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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (June 2, 2011)
letters TO THE EDITOR situation. Please just go! As a biker, I wait (sometimes without putting my feet down) for approaching cars to pass. If the car, stricken by courtesy, stops to let me cross, I don’t move. Cars doing strange things are to be avoided when you are on a bike. Why would I cross in front of it? Please just go! As a driver myself, I almost hit a young girl who came dashing out from in front of an enormous truck pulling a boat that had stopped mid-block on Oak between 18th and 19th (a street with two northbound lanes). The girl could not see me, and I could not see her until she ran across my lane. Both the girl’s and my eyes bulged as our gazes met. So please fi ght the urge to stop randomly for pedestrians and bikes. Nice sentiment, but a very bad idea. Please just follow the traffi c rules. Ann Kneeland Eugene EDITOR’S NOTE: From an ODOT safety brochure: “Remember, under Oregon law there is a crosswalk at every intersection. Do not pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk. A stopped car may be a clue that a pedestrian is crossing. When stopping for a crosswalk on a multi- lane road, you should stop about 30 feet before the crosswalk so you don’t block visibility to a driver in a second lane.” system and block-granting Medicaid would have serious repercussions for those who are already the most vulnerable. Fast- tracking benefi t cuts to Social Security is equally unacceptable. We should instead be fi nding ways to assure long- term solvency and benefi t improvements through raising the cap on taxable income and other means. Capping federal spending at a very low share of the Gross Domestic Product is a recipe for paralyzing the government in times of economic crisis. The House budget proposal would head the nation in the exact opposite direction of where we need to go, deepening joblessness and further weakening the economy. Right now, our number one priority is not to reduce debt or the defi cit or spending. People need jobs. Women, who are being left behind in the recovery especially need jobs. Signifi cantly more investment in job growth must be made to accelerate the economic recovery, even if the government has to borrow funds and run a defi cit until recovery is secure. Ethel Bassett Walton NO PED CROSSING WAKE UP WOMEN The cuts proposed in the U.S. House Budget for Fiscal Year 2012 and beyond (H. Con. Res. 34) are appalling. Eliminating $4.3 trillion over ten years in vital social investment programs that disproportionately employ women as well as disproportionately serve them, while extending $4.2 trillion in tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, is utterly irresponsible. Converting Medicare to a voucher viewpoint THE PEDESTRIAN RIGHT: The law as written states that an individual at a cross walk has the right-of-way. You can not expect the traffi c at rush hour on 6th or 7th to stop for a pedestrian or bicycle, for that matter it wouldn’t be appropriate. Pass a law that requires people walking, biking or cruising to be courteous. Vince Loving Eugene ALTERNATIVE SPORTS I would like to see an alternative sports section in your wonderful paper. I know for a fact that there are many fi ne athletes in the area that aren’t covered in the pages of The Register Guard or on sports spots on our local news channels. Roller Derby is fi rst and foremost in my mind, as I am one of the Emerald City Roller Girls (and lucky enough to grace one of your covers for the Best of Eugene). I am also friends with many of the local rugby girls, on which y’all did an AMAZING write up. I think it wouldn’t take more than a half- page for you to showcase a few box scores for these fabulous leagues’ scores. Why stop at these two leagues, though? Men’s rugby isn’t covered by local news, but they are quite active as well and from what I understand, pretty awesome. Kickball too is another fabulous and hipster sport that fi nds itself loved for what it is, not what it is known for, as there is no coverage whatsoever. I have been a member of NWAACK (Northwest Association for Adult Competitive Kickball) for over fi ve years now and there are actual leagues out there that have real games and they are playing their hearts out (not to say that we aren’t, we just drink a lot and have a ton of pick up game fun) without any kind of recognition. I know for a fact that there are people who can supply you with easy box scores, without a whole lot of “blah blah blah” to accompany them, making this something that can be accessible to those who care and not wasteful of space that you so blessedly fi ll with meaningful stories that I regularly enjoy. Many of the local sports teams also have local sponsors that would fi nd it very fruitful to advertise in areas near these scores, perhaps. What do I know, I’m just an athlete and a consumer.... but I’m pretty sure beautiful things could happen.... Well, that’s all. I just thought I’d give you a heads up as to what I’d personally like to see in yer paper as I tend to just read Red Meat, my horospcope, Savage Love and the local letters (in that order) for the most part. I love you all and what you do and look forward to future issues! Hearts and stuff, Bullet Brains (roller derby) aka Fudge Munky (kickball) aka Erin Tiel (real?life) Eugene FRED MEYER When the Register Guard originally unveiled the 3 Civic Stadium options considered by 4J, a story about 4J teacher layoffs also appeared. It essentially explained that many teachers and classifi ed staff would lose their jobs next year because of the defi cit the school district faces. The juxtaposition of those two stories provided a sad commentary on our society. How ironic I thought that the school district would lay off qualifi ed, hardworking individuals and simultaneously decide to sell a community treasure to build a new shopping center. Is it spiteful to suggest the unemployed teachers would have four Fred Meyers to spend unemployment checks in? Maybe the laid off teachers could apply for jobs at the new Fred Meyer. Talk about irony; they might compete with students from local high schools. Corporate commercialism appears to be winning the day; the proposed ultra- chic South Eugene Fred Meyer catches the school district in a safety net of dubious integrity. The thought of a large shopping center – think the same footprint of West BY GARY CRUM Support System Nonprofi t agencies with a proven record of helping our community deserve as much support as possible to continue that service Centro Latino serves our entire community I was saddened to read of Lane County’s recent defunding of Centro LatinoAmericano. I have dealt with the organization several times over the years and have been very favorably impressed with the organization and its service to both the Latino community and the greater community in the Eugene-Springfi eld area. I wish to express my personal respect, admiration and support for both our Latino community and Centro Latino as it helps that Latino community function successfully in the greater community. For about 10 years, my wife and I owned and managed a 24-unit apartment complex near the 1st and Jefferson street intersection. For the last fi ve years of our ownership our tenants were almost exclusively Latino. When many landlords were working to fi nd “legal” means to reject Latino applicants, I made the decision (one of the best personal/business decisions I’ve made) to, instead, hire a bilingual on-site manager and solicit Latino tenants. First, I must admit a prejudice. I’ve always enjoyed Latino culture, respected the work ethic of Latino people and both appreciated and admired the warmth of the Latino family. Thus, on a personal basis, it was easy to rent to Latino families. Secondly, over those fi ve years, not one Latino tenant “skipped” out on rent. On the fi rst of the month, every month, tenants appeared at the on- site manager’s door with either a money order or cash. If you’ve ever been a landlord you know that having good tenants — good people, good families and the rent paid on time every month — is as close to Nirvana as most of us landlords will probably ever get. When I decided to rent to primarily Latino tenants I requested assistance from Centro Latino to transition to such tenancy. I requested assistance 6 JUNE 2, 2011 EUGENE WEEKLY in translating application forms, our rental agreement and our apartment “rules” into Spanish. They were both pleased and appreciative as they translated the documents for me. Pleased to have the documents in Spanish to help prospective tenants who couldn’t read English, and appreciative that I wanted the documents in Spanish to better serve our tenants. On several occasions Centro Latino stepped in to provide fi nancial assistance when a tenant “couldn’t” pay rent (each time this occurred it was caused by an employer’s failure to pay wages on time or, on one occasion, a bounced paycheck). And, each time, the tenant repaid Centro Latino when their pay was received. That repayment showed two things: the respect the Latino community has for Centro Latino, and that the individuals receiving that assistance weren’t looking for “something for nothing.” If I were living and working in a foreign country, or if I were a “new” immigrant working to become a citizen of another country, I would certainly want to have an organization such a Centro Latino as a support system. Moreover, as a businessman working with Latino tenants, I also benefi ted from that support system. I recognize the fi scal issues and fi nancial shortfalls facing our county as well as all governmental entities from school districts and cities, to states and our federal government. However, I also recognize that nonprofi t agencies with a proven record of helping our community deserve as much support as possible to continue that service. I hope the county, the city and any other organizations in our community who might do so, fi nd ways to help Centro LatinoAmericano continue to serve our community. Gary Crum of Junction City is a retired teacher and counselor who worked with dysfunctional adolescents over a 28 year career in public schools, probation facilities and residential treatment facilities. WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
