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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (May 26, 2011)
letters TO THE EDITOR relationship that the Eugene Weekly had with Strong Schools Eugene. I’m happy to note that the Weekly had very little, if any, infl uence on the way people voted. Dave Taube Eugene Editor’s Note: Hillary Johnson is the daughter-in-law of a part owner. SCHOOL VOTES UNEQUAL As a supporter of Bethel Schools, I am saddened, as are the 36 percent who voted for it, at the defeat of Measure 20-182. That said, I’m equally upset to read that 4J was able to not only pass their own school bond measure, but apparently to craft it in such a way that it will free up money for teacher salaries and other operating expenses, in addition to providing for certain capital expenses. A reasonable person might ask, why was Bethel’s board unable to do the same? It is even more upsetting to realize that Bethel will have to wait three years to put another bond ballot measure, which would undoubtedly have passed, by overwhelming majority as 4J’s did this time around, before the voters. One might also question whether adequate canvassing of the voters was done in regards to the tax/bond issues, specifi cally would they support either/both in the election, something that 4J seems to have done accurately. There is an old saying that a “bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” Well, 4J has its bird; Bethel is left with the bush. I believe that in the main, Bethel is a well run district, but that this was a defeat by omission that need not have happened. Jack Jepson Eugene RICHARDSON PRAISE Congratulations to Lianne Richardson and to the county commissioners who appointed her. Lane County residents can be assured that in her, they have a bright, conscientious and caring individual at the head of county government. I’ve known Richardson a long time and she has ears that listen, a mind that can sort and prioritize, a heart that cares, and an unassailable ethical standard. Speaking to an R-G editorial, what I know is that if the new county administrator appears to side with the majority, it won’t be “siding”; it’ll be because that’s the right direction to go. Lianne Richardson has the skills, courage, sense of service, and ethics to be a really good administrator. She will probably need all she has, and I wish her, the commissioners, county staff and Lane County citizens much good luck. Onward! Judy Moseley Eugene CHOIR TEACHER Because of the budget cuts to 4J’s music program across the board, some hard decisions are having to be made. Jobs are shifting and not enough thought is going into the process. We need to have an expert choir teacher at South Eugene High School. Kimberly McConnell, the current choir teacher, has this expertise. The choir program is a fundamental 6 MAY 26, 2011 EUGENE WEEKLY part of our children’s education! Basing assigned teaching positions only on degrees and seniority is not enough to make this decision. Here are some skills needed to teach SEHS choirs: 1. Expert level at teaching large concert choir technique, theory (sight reading) and able to pick appropriate level pieces for choirs, festivals and competitions. 2. Expert level at teaching jazz (close proximity microphone) choir technique, soloing, improvisation, theory (sight reading), picking repertoire to challenge choir and knowledge of piano, drums, bass and guitar accompanying techniques. 3. Organizational skills and appropriate contacts to fundraise and plan trips for competitions and festivals to enhance the level of performance of all the choirs. 4. Knowledge of musical theater and the techniques of auditioning and rehearsing a chorus, small groups and soloists... I could go on! Please consider the skills it takes to keep our quality of education in 4J! Thank you for your consideration. Doralee Ann Hansen Eugene to enrich life in Eugene and Lane County. That said, I have two areas of concern: 1. The article “New Electric Car Unveiled” (4/28) really did offend me with its poorly written fi rst sentence “Easter weekend marked the return of Zombie Jesus…” I am somewhere between atheist and secular humanist… nowhere near Christian… but please! What happened to respecting all faiths? We have a landscape company and many of our clients are liberal yet go to progressive Christian churches. This is a way to alienate all those open minded readers, as well as just being inane. Up your inclusiveness! 2. I was also disappointed in “The Fungus Among Us” (4/7) which was a waste of print. Mushroom lovers and foodies were probably as excited to read the article as I was when we saw the cover art. But the author knows absolutely nothing about mushrooms, and even food. In the future there are plenty of people to contact on this topic... Cascade Mycological Society and great local chefs (Michael Lansberg, King Estate…). Cathy Boucher Eugene SUPPORT PATIENT CARE May is Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month, and I am writing to strongly urge my Representative to cosponsor the Hun- tington’s Disease Parity Act (H.R. 718), and to my urge Senators to cosponsor the Sen- ate companion, S. 648. If passed, the Hun- tington’s Disease Parity Act would make it easier for people with HD to receive Social Security Disability and Medicare Benefi ts. Huntington’s Disease (HD) is a hereditary, degenerative brain disorder for which there is, at present, no effective treatment or cure. HD slowly diminishes an individual’s ability to walk, talk and reason. Eventually, every person with HD becomes totally dependent upon others for his or her care. HD profoundly affects the lives of entire families — emotionally, socially and economically. My dear friend Jan’s husband has Hun- tington’s Disease, and has been in a hospi- tal for over two months unable to be placed into a care home. He has been affected in many ways. He has to be restrained — so hard for everyone. Jan is holding down a job, and doing all within her power to help with Reggie’s medical care, all the while fearing maybe having to make monumental changes in her life to make ends meet. We need this bill passed and soon. Reggie’s daughter has also just been diagnosed with Huntington’s, as well as other family members. Reggie is a veteran, and Jan was a Roseburg local. Thank you for helping us bring attention to this disease, which I had not heard of until my friend’s husband was diagnosed with it. So tragic. By co-sponsoring the Huntington’s Disease Parity Act, members of Congress can show their support for not only for this family, but the nearly 1,000,000 Americans who are touched by this terrible disease. Sharon Lee Roseburg CIVIC PLAN There really is room for both Civic Stadium and the Y on the 10-acre site. In the spirit of Envision Eugene, where we densify rather than sprawl and rely on use of mass transit, bicycles, walking, and carpooling, we can include a transportation hub and transfer station for buses, bikes, and cars. The master plan with its full stoplight interchange at 20th and Amazon Parkway would back up southbound traffi c on Pearl all the way to 13th and northbound all the way to 24th, more than the normal 2 or 3 blocks they already back up. But opening up 20th Avenue for southbound buses turning right-only off Amazon to drop off civic spectators, Y participants and pick-up passengers heading to disparate parts of town would work as well as it has for years with the LTD shuttle service to UO games, allowing traffi c on the Amazon Parkway to fl ow freely. A bike/pedestrian overpass from the north/south bike path and the high school could cross over Amazon Creek and Parkway to a plaza level above the parking lot that could contain a huge bike parking area and connect to the 2nd fl oor of the Y, the fi eld house, the restaurant, the top of the east grandstand and whatever other compatible commercial and nonprofi t establishments are up there. Use of the two north lots for a parking structure topped by Y indoor tennis courts, and faced with small business outlets would provide an attractive solution of where to put the cars. This is doable! … if Save Civic Stadium gets the proposal (or none of the above), a grand synthesis is likely including a Y (without student housing), and Master as the developer (without Freddy’s). Tom Halferty Eugene TAX DODGERS NO ZOMBIE JESUS I am a Weekly devotee since its inception and always look forward to my Thursday issue. You have done so much Now that the emotional, upsetting, divi- sive — us-against-them — school election is over, I would like to repeat something I related in the EW of February 3rd — Or- egon income taxes are stupid. Especially when one considers income taxes are so easy to avoid paying and all businesses pass all taxes through to the consumer. If you want government then pay taxes. The business community demands all kinds of government services — but there are hun- dreds of businesses in Oregon that don’t pay any (income) taxes. I think its time to conduct a simple test that everyone can un- derstand. Take the telephone listing of all Oregon businesses and have the Oregon Dept. of Revenue see how many of these businesses do not pay (income) taxes. If the business paid no income taxes send a form letter asking— why not? Then do the same thing in the state of Washington and see how many don’t pay (B&O) taxes. The results will astound you. If you do business in the state of Washington you are going to either pay business taxes or go to jail. Not so in Oregon. Frank Skipton Eugene READY FOR WAR Has anyone ever heard the government say that they don’t have enough money for weapons and war? No. Has anyone ever heard the government say their health care insurance is too expensive and they can no longer afford to pay for it? No. But every day, we hear or are experienc- ing fi rst hand, school closures and cutbacks for teachers and administrators. No money will be taken from the war fund to support the education and future of our children and grandchildren. Of course, those “high- er ups” will need our dear sweet children to fi ght their sickening wars at some later date to help keep them and their precious families living in their castles in the sky. I fi nd it interesting that schools are in part supported by the military. As the “No Child Left Behind” act states, each school must supply the name, address and phone number of every student who reaches the age of 18, so their information can be supplied to some pushy, abusive recruiter. Let’s just close all the schools now, put the kids to work so they can make plastic products we don’t need, and allow them to play endless video games that teach them to kill virtually so they never have to feel its effects. Let’s prepare them for the new next war, teach them to shop for useless things, allow them to watch endless hours of television and feed them drugs to keep them from being children. Karen Hazelwood Florence WINE FOR THOUGHT While your headline article, Bleeding our Government to Death (4/14) was informative and vexing, I found the column by wine journalist, Lance Sparks (“Sleepless Wines,” 4/14) profound. I don’t even drink wine but always read his words because I enjoy his writing. Last week, in very few words, he succinctly stated the current USA situation and mirrored my and many other’s feelings about it. I don’t know where we’re headed from here, but job well done, Mr. Sparks. Lynn Morris Eugene WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
