March 12, 2003
The Clackamas Print
Cutting out the middleman
Editor-in-chief
Save money by refining administration
Daisy Bain
Copy Editor
Shadra Beesley
Managing News Editor
Frank Jordan
News Editor
Pete Ford
Opinion Editor
Robb Egan
Feature Editor
Elisabeth Meyer
A&E Editor
Jen Kane
Sports Editor
Elena Boryska
Photo Editor
Luke Mahan
Webmaster
Joel Gaynor
Advertising Manager
Mark Falling
ext. 2578
Staff Writers:
Megan Cobb
Melinda Crouchley
Heather Dahmen
Nic Delzell
Cyndee Mady
Sadie McCarthy
Mike Pollock
Andy Price
Cory Price
Tina Tate
Production Assistants:
Jake Carpenter
Katie Funk
Secretary:
JoAnne Gale
Adviser:
Linda Vogt
Goals:
The Clackamas Print aims to
report the news in an honest,
unbiased, professional manner.
The opinions expressed in The
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sarily reflect those of the student
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Print. .The Clackamas Print is a
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except during Finals Week.
The Clackamas Print
Copyright 2003.
19600 S. Molalla Ave.
Opinion Editor
Oregon is facing a massive
budget shortfall, and politicians
and business-leaders from all walks
of life have come forth to proclaim
the same hypocrisy; save the econ
omy, save our jobs, save our
schools, save the salmon, etc., but
don’t make us pay for it!
It is a common theme in the sor
did tale that is recession econom
ics: cutting public programs and
employee benefits, while carefully
ignoring
the
administrative
process. House committee mem
bers are finally getting on track to
reforming the much-beleaguered
state employee pension system.
However, the reform plan they
have approved would only protect
the pensions of employees already
close to retirement, while cutting
back on the benefits of younger
employees. Since PERS hasn’t
updated its life expectancy tables
since 1978, current retirees are liv
ing an average of five years longer
than expected, adding to the budget
woes. With the average life
expectancy increasing as much as
five years every generation, if
PERS updates their tables younger
employees would have their bene
fits stretched even further.
The newer employees are, of
course, already paid a much lower
salary with fewer benefits, owing
to their lack of experience and time
with the company.
Of course, a fair amount of the
personnel woes could be readily
solved by reforms in the adminis
trative process. The immediate fir
ing of the PERS Board of Directors
would be a good place to start.
Administrators pulling in six-
figure incomes while working as
nothing more than figureheads and
glorified file-clerks seems a tad
wasteful. In an age when most of
the real physical work in accom
plished by data-entry clerks sitting
at a computer, of what use are a
bunch of middle-managers who do
nothing more than attend meetings
and sign expense reports?
There clearly needs to be some
thing done to cut to the dead weight
that is sinking our public agencies.
What kind of indication is it that
Portland’s human resources direc
tor is one of the highest paid offi
cials in the City? It’s fair to say that
allowing an administrator to be
involved in calculating his/her own
salary level and pay increases con
stitutes a bit of a conflict of inter
ests, and a serious flaw in the
administrative process.
Then again, how likely is it that
our officials would support legisla
tion that could potentially cut their
pay or even eliminate their jobs
altogether?
Education reform part two
Change the requirements of higher learning
Robb Egan
Opinion Editor
In a previous issue I wrote about
what could be some progressive and
very beneficial changes to our edu
cation system at an elementary
school level, and this article is
intended as a sort of continuation,
addressing the question of reforming
education at the high school level
and beyond.
Budget cuts caused by the contin
uing economic recession have forced
many institutions of higher educa
tion to raise tuition, cut programs
and student services, and lay off
many staff members. The academic
requirements for many degree pro
grams change almost yearly, and
even vary from institution to institu
tion, state to state. The course
requirements for some programs can
be complicated and sometimes
downright confusing; many students
require the assistance of counselors
or student advisors to plan out their
class schedules.
Video games not to blame for teen violence
Our current system of higher
learning is clumsy, wasteful, and
inadequately meets the needs of
modem society. Many recent college
graduates rush out to the job market,
only to find that the degree in
Ancient Mating Rituals of the
Duckbill Platypus that they just
spent the prime years of their lives
earning isn’t worth the' paper it’s
printed on.
A lot can be learned from exam
ples such as vocational training or
apprenticeships, where education
Letters to
the Editor:
focuses on the skills and experience
needed for a particular job. A philos
ophy major will rarely have a press
ing need for computer or foreign lan
guage courses, and yet they are on
the suggested classes list in our own
course catalog.
Hard times call for decisive and
sometimes difficult decisions, and
sometimes cuts have to be made, but
it would be far more practical to sim
ply trim the fat around schools, so to
speak, and stop requiring students to
take courses that they will never use.
The trouble with taxes
I personally believe that video games are not a contributor to teenage
violence, but that violence at home and at school are what really provokes
kids to act out. Teenagers in school are forced to adapt so that they fit in
with some clique. These kids then proceed to ridicule and persecute each
Other until they can’t stand the other group. This is just one of many things
that contributes to the violence of our younger generations.
The media is also a factor in this melodrama that is our youth. They
show things that are downtrodden and depressing with a hit of happiness
every so often so as not to seem like a total waste of time. They also leave
out the graphic details so people don’t grasp the magnitude of the situa
tions that take place. If people are forced to face the things that are gen
erally deemed inappropriate to view then they will be forced to recognize
the seriousness and significance of what is actually going on in the situa
tion at hand.
I think people are trying to find something else to blame instead of
admitting that they are not good guides or teachers. They do not want to
admit that they might be approaching their kids wrong or that they just
might not be able to relate to kids and could be wrong with their advice or
opinions on what their kids are doing, I am not saying that all people are
bad guides or teachers just that people in general are not wont to admit
this and due to that line of thinking they continue down the same road
unawares that there are more potholes and dead ends than anything else.
In closing I think overall that everyone, once able to think for oneself,
is capable of making his or her own decisions, but the older generations
are afraid to let go of the level of power and influence that they have
gained through out their life over the younger generations. For if the
younger generations can think for themselves then where do the older
generations fit?
Dear CCC Print,
In a recent letter to the Print, Doug Williams
asked the question“What society has ever taxed itself
into prosperity?” The answer to that question is “ALL of them!”
How could that be? Here’s how: Society cannot co-exist with
anarchy. Government suppresses anarchy ; therefore society cannot exist
without government. Government enables society, and government cannot
exist without tax. Government and tax are things humans have accepted
since the dawn of civilization because they enable prosperity by disabling
chaos and anarchy.
It is possible that government can hurt a prosperous society by
over taxation. So how should we judge taxation in Oregon? How about by
comparing to other states? According to the US Bureau of the Census for
1998/1999, the last year for which 1 found data, state and local taxes as a per
centage of income in Oregon are ranked #45. Only five states are lower than
ours. Considering the quality of life here, I think we’ re getting a bargain.
I also suspect that the reason we have a low taxation rank is the
lack of a sales tax. Sales taxes generate huge income for the state. Almost
all other states have one. 1 believe that the lack of a sales tax contributes to
the quality of life in Oregon. A sales tax is the most painful tax of all. It is a
constant annoyance; small jabs and pokes every time you go shopping. If
you buy something expensive such as a car, the jab becomes a major punch.
It might prevent you from getting what you want.
It may be true that business owners such as Mr. Williams pay too
much tax. If that’s what he thinks, he should use the democratic system that
our government and society has provided through taxation to work for
change that might reduce his burden.
There is a tax problem in Oregon, and it exists m the minds of
some Oregonians. According to The Oregonian newspaper, local author and
historian Gordon B. Dodds describes Oregonians as people who are “self
indulgent and lack a sense of civic responsibility”. That’s one way to
describe it, Another way is that some people just want something for noth
ing.
Noah Harper Holland
CCC Student
George Clark
Oregon City
Dear Editor,
I am writing this response to Sadie McCarthy’s arti
cle on “Violent video games should be abolished.’’ The
contents of this letter are just some of my own feelings and beliefs on vio
lence concerning today’s teenagers,
Oregon City, Oregon
97045
(503) 657-6958 X2309
cccprint@clackamas.edu
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http://www2.dackamas.edu/lheprint
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