4A | WEDNESDAY EDITION | AUGUST 29, 2018
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
Opinion
| 541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
C
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Letters to the Editor policy
LETTERS
No cherry picking
Mr. Tony Cavarno mentioned in
his letter “Overlooking the Good
President Trump Has Done” (Aug.
25), which was about how “the left”
is not looking at the good accom-
plishments that have occurred under
President Trump.
I therefore request that he list the
“good” that he feels fall in that cate-
gory, and then be so kind to list the
“bad.”
No cherry picking allowed; bring
the good and the bad. I would like to
see how truthful the outcome would
be.
I’d suggest starting the list of the
bad, beginning with the more than
4,000 lies he has said or tweeted (as
recorded in an ongoing list by The
Washington Post).
By the way, be sure to break out
your I.D. the next time you visit Safe-
way or Fred Meyer’s.
I hear it is a common practice.
—Tom Jackson
Florence
Playground needed in
Old Town area
A few weeks ago, my daughter
babysat for an aft ernoon for two
younger children at their home in
Old Town. Before she went, she asked
me to help her think of a playground
she could walk to with them. We
could not think of any playgrounds
in the Old Town area where younger
children could walk to and play.
None.
We took our kids, when they were
young, to every playground in town.
When we went to any other town, we
searched out the playgrounds. We
learned that a little time spent at the
playground made happier little ones;
we could do something we wanted
to, and they were satisfi ed with their
playtime.
And there could always be a prom-
ise of more playtime when we were
fi nished with our adult activity. Old
Town Florence needs a playground,
something to take the kids to before
or aft er parents shop a bit.
Some towns have very memorable
playgrounds. We had names for each
of them. “Do you want to go to the
Big Wooden Bridge playground?”
was our way of asking if the kids
wanted to go to Lincoln City. Yach-
ats was the “Climbing Dome play-
ground,” now nicknamed the “New
Treehouse” playground aft er being
rebuilt.
Florence could also have a memo-
rable playground. How about a slide
that looks like a sand dune? Or a
play-replica of our iconic bridge? It
doesnt have to be really big; young
children are usually easily pleased
with any playground.
When I drive through the Old
Town area, I can see two or three
places that would make a good play-
ground. Th at grassy lot between the
Veterans Memorial and what is now
public parking. Or somewhere in the
boardwalk area. Or how about under
the bridge?
In real estate evaluation, the high-
est and best use for a location refers
to what is considered the maximum
potential for a site. For example,
oceanfront lots will command a
higher value for residences than for
sheep grazing. On most parts of the
Oregon coast, the waterfront land is
too valuable to graze sheep on it.
I see this same thing for the land
under the bridge. Now it is a park-
ing lot; a few lucky people get to park
their cars there. Instead, it could
be turned into a playground that is
somewhat sheltered from the weath-
er, is centrally located so that many
Old Town area residents could use
it easily, and visitors to Old Town
would have something to enjoy with
their smaller children.
It might even draw more people
than ever to the area.
In some towns, community mem-
bers get together and build a play-
ground. Or service clubs. Or the city
builds it. We have seen playgrounds
with handprints of children on tiles,
covering a wall.
Bricks with names of donors. Play
equipment with donors’ names.
Who can get this idea made into
reality?
I read about Siusaw Vision. I hope
this idea can be added to it.
—Mary Beth Rawlins
Florence
Some of the
‘accomplishments’ of
President Trump
In Mr. Tony Cavarno’s recent let-
ter to the editor (“Overlooking All
the Good President Trump Has
Done,” Aug. 25) he mentioned “all
the good accomplishments that have
happened in the United States since
President Trump and his administra-
tion took offi ce.”
Yet, he failed to mention any of
these accomplishments. So, I am of-
fering to help remember just some of
those “accomplishments.”
• Th ere are still over 500 immi-
grant children in detention, some
under fi ve years old, whose parents
either have been deported or can’t be
found.
• Trump’s strategy to end North
Korea’s nuclear threat has so far
failed as he has cancelled a scheduled
trip by the Secretary of State.
• Passing the Republican tax bill
that leaves the country more than $1
trillion deeper in debt, with no accel-
eration in wage growth, and which
mostly benefi ts corporate sharehold-
ers and is projected by the Tax Policy
Center in 2027 to force 53 percent of
Americans to pay more in taxes.
• Downsizing national monuments
and opening them up to corporate
plundering of our natural resources.
• Increasing dependency on fossil
fuel use while cutting environmental
regulations, resulting in a more pol-
luted environment.
• Making the U.S. soon to be the
only nation in the world (as of No-
vember 2019) not to be part of the
Paris climate agreement.
• Not lowering drug prices as
promised, nor replacing Obamacare
with “something better.”
• Spending 25 percent of his days
at one of his golf resorts, costing tax-
payers upwards of $77 million.
• Many of the “best people” he put
into positions within his administra-
tion, or campaign, have either been
found guilt of — or pleaded guilty
to — crimes, with more still in the
pipeline.
• And being the fi rst American
president not welcome to attend two
funerals for prominent members of
his own party.
I am tired of “winning” with all
these “accomplishments” and, in No-
vember, the American people will
have a chance to express what they
think of those accomplishments.
Vote. Vote. Vote.
—Mary DeCeault
Dunes City
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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
Oregon 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
(4th 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@
oregonlegislature.gov
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