4 A
❘
SATURDAY EDITION
❘ DECEMBER 13, 2017
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Opinion
USPS# 497-660
Copyright 2017 © Siuslaw News
Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon. A member of the
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DEADLINES:
Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to publication; Regular classified ads,
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L ETTERS
LETTERS
M AKING A BRIGHTER
C HRISTMAS FOR TEENS
The 18th annual Tree of Giving at
Siuslaw Glass & Mirror was a huge
success. We want to thank everyone
who participated in making this a
brighter Christmas for the teens in
our community.
It is appreciated more than you
know.
—Angie Schafer
Co-owner of Siuslaw Glass &
Mirror
Florence
S EXUAL HARRASMENT
ACCUSATIONS NEED PROOF
It seems that we are having an
overreaction going on concerning
sexual harassment.
Yes, I know many will think me
insensitive to the plight of the many
women who have endured such
despicable behavior.
Not true.
However, what is not being done
in these cases is subjective proof. As
a fact, in many, there is no proof or
even the identity of the accuser/
accusers. We know from past cases
that women have lied in rape and
harassment cases.
There is no reason to believe that
some of the current #metoo persons
coming forward are not lying also.
However, many a job or reputation
will be ruined without having the
most basic provision of our law sys-
tem enacted: The right to face one’s
accuser.
I will say that I have no sympathy
for the rightfully accused and there
are many, as we have seen. But let
us not cheer the swinging of the
pendulum as some do without the
rightful and just protections that
our justice system provides.
—David T. Eckhardt
Florence
L ESS INCOME MEANS LESS
TIME TO VOLUNTEER
I’m responding to the recent
Siuslaw News article “The
Economics of Volunteerism: Is
Coastal Life in Jeopardy? Part V”
(Dec. 13) because I’m aghast at the
general lack of understanding of
economic injustice in America, as
well as in relation to western Lane
County in particular.
We live in a country where three
people have as much wealth as 165
million Americans (Gates, Bezos,
Buffet). In less than a week, our rep-
resentatives will vote on a tax bill
absurdly being called “Tax Cuts and
Jobs Act” from which I can’t see
where any jobs are created in this
bill.
But the rich will get to hoard
more of their unearned (Capital
Gains) income, buy up more real
estate, and either gouge renters or
let their many vacation properties sit
empty.
I don’t understand why people
can’t make a simple connection:
With less income for the working
class, there is no time to volunteer,
which is due to the need to spend
more hours working in order to to
pay rent, utilities, transportation,
food, healthcare expenses, etc.
The beauty of lowering taxes for
the rich allows them to fund what-
ever charities (nonprofits) they
choose, and direct those funds as
they wish. This leaves nonprofits as
little more than tools to play against
each other as taxes that had once
been collected to help support them
are eliminated.
As soon as the retirees pass on,
there will be no volunteers left.
Social Security will be sacrificed to
the gods (the rich) and more pain
will be dispersed down to the work-
ing adults and children.
Don’t act surprised when the “tax
bill” goes through. And don’t think
that we’ll be saved by the next elec-
tion — or the one after that.
Both parties work together for
their financial contributors. If you
are reading this article, chances are
it doesn’t include you.
Happy Holidays everyone.
—Mindy Stone
Mapleton
S TIGMA ASSOCIATION IS
TAUGHT TO US
In response to the Siuslaw News
article “Upriver Community Plans
Future of Healthcare” (Dec. 9):
“ ... But when you say, ‘mental
health,’ there’s a stigma ...”
I believe you mean, when you say
“mental health,” there is a stigma
because someone taught you to say
that.
You will have to teach yourself if
you want to stop.
Remember when we were taught
rape/stigma? Remember stopping?
Remember why?
Remember: It may help you over-
come the need to repeat the above.
—Harold A. Maio,
Retired mental health editor
Ft. Myers, Fla.
M AKING F LORENCE A
LITTLE BRIGHTER
I would like to say thank you to
the City of Florence and everyone
else that worked on the excellent
lighting up of the Old Town Park
area.
Everyone should take the time to
drive down and walk through it. I
think it’s the best lighting project on
the central Oregon coast.
You will be surprised how nice it
will make you feel.
Thanks for making Florence a lit-
tle brighter for us all.
— Don and Norma Saxon
Florence
The First
Amendment
C
ongress shall make no law
respecting an establishment
of religion or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the
freedom of speech, or of the press,
or the right of the people peace-
ably to assemble, and to petition
the Government for a redress of
grievances.
TO THE
P OLICY
E DITOR
The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor
as part of a community discussion of issues on the
local, state and national level.
Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or
typed letters must be signed. All letters need to
include full name, address and phone number; only
name and city will be printed. Letters should be
limited to about 300 words. Letters are subject to
editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication
of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on
space available and the volume of letters received.
Libelous, argumentative and anonymous letters
or poetry, or letters from outside our readership
area will only be published at the discretion of the
editor.
P OLITICAL /E LECTION L ETTERS :
Election-related letters must address pertinent or
timely issues of interest to our readers at-large.
Letters must 1) Not be a part of letter-writing
campaigns on behalf of (or by) candidates; 2)
Ensure any information about a candidate is accu-
rate, fair and not from second-hand knowledge or
hearsay; and 3) explain the reasons to support
candidates based on personal experience and per-
spective rather than partisanship and campaign-
style rhetoric.
Candidates themselves may not use the letters to
the editor column to outline their views and plat-
forms or to ask for votes; this constitutes paid polit-
ical advertising.
As with all letters and advertising content, the
newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publisher,
general manager and editor, reserves the right to
reject any letter that doesn’t follow the above crite-
ria.
Send letters to:
nhickson@thesiuslawnews.com
WHERE TO WRITE
Pres. Donald Trump
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, Ore. 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
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office
Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753/FAX: 202-
228-3997
541-465-6750
www.merkley.senate.gov
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio
( 4 th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6416
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
FAX: 503-986-1080
Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@
state.or.us
State Rep. Caddy
McKeown
( Dist. 9 )
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1409
Email: rep.caddymckeown
@state.or.us
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