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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 2019)
4A | WEDNESDAY EDITION | FEBRUARY 20, 2019 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 NED HICKSON , EDITOR | 541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM Opinion The First Amendment C ongress shall make no law respect- ing 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 peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Govern- ment 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) USPS# 497-660 Copyright 2019 © Siuslaw News Siuslaw News Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon. A member of the National Newspaper Association and Oregon Newspaper Pub- lishers Association. Periodicals postage paid at Florence, Ore. Postmaster, send address changes to: Siuslaw News, P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439; phone 541-997-3441; fax 541- 997-7979. All press releases may be sent to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com. Jenna Bartlet Ned Hickson Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry Publisher, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Marketing Director, ext. 326 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor Press Manager DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to publica- tion; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Display classified ads, Friday 5 p.m. Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Thursday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Thursday noon; Display classified ads, Wednesday 5 p.m. Soundings, Tuesday 5 p.m. NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In Lane County — 1-year subscription, $76; 6-month in-county, $52; 10-week subscrip- tion, $23; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription, $99; 6-month out-of-county, $65; 10- week subscription, $29; Out of State — 1-year subscription, $125; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $65. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: TheSiuslawNews.com Letters to the Editor policy LETTERS Thank you for the Town of Paradise On Nov. 8, 2018, the Town of Par- adise, Calif., was devastated by the Camp Fire. As we came together to mourn the losses of our homes, busi- nesses and loved ones, we found our- selves embraced by individuals, com- munities and organizations from far and wide. As a community, we are immense- ly appreciative of these efforts. As in- dividuals, we are moved and deeply humbled by the outpouring of support for our town and its people. Paradise is strong and resilient, and we know that we have the power to overcome the challenges presented to us through this unfortunate disaster. Knowing that we are not alone and that there are so many outside the Town of Paradise who are willing to offer assistance and support through donations, gifts, contributions of re- sources and more, gives us encourage- ment and will help us provide for the needs of our community as we work together to recover and rebuild our beautiful Paradise. On behalf of the entire communi- ty of Paradise, we, the Council of the Town of Paradise, wish to express our sincere and heartfelt gratitude for your support. —Jody Jones, Mayor Steve Crowder, Council member Mike Zuccolillo, Council member Greg Bolin, Vice-Mayor Melissa Schuster, Council member What was the school board thinking with its bond? To the youngster who asked in a previous editorial about why the city hall gets a new building but not the school district, there are two simple reasons in my opinion: 1) $108 million vs. $2.5 million, and 2) The city hall building budget was approved by fewer than 10 council- ors while the school bond had to be approved by several thousand voting citizens. What was the school board think- ing when the results came in from the original voting several years ago and many millions of dollars less, and was shot down by a slim margin? Were they thinking that it was so close they could then ask for $400 million in- stead? And what else could have been done with the money that was spent for architectural drawings for both pro- posed bond issues? Architects don’t work for free, even if a building does not get built. How much were those two services? —Dana Rodet Florence Time is running out for Mapleton fireworks It is getting close to the communi- ty deadline for fi reworks in Mapleton. We only have until March 1. We’ve had many people donate but we are still lacking a bit. Th anks to everyone who has already contributed to this fun “cause.” It’s a great way to get together and celebrate as a community. Anyne who would like to donate can do so at Banner Bank in Mapleton. It will be our last chance to get this going again, so if you enjoy our com- munity fi reworks, please think about being part of this. —Linda Jensen Mapleton Self-government rights are worth fighting for It is no wonder that Judge Chanti rendered a judgement against OCOR (Our Community Our Rights) on the initiative “Rights of Local Commu- nity Self-Government.” Th e guys in the $1,500 suits were there arguing the case for industry. Th e same type of corporate lawyers were there rep- resenting the railroads back in the 1860s, when the 14th amendment was made law. Back then, the railroad’s cadre of lawyers argued that the amendment’s second reference to the term “per- son’s” applied to corporations. Fast forward to 2010 where they successfully argued before the su- preme court for “Citizen’s United,” declaring that corporations are people. Th ere is fertilized ground for corpo- rate hegemony. Th e system construct- ed over time is not broken. For the guys in the $1,500 suits and their clients, it is a fi nely tuned and fully functioning machine. Regardless, the great ideal of de- mocracy and the consent of the gov- erned is worth fi ghting for and must be founded. —Richard Gross Deadwood New City Hall reflects community pride Th e continuing written attacks on the expansion and aesthetic improve- ments to City Hall are tedious, divi- sive, irresponsible and uninformed. For example, the most recent tirade on the subject bordered on the ridic- ulous. Th e relatively modest amount spent on the project was a bargain. Diverted to some other purpose, the funds used would not put a dent in the budgets required to complete the projects these detractors pose as better alternative uses. Yes, straight lines are cheaper to build. Th at’s why every city in the country is fi lled with ugly, monoto- nous boxes, including their new city halls. Every citizen of Florence should be celebrating the new look and func- tionality of our city hall building. Municipal buildings have historically made a statement about the kind of community for which they stood. Our renovated city hall does — and should — do just that. Th e pride we have in our city is embodied in this building. Th at pride should be shared and cherished by every resident of Flor- ence. Our namesake city in Italy is a jewel box of long functioning public buildings in which aesthetics were just as important as function. Th e people who decry the use of public funds for well-designed gov- ernment buildings are out of step with history and human desire for beauty. It would have been a real shame if a contractor had won out over the ar- chitect, with his low bid, and built a square Jeff erson Monument or left the Capitol with a fl at top. Public buildings are by their nature symbols of public pride. Th ey com- mand respect for those they repre- sent and those who conduct aff airs in them. Our City Hall should be and is no less for us. —Fred Miller Florence More choices needed for Death with Dignity I am a retired California educator now happily settled in Florence and glad to be under the umbrella of Or- egon’s very progressive “Death with Dignity” law. I recently completed an Advance Directive form including instructions that I choose to end my own life when I am no longer able to recognize my loved ones or to take care of my own bodily functions. I have had friends and relatives in memory care facilities, and I do not ever want to live in such a helpless condition. To my dismay, my doctor told me the Advance Directive was valid only for physical disabilities, and only then if doctors would certify that I had six months or less to live. I was in dispair until I met Bruce Yelle of Florence, chair of the End Choices organization. The goal of End Choices is to “ex- pand end-of-life choices in Oregon.” They are working to raise public awareness and support for a new Or- egon law that allows an individual to specify conditions of mental disability that would be intolerable — and there- fore a reason to legally end a life that is no longer felt to be worth living by an individual. If this is important to you, I encour- age you to learn more about the lim- itations of existing laws and support End Choices’ efforts to expand the current limitations within the existing Death with Dignity laws. We need to get this done. — Ann Lathrop, Ph.D Florence The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the edi- tor 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 sub- ject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the volume of let- ters received. Letters that are anonymous, libelous, argumen- tative, sarcastic or contain accusations that are unsourced or documented will not be published. Letters containing poetry or from outside the Siuslaw News readership area will only be pub- lished at the discretion of the editor. Political/Election Letters: 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) En- sure 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 perspective rather than partisanship and cam- paign-style rhetoric. Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the editor column to outline their views and platforms or to ask for votes; this constitutes paid political advertising. As with all letters and advertising content, the newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publish- er, general manager and editor, reserves the right to reject any letter that doesn’t follow the above criteria. Emal 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 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 @oregonlegislature.gov 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