EUGENE FAMILIES: See what our schools offer.
always controlled and used by a few big
outfi ts that had usually gotten in the game
pretty close to the initial land grab from
the original holders. When the big spreads
sold, the grazing rights went with them.
How are these leases handled in
Oregon?
Elena Rae
Eugene
THE END OF RANCHING
I enjoy connecting the dots between
issues. The Malheur Wilderness Refuge
malcontents need to go on home and take
up cricket farming. The heyday of the
cattle rancher has left the building, like
that of loggers and fi shermen. They got
greedy when the going was good and have
long been left in the dust by even greedier,
mega-multi-corporations, who, hell-bent-
on-wheels, roll over us all. The wrath,
ire and good organizing skills of these
contentious groups could be better directed
towards fi ghting the cause of all humanity.
Hey, they could campaign for Bernie!
Besides, as a society, we need to
phase out of large-mammal meat-eating,
pronto. It is a systematically barbaric
industry overall and responsible for two
of the biggest factors leading to global
warming, methane (CO2) discharge
and deforestation. We’re not giving up
traditional native lands and what few parks
and wilderness refuges we have left.
Erica Snowlake
Eugene
LOW-WAGE SLAVERY
It seems that Gov. Kate Brown is
now compromising with the previous
compromisers. Is the only “leadership”
we get from the Democratic Party coming
from Sen. Bernie Sanders?
How can phasing in increases to the
minimum wage to the year 2022 be any
different than what will already happen
under the present law? And at that time the
expected infl ation will wipe out any real
increase. Why is it these legislators can
tolerate a “get by” minimum wage that still
makes a person qualify for food stamps?
We all want “good quality jobs" to be
available, but does that mean that the job
pays just enough to cover the cost of the
usual monthly expenses and the monthly
food bill, with nothing left over to cover
the unexpected happenings? Food stamps
should be thought of like unemployment
insurance — a stopgap for an emergency
— not a subsidy for inadequate wages by
either a business or city workers.
Low wages do promote jobs. But we
made that type of economy illegal in this
country when we eliminated slavery. We
must at least try to get $15 as a minimum
now. If people vote against that, we should
know who they are so that we know who to
vote for in the next election.
Bob Cassidy
Eugene
CHANGING HABITS
I greatly appreciate the sentiment
expressed by Jack Van Dusen Jan. 7 that
each of us makes a defi nite and signifi cant
impact on global climate impacts with
our everyday decisions about what we
buy and how we dispose. Analysts of
Oregon’s recycling systems report that
in one year alone, the greenhouse gas
(GHG) reductions achieved by recycling
our waste into new products was very
nearly equal to the GHG emissions of all
air travel by all Oregonians in that same
year. The environmental benefi ts of using
recycled materials instead of Earth’s virgin
resources cannot be overstated.
But Van Dusen did not apply the
most effective message to his example
of a coffee cup. Coffee cups are not very
recyclable. They have a plastic liner
that renders them undesirable to a paper
mill. This item, along with all other paper
constructed to package wet materials,
are frustrating recyclers across the
industry. Either they have a plastic liner, or
they have a wet-strength chemical, or both.
Both are detrimental to the effectiveness of
paper mills that refi ne old paper to make
new. The use of these two methods is not
consistent across the packaging industry,
so there is no way for recyclers to sort, or
give easy instructions to the public. Most
recycling programs in Lane County give
a resounding no to paper cups — plastic
cups too, for that matter.
The far better answer is to use your own
durable cup for coffee. Recycling is the
best thing, if something is recyclable, but
far more effective is reducing the
production of manufactured materials
when we can. Shop at thrift stores, bring
your own bag to the store or fi nd a repair
service (repair2reuse.org).
We got ourselves into this mess with our
consumer purchasing choices; we can get
out of it by changing our consumer habits.
Seek more durable products and use every
penny as a vote for a better future.
Sarah Grimm
Eugene
School’s open!
It’s school choice time. In Eugene School District 4J, every school offers an excellent
education. You can enroll in your neighborhood school at any time. To request
enrollment in a different school for 2016–17, apply online at www.4j.lane.edu/choice by
February 29 at 5 p.m. Requests will be accepted in an order determined by lottery.
Elementary
School Showcase
Saturday, Jan. 23,
9 a.m.–12 p.m.
4J Education Center,
200 N. Monroe St.
Learn about the school choice
process. Sign up for school
visits. Talk to representatives
from every 4J elementary
school.
Apply by
Feb. 29
at 5 p.m.
School
Visitation
Weeks
School Choice
Information
Meetings
Monday, Jan. 25–
Friday, Jan. 29
Thursday, Jan. 21, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 23,
9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m.
Monday, Feb. 22–
Friday, Feb. 26
(during the School Showcase)
Each school offers
activities and times
when parents can visit.
Please phone ahead or
see www.4j.lane.edu/
choice for details.
Thursday, Feb. 18, 7 p.m.
4J Education Center,
200 N. Monroe St.
Learn about the school
choice process.
Eugene School District 4J
www.4j.lane.edu/choice • 541-790-7570
The Shedd Institute
www.theshedd.org - 541.434.7000
Keola Beamer
& Henry Kapono
Saturday, January 23
The Magical Moombah!
Gloria’s Habitat Hotel!
Coming
up next at 23rd
The Shedd…
Sat January
- 10 am & 1 pm
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
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.
ive rsar y
n
n
A
h
A 20t
Swing!
Year of
In The Mood!
In the Swing, 1939-42
Thu, February 4 - cabaret seating
Sun, Feb 7 - concert seating
EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • JANUARY 21, 2016
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