4A |
WEDNESDAY EDITION
| OCTOBER 31, 2018
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
Opinion
| 541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
C
The First Amendment
ongress shall make no law respecting an es-
tablishment of religion or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom
of speech, or of the press, or the right of the
people peaceably to assemble, and to petition
the Government for a redress of grievances.
“I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” —Thomas Jefferson (1800)
LETTERS
Vote, or don’t complain
We are fortunate to live in a state where
we have the ability to vote in the privacy
and peacefulness of our own homes, but
for some reason our voter participation is
not very good.
We will all want to express how upset we
are with the results, and how terrible the
other people are who did not vote the way
we think they should.
It is all very simple: If you do not vote,
you have no right to complain.
So please vote — and then complain all
you want. Thank you.
—Charlie Pennington
Florence
Judging bc label
The vast majority of us on the Cen-
tral Coast of Oregon are migrants from
someplace, even if that place is within the
boundaries of the U.S.
Our identities are increasingly gleaned
from TV and our handheld devices.
I grew up in rural N.Y. where identi-
ty was local even though neighbors were
recognized by ancestor country of origin.
The “inks” were Dutch, “skis” were Polish,
“walds” were German, Greens were Irish,
etc.
We kids hopped on the same school
bus and bonded at our well-funded pub-
lic school. Elections for governance of the
township offered a slate of citizens with
talents required for the positions. Nom-
inees’ names ended in “ink,” “ski,” “wald,”
etc.
Everyone knew everyone and was
thankful that individuals with know-how,
were willing; political or church affiliations
were immaterial.
No candidate running for a nonpartisan
position had a hidden agenda. No outsider
organization was paying for advertising,
buying signs, managing a candidate or
attempting to influence outcomes. There
was no big money involved and we were
better off without it.
My grandmother, 1/8 Seneca whose fa-
ther died in the Civil War, taught her chil-
dren to know their neighbors, help them
reap harvest, rebuild a burned barn, go to
their weddings, attend their funerals, work
with them and never, never gossip about
nor demonize them.
“Do not judge with a label.”
We knew our neighbors and found com-
mon ground. May we migrants to Florence
area strive to do the same.
—Kathryn Damon-Dawson
Florence
Not about political ideologc
I am a registered Democrat. I live in
Westlake, so I am unable to vote for Mau-
reen Miltenberger. However, I collected
signatures for Maureen’s Florence City
Council candidacy because she is an objec-
tive and honest person who listens closely.
I admire and respect her commitment to
making our world a better place for each
of us. That’s full disclosure, but not why
I’m writing.
I attended the first Florence ORganizes
(FOR) meeting because it was a productive
call for interested people to make positive
efforts for change, no matter how small or
local. It was not then — and is not now —
a political group.
FOR is a consortium of committees in
which each member can focus on a par-
ticular area of interest: education, recy-
cling and plastics disposal/reuse, Climate
Change, social justice, and healthcare,
among others.
This is not about political ideology; it is
about doing what each of us believes is nec-
essary for a better and sustainable world.
After reading the two-part Siuslaw News
article (“‘Chaos’ In The Community,” Oct.
27), I was dismayed that there seemed to
be a conflation between Patriot Place and
Florence ORganizes as political opponents.
Please!
— Patricia Burke
West Lake
Will we stand united
or fall divided?
I have been watching electioneering
since I missed, by one week, being old
enough to vote in the 1968 presidential
contest. Today, I am completely disgusted
with what the process has evolved to over
those years, the degradation clearly accel-
erating over recent history.
For the past few weeks my mail box has
been inundated with partisan political fly-
ers, issued by both parties and all following
the same format. Not a single one informs
me as to what the particular candidate has
to offer, but instead harangues me with the
myriad evils of their opponent.
Apparently these things are effective be-
cause a great deal of effort and money must
go into their production. That being true,
it just speaks so well of the intelligence of
the American electorate, doesn’t it?
Personal attacks and smear campaigns
are more effective than honest discourse.
On top of all this, I took the time to
read, in detail, the various pro and con ar-
guments on ballot initiatives provided in
the published voters pamphlet.
More misdirection and frequently out-
right distortion is difficult to imagine.
For me, whether selecting a president,
a representative to congress or a member
of the local city council, it comes down to
this: As Aesop first stated, and so many
have quoted over the ages, “united we
stand, divided we fall.”
The disgusting display of unveiled ani-
mus permeating recent political cycles has
become what is, so unfortunately, now a
national disgrace.
And you know what? It isn’t just them
doing it; it is also you and me! Each and
every one of us should take a moment and
think about those words, “united we stand,
divided we fall,” and ask ourselves which
side of the phrase our own words and
deeds are most contributing to.
—Jimmie Zinn
Florence
Trickle-down thinking
Thanks to the Siuslaw News for two de-
tailed articles on conflict in the city coun-
cil. (“‘Chaos’ In The Community,” Oct. 24
and Oct. 27)
In the 27 years I have observed the Flor-
ence City Council in action, I have seen
fisticuffs between a city employee and a
citizen contrasted with a calm centrist
council re-electing a councilor and a may-
or until they were termed out and then
continued to serve the community; I have
watched two councilors consume bags
of candy as they voted in every fast food
outlet along Highway 101 and demanded
‘turrets’ on the Fred Meyer building in the
sand dune; and a mayor who approved li-
quor license applications to increase the
thousands of dollars poured into the city’s
general fund from ‘sin taxes’; I’ve seen dis-
abled councilors struggle to mount the
dais and a businessman mayor who peered
at seniors in the audience who would re-
ceive his business letter the next day.
But the only meeting I attended pur-
portedly on rural development that in-
cluded hoots of derision, bullying and out-
right threats was 15 years ago.
That winner-take-all attitude has now
raised it’s hideous head again. School yard
behavior just does not cut it for adults.
As a community we must thrive togeth-
er in harmony or sink into stagnant dol-
drums.
The Siuslaw News said it best with it’s fi-
nal comment of “We need to grow up.’’
—Jenny Velinty
Florence
We need more listeners
I read with interest the recent articles
“‘Chaos’ in the Community” (Oct. 24 and
Oct. 27). Personally, I don’t care about who
on the council or among the candidates is
a Republican or Democrat.
It just doesn’t matter to me.
There are three candidates running for
two seats. The one incumbent member is
Woody Woodbury. It is something of a
cliche but quite true that “everyone knows
Woody.” His record of public service to our
community is near legendary.
The controversy lies with the other two
candidates, Geraldine Lucio and Maureen
Miltenburger. There are obviously some
people who don’t want to see Ms. Milten-
burger on the council. There are also peo-
ple who don’t want to see Ms. Lucio on the
council.
The solution to this is not through anon-
ymous phone calls or Photoshopped hit
pieces. The solution is to vote, get involved,
write letters to the paper, put up signs, and
talk to your friends and neighbors. Then,
when the election is over, let’s all work to-
gether to keep Florence such a great place!
Much has been made of Ms. Lucio’s
seeming reluctance to engage in public
speaking. Has anyone offered to help her
with that? I met Ms. Lucio at the Candi-
dates’ “Meet and Greet” held at the Elks
Club. I found her to be rational, engaging
USPS# 497-660
and articulate.
More importantly, I noticed that she lis-
tened. She listened to me, basically a no-
body, as if I were Socrates, himself. I am
most certainly not Socrates. I think listen-
ing is a quality we need more than smooth
talking. We have talkers at every level of
state and national government.
We need more listeners.
—Stan Easter
Florence
Buehler will tighten
spending, reduce taxes
Knute Buehler’s visits these past few
weeks to the small towns of Oregon speak
volumes. He understands that Oregon is
much bigger than the Portland area.
Kate Brown doesn’t get it.
Those making up the majority of the
area of Oregon are hardworking, fiscally
conservative folks. Knute Buehler under-
stands their needs and will remember all
of us who make up this great state when he
becomes governor.
Kate Brown will take more of our hard-
earned money and keep our state in finan-
cial ruin.
Knute knows we can’t afford Kate Brown
with her liberal spending and expensive
programs, which results in increased taxes
for every program she invents. That’s why I
believe he will make a great governor; he’ll
tighten up spending which results in less
taxes for us.
Thanks for remembering us, Knute.
I will remember you at the polls.
You have my vote.
—Kay King
Florence
Points to ponder about
school bond
In casting your vote for the proposed
bond to construct and upgrade school
facilities and improve safety, all property
owners must consider carefully the impact
the proposed bond will have on property
taxes.
Many people in our community are in
agreement that the school facilities would
benefit from some major improvements.
There is concern, though, that the amount
of the proposed bond, $108 million, may
reflect an imbalance of “wants” vs “needs.”
Voters should be able to review a line-
item breakdown of the proposed replace-
ment and upgrades to the schools. This
bond is asking the property owners of our
community to shoulder a substantial in-
crease in their property taxes.
The bond proposes a $2.72 per $1,000
of assessed property value. If a home has a
taxable value of $225,000 that would mean
a yearly property tax increase of $612.
Florence is comprised of a very high per-
centage of seniors, many of them on tightly
fixed incomes. Single parents and families
are struggling to make ends meet.
Renters of all ages may see a substantial
increase in their already high rents from
their landlords looking to recoup their
costs. What daily living basics will need to
be sacrificed by these folks because of the
burden of a tremendous tax increase?
Have proponents of this bond consid-
ered that property taxes inherently go up
annually to support education and general
government taxes?
Siuslaw School District Superintendent
Andy Grzeskowiak said he believes the
district faces considerable issues regarding
the safety, comfort and education that stu-
dents in the district will face if the decided
upon bond modifications are not under-
taken. What about the considerable mone-
tary issues property owners will face if this
bond passes?
We love our kids and supporting our
schools is an important investment in our
community, but this bond is not a viable
solution.
—Fred and Doris Boyan
Florence
Measure 105: whc fix
something that isn’t broken?
Oregon is a beautiful, wonderful place
to live in this great country.
It always has been, and we are all
blessed to be here no matter where we
came from.
ORS181A.820 has been on the books
for more than 30 years.
If it’s not broke ...
You know the rest.
—Theresa Olmstead
Florence
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Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon.
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Letters to the Editor policc
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Emal letters to:
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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