TO THE EDITOR
FEDERAL FAILURE
I am a third generation native-born resident of Lane County. I have attended its public
schools, community college, and prestigious university. As a resident, I’ve had the opportu-
nity to contribute to my community in many ways: as an elementary school volunteer, long-
term-care ombudsman, and volunteer human rights advocate, most recently on county advi-
sory committee. I recently completed training to become a paralegal, and intend to use these
skills in furthering my human rights work. The impending construction of Lane County’s new
federal courthouse leaves me very leery of my newly chosen profession, and questioning of
the intelligence and common sense utilized by those scholars who chose to specifically ex-
clude a protected class of citizens from full access to a federal building.
As a person who uses a wheelchair, I use elevators and ramps every day. I will be unable to
conduct my business in a building that does not provide full access to me, and although ele-
vator access may meet the absolute minimum standards of access according to the law, in re-
ality, it is a joke. Ramps are respected and recognized as a disabled access, especially here in
Eugene. People tend to only use them when they need to. Elevators, on the other hand, are
notoriously full of people in a hurry, and in our county courthouse alone, I am often left wait-
ing while the elevator both arrives and leaves full of people who are standing — waiting once
for over 20 minutes (I timed it). Most people do not recognize that they may be the only ac-
cess a person in a wheelchair has to a certain location.
Elevators are given to breaking down, as evidenced by the three hours I once spent on the
second floor of a builiding at UO while waiting for an elevator maintenance man. Is this ade-
quate access? I think not. In both situations, the person with the disability is left behind, sin-
gled out, and excluded from normal activities of daily life — not due to the disability, but due
to human behavior and the limitations of man-made mechanisms.
Eugene has developed a reputation as a national symbol of inclusion and accessibility for
people with disabilities. I, for one, will not sit by and allow such a tragic step backward in our
advance toward full and equal access for all citizens. It is simply not acceptable.
I served on a planning committee for UO when they were designing and building the
Knight Law School, and would be more than pleased to offer my assistance to any effort to
change this oversight that could soon become a travesty of justice.
Heather R. Cranor
Eugene
RECLAIM GOVERNMENT
Carol Horne made several excellent
points in her Viewpoint (Aug. 7, “Reclaim
the Dream”) regarding the nature of govern-
ment today and the seeming loss of 1960s and
‘70s idealism. Unfortunately, her suggestion
that something positive will be accomplished
by not paying taxes or by engaging in civil
disobedience explains why things are the way
they are.
Experience has taught me that, eventually,
the IRS will come after you for the withheld
taxes and that civil disobedience does not
stop wars. Unless everyone stops paying
taxes and takes to the streets, these actions are
largely ignored by government policy mak-
ers.
The only place change will take place is
within the halls of government. If anyone is
dissatisfied with the way things are, run for
public office or support the candidacy of any-
one who champions the causes you believe
in. Not all politicians are on the take, so sup-
port those who stand up for what they believe
is right, like U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, and
work to defeat those who mainly serve their
financial masters.
Whining doesn’t change anything.
Michael Sullivan
Philomath
RISKY OCCUPATION
I wonder if it’s dawned on America’s
Orwellian public that many of the world’s top
microbiologists — 20 in the past two years —
have died under mysterious circumstances.
explanations from our “propaganda min-
istry” range from suicide to being blow off a
bridge by an 18-wheeler.
Here’s a hypothetical scenario for your
consideration: There’s a cabal on the planet
BY TONY CORCORAN
Life’s a Pissoir …
Cautious cactus caucus causes consternation.
T
hings are pretty quiet on the Senate and House floors. It was so slow last
Tuesday that I spent half the day chasing a bug around the urinal. (Gosh, I hope
this doesn’t get me in trouble with PETA!) Next Monday, I’m carrying the only bill
in the Senate; our official work of the day will probably take less time than the opening
prayer.
The House isn’t doing much better. On Friday, their Rules Committee had only one
issue: House Memorial 11 – urging Oregon’s U.S. senators to allow a vote of the U.S.
Senate on the nomination of Miguel Estrada to the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. Circuit
Court. I can just see it now, Ron Wyden opens his mail from Oregon: “Oh, goody goody,
I’ve finally received word from home: The Oregon Legislature wants me to move the
nomination of Estrada. I’ve been struggling with this for a year. Now I can nominate this
right-wing wacko with the full support of Republican legislative sponsors — Farr, Kropf,
Kruze, Close, Nelson and Zauner. Good enough for me! I’ll get right on it.”
Speaking of Rep. Jeff Kropf, I am happy to report that the House Republican caucus
loves his diplomatic skills. Apparently Kropf appeared on Lars Larson last week. Sars
was on a tirade about RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) who supported any new tax
proposals and he goaded Jeff into identifying the comrades of RINO ringleader “Fat
Max” Williams. Now Jeff’s not the brightest bulb in the chandelier — his nickname
“Spanky” comes from his rabid pursuit of a bill to require corporal punishment of
schoolkids — and he proceeds to name off Rob Patridge, Lane Shetterly, Pat Farr, Billy
Dalto and a few others. Patridge hears about this, orders a tape of the show, and was
playing it for his next caucus when Kropf walked in a few minutes late. It was not a pretty
scene.
M
eanwhile, Senate Republicans also blew up in caucus last week when three of
their archconservative leaders — Roger Beyer, Steve Harper, Jason Atkinson —
announced in a press conference that they had sealed a deal with Senate
Democratic negotiators. Unfortunately they held the press conference before telling
4 AUGUST 21, 2003
their caucus, and when they did tell their caucus, they said:
“And, oh, by the way, we’ve made this deal but we’re not
gonna vote for it because it involves increased taxes, so we
need three of you other guys to provide the votes.”
Apparently Ken Messerle, usually so calm he’s a posterchild
for Quaalude, erupted, and the “deal” was quickly deep-sixed.
Meanwhile, our Senate Democratic caucus has been dissolved
by our leader, Kate Brown. Kate can’t operate in the light of day, know-
ing that she and our other elitist brainiacs — Peter Courtney and Ryan Deckert — must
find a way to privately capitulate to the Republicans. Kate is the twisted modern
Democratic inversion of Chief Joseph — she will fight no more, forever. Friday, Kate
talked to each of our members separately, without showing us her latest proposed plan
in writing. She then refused to have a noon caucus to allow folks to talk about her pro-
posal. We joked that she has taken the argument one step too far regarding whether
caucuses should be open or closed to the media. She now has closed caucuses so com-
pletely that even the members can’t attend. All this reminds me of the old joke: What’s
the difference between a caucus and a cactus? With a cactus, the prick’s on the outside.
W
ith the exception of the Republican caucuses, all the action is in one room: As I
write this on Sunday morning, Aug. 17, a group is hunkered down in Salem cre-
ating the final “matrix” for a settlement. At least now the R’s negotiating in
the room are conservatives, not Baathist Party members; while we’re represented by
our neo-liberals. Forget $5.3 billion for schools, forget the UO budget, forget LCC.
Thursday, with the help of six Democrats — none from Lane County, thank goodness —
Senate Republicans voted out a Department of Education budget cutting Headstart by
$1 million. This isn’t about good budgets anymore, it’s about the deal to go home.
So we’re each on our own now. Deals are being cut left and right. I won’t support the
inadequate budgets or the irresponsible one-time revenue proposals; so I’ve only got
three issues left on my plate to fight for: small high school funding, small school merg-
ers, and Headstart funding.
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