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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (April 30, 2009)
letters TO THE EDITOR the skyline around Eugene is becoming a lot more gray and a lot less green. It’s shocking when you’re walking along and suddenly you feel something has changed dramatically. You can just tell: 18th and Jefferson, 13th and Pearl are just two simple examples. I was born and raised here. I have seen more trees cut down in the last fi ve years than anytime previous. If a limb falls on someone’s car, no big deal, that’s why they have insurance. If a limb fell on my mom and killed her, heck, she lived a good life and that’s an interesting way to go. I think the city is a little too afraid of lawsuits if you ask me. Do they replace the trees they cut down? Not that I have seen. If they do get replaced, they get replaced with these crappy little "car friendly" curb trees. I think the 140 years of combined experience means they are too caught up in serving the city and less the people of Eugene. As the saying goes, "Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." Mayo Finch Eugene PUBLIC SERVANT People run for public offi ce for a variety of reasons. Ten years ago Beth Gerot was appointed to the 4J School Board and emerged as a genuine public servant. Since then she has proven her credentials by being chair or vice-chair for seven of the past 10 years. She is a thoughtful, calm, deliberate and dedicated advocate for children and their education. It has not been easy. Constant budget cuts have made choices few and hard, and most decisions have been heartbreaking. Conditions have not improved. At this time, we especially need Gerot’s approach to problem solving. She is not a person to rigidly maintain past practices or decisions but rather to use such as a guide to better decisions and avoidance of dead-ends. As a former three-term member of 4J’s School Board, I think I have an insider’s view on a “best fi t” for our board. At this very critical time, we need Gerot’s experience and dedication. We should be profoundly grateful that she is willing to continue on the board for another term. Join me on May 19, and vote for Beth Gerot. Judy Moseley Eugene ONE-NOTE SAMBA It’s rare to fi nd a really in-depth and accurate depiction of what it’s like to be a successful musician. I am a musician myself, and so I feel obligated to share a few of my award-winning secrets with all of you. Use a minimum amount of chords, but to truly express thoughts, feelings and emotions, it is absolutely best to stick to single note melodies and better yet, just one note. With two or more notes, the song becomes confusing and disorienting to the listener. When the average listener is taken out of their comfort zone, they will change the station or pop on a Volifonix CD in order to feel safe again. To ensure your message is clear, repetition is the key. If the whole song is just a hook, then you are guaranteed to be a success. Try using just one word that is one syllable. Multisyllabic words can again confuse the listeners and embarrass them at their own parties. At 43 seconds the listener should already know the word of the song and at fade out at 3:14, the listener will have had enough time to practice and prepare for an inevitable sing-along. You don't have to fade out; choose from up to three different rock ’n’ roll endings. Beware! If your song doesn't end at 3:14 then there is no point in even playing it. Instead of wasting your time at law school or putting up with all the hassles of starting your own business, just follow these guidelines and craft a pop song. I'm sure you'll have no problem hitting the top 40 in just a few short weeks. Ethan Pierce Eugene ANGER’S STIMULUS It seems that Ruth M. Atcherson (Letters, 4/16) has her head screwed on wrongly in most imaginable ways as proven in her last sentence: “anger and discontent, the antithesis to progress of any kind.” Anger and discontent are, in fact, the prime generators of most kinds of real progress. President Obama, the current great generator of political progress, could not have been elected without the great anger and discontent generated by the Bushie criminals. Bob Saxton Eugene LIGHT ’EM UP First and foremost, I would like to send a word out to all Oregonian bikers who may be unaware of the law: Front lights are required while riding in "limited visibility" conditions. Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way. A few months ago, I was biking to my carpool in the nearly dark morning, fl ashing merely a rear light, when a man in a Lexus SUV turned from a stop sign into my path, hitting me and destroying my beloved bike. The following week, laden with bruises, I was contacted by his insurance company, who deemed me at fault, although in truth I had the right of way. I am currently being hassled by debt collectors in regards to a $1,400 bill for damages to his Lexus. Where is the justice concerning a biker's rights and protection from not only automobiles but also the agencies that protect them? Unable to afford an attorney, I have sought advice from various sources but really all that has resulted is a mass of stress on my part. I can be reached at fawnfarley@gmail.com if anyone has any suggestions. My hope is that others can avoid fi nding themselves in a similar situation. Please wear a front light — and a helmet. As for the rap Eugene has as a "bike friendly" city, I am left severely disappointed. Fawn Farley Eugene DIGITAL RECEIPTS I recently went grocery shopping for a few items at a local grocery store. For the six or seven items I bought I was handed a receipt I could have wallpapered my bathroom with. I am likely not the most WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM environmentally minded, but even I was struck by this huge waste of paper. In this day and age when every store requires a "club card" why has this process not been digitized? Stores could easily provide a "paper free" receipt option. They would simply store your receipt electronically using the information already on the card you carry in your wallet, purse or on your key ring. You could then either stop by an in-store kiosk to view it or look at it online when you get home. Heck, someone could even make an iPhone app that looks it up for you! This would not only save stores a huge amount of expense in receipt paper, but it could cut down on the forest worth of trees and ink that likely walks out their doors monthly. It seems like a simple solution really. Maybe someone reading this out there knows someone in the industry? I know this isn't the outraged political content you usually have in your editorials, which I fi nd incredibly funny most days, but maybe you could print this so some guy out there with more time and know-how can pick the torch up and run with it. Dan Rux Eugene Saturday, May 2 11am - 4pm at the Eugene Waldorf School Everybody Welcome! Games ~ Crafts Puppet Shows Cake Walks May Pole Dancing Delicious Food Live Performances Admission is Free Activity Tickets $1.50 each BOOKS NOT BALLS Dan Johnson (Letters, 4/16), after whining about the trucks leaving UO's basketball arena worksite with un-tarped loads, suggests "shifting the focus to winning basketball games." I suggest that the proper "focus" of a university should be on education, not on providing a four-year training camp for semi-literate "student athletes" in between high school and "professional" sports careers. Let 'em fi nd somewhere else to hone their skills in date rape, animal abuse and ego infl ating. I'd rather have "Ducks" that can waddle around our parks without being B-B gun targets, and a college that puts its funds into teaching REAL students. Amy Carpenter Eugene FIGHT FOR FAIR TAXES The recent cover story “Do You Pay Taxes? Sucker” (4/9) points out the huge problem of corporate welfare plaguing us on both state and national levels. Tax breaks for multinational corporations lead to major losses in government revenue, thus increasing the burden on taxpayers. We taxpayers do not have to be suckers; we could be agents for social change. Rather than being suckers for paying our fair share of taxes, we must push for increased fairness of the tax code. President Obama’s proposed budget begins the process of restoring balance and fairness to the tax code. If passed, off- shore tax haven loopholes will be closed and corporations won’t be able to hide their billions in the Cayman Islands. Hopefully, closing these loopholes will mark the beginning of the end of corporate welfare and the power special interests wield in Washington, D.C., and Salem alike. Speak out for fair tax policies by thanking Congressman DeFazio for his vote for the budget. Kyla Walters Portland Ignite a love of learning. eugenewaldorf.org 683-6951 • 1350 McLean Blvd. Now Enrolling! Buy Local Eat Organic Think Sustainable Sustainability Slow & Local Foods Cooking by Season Heritage & Heirloom Products A Minimized Carbon Footprint Café Maroc 28 E. Broadway 434-5862 Adam’s Sustainable Table ´ 30 E. Broadway 344-6948 EUGENE WEEKLY APRIL 30, 2009 7
