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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2007)
TO THE EDITOR Congress. I was wrong again, and last week, just to prove the point, Smith proudly voted against the bill before the Senate to raise the federal minimum wage to something just below what it takes to slowly starve to death. Even though Smith’s personal fortune was built on the backs of immigrant laborers, the proposed federal minimum wage is less than our state minimum here in Oregon, so he and his cronies in the agricultural industries have nothing to lose by raising the federal mini- mum. It is totally unconscionable that anyone could vote no on this issue, and the only rea- son for such a vote is that his puppetmasters at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue so ordered it. For the past six years Smith has been nothing more than a stooge for the ad- ministration and has amassed a voting record to prove it. As the slime, corruption and sleaze continue to ooze out of the Bush White House on a daily basis, Smith is undaunted, a loyal foot soldier to the end. Is this why we sent him to Washington? I think not. Some people run for the Senate to serve their nation and represent the people of their state, and some people run just to be a sena- tor. Unfortunately Mr. Smith went to Washington just to be a senator. It is time to show Smith the door. We as Oregonians can do better. It’s time to put the partisan politics to bed and do what is right for our country and for the people of our state — all of us. There will always be extremists on both ends of the spectrum, and they will never be happy, but I would hope that we could exam- ine the choices that we have of reasonable, thinking people and field some candidates that we all could be proud of no matter who wins. Joel Breeze Eugene WHAT DID VOTERS WANT? After reading Alan Pittman’s article “Looming Sprawl” (1/25), I need to put the statements attributed to me in perspective be- cause it is clear that Pittman exercised his “journalistic license” in recounting our dis- cussion. Pittman asked me whether there was a possibility that the Joint Committee on Land Use Fairness would consider a moratorium and a referral of a measure to the voters. I an- swered yes, but added that those are just two of several options we are considering. I also told him that a number of voters who sup- ported Measure 37 are now saying that they supported it to allow for single-family dwellings, not subdivisions. The joint committee co-chairs (Rep. Greg Macpherson and I) are looking at a number of possibilities to address the 180-day deadline that counties and the state face in processing Measure 37 claims. In the last five weeks of the first deadline to file Measure 37 claims, the total number of claims filed doubled to more than 7,000. We realize that many coun- ties and the state will need additional time to properly process these claims. We also are considering asking the voters to clarify their intent in passing Measure 37. Unfortunately, the drafters of Measure 37 in- cluded numerous ambiguities, and these am- biguities have resulted in more than 130 law- suits around the state so far. I also want to point out that even though I represent part of south Eugene (as mentioned in the article), my district also includes rural areas spanning three counties: Lane, Douglas and Coos. Many of my rural constituents have said that they are concerned that their livelihood and quality of life as ranchers, farmers and foresters are in jeopardy if urban development is allowed in rural areas. Floyd Prozanski State Senator, District 4 WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS? What concerns me is not that Mr. Brown (Letters, 1/25) avidly reads Savage Love but rather that countless children in our commu- nity may be doing the same, given the easy accessibility of the paper. Doesn’t EW shoul- der any responsibility to our entire commu- nity? Beside the business that “proudly spon- sors” the column, I wonder how many EW advertisers are aware of all of its con- tents. Let’s inform them, readers. Robert Young Eugene IGNORING THE TRUTH John Zerzan (Letters, 12/28) and some other anarchists who seem to prefer the al- lowance of societal collapse are ignoring that the hands of empire now wield technology which exponentially magnifies destructive- ness. Should we allow weapons of mass de- struction to be unleashed? For the ecosystem to collapse due to global warming? Who will pick up the pieces of a radioactive, scorched earth? It is only sane to act preventatively. Zerzan attacks the notion of pushing the Democratic Party in a positive direction. Yes, in a global emergency where time is running out, it is imperative that the major parties be pushed. Does this make me a Democratic Party operative? If Zerzan were interested in facts before firing public rhetoric, he would discover my political ID is Green (a co- founder of the Green Party in another state). The exploration of “radical” in my Dec. 21 commentary seeks to understand whether violence or nonviolence better addresses the source of society’s malaise and has nothing to do with individual status, including myself. He also continues to label me “pacifist” after I stated Gandhi rejected this term and so do I. No “passivity” here. The movement to create ecovillages, co- FEBRUARY 1, 2007 5
