Page 2 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, March 10, 2004 Despite some of my best efforts, the ailment we call “a cold” grabbed me last week and threw me to the floor; leaving me gasping, coughing and generally feeling unwell. Therefore, I am taking the easy way out this week; hoping that you will find the following to your liking. (A friend gave it to me; I don’t know who wrote it.) The Realtor’s hymn: “I’ve Got a Mansion Just Over the Hilltop.” The pilot’s hymn: “I’ll Fly Away.” The paramedic’s hymn: “Revive Us Again.” The judge’s hymn: “Almost Persuaded.” The psychiatrist’s hymn: “Just a Little Talk With Jesus.” The architect’s hymn: “How Firm a Foundation.” The zookeeper’s hymn: “All Creatures of Our God and King.” The postal worker’s hymn: “So Send I You.” The waiter’s hymn: “Fill My Cup, Lord.” The gardener’s hymn: “Lo, How a Rose E’re Blooming.” The lifeguard’s hymn: “Rescue the Perishing.” The criminal’s hymn: “Search Me, O God.” The baker’s hymn: “When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder.” The cobbler’s hymn: “It Is Well With My Soul.” The travel agent’s hymn: “Anywhere With Jesus.” The geologist’s hymn: “Rock of Ages.” The men’s clothing clerk hymn: “Blest Be The Tie.” The umpire’s hymn: “I Need No Other Argu- ment.” The librarian’s hymn: “Whispering Hope.” Plus I add the following: The cardiologist’s hymn: “Come With Your Heartache.” The reporter’s hymn: “Go Tell It On the Moun- tain.” The mortician’s hymn: “Some Day We’ll Leave This World.” And the young children’s hymn: “Why?” Get ready for spring today! Brushing, thinning, removals & reducing the risk of fire danger. We also offer stump grinding, clean-ups, walks, walls, fencing, roadwork & more. Phone: A thru Z Land Improvement TODAY for a free estimate & be ready for spring (541) 592-2528 or (541) 659-8609 Licensed/Bonded & Insured CCB#156237 Illinois Valley News An Independent Weekly Newspaper Co-owned and published by Robert R. (Bob) and Jan Rodriguez Bob Rodriguez, Editor El Jefe Entered as second class matter June 11, 1937 at Post Office as Official Newspaper for Josephine County and Josephine County Three Rivers School District, published at 321 S. Redwood Hwy., Cave Junction, OR 97523 Periodicals postage paid at Cave Junction, OR 97523 Post Office Box 1370 USPS 258-820 Telephone (541) 592-2541, FAX (541) 592-4330 Volume 66, No. 51 Staff: Cindy Newton, Chris Robertson, Michelle Binker, Shane Welsh, Becky Loudon & Kacy Clement Member: Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association DEADLINES: News, Classified & Display Ads, Announcements & Letters 3 P.M. FRIDAY (Classified ads & uncomplicated display ads can be accepted until Noon, Monday with an additional charge.) POLICY ON LETTERS: ‘Illinois Valley News’ welcomes letters to the editor provided they are of general interest, in good taste, legible and not libelous. All letters must be signed, using complete name, and contain the writer’s address and telephone number. The latter need not be published, but will be used to verify authenticity. The ‘News’ reserves the right to edit letters. One letter per person per month. Letters are used at the discretion of the publisher. Unpublished letters are neither acknowledged nor returned. A prepaid charge may be levied if a letter is inordinately long in the editor's opinion. POLICY ON “HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE”, DISPLAY & CLASSIFIED ADS & NOTICES: All submissions must be hand delivered, faxed or e-mailed to us for publication. Submissions must be resubmitted each week if the item is to run for more than one week. SUBSCRIPTION RATES One year in Josephine County - $20.80 One year in Jackson and Douglas Counties - $24.40 One year in all other Oregon counties and out-of-state - $28 POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to P.O. Box 1370, Cave Junction, OR. 97523 (Editor’s Note: Views and commentary ex- pressed in letters to the editor are strictly those of the letter-writers. * * * Typed, double- spaced letters are ac- ceptable for considera- tion. Hand-written letters that are double-spaced and highly legible also can be considered for publication. Cards of thanks are not accepted as letters.) * * * Siskiyou Project From Jody McElroy Cave Junction In response to Libby Goines’ letter (“Illinois Valley News” Feb. 25), I have to say she must have been referring to a differ- ent letter than mine. I in no way blamed CRT for any “mess” in the valley. I suggested people join CRT to help straighten out the mess. I do not sug- gest “deforestation” as a means to economic secu- rity either. There is a balance pos- sible and even desirable, but with the Siskiyou Pro- ject and other such groups, there is no such balance. I would not presume to speak for all people here, unlike the Siskiyou Project with its policy of continual litigation, which has clogged our courts and our forests regardless of how people may feel. There is and always will be a demand for forest products. We need to find the balance that will fulfill this need and return our forests to a healthy state instead of the tinder boxes they are now. Let’s show the world we can make informed and balanced decisions. I have heard some peo- ple say that they do not want to pay any new taxes. If they are concerned about spending too much money on the library levy, let me describe the amount in a simple way. The levy calls for an amount of 20-cents per $1,000. This means if the assessed value of your home is $100,000 (and remember that the assessed value is usually lower than the actual market value), then you would pay $20 more for your property taxes. This comes out to less than $1.70 per month. Is that too much to pay to have our library have more open hours, books, and resources? I sincerely hope that our community will pay now in the form of a levy to restore open hours and enable library staff to af- ford to stay at their jobs; replace the greatly reduced book budget and work to- ward providing ourselves with the resources we need to help take care of some of our problems ourselves. Hopefully a “Special District” will be estab- lished soon to make the library largely autonomous and finally provide stable funding for the library and only the library. The county commis- sioners have stated that they would like to see sup- port from the community about the levy before de- ciding to put it on the bal- lot. They requested a col- lection of 2,300 signatures. We exceeded that amount and will be presenting the signatures this week. TOPSY-TURVY - A Toyota pickup truck slammed into an embankment and rolled, blocking southbound traf- fic around noon for more than an hour on Redwood Hwy. near the California border Wednesday, March 3. Driven by Troy Peters, the pickup was southbound when for unknown reasons, Peters lost control, he said. Peters sustained minor scrapes and bruises and was released at the scene by American Medical Re- sponse. Illinois Valley Fire District and Josephine County Sheriff’s Office also responded. (Photo by Shane Welsh) LOW CARB DIETERS! ‘Steak & Fish are 0 carbs!’ Open 5 to 9 p.m. - Restaurant parking in rear 126 S. Redwood Hwy., CJ 592-4222 or 592-2892 Facts are facts and will not disappear on account of your likes. - Jawaharala Nehru - The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved -- loved for ourselves, or rather, love in spite of ourselves. - Victor Hugo - Supports library levy From Stephanie Friedman Cave Junction Our county library is facing an uncertain future in light of recent budget constraints resulting from the failure of last year’s supplemental levy and the budget shortfalls likely to occur in the future. There are always many issues, concerns and causes that compete for our attention. The impor- tance of a public library is nothing less than a neces- sity for the continuation of our collective experience in this great social experi- ment called democracy. There is simply no way that we, the public, can possibly make in- formed and qualified deci- sions that we vote upon, without access to current and diverse information. Our community faces some difficult and complex issues that have a direct effect on the lives of many Illinois Valley residents: Unemployment, alco- hol and drug abuse, do- mestic violence, teen-age pregnancy, crime, illiter- acy, an ever-growing population and all of the challenges of meeting their needs, and a controversial proposal to salvage log on our forests. How can we move on as a community and deal with these issues in crea- tive and effective ways if we are without the re- sources of our library? Congratulations to the Cave Junction Goodwill for receiving Goodwill Retailer of the year! FREE Professional Advice No Obligations The Oregon Department of Forestry’s Home Evaluation Team is available to evaluate your property for wildland fire survivability free of charge. Make your property safe with defensible space around your home in Josephine County. During the 2003 fire season more than 3500 structures were lost to wildland fires in California alone. Will you be ready for the 2004 Fire Season? Now is the best time to prepare your home for the possible threat of a wildfire. Call to schedule an appointment: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Grants Pass Office • (541) 474-3152