letters
TO THE EDITOR
TO THEIR DEFENSE
As I think about the accusations,
condemnation, and persecution of Pete
Sorenson and Rob Handy, I think of these
lines from The Second Coming (Yeats):
“The best lack all conviction, while the
worst are full of passionate intensity.” Who
is going to come to the defense of two
dedicated public servants who are unjustly
accused, convicted, and penalized?
As an elected offi cial in a related body,
I have had ample opportunity to observe
Sorenson and Handy and have been
impressed by their dedication to the public
good and to government transparency.
I have admired their honesty and their
unselfi sh contributions of time and talents.
I am dismayed by the injustice
perpetrated on Pete and Rob. I am also very
concerned about the chilling effect on other
public offi cials and potential candidates —
will everyone currently in offi ce who is not
wealthy enough to pay huge fi nes walk in
fear? Will spouses of potential candidates
warn them against risking the family’s
security by the possibility of being put on
trial for planning actions or discussing issues
outside of a public meeting?
As
an
English
teacher,
I
always encouraged my students to test
ideas through sharing and listening and
questioning. One’s thinking is sharpened —
and sometimes modifi ed or even reversed —
through interaction with the ideas of friends
and colleagues. I would hope that elected
offi cials, when they have the opportunity,
would test their ideas and refi ne them by
discussion before a meeting in which a
decision is made.
We all know that we cannot make
decisions except in a public meeting and that
we cannot meet as a quorum to deliberate
outside a public meeting. But to have the
entire process be public would prevent
discussions with constituents. As I think
about it, it becomes more ridiculous.
I hope that Pete and Rob’s constituents
will speak out against injustice and urge the
other commissioners to join their colleagues
in appealing the court decision.
Betty Taylor
Ward 2 City Councilor
shock waves through the entire system of
public offi cialdom.
If not out of compassion and common
decency, then for their own self interests,
the board majority should join the minority
and appeal a bad decision. Judge Gillespie’s
reasoning distorts the meaning of a quorum
and testifi es to the moral, “Be careful what
you wish for, you may receive it.”
Robert Emmons
Fall Creek
NOT SO BRILLIANT
I attended Van Jones lecture and read
the Slant piece in last week’s (1/27) EW.
I wonder if I went to the same lecture as
the author of that piece who touted the
lecture as brilliant, while I think it was a
disappointing pep talk for the high tech
industry.
Jones pointed out that a wind turbine
needs the amount of steel of 20 cars and
has about 8,000 fi nely machined parts per
turbine. These turbines and solar panels
can only be manufactured by using large
amounts of fossil fuels. How are we going
to pay for that when oil is $200 per barrel?
Never mind the wildlife kills of the
wind turbines and the e-waste of discarded
solar panels.
Jones talked about changing the way
we grow food and expressed his desire to
see more urban greenhouses for growing
food, noting that we are already capable
of growing large crops of marijuana in
greenhouses. I defi nitely believe that we
need more urban farming, but it is rather
misleading to point out how marijuana
is grown, without pointing out the huge
amount of electricity that it takes.
I do believe that we need to promote
much more alternative energy, but Jones
could have pointed out that there is no way
we will be able to maintain current levels
of GDP with declining fossil fuels. I would
have liked to see him promote promising
low tech solutions to our dilemmas, like
biogas and better effi ciency, instead of the
delusional high tech solutions.
Arjen Hoekstra
Eugene
TRIAGE FOR SCHOOLS
BE CAREFUL
Public offi cials all over the state better
be looking over their shoulders. Thanks
to an imaginative interpretation of
what constitutes a quorum in the Public
Meetings Law by a Coos County judge,
routine communication and strategizing
among decision makers is now in jeopardy.
Politically motivated and orchestrated
by a ruthless, conservative lot, including
Aaron Jones of Seneca Lumber, the suit
fi led by former commissioner Ellie Dumdi
and Gang of Nine member Ed Anderson,
meant to bring down liberal commissioners
Handy and Sorenson and assure a long-
term pro-growth, supermajority on the
county board.
However, in his reckless ruling the
Coos judge cast a wide net. In it East Lane
Commissioner Faye Stewart, who testifi ed
against two of his fellow commissioners,
was caught as well. For narrow-minded
political reasons, Handy and Sorenson were
singled out as fall guys.
But the implication of the ruling has sent
4 FEBRUARY 3 , 2011
EUGENE WEEKLY
Its $22 million shortfall gives District 4J
the opportunity to do the right thing. During
fl ush times, “the right thing” is banished,
because ok politically incorrect truths make
too many people feel uncomfortable. But
now is a different time. When tears fl ow,
sometimes minds open, and opportunity
will then fi nd its champions.
Our predicament requires triage
thinking: doing the greatest good for the
most people with the available resources.
In triage, some victims are not helped, but
“greatest good” thinking can go a long way
toward helping everyone.
District 4J should: 1) transform Edison
School from a neighborhood elementary
school to a citywide high school for
Eugene’s most brilliant mathematics and
science students; 2) transform North Eugene
High School from a regional general high
school to a citywide special education high
school focused on preparing students for
blue-collar work, independent contractor
self-employment, and/or apprenticeships
in union and/or shop trades; and 3) create a
citywide on-campus middle school at South
Eugene High School so Eugene’s most
brilliant eighth grade students can enroll in
high school classes.
The basic education standard should
be: every child 21st-century-literate at no
less than grade level while being actively
challenged and fully facilitated to achieve
personal potentials in all core academics.
At the top end, the education standard
should be: Students must be advanced to the
academic level at which they can succeed
while being challenged.
Schools teach to the middle. Therefore,
more on-topic learning happens if students
are grouped according to their academic
ability.
Steven A. Sywester
Eugene
EDITOR’S NOTE: A longer essay on this proposal can be
found at http://wkly.ws/10t
ALIENATING CUSTOMERS
As one who lives, commutes and shops
along West 11th Avenue, I agree with Ralph
Wombat’s proposal (letters, 1/20) to boycott
businesses that display anti-EmX signs.
Improved mass transit is key to improving
the current livability of our community,
and is our best bet to pass on a decent and
sustainable environment to our children.
Plenty of high-density apartments are
directly south of the route and residents
would no doubt take advantage of more
effi cient bus travel to go to work and school.
While these businesses may have
legitimate reasons to oppose EmX, by taking
such a visible stand on a controversial issue
they can alienate a substantial portion of
their customer base. They are mixing politics
and business in a way they have previously
avoided. The profusion of signs is ugly.
Please notify these businesses that you
are boycotting them through letters and
phone calls, especially if you have been a
customer. Notify the corporate headquarters
of the chains since they may not know what
their franchises are up to. Let businesses
know that with their in-your-face signs, they
can lose customers forever.
Chuck Areford
Eugene
WHY SO FAGGOTY?
In her Jan. 28 column, Sally Sheklow
uses the term “faggoty” to describe the
guest conductor. Why is this an acceptable
adjective to her? I thought the LGBT
community tried to discourage the use
of the word. Or is it only OK for LGBT
people to use it and not straight people?
Clarifi cation desired please, Sally.
Jessica Zuckerman
Lorane
PUNISHING SUCCESS
Ruth Duemler (letters, 1/20) seems
to think “we all know” income tax is the
fairest tax. I disagree. A tax on income
is a punishment for being successful —
a punishment for being effi cient — a
punishment for being productive and able
to compete. And a graduated tax of any
kind is ridiculous and obscene. Ability to
pay is irrelevant when it comes to raising
the revenue to fund government operations.
The “fairest tax” — if there is such a thing
— is an activity tax like they have in
Washington state. Locally, a “fair” tax is
the tax on gasoline — the more activity you
have the more tax you pay.
In Washington state companies who
have a lot of activity and no profi ts pay a
lot of tax — because their activities create
a need for government services. In Oregon
there are hundreds of companies that pay
no tax because they have no “taxable
income.” But still create the same need for
government services.
Frank Skipton
Springfi eld
REDEFINING LANGUAGE
At a recent Eugene town hall forum,
we discussed the 2010 Supreme Court
decision, Citizen’s United v. FEC. With
its 5-4 decision in this case, and earlier
rulings (Buckley v. Valeo and Santa
Clara), the court has constructed these
head-scratching equations: Corporations =
people and money = speech.
By anthropomorphizing inanimate
objects and redefi ning language, the
supremes have given corporations the
green light to spend unlimited funds
to infl uence our national, state, local,
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