Eugene weekly., March 10, 2011, Page 5, Image 5

letters
TO THE EDITOR
BAD GOVERNANCE
these lights are long, and many bikers like
myself often avoid these lights because of
the length of the waits.
If Eugene wants to truly be a green,
bike-friendly city, it needs to start giving
bicyclists priority over cars.
Steve Goldman
Eugene
IT’S A DILDO!
I am a nudist, but not one of those in-your-face types. Nudity is nothing
to be proud of and nothing to be ashamed of. The “problem” with that titty
cover from last month (2/10) was not about nudity. There wasn’t even an
areola in sight!
Here’s what it was and is: a photograph of a woman’s cleavage with a blue-
liquid fi lled test tube that was made to look like a dildo at fi rst glance. It could
not be more obvious.
I took that stack of papers in the window of the store I work at and I turned
them over, and then put some old recreation guides on top of them. Why? It
was embarrassing, that’s why. That crap belongs in a Castle store or behind a
stained curtain at the nearest quickie mart, not a health food store. We don’t
sell dildos or porn at the store I work at.
Kate Hawn
Cottage Grove
DELUDED TAX BACKERS
I don’t believe there is a snowball’s
chance in Hell that the voters will pass the
education income tax being shoved down
the throats of 4-J School District residents.
The budget for running schools should
come from the county’s property tax, and
that tax should be made adequate for the
purpose of running local school districts
and other county services — period. There
are also additional funds that come in
from the lottery and other sources. If the
property tax needs to be raised then so be
it to insure a functional education system.
As a property owner in Oregon I pay that
tax as well as a tax on my income.
I am gay, and there’s the rub. I am le-
gally denied due process by the Oregon
Constitution because of a recent amend-
ment added by popular vote and support
of, among others, people with children in
public schools. My working-class mom
que pasa
and dad sent me to private school without
vouchers or any credit to their property
taxes. They taught me the meaning of “The
Social Contract” — each giving without
complaint for the better good of all.
This proposed additional tax is not an
opportunity for giving, rather it is a taking.
It appears from what I’ve read in both this
paper and the R-G that many of the very
people who will gain the most from this tax
are seeking exemptions from it, in addition
to whatever exemption they already enjoy
by claiming dependents on their state and
federal income tax statements. They want
me to pay more for them! I’m sure for Hil-
ary Johnson and her ilk this is a simple case
of doing “what’s right for the children.” I
respectfully point out that they are deluded.
Tim Hilton
Springfi eld
It’s time to condemn the sin and redeem
the sinner. Fleenor, Handy, Sorenson and
their appointed budget committee mem-
bers willfully engaged in a conspiracy to
defraud the public when they participated
in BIG. We all need to recognize bad gov-
ernance and reject it. Doing so does not re-
quire the condemnation of the individuals
in perpetuity, but just because the statute
of limitations has run is no reason to en-
courage them or any other elected offi cials
to continue bad behavior.
Their actions were willful — sanctions
are appropriate. The sanctions should not
last beyond the next election cycle, but they
should be meaningful. I would support
excluding the commissioners and their ap-
pointees from any committee/commission
not specifi cally required by the charter.
This would send a strong message to any
group of elected offi cials that willfully con-
spire to defraud the public of due process.
Mike Tayloe
Springfi eld
DESTROYING OPPOSITION
It’s not only aboard the HMS Pinafore
that things are seldom as they seem. In
Lane County, the skim milk of private
timber company control over public for-
BY JORGE NAVARRO
Stand Alone, Stand Together
Immigrants make America a better place
L
iving in the U.S. today is a paradox and a
contradiction. It makes even the simplest of
decisions an amazingly complex exercise. For
instance, the Feds (and almost everyone else we
know) recommend that we exercise and eat healthily
by consuming less fat and eating more fruits and
vegetables. Sane, reasonable advice. But wait! This
is America. You can’t tell us what to do! If a business
or a corporation wants to sell us one of those
double-decker, bacon-wrapped, blue cheese-stuffed,
1,400-calorie monsters made with food products
shipped in from everywhere but here — all for $4.99
— who are we to complain? They’re not in business to
keep us healthy! They’re in business to make money!
Welcome to the land of the rugged individualist.
You’re on your own.
All of this reminded me of a conversation I had with
a Latina friend. I asked her, “What’s the difference
between Latinos and Norte Americanos?” Without
skipping a beat, she said: “Americans are individualistic,
materialistic and democratic. Mexicans are family-
oriented, community-centered and autocratic.” As a
general brush stroke, I thought her response was in
the ballpark. “Family-oriented, community-centered
and autocratic”? Hmm … How does that translate into
this American life? I decided to ask two immigrant
friends of mine about how they see themselves and
the work they do in this community.
Basilio Sandoval is 44 years young, with a wife
and two sons. He came to Oregon when he was 16.
His family history is steeped in agriculture. He sees
himself as being hardworking, responsible and skilled.
The High School Equivalency Program (HEP) based at
UO was a turning point for him. It was there he met
his wife, got his GED, and met others, like himself,
who were dedicated and committed to the greater
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
good of the community. He went to work
at Centro Latino Americano, where he
honed more skills. Currently he is their
certifi ed alcohol and drug counselor
and a certifi ed suicide prevention
specialist; he mentors Latino youth
for St. Vincent de Paul, and he and
his family work as members of an
organic farm cooperative. Basilio
reports that dreaming is what he
brings to the table.
Raul de la O is around 50 years old,
in relationship, with two children. He
arrived in Eugene in 1975. In the early 1980s
he discovered the HEP program, got his GED, and
learned to give back. It was there that he recognized
himself in the faces of the others around him, learned
the importance of education, and got connected.
He has worked at Chicano Affairs with Ruben
Cota. He has worked at LCC in Community Services.
He has immersed himself in Latin American Studies
at the UO. He has taught community members
how to build computers. He has taught English
as a second language and is currently a certifi ed
gambling addictions counselor at Emergence, and
is in the process of earning his certifi cation as and
drug and alcohol counselor. I asked him, “Why are
you so interested in addictions counseling?” His
response was clear and concise: “I understand how
substance abuse has negatively impacted my life. I
see how addictions continue to negatively impact my
community. I want to give back to my community and
make it a better place.” Raul sees himself as a man of
faith, doing his best to model what he preaches. He
believes that he can be an agent of positive change.
These two men tell amazing stories of faith in
themselves and in the importance and power of
community and family. Their contributions are
more than rhetorical. They have made this a better
place for all of us.
It is not easy being an immigrant. Overcoming
prejudice and discrimination is diffi cult.
Social scientists refer to certain cultural
characteristics as “protective factors,”
and in the case of Latino immigrants,
such factors are the importance of
family and community. These allow
Latino immigrants to overcome what
otherwise would be devastating
circumstances. America’s obsession
with the individual and materialism
undermines these protective factors.
Here’s the proof: Research indicates that
the longer an immigrant lives in the U.S.,
the more his or her health and mental health
conditions deteriorate. It appears that living in America
these days isn’t easy for anyone — other than the very
wealthy. Infant mortality, suicide, obesity, poverty, and
depression and anxiety rates are all accelerating.
How about this? We need each other! Latin
America’s cultural and social history of being
dominated by despots, tyrants and the dogmas of
the absolute is well documented. The democratic
ideals of justice and fairness are the promised gifts
of America. The optimism and faith in hard work
and family voiced by Basilio and Raul are the gifts
of the immigrant. The protective factors of being
beholden to family and community, of the individual
being accountable to the whole, of the good of all
being more important than the greed of a few are the
solutions for what ails us all. A new American Dream
based on equality, justice, fairness, and human rights.
What an idea. I’m ready!
Jorge Navarro, raised in Los Angeles, is a first-generation Mexican
American. He has worked with the Latino community for more than 40
years, and has served on the boards of many local community organizations.
He is currently working as co-director of programs and development for
Community Alliance of Lane County.
EUGENE WEEKLY MARCH 10, 2011 5