LET TERS
MUPTE IS MISDIRECTED
I appreciate George Brown’s call
[Viewpoint, July 7] for modifi cation of
MUPTE to include a meaningful and
signifi cant workforce housing component.
But I would prefer that we end MUPTE
all together. In my view, MUPTE is as
unnecessary as it is misdirected. Typical of
these programs, it lacks robust compliance
oversight. It robs our community of needed
tax revenues for the benefi t of well-heeled
developers. The evidence of an out-of-
control program is all around us (see the
Capstone site, if you can stand the sight).
Eugene doesn’t need tax giveaways to
attract development. Instead, councilors
need to have a little faith that the many
fi ne attributes of our community are
attraction enough. Tom McCall warned
against Oregon becoming nothing but a
hungry hussy throwing herself at every
stinking smokestack that’s offered. Words
of wisdom for Eugene, too.
Benton Elliott
Eugene
CONNECTING THE DOTS
OK, Americans, 74 percent of us report
our health care through ObamaCare as
excellent or good (Kaiser Family Foundation,
May 2015). Right, since many of us couldn’t
HOT AIR SOCIETY
afford health insurance at all before the law
passed. But another report last month from
the National Bureau of Economic Research
found that the law, created by and for the for-
profi t health insurance and pharmaceutical
industries, is so complex that people often
do not choose the best plan, and therefore
pay more than they should. Guess we’re
supposed to keep still and be grateful for the
crumbs thrown to us ... wait a minute.
Thirty million citizens are still not
insured. Rates are set to rise in 2016 by
20 to 40 percent. Something about the
title of this law doesn’t ring true: Patient
Protection? Affordable Care?
I’m not surprised, but I am worried.
Worried that despite numerous polls
showing well over half of Americans
want some version of Medicare for all,
our representatives fail to develop a viable
national program. Why? Same reason they
don’t act to stop climate instability, the
schools-to-prison pipeline, the endless
wars, the unconscionable commodifi cation
of the last of our beautiful planet.
They work for wealthy corporate elites,
not you and me. Get the feeling that our
democracy is broken? Time to put our
collective shoulders to the wheel and work
together to take our country back. We
could start by demanding what every other
industrialized citizenry enjoys: health care
for people, not profi t.
Patty Hine
Eugene
NEW FIELD OF DREAMS
Almost everyone who has experienced
the excitement of an Ems game has so many
great memories from Civic Stadium. I used
to take my young son to games. He is much
older now with young children of his own,
but I’m sure these memories are something
he would certainly want to share with them.
If I knew then what I know now — all it
would have taken is a dropped cigarette
through the seats onto the dry weeds, or kids
under the stadium playing with matches. If
a fi re started below the seats, how many
people would survive?
I noticed the fl ames pouring out of
every opening on the outside of where the
top stadium seats would be — a favorite
place to get out of the sun but certain death
if a fi re progressed through the structure.
Odds are, escape would be futile for so
many souls.
Will this community and its priceless
memories be strong enough to willfully
recreate a new and better fi eld of dreams?
Eve Woodward-Shawl
Eugene
POLITICAL BATTLES SHIFT FROM SALEM TO THE FIELD
he Oregon Legislature fi zzled to a halt
as expected. Now the real fun starts.
You think paid sick leave for workers
and carbon emission standards will not
exact a price at the ballot box in 2016?
The lack of compromise and the partisan fi ghts over
a transportation package and the minimum wage now
spill over into the next initiative season, and it’s going
to be an expensive ride.
Democrats will seek more reasonable corporate
taxation for schools and public services and an increase
in the minimum wage. Republicans will press for more
“right-to-work” initiatives to curb the bargaining power
of public sector unions, riding the tide of Wisconsin
Gov. Scott Walker’s presidential aspirations.
The Oregon donnybrook offi cially broke out less
than 48 hours after the session adjourned sine die on
July 6. On July 7, House Democrat and Republican
caucuses held their leadership elections for the 2016
legislative and campaign cycle. Mike McLane was re-
elected as House minority leader. As part of the process,
Val Hoyle announced that she was stepping down from
her position as Democratic majority leader to pursue a
run at secretary of state.
That’s logical, because you really can’t be both a
caucus leader, whose principle duty in the campaign
season is fundraising, and a statewide political
candidate, whose principle duty in the campaign is to
win. Val made the right choice.
The next day, Monica Wehby’s new website,
MonicaPAC, bragged: “Rep. Val Hoyle Steps Down
as House Majority Leader under Pressure from
MonicaPAC.” Val had no idea MonicaPAC cared so
4
JULY 16, 2015 • EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
The thoughtful column by Dan Savage
in the July 9, 2015, edition points out
the complexity of domestic relations
law for gay and lesbian people. If you’re
contemplating marriage, you need to
understand the advantages and possible
disadvantages of marriage, how it affects
your assets, and legal issues around
children and stepchildren. Lane County
has many competent domestic relations
attorneys. Don’t create some unintended
consequences for the person you love
because you can’t foresee all the legal
issues you need to think through.
Sue Miller Wielesek
Eugene
REHAB? NO, NO, NO
In true lefty tradition, Molly Templeton
(“Fade To Black” fi lm review, July
9) seems to blame everyone for Amy
Winehouse’s tragic downfall except the
person who made the bad choices that led
to it.
Taylor Swift is also young and
“gloriously talented.” Swift has made a lot
of good (great) choices within the same
“celebrity culture” and “the men who run
it,” all while being far more under the public
microscope than Winehouse ever was.
BY TON Y CORCOR A N
Vote Early, Vote Often
T
SEE AN ATTORNEY
deeply about House Democratic leadership issues. But
MonicaPAC insists that through its “next generation
political outreach programs” it “delivered its call to key
infl uence leaders around the state.”
Actually, MonicaPAC delivered its message by
sending out an expensive hit piece on Val to the other
89 legislators in the 2015 session. Where did Monica
get the money to hire consultants and put out hit pieces,
and why is she operating these days out of Creswell?
You remember Monica Wehby, right? Millionaire
surgeon stalker — imagine Art Robinson on estrogen
therapy. Anyway, Monica is the new darling of the
Right. She has become the Oregon version of Sarah
Palin, acting as a pass-through for soft campaign
money from wealthy national Republican donors.
The New York Times recently reported that “soft”
campaign money is being raised at a record clip again,
and that $12 million of the $13 million raised so far has
been by the Republicans. The Times also reported that
the Koch brothers have self-identifi ed an $890 million
budget for 2016. That’s just one war chest!
Other familiar names, like hedge fund millionaire Robert
Mercer, the guy who stealthily invested a half million in
Art Robinson’s fi rst campaign against Peter DeFazio, have
already signed checks to national war chests.
MonicaPAC is managed by Creswell Republican
consultant Jacob Daniels. He used to work for Jason
Conger, who unsuccessfully ran against Wehby in
the Republican primary for U.S. Senate. At the time,
Daniels so disdained Wehby that he said he’d vote for
the Democrat (Merkley) if Wehby won the primary.
Now he works for her. Time and money apparently heal
all wounds.
And MonicaPAC is just one example of what you’ll
see in the 2016 ballot measure and election cycle.
Follow the money. Then you might understand why
a failed millionaire U.S. Senate candidate is spending
$170,000 of someone else’s money trying recall a
Democratic leader because she earned $1,800 a month
as a caucus leader. By the way, Jacob Daniels also has
a PAC. It’s called Public Integrity. Seriously?
I applaud Val’s look at the secretary of state
seat. If Diane Rosenbaum chooses to run for labor
commissioner, that would leave Sen. Richard Devlin
and Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian as potential
Democratic candidates in that primary. And maybe
Sid Leiken in the g general election. I believe women
statewide would
uld make Val a favorite in both the
primary and the e general election.
The governor’s
nor’s race is harder
to handicap right
ght now because
we don’t really
ly know who
the Republican
an candidate
will be. Bud Pierce,
ierce, a Salem
physician and former head of
the Oregon Medical
dical Association,
is running. Pierce
rce has not run for
public offi ce before. Another
announced candidate,
ndidate, Allen
Alley, has run
un before.
He ran unsuccessfully
cessfully
for state treasurer
urer in
2008 and governor
rnor
in 2010. Stay
ay
tuned. ■
Tony Corcoran of
Cottage Grove
is a former state
senator and
recently retired
state employee.