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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (April 10, 2003)
TO THE EDITOR GROWING PAINS Do you think communities should legally have the right to curb growth if it was the will of the voters? Currently, Oregon cities are required by law to accommodate anticipated growth. Every five years, cities have to assess their growth and availability of land inside the UGB, and make room for 20 years’ worth of antici- pated future growth. This law is the bread and butter for construction companies, real estate agents and others. If communities were able to stop growth, it would be a financial disaster for them. But not everyone benefits from growth. It often hurts small businesses. It ends up costing existing residents more in taxes for additional services: schools, police and fire protection, roads, sewer lines, water treatment, etc. There’s the loss of quality of life to communities from increased traffic, noise, and pollution, and a loss of natural land and open space, as well as an in- crease in resource consumption. Aren’t we al- ready consuming too much? Is it worth it? Patrick Bronson Eugene SMUT SPARING I have mixed feelings about the recent letters to the editor about sexually exploitive advertis- ing in EW. Personally, I hate to see them, but at the same time I have never quite sorted out my feelings about journalistic freedom. However, those letters got me thinking. I am sure that if you were deluged with potential advertisers and had to pick your favorites, you would much rather run ads for local businesses! The econ- omy has been tough for small businesses. Our business, the other contractors we work with, and the people we patronize, are all talking about ways to be creative in the current econ- omy. It is tempting to save money by cutting our advertising budgets, but I think that it is more valuable to support our local business, and EW, by advertising with you. I have been around long enough to remember my shock when the Willamette Valley Observer went under. Then What’s Happening started as a simple events schedule, but rapidly grew to be the insightful lifeline it is today. What would we do without you? I don’t want to take you for granted. So Joe and I want to remind other local businesses to support EW, and just maybe you won’t even need to run those smutty ads. Cathy Boucher Eugene NAKED LUNCH I love the CHOW! restaurant guide. I always look forward to each season’s listings, articles and wonderful tidbits. However, I do have an opinion about the cover of the Spring edition. I am not a prude — far from it — but it’s very un- appetizing to me to see naked bodies on the front cover. I appreciate the artistic nature of the picture; however, I’d rather see flowers, or a restaurant, or people (dressed) having fun. Chery Hunt Eugene FUELING WISDOM Drilling in the pristine wilderness of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is not wise en- ergy policy. The fact is we can save consumers billions of dollars while reducing our depend- ence on foreign oil, creating jobs and securing our energy future. It just takes a little of America’s technological know-how to develop newer, cleaner sources of energy, and by mak- ing our cars, homes and appliances more energy efficient. BY TOM LININGER Vice Squad Where’s the virtue in vice revenue? L ast month the Lane County Board of Commissioners passed a reso- lution acknowledging “Problem Gambling Awareness Week.” We spoke solemnly about the social harms caused by gambling. We learned about the high rate of suicide attempts by gamblers. Where did we hold this ceremony? In the same room where county commis- sioners meet to divide up nearly $1 million in proceeds that we receive each year from state-sanctioned gambling. The commissioners all voiced their concern for the 7,000 gambling addicts in Lane County, but let’s be honest — it seems a little disingenuous when the farmer pets the pig who will be breakfast tomorrow. Our superego counsels mercy, but our id wants bacon. Meanwhile, some legislators in Salem have proposed expanding state-spon- sored gambling. The introduction of video slot machines might generate another $80 million for state government. Oregon now offers more types of gambling than any other state except for Nevada. Any time our state is chasing Nevada for a record, we should be worried. (By the way, when will we catch up to Mississippi and Arkansas in funding our schools with conventional taxes?) As you can tell, I’m no fan of state-sponsored gambling, but the subject that irks me most is our love-hate relationship with the tobacco industry. In the late 541.484.0519 • (fax) 541.484.4044 EDITORIAL Editor Ted Taylor Executive/Arts Editor Lois Wadsworth Associate Editor Aria Seligmann Contributing Editor Anita 4 APRIL 10, 2003 Increasing average fuel efficiency for new cars and light trucks to 39 miles per gallon over the next decade would save 51 billion barrels of oil over the next 50 years — more than 15 times the likely yield from the Arctic Refuge. This would save American consumers billions at the gas pump, while making our air healthier for our children to breathe. The amazing thing is that we can do this today, whereas even the oil in- dustry admits it would take 10 long years before a drop of oil could be taken from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. 1990s, most states sued the tobacco companies for damages caused by ciga- rettes. This suit culminated in a nationwide settlement providing each state with a revenue stream that will continue indefinitely. Oregon gets about $75 million a year from this settlement. The catch is that our share of the settlement will grow or shrink depending on the earnings of the tobacco industry. In proportion to our success in discouraging kids from smoking, the tobacco industry will lose money, and the future payments to states will decrease. This settlement was a pretty shrewd move by the tobacco executives. They’re daring the gov- ernment to bite the hand that feeds it. So far, the government isn’t biting too hard. Last week Washington’s Attorney General Christine Gregoire held a press conference urging a judge in Illinois to take it easy on the tobacco industry. The judge was trying to require that Phillip Morris (now known as Altria) pay a $12 billion bond in order to appeal a defeat in a recent lawsuit. Gregoire argued that by requiring such a large bond, the Illinois judge “could deal a significant, unnecessary financial blow to the states” who have relied on Phillip Morris as their cash cow. The Wall Street Journal observed that state governments “are poised to res- cue the country’s biggest cigarette maker in one of its darkest hours.” Friends helping friends — kinda makes you misty-eyed, doesn’t it? You almost forget that a few years ago, the states were arguing that the tobacco industry heartlessly caused thousands of deaths. Our dependence on vice to fund our government has become an embarrass- ment. The next time the Board of County Commissioners elects a vice chair, we should assign that commissioner the duty befitting his title — monitoring the county’s income derived from vice. Tom Lininger is the county commissioner for the East Lane District, and is the former Chair of the Tobacco Settlement Advisory Task Force. Johnson Staff Writers Alan Pittman, Bobbie Willis Calendar Editor Ben Fogelson Editorial Assistant Marina Taylo, Contributing Writers Brett Campbell, Rachel Foster, Kate Rogers Gessert, Jerry Harris, James Johnston, Sharleen Nelson, Mary O’Brien, Vanessa Salvia, Sally Sheklow, Lance Sparks, Martha Ulman West Interns Brian Boone, Mariko Fukuyama, John Husby Joohn Husby ADVERTISING ART DEPARTMENT BUSINESS Art Director/Production Manager Kevin Dougherty Graphic Artist/Webmaster James Bateman Graphic Artists Katie Beckman, Todd Cooper Contributing Photographers Kurt Jensen, Paul Neevel, Linda Smogor Congress can do so much more to encourage what is already happening in America’s auto in- dustry. Ford is planning to sell a hybrid model of its Escape SUV. Toyota and General Motors re- cently announced they are installing highly effi- cient hybrid engines in their SUVs as well. We need to get these powerful, safe, money-savers on the market sooner rather than later. And let’s keep the drills and oil spills out of the wildlife- rich wilderness of the Arctic Refuge. Kate Waterbury Eugene National Sales Manager Catherine McCormick Senior Marketing Consultant Bill Shreve Display Marketing Consultants Mark Frisbee, Rob Weiss Advertisng Traffic Coordinator Geneva Miller Classified Manager Jennifer D’Angelo Classified Marketing Consultants Shelly Rude, Jeffrey Stout General Manager John Herron Circulation Manager Deena Miller Bookkeeper Paula Hoemann Customer Care Specialist Erin Lusk Distributors Travis Dominguez, Jim Harris, Sue Hunnel, Terri Molitor, Will Thornton, Pedalers Express Printing Signature Graphics HOW TO REACH US BY E-MAIL: (letters): editor@eugeneweekly.com (advertising): ads@eugeneweekly.com (classifieds): classy@eugeneweekly.com (personals): romance@eugeneweekly.com (calendar): cal@eugeneweekly.com (music/clubs/special shows): music@eugeneweekly.com (art/openings/galleries): visualarts@eugeneweekly.com (performance/theater): performance@eugeneweekly.com (literary arts/readings): books@eugeneweekly.com (movies/film screenings): movies@eugeneweekly.com
