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❘
SATURDAY EDITION
❘ FEBRUARY 27, 2016
Siuslaw News
RYAN CRONK , EDITOR
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
Opinion
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
VIEW FROM UPRIVER
YESTERDAY’S NEWS
A chance to do the right thing
W ESLEY V OTH
For the Siuslaw News
––––––––––––
F
ebruary hailstorms — with a little
thunder and lightning thrown in —
dampen, threaten, but don’t dis-
suade the blooms appearing on the bare
brown branches. Salmonberry, flowering
currant, Indian plum and willow spindles
are among the natives resurging right
now, and in various yards forsythia and
plum and flowering quince join that num-
ber. What has looked dead, dormant and
some might say dreadful, now shows
stunning color and exquisite shapes. Even
though I know this will happen, it is
always heartening to watch these early
signs of spring. Signs that life will contin-
ue and there is yet hope.
Growing up I attended small-town
Oregon public schools in places where
education was a low tax-payer priority,
schools continually dependent on voter-
supported levies and bonds. I was told
that we couldn’t have certain things (text-
books published since World War II was
EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
one unfulfilled desire) because of
all of the people who didn’t have
kids and voted “No.” This felt very
unfair to my childhood perspective,
and I thought when I got the chance
to vote I would be different.
As it turned out, however, I
resided during my parenting years
and public school teaching career in
Hawaii, a state whose entire education
budget is funded and handled by the leg-
islature and never goes to direct taxpayer
vote. And, since coming back to Oregon
in my grandparent years, there has until
now not been a chance in Mapleton to
vote to do something to honor my child-
hood vows, and to both pay back and pay
forward on something this important.
Oddly, even if I had been living in
Mapleton all my adult years, this would
still be my first opportunity.
This school district’s last bond was
repaid in 1961; its last vote some years
before that.
Despite whatever it may have lacked, I
owe a tremendous debt to the public
schooling I got. While my learning curve
was steeper along the social rather than
academic lines, I was encouraged and
challenged and inspired by many wonder-
ful teachers. Most of what I learned about
appreciating and getting along with peo-
ple of cultures and abilities and interests
and perceptions vastly different from my
own, I learned in public school.
I believe the successes of free and
appropriate public education for every
child has led to what successes we have
had as a nation. And, in those places and
with those children where we have failed
to do this adequately, this has led to our
many shortcomings.
Now, here in Mapleton-Swisshome-
Deadwood (Florence has both its own
bond measure and its own who know how
to raise a loud “No”), we have a chance
to vote “Yes” on a bond measure to make
a difference for our community. To do our
part in making sure our collective chil-
dren have what they need to succeed in
and contribute to the world we have
shaped around them.
We may be the poorest and the smallest
school district in terms of number of tax-
base households in Lane County, but we
have a chance by passing a bond to dou-
ble the money available to us ($4 million
to $5 million of our own becomes $8 mil-
lion to $9 million total), and make
improvements on a scale we have been
unable to do since that last bond ended in
1961.
Yes it will cost us something, every one
of us. But far less ultimately than every
other alternate scenario. If we don’t pass
our bond, we will have nothing.
LETTERS
MOMENTS IN TIME
The History Channel
On March 3, 1887, Anne Sullivan begins
teaching 6-year-old Helen Keller, who lost her
sight and hearing after a severe illness at the age
of 19 months. Under Sullivan’s tutelage, the
previously uncontrollable Keller flourished,
eventually graduating from college and becom-
ing a lecturer and activist.
On March 6, 1899, the patent office in
Berlin registers Aspirin, the brand name for
acetylsalicylic acid, on behalf of Friedrich
Bayer & Co. Acetylsalicylic acid was originally
made from a chemical found in the bark of wil-
low trees.
On March 2, 1904, Theodor Geisel, better
known as Dr. Seuss, the author and illustrator of
such beloved children’s books as “The Cat in
the Hat,” is born in Massachusetts. Geisel’s first
book, “And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry
Street,” was rejected by over two dozen pub-
lishers before making it into print in 1937.
On March 5, 1929, David Dunbar Buick,
founder of the Buick Motor Company, dies in
relative obscurity after years of working menial
jobs. By 1906, Buick had lost control of the
business and sold his stock, which would later
be worth millions of dollars.
On March 1, 1932, the 20-month-old son
of aviator Charles Lindbergh is kidnapped from
the family’s mansion in New Jersey. Although a
ransom note demanding $50,000 was left in the
nursery, the baby had been killed the night of
the kidnapping.
Special thanks
On Feb. 29, 1940, the film “Gone With the
Wind” is honored with eight Oscars. The most
momentous award went to Hattie McDaniel for
her portrayal of “Mammy,” a housemaid and
former slave. McDaniel was the first black actor
ever to win an Oscar.
I’d like to give a special shout
out to Florence Police Sgt. James
Macfarlane for giving emergency
assistance to myself in a time of
need.
You’re a gentleman and a sav-
ior. Thank you once again for
helping me in my crisis.
From a grateful citizen,
Debbie Neece
Florence
On March 4, 1962, a Trans-African DC-7
crashes on takeoff in Cameroon, its 111 passen-
gers and crew doomed by a mechanical failure.
It was the first single-airplane disaster in histo-
ry in which more than 100 people died.
Sorting fiction
from fact
(c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.
In response to Jim Selby’s let-
ter, “Wake-up Call,” Feb. 17, I
would like to sort out a little of
the myth and fiction from fact.
None of our taxes have risen.
In fact, because my husband, now
a blind and disabled veteran, was
also a first responder — Battalion
Chief, fire service — we were
able to deduct an extra $3,000
this year.
More controls? Where? At air-
ports? But isn’t that providing us
with more security?
Less freedom? For the first
time in 50 years Cuba and the
United States will open their
doors to each other.
Remember, it was the
Republicans, under George W.
Bush, who opened the flood gates
to chaos in the Middle East
resulting in so many refugees
seeking asylum.
If the Iraq War had never been,
the world would be a calmer
place.
And, it is the Republicans who
want to keep minimum wage to
L ETTERS TO THE
E DITOR P OLICY
$7.25; to allow the outrage of
shutting
down
Planned
Parenthood; and to privatize
Social Security and the Veteran’s
Administration.
They want to cut off medical
assistance to millions of people
who are now covered by the
OCA, and are protected from
bankruptcy, due to the impossible
cost of medical care.
None of that will help the ordi-
nary U.S. citizen. But maybe Mr.
Selby’s in the 1 percent billion-
aire class who doesn’t care about
all this?
Barbara Prisbe-Sutton
Oceanside, Calif.
formerly of Florence
Religious class
Recently your paper carried an
article describing a class about
the Old Testament in the Bible. It
was to be held at 6:30 p.m. every
Tuesday at the LDS church. The
class, taught by Joel Marks, was
planned to be a 12-week course
of study. This is a brief review of
the class so far.
Anyone who reads the Bible,
whether as literature or scripture,
will enjoy the depth and details of
the material presented. Marks has
been a teacher and scriptorian for
more than 40 years. He is providing
an interesting series of discussions
with material often overlooked.
Included (but not limited to)
are Jewish traditions, information
regarding the apocrypha, prophe-
cies of the Messiah (“anointed
one”), further prophecies about
the futures of the nation of Israel,
our nation and the world.
The class is still in its begin-
ning stage. Every week will pro-
vide new, fascinating information
and points to ponder.
This is a free class.
Be sure to get the basic hand-
out for resource materials and the
early efforts to create a common-
language Bible.
Come and enjoy!
Patricia Kane
Florence
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Pres. Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213
www.whitehouse.gov
Gov. Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, OR 97301-4047
Governor’s Citizens’ Rep.
Message Line 503-378-4582
www.oregon.gov/gov
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
541-431-0229
www.wyden.senate.gov
FAX: 503-986-1080
Email:
Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997
541-465-6750
State Rep. Caddy McKeown
(Dist. 9)
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1409
Email:
rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6416/ 800-944-9603
541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732
www.defazio.house.gov
State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5)
900 Court St. NE - S-417
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
West Lane County Commissioner
Jay Bozievich
125 E. Eighth St.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4203
FAX: 541-682-4616
Email:
Jay.Bozievich@co.lane.or.us