letters
TO THE EDITOR
make a right. Assuming the Guard has
a “pro-sprawl bias,” should the Weekly
be “anti-sprawl biased” in its, using the
term loosely, “news” columns? You folks,
and reporter Alan Pittman in particular,
haven’t yet fi gured out that the facts will
usually speak for themselves, and readers
don’t need to be bludgeoned into the
“correct” opinion in “news” articles.
Jenny Moos
Eugene
EDITOR’S NOTE: Sometimes biased reporting is
necessary to overcome outdated thinking. Most stories
about child abuse today, for example, talk about the
psychological damage, injustice and hidden costs of
child abuse. A “balanced” story would include equal
discussion about why kids need to be regularly beaten:
Spare the rod, spoil the child, etc.
SHILLS FOR CONSUMPTION
At the recent Public Environmental
Law Conference, Sierra Club member and
keynote speaker Bruce Nilles touted the
work his organization has accomplished in
shutting down numerous coal-fi red power
plants and stalling some of those in line. In
their place, he said, we must support large
scale wind and solar projects. Others,
including the president, promote nuclear
energy as a viable replacement for fossil
fuels.
What do these perspectives have in
common? In their desperation to avoid
root causes, they give the lie to intolerable
effects. Large scale wind and solar, even
biomass and nuclear, are advocated as
“clean” and “green” alternatives.
Miles of 400-foot wind turbines (with
parts made from oil) kill bats and birds,
destroy habitat and sense of place, and
even advance into iconic landscapes like
Steens Mountain, bringing roads and
transmission lines with them. Bulldozers
scour deserts for solar panels and mirrors
in projects of 7,000 acres each, plundering
fragile soils, habitat for endangered lizards
and tortoises and arid land as a place and
a concept free of our meddling. In the air,
biomass particulates join radiation from
nuclear meltdown and waste.
Instead of supporting and promoting
limits to growth, those who pretend to be
environmentalists have been the shrillest
shills for massive alternative energy
plagues masquerading as panaceas. Until
deluded greenwashers seriously confront
overpopulation and overconsumption,
rather than enable more of the same,
they’re merely tilting at windmills.
Robert Emmons
Fall Creek
TAX OTHERS
What exactly was your point in printing
Alan Pittman’s cover story (3/24) about
the proposed school tax measure? About
three quarters of the story could have been
summarized by saying that we need good
schools because childhood education is
important and good schools attract people
to Eugene. The other quarter of the story
was about the conservative/Republican/
Tea Party backgrounds of a few people
who are against the measure.
Your story would have been far more
useful and poignant if you had actually
discussed the measure, unless you are
afraid that people will vote against it if
they know what it actually says. For those
not familiar with the issue, the May ballot
measure is a proposal to tax some people
who live in Eugene, while not taxing
others. For example, PERS recipients and
those earning under a certain income are
exempt from contributing to our schools.
Moreover, 24 percent of the students who
attend 4J schools and 18 percent of the
students who attend Bethel schools live
outside city limits and their families will
contribute nothing to our schools.
Unlike the impression that Pittman
tries to give, the people who are against the
measure aren’t right-wing Bushophiles.
They’re people, like myself, who are
educated liberals, and who have supported
every previous school ballot measure.
They’re people who drive hybrid vehicles
and voted for Obama. They’re people who,
just like the pro-tax contingent, know
the importance of a good education, but
our side refuses to support this measure
because half of those using the schools
won’t be contributing to the cause.
EW tries to come across as politically
correct. Stereotyping people who are
for or against something is anything but
politically correct.
Dave Taube
Eugene
BASEBALL FIRST
I’d like to support 4J schools; I believe
that our good schools are basic to the good
of our community. I want to vote yes in
support of this proposed tax; however,
I also believe that Civic Stadium is also
basic to the good of our community.
So I have this to say to the School
Board: You’ll get my vote if you do the
right thing which is: ensure Civic remains
a community asset! Not razed and replaced
by a shopping mall!
How the School Board handles this issue
will determine, for me, how I vote. Are there
perhaps others out there who agree?
Baz Freedman
Eugene
SOLUTIONS NEEDED
Last month, Lane County commissioners
approved the fi nal selection of contracts
with nonprofi t human service programs that
are administered by the Human Services
Commission by awarding contracts for
access to services. The previous board
approved the majority of awards in
December including a community review
committee’s recommendation that did not
include funding a proposal for funding the
Family Shelter operated by ShelterCare.
The proposed fi scal year 2011-12 county
budget will be presented at the end of April
by the county administrator. The decision
to not fund the Family Shelter did not have
to do with the county board deciding to
fund public safety services, as presented
in “ShelterCare Housing at Risk” (News
Briefs, 4/7). The current annual amount
available for award to nonprofi t human
service agencies represents a projected
$1.47 million, or a 28.7 percent reduction
in revenues available in fi scal year 2010-
2011. Revenues have declined from local,
state and federal governments.
The services funded through HSC re-
sources will continue to help address the
needs of adults and children in poverty,
yet there is much more work to be done
in our communities. We will work in the
coming months to bring faith, private
nonprofi t organizations, civic organiza-
tions and community members together to
creatively address the funding and service
challenges we face.
If you are interested in contributing
your ideas, resources or volunteering in
the effort to fi nd community solutions to
help our neighbors in need please send an
e-mail to hsc.info@co.lane.or.us
Steven Manela
Human Services Division manager,
Lane County Health & Human
Services
WTF, LANE COUNTY?
Thanks for the article “ShelterCare
Housing at Risk” in the April 7 issue. It
helps me in my ongoing quest to fi gure out
WTF is going on around here. Here are the
takeaways from the article:
Facts: Lane County spends $102
million on discretionary funds; 6 percent
of that is spent on public health and
welfare; 63 percent goes to public safety;
commissioners slashed $300,000 (that’s
just 5 percent of the aforementioned 6
percent for public health and welfare) in
funding for ShelterCare, a local nonprofi t
that does a whole lot to get homeless adults
and children into stable, long term housing.
Opinions: That is a good thing
that everyone should want; and since
Commissioners Bozievich and Leikin
clearly got beaten up too much in high
school they want to throw more and more
money at public safety, thinking this
makes them look like tough guys.
Summation: Starve a nonprofi t that
helps keep kids and adults off the streets,
thus creating more criminals, thus making
your argument for more jails and cops a
slam dunk.
Fact: This blows.
Kevin O’Brien
Eugene
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EUGENE WEEKLY APRIL 21, 2011 5