letters
TO THE EDITOR
SHOELESS AMONG BOOKS
Since City Manager Richard Meyer
of Cottage Grove ignored my fi rst letter,
I now write regarding the Cottage Grove
library. I appreciate the library a great
deal, but recently witnessed an elderly
man threatened with police action and
banishment from the library by Director
Pete Barrell in a short-tempered and
inappropriate manner. The victim, Graham
Lawrence, was mistreated for walking
barefoot, which he does typically. When
Barrell actually threatened him after being
asked why the policy exists, there was no
warning, no offer to discuss in another
setting.
I’d been told before that shoes are
required and the librarian had said she “did
not need to explain the policy.” As public
servants, actually they are supposed to
have reason for their policies and ought to
have no problem explaining them politely.
The argument that bare feet are
somehow dirty does not hold; they are
typically cleaner than shoes. Bacterial
growth results from wearing shoes. Other
religions view the foot as sacred, and the
ground as sacred to be felt beneath one. If
they need to post a sign saying that it is
a person’s own risk to enter barefoot, let
them. There is no liability implicit. I am
still waiting for an explanation and believe
the silence shows there is no good reason.
Moreover, the police force is clearly not
needed to deal with a peaceful guy with no
shoes!
At the very least I want the library
director to write Lawrence an apology and
respect citizenry in the future.
Benjamin Raymond Selker
Cottage Grove
BUTTS ARE SICKENING
I am writing to extend a belated thank
you to the author of an EW viewpoint
article published a couple months ago
(10/13/11) on the problem of a proliferation
of cigarette butts littering our local outdoor
public spaces.
Yesterday I was riding my bicycle along
the beautiful and extensive Eugene park
pathways along the river. Unfortunately, I
couldn’t simply enjoy the sunny afternoon
and fresh air when I was assailed by
cigarette smoke from some walkers and
another bike rider.
Why are smokers allowed to continue
to contaminate our air and litter our
sidewalks and public pathways with their
stinky cigarette butts?
I sometimes suffer severe migraine
headaches because of cigarette smoke.
I doubt I am the only one unnecessarily
sickened by inconsiderate smokers.
Diane Van Orden
Springfi eld
TAXING FALLS SHORT
Wow, it is pretty simple. In the 1950s
through the 1970s, when people’s incomes
surpassed a certain point, that extra income
was taxed upward from 90 percent.
Contrast this to current times when the tax
on really, really high income is 35 percent.
It is pretty ironic that the ’50s, ’60s, and
early ’70s — referred to as an economic
Golden Age — is when taxes on high
earners was much higher than now. Do the
political pundits know their history?
People from well-to-do families with
their physical needs, emotional wellness,
and education provided for have a better
chance to do well in this world. Our tax
system says otherwise. The assumption
that we all have a fair shot regardless of
circumstances is profoundly untrue.
I have been working in human services
and it is getting to the point where we
cannot do our jobs because the funding
is not there. People are dying and people
who are in dire need cannot get access
to services because the money has been
slowly receding over the past 30 years.
Thirty years? That sounds familiar. Oh
wait, that is the time the Congressional
Budget Offi ce found that the income of
the top 1 percent has gone up 275 percent.
Coincidence? I think not. Any politician,
lobbying fi rm or think tank that tries to
pretend the troubles in our economy and
society are outside of this imbalance are
blowing smoke onto the issue. Please keep
that in mind in terms of any activism and
during the next two election cycles.
Kerstin Britz
Cottage Grove
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J ANUARY
21-23
20-22
St. Thomas More Newman Center at the UO
presents a two-part conference:
JUSTICE & THE NW FARMWORKER
Thursday, Jan. 26, 7 PM: John R. Morris, Dominican Scholar
Catholic Teaching on Social Justice
Friday, Jan. 27, 7 PM: Ramon Ramirez, Pres., NW Farmworkers Union
Life & Needs of NW Farmworkers
Plus Live Music and Personal History by Workers
Fairgrounds
Eugene
FREE
Admission
5180334J15
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Founding
of the United Farmworkers by Cesar Chavez
FRI
5pm-9pm
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SUN 10am–5pm
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EUGENE WEEKLY JANUARY 19, 2012
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