoming
visibly apparent in the tri-county
area and especially in Clackamas
County: L.A. gridlock. They’re
bringing it with them as they flee
the city of Angels for the land of
roses. For this reason more than
any other, Clackamas County
needs light rail.
By the way, that wasn’t a
swipe at California transplants.
Anyone with the foresight to es
cape that southern asylum are
California’s best and brightest.
And who but members of local
Native American tribes aren’t
transplants? Welcome, I say.
Still, Clackamas County
growth is alarming. In 1995, the
county’s population was almost
309,000, up more than 30,000
front 1990. Metro government
projects an increase of another
36,000 by 2000, and 121,000
more than 1995’s population by
2015. In short, a projected county
population increase of 65 percent
in 25 years.
To make matters worse,
many county residents are com
muting to jobs outside the county.
According to Scott Knappes of the
Clackamas County Marketing
Committee, the county has 25
percent of the region’s population,
but only 12 percent of the jobs.
Knappes also points out that
in two-and-one-half years, all the
available land zoned industrial in
Clackamas County will be devel
oped. Obviously the county needs
to build jobs next to the homes
they’re building.
But that’s not likely to hap
pen, especially considering what
Metro government may have in
store for Clackamas County.
Metro Council is currently con
sidering a proposal to add more
than 22,000 acres to tri-county
urban reserves.
Regardless of the final acre
age, this would be land made
available for residential develop
ment as population growth puts
pressure on the urban growth
boundary, the tri-county bound
ary that, for the most part, en
circles residential development.
What’s thrilling county de
velopers and property owners
ready to sell and scaring county
and many local governments and
property owners not ready to sell,
is that more than half the reserves
being considered lie in Clackamas
County, somewhat huddled
around 1-205 between Sunnyside
Road and the Stafford exit.
Traffic on 1-205 has already
been growing like Baby Huey
since its inception. As the inter
state was being laid from Wash
ington state to the north, to 1-5 to
the south, the slide-rule gang pre
dicted daily trips on the interstate
would reach a certain number
within 20 years.
They spaced freeway exits
based on the projected trip count-
-standard procedure when build
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ing a freeway.
Daily trips topped that num
ber in half that time. Conse
quently, traffic is especially
snarled at peak hours at every
entrance to 1-205 from Sunnyside
Road to the Gladstone exit. Add
ing thousands of acres of residen-
tially developable land will obvi
ously exacerbate county traffic
problems.
All of this leads to one ines
capable conclusion for Clackamas
County commuters: at the very
least, a light rail system is needed
on 1-205 that connects to Wash
ington state and the north-south
line along the Banfield Freeway.
The voters have already ap
proved a line which is already
funded from the Clackamas Town
Center to Washington, pursuant
to the approval of matching funds
from a fiscally stingy U.S. Con
gress. The line also needs to run
into Oregon City, which is already
one unfunded option under con
sideration.
In addition, the rail needs to
be supported by expanded bus and
shuttle services connecting to I-
205 to help alleviate congestion
along roads such as Sunnyside
Road, Highway 212 to Damascus
and beyond, 213, the Molalla
Highway from the Park Place exit
to CCC, and the Gladstone exit
in both directions.
In short, a public transporta
tion infrastructure needs to be in
place when the public comes to
the point where their car keys are
in one hand and a bus pass is in
the other and L.A. gridlock dic
tates that it’s more convenient to
pocket the keys and hop the bus.
Ins and outs for 1996
Lora Wahrgren, Assistant Photo Editor
Megan Friedow, Staff Writer
(Ins)
(Outs)
94.7 fm
Natural look (less the better)
David Letterman
No bangs and short hair
Demi Moore
Chris “tommy boy” Farley
Julia Ormond
Brad Pitt
6. Platform & Airwalks
7. Naturual short nails
8. 2-pac and LL Cool J
9. Punk
10. Canon
11. Daves
12. Hefeweizen
13. Boxers
14. Grinding and disco
15. Hemp jewelry
16. “Friends”
17. Laluna and The Roseland
18. Goatee, facial hair
19. Mike Caudle
20. Dallas Cowboys
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
970 am
Porcelain mask (the joker)
Jay Leno
Long hair with big bangs
Sharon Stone
Jim Carrey
Kim Bassinger
Keanu Reeves
6. Birkenstocks
7. Decorated and wicked
8. Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg
9. Heavy Metal
10. Nikon
11. Camels
12. “The Beast”
13. Whitey-tighteys
14. Moshing and stage diving
15. Black leather chokers
16. “Melrose Place”
17. Up Front FX and Quest
18. Grizzly Adams facial hair
19. Bill Clinton
20. Pittsburg Steelers
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The Clackamas Print Staff
Editor-in-Chief: Chad Patteson (Ext. 2576)
Managing Editor: Amy K. Hanson (Ext. 2576)
Feature Editor: Jon Roberts (Ext. 2578)
Sports Editor: Jesse Sowa (Ext. 2578)
Photography Editor: Josh Kehler (Ext. 2578)
Copy Editor: Vicki Welch (Ext. 2578)
Opinion Editor: Brendon Neal (Ext. 2309)
Business Manager: Cori Kargel (Ext. 2578)
Assistant Opinion Editor: Ryan Humphris (Ext. 2309)
Assistant Feature Editor: Brad Zimmerman (Ext. 2309)
News Editor: Pamela Sirianni (Ext. 2309)
Assistant Photo Editor: Lora Wahrgren (Ext. 2309)
Cartoonist: Joel Gunderson
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Staff Writers/Photographers:
Eric Eatherton, Megan Friedow,
Paul Ulmen, Andrew Beck,
Laney Fouse, Damon Fouts,
Tarah Nimz, Karin Redston, Joel Shempert
Secretary: Joanne Gale (Ext. 2309)
Advisor : Linda Vogt (Ext. 2310)
The Clackamas Print aims to report the news in an honest, unbiased,
professional manner. The opinions expressed in The Clackamas Print do
not necessarily reflect those of the student body, college administration, its
faculty or The Clackamas Print's advertisers. Products and services adver
tised in The Clackamas Print are not necessarily endorsed by anyone associ
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Clackamas Community College, 19600 S. Molalla Avenue, Oregon City,
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E-mail: cccprint@clackamas.cc.or.us
Ice Chalet at Lloyd Center 953 Lloyd Center Portland
(503) 288-4599
an epidemic
Karin Redston
Staff Writer
With Magic Johnson return
ing to the NBA basketball arena,
the AIDS and athletes contro
versy has again entered into the
media spotlight.
For once let’s get this thing
cleared up. The chances of any
one acquiring AIDS in the ath
letic arena is next to nil. True, if
there is blood exposed by an HIV
positive athlete then proper pre
cautions should be and are fol
lowed. Most sports today follow
suitable guidelines for AIDS pre
vention in their respective capac
ity.
I, for one, am glad for people
like Magic Johnson who is re
turning to what he does best,
basketball. The courage it takes
for one to admit to having HIV
or AIDS in our society shows the
true character of a person. Let’s
face it, we are a truly condemn
ing society. If someone has AIDS
then it’s their fault. An athlete as
truly talented as Magic Johnson
should not be judged by a blood
born pathogen which most
straight guys don’t take seriously.
What is overlooked how
ever, is the increasingly lack of
concern over AIDS by the teen
and twenties population. Cur
rently, in Clackamas County, the
30-39 year age group has the
highest AIDS rate. However, the
20-29 year age group is catching
up. This is not HIV positive. One
acquires that well before AIDS.
So to put it in laymens terms, the
20-29 year age group is more than
likely acquiring HIV in their
teens...and HELLO, it’s not a
homosexual disease...it’s here for
everybody.
Whether you use needles or
have unsafe sex it is out there.
AIDS has been around for a num
ber of years, it just wasn’t identi
fied until 1981. My best friend
was one of the first to contract it
when AIDS reached epidemic
proportions. He died in June.
He was lucky as he had some
very good doctors who kept him
alive and relatively pain free,
most of the time. But my friend
is like many I see today who think
they are indestructible. Like
speeding on a road, passing in a
no passing zone on a curve, he
thought AIDS would not “get”
him.
It’s pretty obvious he was
wrong. In talking with many
people who are students at CCC,
I am seeing the same trend. The
“I’m not gay” or “I’m not a
needle user” so I won’t get AIDS
argument doesn’t work anymore.
When you sleep with someone,
you are sleeping with everyone
they have slept with. No one
should have to remind anyone of
that, but given that Valentine’s
Day is coming up, I hope people
remember to have safe sex. Be
cause it is better than what my
friend went through for more
than 12 years. It’s also much bet
ter than what Magic Johnson and
his family are going through right
now. HIV doesn ’t just affect the
person who is infected. HIV in
volves family, friends and former
significant others. So play it safe;
have safe sex.