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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 16, 2017)
LET TERS MEN ARE GOOD Sunday, Nov. 19 is International Men’s Day. Maybe one day during the year we can stop blaming men, particularly white men, for the ills of the world. You might consider a father who daily went to a job he didn’t like so you could live comfort- ably. You might consider the men who cre- ated all the things you take for granted, like houses, roads, schools, hospitals and pretty much everything else. You might consider that the electrical power stays on mostly because of men, that garbage is collected mostly because of men or that the little screen that dominates your attention by dispensing doses of do- pamine connects seamlessly to a cellphone tower designed, constructed and main- tained mostly by men. You might consider that three of every four homeless people are men or that 13 out of every 14 workplace injuries and deaths befalls a man. You might wonder why the oppressers live shorter lives than the women they oppress or why men com- mit suicide far more often than women. Yes, women do attempt suicide more often, but men are better at getting the job done. For one day, maybe you could try the man- tra “Men are Good.” Joe Tyndall Eugene GIVE DEFAZ A CALL Nice interview with Congressman Pe- ter DeFazio with his selection as best lo- cal politician. (“Best of Eugene Readers Poll” 11/2) He truly seems like a person who cares and will listen. So give him a call or write a note, asking him to cospon- sor House Resolution 466 supporting the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). The GPE will help countries provide edu- cation for the millions of children and youth out of school. By supporting the GPE’s ef- forts, America can join other countries and individual donors to create a more peaceful world. In addition to reducing conflict, edu- cated populations have lower birth rates, bet- ter health, and higher earnings. This is a perfect step for the man select- ed as a “world-changer.” Willie Dickerson Snohomish BEATING A DEAD HORSE Every time I see Donald Trump featured on the cover of Eugene Weekly (11/9), I wish the paper would apply its resources more strictly to local news. Ben Ricker Eugene TRUMP SONG TRIBUTE Thank you for your coverage of pro- test songs last week (11/9), especially Trombone Shorty and Dumpstaphunk’s song “Justice.” The song features Nick Daniels III, playing a Mana Basso bass made here in Eugene by Tony Walters. It features locally sourced and sustainably yielded woods. Just another great example of your in- Celebrating ! Born and raised in Eugene 11th & Olive • Downtown Eugene Mon-Fri 8 am -8 pm • Sat & Sun 9 am -8 pm kivagrocery.com 541-342-7019 4 November 16, 2017 • eugeneweekly.com credible community of artists making an impact worldwide. Thanks again EW for being a beacon of light in the heart of darkness! Harold “Hal” Henkel Eugene PRO ELECTED AUDITOR While I now live in Portland, I formerly lived in Eugene, and still follow events there. Kudos to those who gathered 13,000 petition signatures to establish an indepen- dent elected city auditor for Eugene. Here in Portland, we appreciate our elected auditor. With a budget of $10 mil- lion and a staff of 50, she provides a good counterweight to the mayor and city com- missioners, who are full-time employees managing city departments. But Eugene has a different form of gov- ernment. The ballot measure appears to be a vote of no confidence in the mayor and City Council, as it provides them with no new authority or resources to guide the city. Rather the proposal risks creating a power struggle over who really runs the city. The lowly-paid mayor and council have the au- thority but the highly-paid auditor has her own staff and, potentially, legal counsel. The mayor and City Council should em- brace the need for better city government. Time is running out for them to either support the current proposal as welcome and benefi- cial, or else offer an alternative they believe will help them serve the community better. Joe Daunt Portland A GOOD START ON AUDITOR Having run a statewide initiative cam- paign I can attest to the fact that the pe- titioners who organized the campaign to gather signatures for an elected city auditor worked hard and deserve praise for their efforts. I fully support accountability and trans- parency in Eugene. A performance auditor is one good way to improve the function- ing of city government. However, upon reading the text of the proposed charter amendment, I came away with the belief that there are some flaws in their proposal that would make it difficult for me and oth- ers to support it. For example, the cost is very high, there is no residency requirement, there are no checks and balances on the auditor, and some of the language is poorly drafted. I look forward to learning what the mayor’s study group has found and how the city council responds. I applaud the ef- forts of the petitioners as a good start, but I hope the Eugene City Council finds a way to improve this attempt at establishing an important government position. David Funk Eugene CLOSE GUN LOOPHOLES We become vulnerable to unreasonable restrictions on our freedoms without rea- sonable gun regulations. At the national level, we should: l. Ban the sales of the bump stock and rapidly firing weapons.
