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• It’s an oft-repeated accusation, a drum beaten by the Trumpians, that
undocumented immigrants don’t pay taxes and are a drain on the U.S economy. The
reverse is true. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy’s most recent
report released March 1, “Undocumented immigrants contribute significantly to state
and local taxes, collectively paying an estimated $11.74 billion a year.” The study
shows that between 50 and 75 percent of undocumented immigrants currently pay
personal income taxes using either an individual tax identification number or a false
social security number. The researchers point out that “granting legal status to all
undocumented immigrants in the United States as part of a comprehensive immigration
reform and allowing them to work legally would increase their state and local tax
contributions by an estimated $2.18 billion a year.”
• Half as many reporters are working in American media now as we had only 15
years ago. That’s a fact UO Journalism instructor Todd Milbourn delivered to the City Club
of Eugene April 17 in the program on “Editing Your News Feeds: Facts, Alternative Facts,
Propaganda and Just Plain BS.” We understand that good reporting is expensive, so
that’s what goes first in a revenue squeeze. But journalism schools and the media,
understandably, never tell us the profit margin still enjoyed by owners, who were
collecting as much as 25 percent, even 30 percent, profit a few years ago. Newspapers
were cash cows. Maybe the profit margin is still high enough that responsible ownership
could continue funding solid reporting and content?
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• Twenty-seven residents of Lane County Commissioner Faye Stewart’s east Lane
County district have applied for the seat he’s vacating on the board. Applications to fill
George Poling’s recently vacated northeast Eugene City Council seat opened April 11.
Let’s hope the city position, which pays $14,528 to the County Commission’s $84,000
plus benefits, is also met with enthusiasm.
• It’s amazing that more than 300 supporters of books and kids lunched at Valley
River Inn on April 6 to raise money for the Imagination Library of Eugene, a project
started nationally by Dolly Parton to give every child a book a month from birth to age
five. Since Imagination Library of Eugene launched in 2014, it has served more than
4,000 kids at a current cost of $186,000. This year’s board needs to raise about
$95,000. Doug Barber and David Marcus are co-chairs. While this project sprouts out of
the Eugene Public Library, we learned with dismay that all libraries in Douglas County
will shut down for lack of operating funds. Where are the voters there who care about
books and kids?
• Kudos to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and to playwright Lynn Nottage for
winning the Pulitzer Prize for drama this week for her play Sweat, which explores the
social problems created by industrial decline. A co-commission by OSF and by Arena
Theatre in D.C., the play made its world premiere at the Shakespeare festival’s Angus
Bowmer Theatre in Ashland in 2015 before opening at Broadway’s Studio 54 last month.
The award is Nottage’s second; she won the Pulitzer for drama in 2009 for her play
Ruined, which was later produced at OSF in 2010.
• Oregonians for Science and Reason is offering a three-part workshop to help
attendees develop a more critical eye towards social media content and current news.
OSR says that the classes are designed to arm you with skills to identify fallacies in
reasoning, recognize fake news, fact-check information, find reliable sources and
improve communication skills. The classes run 11 am to 2:30 pm Saturday April 15,
April 29 and May 13 at the Amazon Community Center, multipurpose room, 2700
Hilyard Street in Eugene. The fee for the class is $20, with some scholarships available
on the basis of need. Space is limited to 22 students and registration is required. RSVP
to OSR on meetup.com, or contact Jeanine DeNoma at wilkinsa@peak.org or 541-760-
2822.
• On Monday, April 17, Rep. Peter DeFazio will hold a Florence Town Hall meeting
from 11 am until 12:30 pm at the Florence Events Center, 715 Quince Street.
• The next open meeting for people interested in a new downtown cohousing for
adults 55 and over is noon, Saturday, April 22. Info at eugenecohousingdowntown@
gmail.com or 541-344-5751. Cohousing Open House Day this year is Saturday, April 29,
allowing visitors to tour cohousing communities in Portland and Corvallis. See cohousing.
org/openhouse2017/communities.
eugeneweekly.com • A pril 13, 2017
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