TO THE EDITOR
entrepreneurial and business killing machine.
It’s not a coincidence that Oregon is number
one in unemployment.
This system is unsustainable. Look
around: closed businesses, bankruptcies,
high unemployment, shrinking tax base,
budget cuts, etc. It’s all happening now! One
logical solution is a government reduction
revolution (perhaps Libertarian), otherwise
this current slow painful collapse and implo-
sion will likely continue. Oregon’s economy
is neither vibrant nor robust, therefore, unfor-
tunately, we must also consider not expand-
ing our business.
Grant Roberts
Corvallis
ORTIZ FOR WARD 7
May 18 is a vital day for the people of
Eugene. Because of how our primaries work,
that day we will make decisions about who
will be running our city, who will be making
the choices that affect us in a way that the
presidential race can’t. It’s local politics,
local elections, that decide which of our
neighbors will be representing us on the City
Council and in the mayor’s office.
We know we need a change on the City
Council. It has become too conservative. In
Ward 7 we’re lucky that Andrea Ortiz has
stepped up to help make that change happen.
We simply cannot let the council continue to
be ruled by people without the needs of the
people in mind. Andrea has us in her mind
and her heart.
I hope that at the end of the day, when the
ballots have been counted on May 18, the
people of Eugene will be lucky enough to
have elected Kitty Piercy as our mayor, re-
tained Bonny Bettman and Betty Taylor on
the council, and elected Andrea Ortiz as the
new Ward 7 councilor.
M. Brooke Robertshaw
Eugene
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
In 2002 a Campaign Finance Reform ini-
tiative was defeated. In 1994 Oregon voters
approved a CFR initiative by 728 votes. The
Oregon Supreme Court ruled it unconstitu-
tional in 1997 claiming it violated “free
speech.” Oregon is one of the six states that
allows unlimited corporate contributions.
The defeat of the 2002 Health Care for All
initiative is one of many examples of how big
spenders with buying influence get their way
in Oregon (see www.oregonfollowthe-
money.org).
Initiative 53 limits all corporate and labor
union contributions to candidates for in-state
elections. It allows any one or group to create
a small donor committee that can receive per
person to oppose or support any candidate. A
membership or organization such as a labor
union can form a SDC. Initiative 53 will
bring tough reporting requirements for con-
tribution and expenditures and it enforces
provisions. To prevent this law from being
overturned by the Oregon Supreme Court or
by Oregon Legislature, it will become part of
the Oregon Constitution.
Women won the right to vote in Oregon
by the initiative process before it became
federal law in 1912 after numerous
defeats. That’s what we intend to do
with CFR. You can join us by contacting
www.voters.net/mind We’re back and here to
stay!
Ceila (Starshine) Levine
Eugene
NO QUICK FIX
We here in Oregon have an opportunity to
help level the political playing field with a
citizen’s initiative. There are four months left
to get petition #53 on the ballot in Oregon.
This issue is fundamental to all progressive
causes! My question is why isn’t there huge
outpouring of support from environmental
and social justice groups, small businesses,
and all citizens that want bribery out of
Oregon politics? We hear again and again
that money donated to politicians corrupts the
legislative process. Oregon is one of six
states that has no limits on donations to can-
didates. Enron has its corporate charter here
for that very reason.
I’m afraid ego and laziness prevents oth-
ers from helping out on this petition. We pro-
gressives have got to start working together
and not worrying about “who gets the credit
BS.” The problems we are facing today need
more than a small group of committed citi-
zens to fix. We need help!
Pam Driscoll
Cottage Grove
POPULATION CONTROL
Kudos to local Realtor Rick Gaston (3/18)
for efforts to “encourage a dialogue which ac-
knowledges the reality of (population)
growth.” Semantics is also important as “land
suitable for … housing is becoming ex-
tremely scarce,” could also be described as
resulting from a “long age of people.”
One of several factors pushing population
growth in Eugene is continued national popu-
lation growth. We continue to pay the price
for not heeding the advice of the 1972
Rockefeller Commission which said, in part,
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