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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (June 9, 2011)
letters TO THE EDITOR PEOPLE OR PROFITS? rates by half, prevails in Salem. Greedy demands to cut capital gains tax rates are holding hostage attempts to reform our state’s taxation system. Who will rule: people or profi ts? David Ivan Piccioni Eugene perpetrates in the name of democracy, freedom, and fi ghting terrorism, abroad and also on our own soil, are not acts of civilized humanity. There are good uses for our taxes, and we should not allow there to be too great a disparity in the wealth of our population. Capital gains taxes are one of the best ways to apply the principles of progressive taxation — wherein the more you have, the more money of yours is thrown into the common pot for health care, schools, care of the elderly, and plant-based organic food. Federal capital gains tax rates are at a historic low. I hope opposition to SB 883, which would cut Oregon’s capital gains A large percentage of our tax revenue is misused, as with bank bailouts, the huge military budget, and subsidies for mega corporations. Those who care about the whole would like society to be more equitable. It is wrong and should be fought against that corporations destroy forests, pollute our rivers, oceans, soil, and air with toxic chemicals and other poisons, like manure from Controlled Animal Feeding Operations. They cage and confi ne our brother and sister animals, with whom we share most of our DNA, in inhumane and abhorrent conditions that we do not allow for pets. Likewise, the evils our military COPS BAD EXAMPLE I wasn’t surprised to hear recently that Eugene and Springfi eld are risky places for pedestrians. I also wasn’t surprised to see that none of the TV or newspaper articles talked about Oregon’s pedestrian laws. Under Oregon law there is a crosswalk at every intersection and if there is a pedestrian waiting to cross you must Book Your Summer at UO June 20–August 12, 2011 Courses, workshops, seminars, and institutes are offered throughout the summer to fit your plans. Formal admission is not required. that advances your professional goals. Take a weeklong seminar just because the subject fascinates you, or try a two-day workshop for an accelerated summer experience. Immerse yourself in math, multimedia, music, medieval studies, management, and more! Invest just four weeks to complete a course Important information about course descriptions, housing, registration, and fees can be found on the Summer Session website. Courses still available! uosummer.uoregon.edu 541-346-3475 The University of Oregon is an equal-opportunity, affirmative-action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This publication will be made available in accessible formats upon request. 541-346-4231. © 2011 University of Oregon DES 0611-074bk WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM stop your vehicle. I rarely see cars stop for pedestrians at crosswalks in Eugene- Springfi eld. When I stop I’m frequently honked or yelled at and occasionally get the digitus medius. The other day a policeman blew by me while I was stopped on a two-lane, one-way street in Eugene waiting for a pedestrian. Fortunately he didn’t run over the person passing in front of my car into his lane; presumably that would have been an inconvenience for him. Not only do some of our hardworking police fail to set the example of good driving, I’m guessing they will tell you that budget cuts prevent them from enforcing the law. The state and others need to make a greater effort to remind drivers of the rules. The UO could start by setting the example. Around many campuses across the country you can fi nd signs reminding motorists that is the law to stop for pedestrians and that failure to stop could result in a large fi ne, but no such signs exist around UO. Maybe a little funding for pedestrian safety signs could be tacked on to the next lavish UO building budget. Eric T Jones Eugene EW’S TWO MISTAKES It’s seems to me that the editorial staff made two mistakes in their endorsements of the West Eugene EmX line, and of Rich Cunningham when he ran several times for political offi ce, latest being EWEB commissioner. Regarding the EmX line, $100 million can go a long way in increasing LTD bus service system wide, even if it were spread out over a 20 year period. The argument that the money can only be used for capital projects is true; but Congress can re- authorize it for use for operating expenses if it chose to. What would be needed is some intense lobbying on the part of city and county offi cials and Congressman Defazio, even splitting the funding 50- 50, half for road maintenance and the remainder for LTD. As for Cunningham, the Weekly happily endorsed this guy for various posts in the past. Now that he’s elected to the EWEB Board he now has permission to censor another board member, Joann Ernst, who, as a private citizen demonstrated against Seneca Jones and it’s proposal to clear-cut old growth trees in the McKenzie watershed. You guys, it seems, endorsed a wolf in sheep’s clothing. You defi nitely have to do a better job in vetting prospective political candidates in the future. Just having an “I’m a Progressive” sign around one’s neck doesn’t cut it any more. Lou Andrews Newport LETTERS POLICY: We welcome letters on all topics and will print as many as space allows, with priority given to timely local issues. Please limit length to 200 words, keep submissions to once a month, and include your address and phone number for our fi les. E-mail to letters@ eugeneweekly.com fax to 484-4044, or mail to 1251 Lincoln, Eugene 97401. EUGENE WEEKLY JUNE 9, 2011 7
