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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (June 2, 2011)
TO THE EDITOR NON-VOTERS The travesty of this recent vote against the city income tax is not that approximately 27,000 people voted against it. Anybody that has been to a Duck football game recently knows there are at least 27,000 assholes in Eugene, so no surprise there. The truly shameful thing is, that 47,441 souls in our fair city were either too busy, too lazy, too stoned, or simply too uninterested to even bother to vote. People in other parts of the world are dying in the streets for the right to vote — 47,000 Eugeneans, not so much. I’m fi ling this one under “W” for “we get what we deserve.” Kevin O’Brien Eugene CLOSING, TESTING SCHOOLS COURTESY CAN KILL This is a plea to all drivers out there who stop in random places to allow pedestrians and bicyclists to cross the street. Please stop doing this. Traffi c laws, while often worthy of a few curse words, are intended to create predictability and safety. As a pedestrian (frequently pushing a stroller) and as a bicyclist, I often have cars stop in the middle of the block or at an intersection with no crosswalk to allow me to cross on streets where there are two lanes going in the same direction. These well-intentioned drivers do not realize that cars in the next lane continue to zip by, having no clue why they are stopped. Perhaps without intending to do so, the stopped car creates pressure to cross quickly exacerbating an extremely unsafe Meridia n 18th & Building Willa 541-431 mette -3411 &RXSRQPXVWEHSUHVHQWHGWRUHFHLYHGLVFRXQW&RXSRQDSSOLHVWRLQVWRFNPHUFKDQGLVHRQO\LQFOXGLQJVDOHLWHPV&DQQRWEH XVHGRQVSHFLDOFXVWRPHURUGHUVFRQVLJQPHQWPHUFKDQGLVHOD\DZD\SLFNXSVJLIWFHUWLILFDWHVRUEHDSSOLHGUHWURDFWLYHO\IRU UHIXQGVRQSULRUSXUFKDVHV/LPLWHGWRRQHFRXSRQSHUFXVWRPHUSHUGD\2QHFRXSRQRQO\SHUWUDQVDFWLRQ&RXSRQH[SLUHV &RORUIXOVXPPHU VHSDUDWHVDQGGUHVVHVLQ VROLG SULQWHGUD\RQ PDGHLQ%DOLE\5HG·V 7KUHDGV$GGLWLRQDO PDUNGRZQVRQ&LWURQ VLON/RFR/LQGRUD\RQ 7LDQHOORWHQFHODQGPRUH %ULQJLQWKLVDGDQGUHFHLYH RII DQ\SXUFKDVHRIRUPRUH 9DOLGQRZWKUX-XQH Bicycling Magazine– “Breezer Infinity is…” Enjoy your free spin on the Editor’s Choice! ÓÇäxÊ7>iÌÌiÊ-ÌÊUÊx{£°{n{°x{£ä Mon–Fri 11–7, Sat 10–6 arrivingbybike on facebook/web WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM A BENEFIT FOR GROCERY PRODUCE BULK MEAT SEAFOOD CHEESE WI NE BEER DELI DAIRY SUPPLEMENTS BODY CARE Big Brothers Big Sisters 2 489 Willamette • Eugene • 541-345-1014 Open Daily 8am-10pm • www.capellamarket.com of Lane County FRIDAY JUNE 3, 4-8 PM FREE LIVE MUSIC & TREATS DRAWINGS FOR AMAZING GIFT BASKETS FROM THE BROADWAY PEARL MERCHANTS! Need not be present to win. RAFFLE TICKETS AVAILABLE AT BROADWAY PEARL MERCHANTS $ 5 Open Everyday 11am to 9pm DELIVERY TO YOUR HOME OR OFFICE STARTS SOON CATER WITH RON’S Great Prices • Short Notice Open Everyday • All Events 4 GREAT EUGENE LOCATIONS 2506 Willakenzie Rd. | 342-3006 55 W. 29th | 344-5880 1249 Alder St (Campus) | 344-1960 401 W. 3rd Ave. | 344-3324 (M-F 11am-4pm) Celebrating 12 Years! Asian Food Market Anderson Watchmaking Antique Clock Shop Cone Ball Antiques Footwise Freudian Slip Funk/Levis & Associates Goldworks J Michaels Books Nick & Nora’s Classic Interiors Passionflower Design Pewter Rabbit Antiques Salon 84 Vistra Framing & Art Gallery We carry groceries from Holland, India, Pakistan and Polynesia Café, Restaurant & Coffee: Sushi & Asian deli take-out Ambrosia Restaurant & Bar Café Zenon Full City Coffee Hawthorne’s Deli Mezza Luna Pizzeria New Dawn Bakery Sweet Basil Thai Cuisine Largest Selection of Asian Groceries Seaweed, rice, noodles, frozen products, deli, snacks, drinks, sauces, spices, produce, housewares, and more. WoodÀ eld Station SHOPPING CENTER 29TH AVENUE 5 OAK STREET “…the Infinity offered a nimble, quick ride that let us roll comfortably through traffic, zip down hills, and spin up climbs in style…” Commuter bike of 2011. The Best Shopping In Town WILLAMETTE STREET Bicycle of the year! Eugene’s World-Class Neighborhood Grocery Store GOURMET ORGANIC LOCAL NATURAL ALTERNATIVE SPECIALTY VARIETY FUN ...................... I had always hoped that one day if I had children, I’d want them to attend a public school just like Springfi eld Middle School (SMS). That, unfortunately, will be a dream unfulfi lled, as SMS is closing along with a few other schools in Springfi eld — and even more in Eugene are on the chopping block because of budget woes. Presently, our schools are funded through property taxes. Since wealthy corporations pay little in taxes due to the loopholes that are hidden in the tax structure, we the taxpayers must demand that our elected local, state and federal offi cials close these loopholes. Wealthy individuals and corporations need to pay their fair share of taxes, too. If they did, our public schools and other public services would not be in the dire circumstances they fi nd themselves in today. I believe in public education, even though I know the system is fl awed. Public school teachers have numerous constraints placed on them because of the bureaucracy in Washington. Regrettably, the government seems more interested in testing, testing, testing our students so that the United States can prove to the world that our students test well. But the staff at SMS and other public schools deserve to be recognized for the tremendous effort they put forth to help students fi nd and nourish their passions while offering hope in these ridiculous days of testing. I wish to express my gratitude and admiration to each member of the staff of SMS for providing a loving, supportive and fun-fi lled educational environment for the children of Springfi eld. I am honored to have worked as a substitute teacher there for the past few years where I have been treated with warmth and kindness. The talented enthusiastic public school teachers treat the students with respect and love, supporting them both academically and emotionally. There is a palpable feeling of intimacy that exists at SMS, and I believe this is possible because of the small class sizes and the dedication of the staff. My fear is that if we don’t collectively wake up and speak out about the inane way we fund our schools and assess our students, the public education that many hard-working Americans depend on, along with the personal attention and devotion that I witnessed in my time at Springfi eld Middle School, will soon become a thing of the past for every district everywhere. Laura Farrelly Eugene SUMMER SOIREE letters Sunrise www.sunriseasianfood.com M-Th 9am-7pm•F 9am-8pm•Sa 9am-7pm•Su 10am-6pm 70 W. 29th Ave. Eugene • 541-343-3295 EUGENE WEEKLY JUNE 2, 2011 5
