TO THE EDITOR
SUVs OR EDUCATION?
ANGRY GREEN GIANT
When our Legislature began “handling” the
fate of human services and children’s programs,
I was first amused, then dismayed, now furious.
Every faction in Salem seems to want to finger-
point and place blame instead of digging in and
doing the dirty work. I can’t believe there isn’t
full and resounding support for educational pro-
grams, especially.
My children are grown and out of the school
system, but I can’t help but be alarmed that chil-
dren attending school right now are not receiv-
ing a varied and well balanced, adequate educa-
tion. After all, in a few years I will be living, as
a senior, under the laws they make as adults for
our welfare. I want to make sure these people
have a compassionate, intelligent educational
experience.
The money is there! According to AFL-CIO
information, Oregon hands out in tax benefits
more than it collects. A lot of these tax breaks
are given for worthy and honorable reasons that
benefit all of society. For instance, it makes
sense to provide tax breaks to promote home
ownership. But, does it make sense to extend
that benefit to vacation homes and mansions?
Does it make sense to allow “writing off” all of
the personal vehicles and SUVs that are techni-
cally owned by corporations? Couldn’t people
in the corporate world use smaller cars? Upon
examination, there are many such “loopholes”
that could be closed — to provide money for
children!
I urge each person to write his or her state
legislators. Let them know that there are people
in their districts interested in children’s educa-
tional programs. I’ve heard so often that the
children are our future — let’s make it a bright
one.
Linda Zimmerman
Eugene
I think we would all agree that violence is an
epidemic in our country. On June 20, a movie
came out that epitomizes this sense of violence.
This movie, “Hulk,” depicts a man that, when
provoked, turns green and violently rages
against those who have done him “wrong.” One
of the primary audiences of this movie are
young boys. This type of modeling is irresponsi-
ble and despicable. We, as parents, have a
responsibility to not fund such endeavors and
take a stand against this type of media. I call on
all parents to realize that by supporting a hero
who uses violence to solve problems, we are
teaching them that volatility is the best technique
when dealing with life stresses. We are training
our boys to hide all their feelings with rage, learn
to parent with violent discipline and possibly
become future domestic abusers and rapists.
This movie is geared towards our youngest
and most impressionable. Don’t let them see the
movie, don’t buy the pajamas, don’t buy the
merchandise. Take time with your kids, monitor
what goes into their lives. Teach them to verbal-
ize their feelings, not use their fists. I guarantee
you will be happy you did.
Brian Ellis
Eugene
DICK & DONALD SHOW
Rigorously reared in the “kinder, gentler”
new world order of his dad, we find Bush Jr.
using our military to satisfy a family vendetta.
Most of our allies recoil in shock and awe as
this trigger-happy Bible-thumper tests his infer-
nal superpowers. Vacuous but lethal, he is the
perfect frontman for that malignant Dick &
Donald show. Oil and arms are their meal tick-
ets in the private sector, while in the public sec-
tor their mission is providing a war that acceler-
ates deficit spending. Our future (virtual) tax
BY TONY CORCORAN
You Talkin’ to Me?
A fill-in-the-blanks as the session drags on.
O
regon has a “citizen” Legislature, we’re not professional politicians; we
meet six months (or so) out of every two years and go back to our “day
jobs” when the session is over. Last Friday, we chose to freeze our wages at
$1,283 a month; it seemed only right since we proposed freezing the salaries and
step increases for teachers and state workers. Oregon also has a tradition of legis-
lators employing family — whether it’s a spouse, a child, nieces or nephews, grand-
kids — as part of that citizen legislature. I had the rare pleasure of having my son,
Simon, work with me this session for the first 5-1/2 months as my legislative assis-
tant; he’s now at the UO. When he asked me for the job last December, I had misgiv-
ings; my experience with the last four legislative assistants I’ve had and the per-
sonal grief they took because they worked for such an obstreperous blankety-
blank. It was not always a pretty picture.
Think about it, having to react to the hits I take for taking on the corporations,
the radical right no-tax-know-nothings, the Right-to-Lifers, and the folks who are
trying to create an evangelical church-state. LA’s tend to be defensive of their
boss, and I’ve had to instruct each of them: That’s not your job. Staff are to act as
a conduit, a wall, a sieve — an office manager — making sure my schedule is
updated and my bills are pulled for each of my four committees and the Senate
floor. Their job is to arrange meetings, take notes in policy meetings when I’m not
available, and keep me aware of what they’re hearing in the halls of the Capitol.
Above all, they are there to take care of constituent questions and concerns.
I
’ve been blessed with incredible staff and interns. My in-district assistant Diana
Chambers has been with me since the beginning — I inherited her from my
predecessor in the House, Sam Dominy. I hesitate to call her an antique, but
she’s been around the process for the past 20 years. She could write a book on
4 JULY 3, 2003
dollars are promised to favored corporations
now and our children will pay for our excesses
later.
Ken Lay was probably on Cheney’s secret
energy committe, showing Dick how to do
America, Enron style. Halliburton’s no-bid con-
tract to repair the Iraqi oil fields is just drippin’
with conflicts of interest. These duplicitous
poseurs were installed by a supreme clique of
gavel swingers who grew impatient with our
electoral procedures, and that’s not democracy.
This administration’s collapse will be a cathar-
tic experience for America and a relief for the
rest of the world.
Chris N. Hallett
Eugene
CASINO CONCERNS
Concerning the proposed casino near
Florence being promoted by the Confederated
Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw. I
think it’s important that we separate the demean-
ing community dis-service of casino gambling
from the legitimate public debate surrounding
constituent services; she knows every nook and cranny of the
state bureaucracy. From Sean Smith, to Wayne Clark, to
Tamara Brickman and Maija Gunderson, my Salem staff
for the past four sessions were stars and they’ve all
gone on to bigger and better things.
Simon handled his job well. Unlike his father,
Simon is low-keyed, organized (sorta), quick on the
uptake with a quiet sense of humor. He handled the
PERS attacks against me pretty well, but I could tell he
took it personally and he hated that part. His funniest,
most frustrated moment came when a freshman
Republican member of the House called me a Big Fat P————
in front of a bunch of lobbyists in the hallway one day. Hint: “prince” is six letters,
not five. The word got back to Simon, and he confronted me with what had hap-
pened:
“What are you gonna do about this stupid jerk? He can’t get away with this.” I
thought for a second and said, “Make me an appointment with the young rookie,
I’ll go tell him it’s not dignified to call people names like that in this building. That
should only be done at Magoo’s.” Simon was outraged: “Make an appointment!
Are you nuts? Why don’t you hold a press conference and call him a p———k?”
Hint: “punkinhead” doesn’t end with a k. Needless to say, having grown up in the
same household, Simon was not used to seeing a lot of maturity in the old man,
so this one took him a few days to compute.
B
ut what I really liked was steeping Simon in Salem’s stew; he got exposed
to all the issues out there in a short time period, and I think it was a huge
eye-opener to him. He went from having opinions about issues to engag-
ing the 600 registered lobbyists who could argue any side of those issues. Up
close and personal, he got to see these lobbyists, these special interest groups,
the other legislators — the good guys and the bad guys. Simon had an uncanny
knack for distinguishing between them early on. I think the experience made him
understand how Oregon’s political process works. Bowling pins and all. That’s an
invaluable lesson.
Sen. Tony Corcoran of Cottage Grove represents portions of Lane and Douglas counties in Senate District 4, which
includes the UO area. He can be reached at sen.tonycorcoran@state.or.us