The challenge for intelligent, sensitive,
ethical men today is to understand how
natural selection has influenced our behav-
ior and to insist that our intellect and prin-
ciple have ironclad veto power over our
penises. I’m a carpenter and if I’ve figured
this out, then a guy running for president
sure-as-shit ought to exhibit behavior well
above that of Donald Trump and Bill Clin-
ton.
Robert Bolman
Eugene
POOR CHOICE
So that’s it. Choose one, girl Hitler or
boy Genghis. I have a note written on my
pocket calendar that says, “Slavery is a
heartbeat away.” It can’t be any clearer to
all of the sane folk.
Dan Moore
Springfield
TRUE PROGRESSIVE
Voters who have been happy with Eu-
gene city government for the last quarter
century can vote for Emily Semple, con-
fident they will get more of the same. She
is endorsed by former city councilors Paul
Nicholson and Bonny Bettman and current
city councilor George Brown. Together,
these councilors have represented parts of
south Eugene since 1991. Such voters can
expect that Semple will listen to her pre-
decessors and continue this long dynasty’s
tradition of saying, “No, no, no.”
But voters wanting positive change
should join me in supporting Joshua Skov.
For 15 years, he has been fighting to make
our community better. His — not sitting
city councilors’ — has been the loudest
voice on the Budget Committee calling
for greater transparency. He was one of
the first chairs of the Sustainability Com-
mission, working to improve how the city
and our community function. He has been
fighting against climate change in his pro-
fessional life as a consultant to organiza-
tions around the country and in his person-
al life, making conscious choices to reduce
his own carbon footprint. See for yourself
on his website, JoshuaSkov.com. Then join
me in supporting the true progressive who
will move Eugene forward.
Alexis J. Biddle
Eugene
CUT IT OUT
We have a new cancer: It’s called
PERS. It has unrestricted growth and it
will kill us. Time to cut it out of our body
and save ourselves.
Philip Dietz
Springfield
POLITICAL NIGHTMARE
I had a dream the other night about the
22nd presidential election in my lifetime.
A Mr. Donald Trump stated his platform,
what he expected to accomplish if elected
to the presidency, what political experience
he had to back it up. A Ms. Hillary Clinton
stated her platform, what she expected to
accomplish if elected, what political ex-
perience she had behind her. I searched all
through the social media, could not find
any celebrity personality comments about
Clinton the lying pig or about Trump the
lecherous pig. Nothing about Trump be-
ing ugly and fat. Nothing about Clinton
being ugly and coughing a lot. I tried, but
couldn’t find any jokes about Trump’s hair.
Nor could I find anything about Clinton’s
husband. Neither candidate was elevated
to sainthood, the other to sit on the left
hand of Satan. I did find a few reminders:
Richard Nixon’s gruesome five-o-clock
shadow, John Kennedy’s matinee-idol fea-
tures, Jimmy Carter’s equine teeth, Gerald
Ford’s klutziness, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s
wife known as La Boca Grande, Barack
Obama’s questionable birthplace. Then I
woke up.
Jim Wood
Eugene
SKOV WALKS THE TALK
As someone who has worked for de-
cades to help build cities where kids and
families regularly walk, bike and take tran-
sit, I know that one of the most important
factors in creating those places is leader-
ship.
In Eugene, for many years, we have
lacked leadership in our elected officials
who truly live and understand what a safe
walking and biking environment looks like
and how to achieve it.
Josh Skov, a city council Ward 1 can-
didate, is a leader who not only talks the
talk but walks the walk. I see Josh out rid-
ing his girls to school and have talked to
him about how we can create a city that
is safe for everyone, no matter how they
get around. He actually understands the is-
sue because he lives it. He understands it
and already does work for making it better:
joshuaskov.com/transportation.
We need more leaders in our city work-
ing to create safer streets and a more sus-
tainable city for all. I know Josh will be
one of those leaders because he has the ex-
perience and especially because he walks
the walk.
Shane MacRhodes
Eugene
MISLEADING ADS
Would you vote for a ballot measure
that asks you if the state of Oregon can raise
the filing fee for businesses from $10 to
$150, add a 7.6 percent corporate income
tax bracket for businesses earning over $1
million, but allows businesses that make
$100 million to get away with a minimum
tax of $100,000 (one-tenth of a percent)
when they have no taxable net income?
That is exactly what voters did when
they passed Measures 66 and 67 because
they believed misleading advertisements.
Now Measure 97 is using the same tactics
by telling voters that we have the lowest
corporate tax rates in the United States.
The Tax Foundation shows a map of the
corporate tax rates across the U.S. There
are 28 states that pay a lower rate than our
state.
So is it fair or ethical to tell voters that
Oregon has the lowest corporate income
tax rates in the United States by averaging
in the businesses who pay the minimum
tax with those who pay the full 7.6 per-
cent? Wouldn’t it be fair to assess the 2.5
percent tax only on the businesses that get
away with the minimum tax?
Margaret Innocenti
Eugene
DEMOCRACY AND EDUCATION
BY TA D SH A NNON A ND PE TE M A NDR A PA
Just Do It.
Vote Yes
on 97
TAX CHEATS BACK NO ON 97
A
s we approach Election Day, we are being faced with his-
toric decisions. The results of the presidential race will have
consequences beyond the next four years. Here in Oregon,
voters will have a chance to influence the future of genera-
tions of children, the elderly and people with health needs.
Measure 97, which would tax the largest corporations doing more than $25
million in business in Oregon, could reverse the trend of the last 25 years
of disinvestment in schools, seniors and health care programs in our state.
Income inequality has become one of the biggest threats to our democ-
racy, and Bernie Sanders’ campaign has focused young people’s attention
on the future like no other campaign has done. Young people, who have the
most to gain, have supported Bernie’s call for restructuring our tax system
in order to fund the neglected needs of the 99 percent.
Measure 97 is putting into practice what Bernie has called for and what
the Democratic Party has included in its platform. The country is watching
us. Can the popular will of the majority trump corporate interests and turn
the country around? Our Revolution, Bernie’s national organization, has
endorsed 97 and is working hard to pass it.
It’s no wonder the largest corporations in the world are pouring money
into Oregon in an attempt to hoodwink voters once again into voting against
their own legitimate interests. They have already raised close to $20 million
to use in the campaign of lies and misinformation against Measure 97.
Comcast is spending close to half a million dollars while at the same
time trying to avoid paying $120 million in back taxes. It has also begun
refusing to accept or to show Yes on 97 ads if they include any mention of
its company. This is the same company that made $8 billion last year and
that has been fined $2.3 million by the FCC for charging customers for stuff
they never ordered.
Wells Fargo is contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to defeat
Measure 97 just days after having been hit with a $180 million fine for
cheating its customers out of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Monsanto — remember its role in defeating the GMO-labeling initia-
tive? — is also contributing large sums of money to defeat Measure 97.
Monsanto’s GMO campaign was so successful that the public relations firm
that helped it defeat the GMO labeling initiative is now running the No on
97 campaign.
Just as Donald Trump brags about not paying taxes because it’s a good
business practice, these corporations are fighting for their opportunity to
pocket record profits. Their argument that this is a hidden sales tax and that
the average Joe will be hurt is part of their disinformation campaign. As a
matter of fact, many of these corporations support an Oregon sales tax so
that the ordinary people will pay instead of them.
The story of huge classes, short school years and low graduation rates
parallels the fall in the share of corporate taxes sent to the state’s coffers.
Oregon has the lowest business taxes in the country and it shows. A genera-
tion ago, business taxes made up close to 20 percent of the state budget.
Today the business sector pays only around 6 percent of the cost of public
education and other state services. If we don’t turn this around, their share
is projected to drop to close to 4 percent.
Don’t be fooled by corporate propaganda. Just do it and Vote Yes on 97.
Tad Shannon has taught in Eugene schools for 18 years. He is now serving as president of the Eugene
Education Association. Pete Mandrapa has taught in Eugene schools for 36 years. He is a member of
the Eugene Education Association and CAPE. The Community Alliance for Public Education (CAPE)
is a coalition of parents, teachers, professors, students and community members who challenge the
many assaults on public education and who believe in a strong public education as the foundation for
American democracy. More at oregoncape.org.
eugeneweekly.com • October 20, 2016
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