Eugene weekly., October 13, 2011, Page 7, Image 7

letters
TO THE EDITOR
rhetoric have no place in a school board
meeting. For a board member to suggest
that “if the teachers don’t like it, they can
move,” is an embarrassment to the board,
our district and an affront our community.
Superintendent Sally Storm’s bloated
salary is an assault on the educational
opportunities of children from our largely
low-income community. Outrageously,
too much of our district fi nances is being
directed at disproportionately funding
(Storm’s) wages and benefi ts package,
rather than offering our elementary students
full-day access to licensed educators, or
offering our middle school and high school
students access to classes they may need
to attend college! This cannot stand. For
the administration and school board to
regurgitate the hardships of budget cuts
while available funds are mismanaged is
offensive and disingenuous!
Parents and community members have
been outspoken at board meetings and in
private meetings with administration; we
have compiled signed petitions against
laying off teachers and combining grades;
we have contacted the media. Our efforts
will continue to strengthen and grow
until our children’s education and their
educators are given what they deserve.
Christopher Mayes
Emily Withalm
Heather Corona
Jennie Hawthorn Mayes
McKenzie Community Coalition for
Quality Education
PLANNED PARENTHOOD
Men and women of all ages come
to Planned Parenthood for an array of
low-cost, preventive health services in
a supportive and nonjudgmental setting.
Fortunately, a brand new Planned
Parenthood health center is being built
in Glenwood so an increasing number of
patients can keep getting the high-quality
care they have counted on for years.
This major construction project will
boost the local economy and help the
environment with a LEED certifi cation
that exceeds Oregon state standards.
The health center’s location on the EmX
bus line makes it convenient for women
from all over the area and will encourage
rejuvenation of the Glenwood area.
It’s a win-win for everyone in the
community and will continue to be a
positive and trusted resource, not only of
clinic services but also of education for
parents and youth. People in Oregon are
lucky to have Planned Parenthood at a time
when other states are taking away funding
for birth control services. Please stand with
Planned Parenthood to make sure people
can get what they need to keep themselves
healthy and safe.
Kristen Brandt
Eugene
leaf blowers, edgers, trimmers and such —
roared into deafening life.
All too often the serenity of Eugene
neighborhoods and the quality of their air
is ruined by the choice to use such devices,
and at all hours. Leaf blowers, for example,
create both noise and air pollution and
pose a serious danger to pedestrians and,
in particular, bicyclists when thoughtless
leaf blower operators blow a spray of
dirt, leaves and who knows what else into
people’s faces, choking and even blinding
them.
While many of these gas-operated,
mechanical tools can be helpful at times,
older tools such as rakes and brooms can
be just as, if not more, effective, with none
of the pollution and danger. How often
have I seen someone using a leaf blower
to chase a few leaves down a street for
endless minutes, disturbing the peace and
polluting the environment for little or no
good reason?
As fall approaches, consider using other
tools in the garden, and if you employ
people to do your gardening for you ask
them if they could do the same. Your
neighbors will heartily thank you for it.
Brenna Wardell
Eugene
JOBS OR WARS
Mitt Romney’s recent speech at the
Citadel in South Carolina struck the wrong
tone for the challenges we are facing in
America today. Promises for a century of
American “dominance” and “supremacy”
seem sorely out of date, as well as out of
place, in our present environment. They
also smack of a jingoistic call to arms that
overlooks the really pressing concerns of
the day — fi nancial security and the vast
disparity between the very rich and the rest
of America.
Of course, fi nancial security is
about more than money. It’s about the
opportunity to not only survive, but to
advance and prosper. It’s about evening
the playing fi eld and giving the rest of us a
fi ghting chance. With a nation on the brink
of another recession, it’s more important
to look at strengthening from within rather
than how we can solidify our position as a
global leader in defense.
And, frankly, America’s position of
dominance in terms of military might
hasn’t really changed. We are still the
strongest nation in the world, although we
continue to dissipate that power through
the long, drawn-out wars that we are
fi ghting, with questionable results.
I believe strongly in a strong national
defense. I support the troops who are
serving in harm’s way. But I believe we
need to fi nd solutions to solve our nation’s
internal security before we worry about
the “supremacy” and “dominance” that
Romney promises.
Jake Gariepy
Eugene
A MORE SERENE EUGENE
The other morning I opened my windows
to listen to the sounds of the neighborhood
slowly waking up: the chatter of birds
and squirrels, the fi rst joggers racing up
and down the hill and neighbors working
on their gardens. All too quickly I closed
them, as a host of mechanical devices —
LETTERS POLICY: We welcome letters on all topics and
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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. Email to letters@
eugeneweekly.com fax to 484-4044, or mail to 1251
Lincoln, Eugene 97401.
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EUGENE WEEKLY OCTOBER 13, 2011
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