4A |
WEDNESDAY EDITION
| MAY 13, 2020
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 2020 © 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 Publishers 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 Bartlett
Ned Hickson
Susan Gutierrez
Cathy Dietz
Ron Annis
Publisher, ext. 318
Editor, ext. 313
Multimedia Sales Director, ext. 326
Office Supervisor, ext. 312
Production Supervisor
DEADLINES:
Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to
publication; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Dis-
play classified ads, Friday 5 p.m.
Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to pub-
lication; 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, $79; 6-month in-county, $56; 10-week
subscription, $25; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription, $102; 6-month out-
of-county, $69; 10-week subscription, $35; Out of State — 1-year subscription,
$134; 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
Now isn’t the time
I’m afraid I must say “Not Now”
on bond measure 20-306.
A ballot measure involving a
huge debt should not be placed on
a primary or special
election ballot in-
stead of the general
election. This means
a very small number
of voters could pass a
very large debt for ev-
eryone (renters too).
The question this
brings is:
Could this pass if a
larger percentage of
the population were
voting on it?
I was impressed
with the very nice full
color mailings and
advertising appearing
and paid for by the
intended
recipient
— which is you and
I. That’s because we
as a community cur-
rently support LCC in
several ways, including taxes. And
since no indication is given where
the funds came from other than
LCC — well, some of us under-
stand where the dollars for those
mailings came from.
On the ballot, at the bottom, the
last sentence reminds us that since
the bond could be issued in series,
the “actual levy rate may differ due
to changes in interest rates and as-
sessed values.”
Have you ever has an adjustable
mortgage? How well did that work
for you? Did all your figures and
costs stay the same?
No.
Since all the numbers given are
during times when interest rates
are at historic lows, all the info
about numbers, costs, percentages,
being pennies per day, etc, seem
overly optimistic at the least.
This leads me to this time in his-
tory. When the decision was made
to put this on the primary instead
of the general election ballot, there
was no hint of an approaching pan-
demic.
The entire learning process is
currently off campus and, although
very creative at times, change is
coming. It appears higher educa-
tion is at the doorstep of massive
and perhaps permanent changes
that were never imagined when the
bond issue was written.
So, this bond offering was con-
structed during very different
times, focusing on a very small
number of voters to pass it, and
with numbers that could change
dramatically.
With the uncertainty of how
higher education itself will be con-
ducted in the near and perhaps
distant future, for me the answer
to the question on the ballot for the
LCC bond measure is “Not Now.”
— Ron Stanley
Westlake
Stepping up to the task
with help from others
Oregon Dunes Chapter Daugh-
ters of the American Revolution
is extremely grateful to member
Americans first and put the good
of the country ahead of politics.
—Ron Preisler
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:
Carol Slaugh, resident of Florentine
Estates, and others in the commu-
nity who contributed to our schol-
arship fund.
Carol saw the need for face
masks and stepped up to the task,
with help from member Bobbie
Hyder and other friends of Carol’s.
Not seeking payment for her
efforts, recipients were moved to
generously contribute. As a result,
the chapter will have additional
monies to award to a graduating
senior.
Since actual meetings are on
hold, an electronic ballot is being
sent to members to approve this
unexpected opportunity.
Oregon Dunes Chapter is bless-
ed to be a part of this wonderful
Florence community.
—Jacquie Beveridge
Oregon Dunes Chapter
Scholarship Chair
Put America ahead
of politics
I guess it hasn’t been enough
since my last letter. We are now the
undisputed leader in deaths and
infections due to COVID-19 in the
world.
It’s been weeks since President
Trump waved his hands and said
that the virus will disappear and
the death toll would be “zero.” Now,
more than a quarter million people
are infected and the death toll is
more than 80,000 and growing.
Testing and contact follow-up
have been extremely inadequate,
along with no national response,
coordination or leadership.
Corruption and cronyism are
running rampant and there is a
disregard for our Constitution and
rule of law.
What do we need to do to stop
the carnage?
We need to remember we are
Are we really ready?
Today on the radio show “Mar-
ketplace,” there was an interview
with someone about how she will
approach re-opening her retail
business.
The proprietor expects patrons
to sanitize their hands and wear
masks upon entering her store. She
is not a government official; she is
an entrepreneur.
How will she enforce this re-
quest? What will happen if some-
one feels like his or her rights are
being violated by being asked to
wear a mask?
On May 1, eight children were
left fatherless in Flint, Mich., af-
ter their father, doing his job as a
security guard at Dollar General,
was shot to death for asking a fe-
male customer to wear a mask in
the store. According to accounts at
CNN online, the woman first spit
on the guard, and then went home
to complain to her husband and
son.
They came to the store with their
guns and killed the security guard
for “disrespecting” the woman.
This kind of stuff will surely
throw a monkey wrench into every
municipality’s efforts to re-open
the town. What are we going to do
about it? What and who matters in
the equation?
There needs to be some dis-
cussion and preparations made,
along with some agreement as to
the rules of engagement as part of
the answers to when, if and how to
start back up.
— Ivy Medow
Florence
(Note: Marketplace is produced
by American Public Media and is a
radio show focused on matters re-
lated to the economy.)
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.
Email 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