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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 2004)
TO THE EDITOR ÆcdgbVaÇ hold the weight of all the pressing national needs deserving of center stage. An anti-Bush platform only serves to confirm the negative nature of politics, and harden the assumptions of powerlessness many feel to change what is. An anti-Bush platform presumes the president as the cause of all our problems rather than, as is more likely, the result of them. As we begin what will certainly prove a bitterly divisive political new year, I caution fellow Democrats to take great care not to de- scend to the same low levels we are oppos- ing. Demonstrate instead the strength of our national spirit, which far surpasses that of any one man to suppress it. Todd Huffman, M.D. Eugene NOT VERY LIBERAL Liberal readers of EW should be aware that the mainstream media has been painting Howard Dean to be a liberal, but he is not. His positions are available at www.deanforamer- ica.com Note that he is not against the death penalty (“I believe the death penalty should be available for extreme and heinous crimes, such as terrorism or the killing of police offi- cers or young children. But it must be carried out with scrupulous fairness.”); nor is he for substantially stricter gun control (“I don’t think we need a lot of new federal laws. But we do need to do a few things at the federal level, like requiring Insta-Check on all retail and gun show sales. We also must do a better job of enforcing the laws on the books.”). He has considered reducing benefits or extend- ing the age of eligibility for Medicare and Social Security under the guise of making these programs fiscally sound. (“Assure that Social Security and Medicare are adequately funded to meet the needs of the next genera- tion of retirees.” Obvious code words for these benefit reductions.) He supports a strong military. The list goes on and on. Although it is true that he has an excellent record on the environment, civil unions, and women’s rights, liberals who think they sup- port Dean should take note: Dean is no run- of-the-mill liberal; rather, he is a social cen- trist and fiscal conservative in the mold of a “Rockefeller Republican” or Clinton. McGovernites will have to look elsewhere. James McClelland Eugene RED FLAGS Money continues to be the driving force in Eugene, even when misused; even when grossly misused, as in the boondoggles of ex- panding Autzen Stadium and replacing Mac Court for a multi-million dollar figure that continues to mushroom. Alan Pittman (cover story, 12/24) was dealing with a lesser amount — “just” $25 million for community sports and recreation. I have no answers for the debate over how much should go for each deserving area. But when money goes to sports facilities, red flags should go up. A case in point is the spending of $1.7 mil- lion for four new high school stadia. Money probably was well spent — except it should not have had to be spent. The decision to spend came because the use of Autzen Stadium for weekly prep games was to end since Autzen was to replace artificial grass with the real stuff. Fear was the living blades might lose some of their luster if Autzen had more than six games a year. So, goodbye high schools. But wait, the Ducks still play on artificial turf. They changed their minds about real grass. Only the rush to build a separate tiny stadium for each high school already was under way. So money was unnecessarily spent, and Autzen sits empty on what used to be high school game nights. We may go hungry in other areas. But, heck, we still have games to play. George Beres Eugene UNFAIR TAX Please contact the Board of Commissioners at 682-4203. This is the main line to get individual emails or extensions. They are considering a tax on pet food and re- quiring vets to open private records to ensure registration of pets to raise money for the im- poverished LCARA. A tax on food is always unfair to the poor who cannot choose whether or not they should indulge in nutrition. Veterinarians say most of the very poor take excellent care of their pets (sometimes their only companions in life), already spending much more than the wealthier sector proportionate to income. Those who welcome a tax could choose to send a donation to LCARA instead! Opening (private) pet records to public officials would only create yet another bureaucracy of audi- tors whom would require a salary as well as require more paperwork from vets, thus rais- ing consumer costs. This would also increase the chance that unregistered owners would choose to not get rabies shots. Compared to the many places I’ve lived, we restrictively limit the number of dogs one can legally own. Increasing that number would encourage many people to register who haven’t out of fear. Perhaps some of the financial burden of caring for unwanted pets should fall on the people creating them. I’ve ties to the rescue community and there are actually a handful of irresponsible backyard breeders who create a surprising amount of shelter animals. Maybe selling an- imals could be taxed with a credit system for responsible breeding. Sondra Arrache Eugene ËËË Ë lll# Ë ËËË GdhZ8^inBi\ #Xdb -++#*&(#*'&. CORRUPTED TALE Being a strong admirer of J.R.R. Tolkien, I was saddened by the recent recreation of Lord of the Rings. The grandeur of Tolkien’s original work lay its portrayal of true good- ness and noble courage in the face of great darkness. All of this is lost in the film, be- cause the characters have been corrupted from their original spirit. For instance, for those who have seen the films, none of the following events actually happened in the books upon which the films were based: Gandalf the “white” wizard beats up another he disagrees with, later murders him, and ignobly wears mud on his face. Frodo the pure-hearted is tricked and rejects his only true friend. Eowyn the brave and val- orous wears her helm lopsided, making her look foolish right at the moment of her tri- umph. Sam the humble hobbit gets morbid satisfaction from killing and delivers one of the many one-liners in the film ala Arnold Schwarzenegger. Elrond the noble elf king shows his contempt for his daughter by scoff- ing at her love for a human man. The film is wholly infected with these subtle but pro- found corruptions. Please Join Us At Riverpark Health Care Campus Saturday, February 7th 10am-4pm for the First Annual Health & Wellness Fair Over 25 booths including: Gateway Medical, Rainbow Optics, Lincare, Willoughby Hearing, Curves Fitness, Easter Seal Pool, Four Winds Yoga, Tamarack Wellness Center, Massage, Reiki, Mobile Oral Hygiene, E-Z Coil Shoes, Physical Therapy, In-Home Care, Home Heatlh, Nursing, Emerald Valley Kitchen, Chiropractor, Vicky's Salon, Herbal Products and much, much more . . . Free Door Prizes, Refreshments and Entertainment Free Lectures on Osteoporosis and Body Mechanics with Tina Meyer, MSPT Free massage, balance testing, walker and wheelchair maintenance, food samples, hearing checks, blood pressure, eyeglasses cleaning, information, mini manicures and much more! Call Elizabeth for more information 345-6199 425 Alexander Loop (off Goodpasture Island Rd.) R iverpark HEATLH CARE CAMPUS www.touchmark.com JANUARY 8, 2004 5
