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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 2004)
TO THE EDITOR WHO’S BEHIND MEASURE 35? The practices of industry sacrifice the commons of the many for the enjoyment of the few, many who do not live here. Growth of the resource industry won’t be a positive thing for Oregon considering that its timeta- bles are out of whack with soil and nutrient cycles. Proponents of industry can blame all the environmentalists they want. Environmental advocates did not write the laws of nature; but merely accept the exis- tence of them. If Bush wins in November, we will see an acceleration of resource depletion so fast it will make our heads spin. Our hopes of a healthy, diverse culture and economy will be even further out of reach. Kerstin Britz Cottage Grove COPS ON THE PATH I’m a Eugene resident and I like to walk and ride my bike in peaceful areas, away from the busy streets. One nice area of solace and spiritual relaxation is along the bike path, especially in the area of north Eugene along the Willamette river. However, when I was riding my bike down that path the other day, a cop car came riding up the path. I found this to be not only unnerving but disturbing. Why do we allow police cars on bike paths? Not only did I have to move my bicy- cle out of the way, but it was frustrating and made me angry. Can we keep cop cars out of the bike paths and only on the streets? (it’s annoying enough to have to deal with them Measure 35 is complicated. Although their arguments sound strong, I believe we are getting a lot of misinformation from the well-funded “pro” side. The “pro” side has doctors and nurses stumping in TV ads. Of course, because it is their jobs that they say are on the line. I believe the insurance companies are behind this campaign and misleading the physi- cians and the public in order to increase their revenues, which, by the way, are not hurting. Malpractice insurance rates are unregulated. Good doctors may be forced out due to unrea- sonable rate increases, which the insurance companies blame on frivolous lawsuits. I have done a study on the number of medical malpractice lawsuits in Lane County in the last three years and have counted only three such suits. Were any of these frivolous? I doubt it. Is this representative of our state? I think so. That is not to say that physicians don’t get “hurt” by lawsuits. They can get dragged into litigation with only minimal contact with the person suing due to a lawyer who wishes to involve anyone and everyone. This is where doctors need to be able to fight unreasonable rate hikes. Where is the insurance commis- sioner when you need him? Caps on pain and suffering awards give insurance companies an unfair advantage in the courtroom. The individual will be limited to legal representation in proportion to the poten- tial award amount. The insurance company will not be limited by this and can mount a de- fense without economic limit. The individual is at a deficit before even getting to court. Studies have shown that in states that have levied these kinds of caps, insurance premi- ums have not decreased afterwards. Significant changes did not occur due to caps. Many states have tried this, yet we are still deceived into thinking that the legal system is to blame for outrageous premiums. Don’t give up on your legal system because of insurance com- pany mismanagement. And doctors, you should fight this, not join them. This will not change your situation. It has not worked in other states. Some states have, however, set up boards of professional individuals, including physi- cians and attorneys, to “try” medical negligence cases before they actually get to a court- room, and in this way ferret out the “frivolous” ones. The ones with real merit proceed to trial. I believe this system should be considered here. The court system is supposed to allow everyone equal access. Have we given up on al- lowing a jury of our peers to try and fairly assess these cases? Are we going to give in to buzz words and the slogans of the insurance companies and permit another of our rights to erode? For more information, I refer you to Americans for Insurance Reform at the Center for Justice and Democracy at the website www.centerjd.org/ Please read between the lines of the moneyed “pro” ad campaign and vote no on 35. Gordon Nadel Eugene there). Surely there are a few people out there who agree with my point of view. This is probably borderline harassment. Dave Schlessinger Eugene PRIME MOTIVATOR Sherylin York’s last letter (9/16) regarding adult films appeal emphasized her “megabucks studio contract” and a healthy asset portfolio. I’ve never personally found money the prime motivator for risky behavior although I realize its primacy in the Western psyche. It affects many folks like booze, reli- gion or narcotics. But, of course, to each his own. It’s just that being happy and liking one’s work seems to be the purpose to working to me; whether you acquire an “asset portfolio” is secondary. Some might think it a ridiculous question, but I’d rather know if she is happy and enjoys her “work.” Maybe she is and does but she didn’t say so. Richard Sterling Eugene CLUELESS COUPLING Marriage is about union, love and respect, not just a man and a woman. Before criticiz- ing who should or shouldn’t get married, one should really look at his or her marriage to see if it is really flying in harmony. Prior to signing their name on the marriage contract, too many couples seem to have no clue of BY TONY CORCORAN From the Bullpen Chawin’ and spittin’ as politics goes to bat G reetings, sports fans. I’ve just emerged from my catacomb in a Trappist monastery called the Employment Appeals Board, surrounded mostly by lawyers, all of whom are women, who use a lot of commas in their sentences. It’s scary — I’m forced to read 300 pages of transcripts each week, and vote on 60 cases. And if I mess up, there are seven women lawyers to remind me I’m Irish and male. Ouch! So naturally, I’ve withdrawn to politics. Here’s my picks: Federal: Bush is a bubba/bimbo, Cheney and Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz are war crimi- nals, A.G. Ashcroft is PATRIOTically killing civil rights. The whole package is friggin’ scary. I’ve never been so embarrassed to be an American, seriously. Anyway, I’m for that guy, Kerry Edwards, he seems to be a nice combination of patrician and populist. Anybody but Bush wins! Peter DeFazio has drawn an odd guy in the 4th Congressional, a former spook, Feldkamp, who only lasted five years in the FBI? Aren’t those guys usually lifers? What’s his story, and why hasn’t the Oregon media even looked at this guy’s history? Granted, Feldkamp’s a patriot (so is DeFazio) but he’s also a total Bush psychosycophant. State: Ballot measures? I’m just saying NO to all of ’em. Measure 36 is especially scary. One woman, one man? Is this mandatory? What if I just want one woman, and not interested in the man part? And what about those poor guys over in Eastern Oregon? One man, one lamb? Secretary of State Bill Bradbury will beat Betsy “Not Even” Close. Her biggest ac- complishment in the Legislature was withholding unemployment benefits for 35,000 Oregonians after 9/11. Attorney General Hardy Myers will beat Connolly, Oregon’s ver- sion of John Ashcroft. And State Treasurer Randall Edwards will beat his three oppo- nents. Hot legislative races include: Senate District 4. Floyd Prozanski, the appointed in- cumbent, will win. Norm Thomas, his Republican opponent, has been a real disappoint- ment. When I first met Norm in 1998 — he finished third to Cedric Hayden and Cleve Dumdi in the Republican primary to run against me for the open Senate seat — he seemed fairly moderate. This time around, Norm was recruited by the right-wing of the 6 OCTOBER 14 2004 Republican Senate. 75 percent of Norm’s donations have come from one cowardly outfit, The Leadership Fund, which apparently is too embarrassed to admit that it is actually the Republican Senate Campaign Committee, and Norm is doing these nasty hit pieces on Floyd. Unfortunately for Norm, he picked fiscal responsibility as Floyd’s flaw. But see, Floyd never left town owing 72 creditors $200,000 in Chapter 7 bankruptcy like Norm did. Nor did Floyd subsequently end up like Norm in the south Eugene hills in a fancy house with fancy cars while the creditors got bupkis. U.S. Bankruptcy Court Case #681-05353. Enough said. Phil Barnhart has drawn a tough opponent this time in House District 11. Michael Spasaro sounds like a spooky dude. Who ever heard of the DEA demoting a narcotics agent … in Turkey? DeFazio and Barnhart both drew former federal agents with suspi- cious backgrounds. Manchurian candidates always make me nervous. Bob Ackerman has been working hard and will beat Gary Pierpoint in House District 13. Pierpoint is an- other one of those Republicans who yaks about education being important and then gets chewed up and spit out by the Republican right caucus. Speaking of which, Pat Farr is gone, and Bev Ficek has a tough race against Debi Farr in House District 14. Debi is much more conservative than Pat was. She says Speaker Karen Minnis is a role model, that means funding for K-12, higher education, services for kids and seniors would all be at risk. Bev is a class act. Shirley Cairns is the Dems’ sacrificial lamb in House District 7, but I admire her for throwing her hat in the ring. Paul Holvey, labor’s new voice in the House, and a great guy, will beat Bill Young in District 8. In House 12, Terry Beyer — just like Lee — so good she didn’t even draw an opponent! County: I’ve signed on to the Don Hampton campaign because I think it’s the most important county commissioner race in the state. I’ve known Don Hampton for years, as an Oakridge city councilor, mayor, and current county commissioner. I’ve never met his opponent, Faye Stewart, and I have nothing bad to say about him. He’s never served in public office, so he doesn’t have a record. Unfortunately, Faye’s endorsed by Anna Morrison, a certified ideologue and a pawn of the developer class and Oregonians in Action. Given the choice, why wouldn’t you chose a guy who’s been there and has the ex- perience, like Don Hampton? And remember, sports fans, Vote early and vote often! Tony Corcoran is a former state senator currently serving on the Oregon Employment Appeals Board.
