Valley samples, cause and/or have a high
correlation with endocrine disruption,
reproductive problems and neurological
disorders.
State agencies must be held accountable
and pesticide laws need to be re-evaluated
to protect human health.
Carla Hervert, R.N., M.S.
Eugene
GIVE OREGON A RAISE
The Seattle mayor recently announced
a plan to increase the minimum wage to
$15 per hour. The plan is a product of a
24-member committee and enjoys strong
support from the business community,
labor leaders and city lawmakers.
Oregon cities currently lack the power
to legislate a living wage. There appears to
be a growing interest in changing that next
session. However, there’s no reason that
Gov. Kitzhaber and the state Legislature
can’t craft a similar plan.
I’ve contacted the governor numerous
times inquiring about his position on
this issue. Is he happy with the status
quo, where millions of full-time workers
aren’t paid enough to make ends meet
and require government assistance? His
staffers continue to claim they have no
knowledge of the governor’s opinion. I
hope the governor will change his mind
and demonstrate some real leadership on
this vital issue.
Raising the minimum wage to a living
wage would lift thousands out of poverty
and off government assistance, stimulating
the economy, creating opportunity and
prosperity. Ultra-rich corporate welfare
queens like Walmart, whose low-wage
employees require government assistance,
don’t deserve to be subsided by taxpayers.
Prices of some products and services
will go up. I saw one study that found if
Walmart paid their lowest paid employees
a living wage they would only have to raise
their prices marginally. Regardless of the
variable price increases, the right thing
to do is to pay the worker a living wage
and empower them to make their own
consumer choices.
Joshua Welch
Eugene
HOMELESS PETS, TOO
As upsetting as the eviction of the
Whoville homeless camp in Eugene was, I
do believe our community needs to be just
as enraged about another homeless issue.
This issue is the homeless dogs and cats
in our community, but sadly instead of
just being evicted they are murdered for
not having a home. Every day both dogs
and cats in Lane county are being killed
just because they don’t have a family that
cares.
The fi rst and most important thing we
can ALL do to help save innocent life is
to spay and neuter. For every puppy or
kitten that is born and sold, one homeless
dog or cat is being murdered. We have low
cost spay and neuter clinics such as WAG,
Eugene city, Veneta Veterinary Hospital,
and I am sure there are more.
The other way we can all help stop the
homeless pet problems are to not buy a
dog or cat, adopt. Eugene and surrounding
areas have great rescue groups. When
you adopt from most of these groups the
pet you adopt is spayed or neuter, has had
some if not all of their shots and may have
a microchip. This is a great way to save a
life.
I call to you all to help save homeless
dogs and cats and stop the senseless
murder of them just because they don’t
have a place to call home.
Jennifer King
Eugene
MISSING GENRE?
Hello Eugene Public Library. I’m
concerned about the Friends of the Library
bookstore called Second Hand Prose.
There is no section for metaphysical, New
Age, meditation or modern spirituality
books.
On three different occasions (and
with three different volunteers) when I
inquired as to where to fi nd it I was met
with coldness. I felt like I’d walked into
a Christian Bookstore and asked for the
Devil’s home phone number. They pointed
to “Self Help” and “Religion” and said
that’s all they have. But nothing — not a
single book on this hugely popular topic.
A town like Eugene would have all
manner of books donated to it by patrons.
But this topic is nowhere to be seen and
not one makes it to the shelves. I inquired
(I thought humorously) if when they get
those books, do they just throw them away?
That’s when it got very uncomfortable. I
didn’t get a straight answer but I didn’t get
a “no” either. Maybe they should inform
patrons not to donate that genre because
books will be trashed unless they are
straight Christian or scientifi c materialism.
Donna Waago (aka Oshara)
Eugene
EDITOR’S NOTE: We checked with the library and
were told by Customer Experience Manager LaVena
Nohrenberg that Second Hand Prose does have a
“Religion/ Spirituality” section that includes more than
Christianity, but there’s not much in it because those
topics are very popular in Eugene. Got books to donate?
Call 848-1452 or visit friendseugenelibrary.org.
Tim Verkler
Full Service Real Estate Broker Since 1997
Experience Matters
“From Vintage Homes to New Construction
From Condos to Country Estates”
Former Home Builder | UO Alumnus
Cell - 541-554-0910
timverkler@gmail.com
eugeneproperties.net
eugeneweekly.com • May 8, 2014
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