We Need a Protest Calendar
What would it take for Eugene Weekly to prepare and publish a calendar of upcoming demonstrations/political events in the area? Turnout is exploding at recent town meetings, such as Sen. Jeff Merkeley and Rep. Val Hoyle, and so many there asking what they can do. Attending such an event is certainly better for your health than endless doom scrolling.
John Brobst
Eugene
Editor’s Note: Great minds think alike! Please see the “Activist Alert” column we brought back!
Tax Exemptions are Gutting Us
Carol Ipsen’s letter (3/25) hits the spot. How can anyone with common sense disagree that a city facing a serious budget short-fall should in no way continue its short sighted policy of property tax exemptions? Where else does the city get an important part of its funds to operate? I agree with Ipsen wholeheartedly that “you can’t make this **** up.” For example, when I think of one of Eugene’s greatest programs, an inspiration to other cities throughout the country, a critical service known as CAHOOTS is now facing a funding shortfall. Another one of my favorite city services, the Eugene Library system is in dire straits. Again, I will add my voice to ask, stridently, when so many city services are desperately in need of funding, why city councilors continue these bizarre property tax exemptions. Who might benefit from them?
maRco Elliott
Eugene
Don’t Privatize the Park Blocks
I see with dismay that the city of Eugene wants to privatize the downtown Park Blocks for an apartment complex. Mayor Kaarin Knudson is right that Eugene needs more housing downtown, but she is wrong to try squeezing it onto the Park Blocks. That land was donated by city founder Eugene Skinner specifically for a courthouse square, a central public park.
The tiny undeveloped lot beside the Farmers Market is simply too small for an apartment building, much less for the parking it would require. What downtown needs to attract housing is an intact, well-designed park. Let’s expand the announced design competition to include park-only ideas.
To kick things off, here are five things I’d like to see in the undeveloped corner of the Park Blocks:
1. A playground. If you want people to live downtown, it needs to be livable for families with children.
2. A giant letter-sculpture with the word “EUGENE.” Cities all over the world use these letter-sculptures to celebrate the center of town.
3. A canopy of bigleaf maple trees.
4. The Frog memorial bench that Saturday Market vendors are raising money for.
5. A giant, strange SLUG queen throne. For 40 years, coronations have been held in the Park Blocks. Weirdness is OK in Eugene.
William Sullivan
Eugene
Newman for 4J
With all the chaos coming from the federal government, it’s important people know there is something concrete we can do to help our community’s schools. Please vote in the local school board elections this May for a candidate who cares about children, for protecting public schools, and standing up for fair opportunity for every child.
When I was superintendent of Eugene 4J, one of our great allies and community partners was Judy Newman. For 45 years, she has been a real champion for students. She co-founded and directed Early Childhood CARES at the University of Oregon, a program for young children with developmental delays or disabilities. Her program has helped more than 40,000 children acquire the skills to succeed in school. It is a national model for early special education. Newman will stand up to federal threats to public schools and to the undermining of equity and opportunity. She has proven this with her lifetime of work, and through her past eight years on the 4J School Board.
And, now that 4J is about to hire a new superintendent, I can tell you from experience working with her over many years that we need Newman’s stability, kindness and deep knowledge on the board during this transition. She is the only current 4J board member who has served more than one term.
I am extremely grateful she is willing to step up and run again. We need her in these troubling times. Please join me in voting for Judy Newman in May.
George Russell
Eugene
Make the Ems Truly Local
In your Slant column (3/20) you ask about the Emeralds’ marketing wizards coming up with a plan to keep the team in Eugene. Well, how about the Emeralds form a public company and offer shares to the public?
I’d invest in shares if they had an IPO. This has been an effective way in other countries. That way the Eugene Emeralds could truly be “our” team and raise funds to stay local.
Baz Freedman
Eugene
ONLINE EXTRA LETTERS
Where are We Going?
Thank you for steadfastly maintaining your community service providing a variety of viewpoints of the local, national and world events. As an 81-year-old elder, living alone in a rural forest area, I depend upon a broad account of the world using local, national and international sources — such as the WSJ, The Guardian and others. While I’m not promoting them, I am grateful for the different viewpoints.
I am increasingly anxious regarding our national state position in this world. Many of our leaders’ legal actions exhibit a fearful xenophobia and greed that remind me of our World War II world state initiated in Germany.
Why do they exhibit such callous disregard for our populace? Are they not people? Do they not hunger? Do we not all need respectful privacy? Their behaviors remind me of the dark side. Has our leadership become Sauron, with the Nazgul installed as his cabinet?
Rev. Alice Orsini
Walton
In Support of SB 667
Sen. James Manning, Democrat of Senate District 7, who chairs the Senate committee on Veterans, Emergency, Federal and World affairs, walked back on his promise to advance Defend The Guard Act, SB 667. The bill is of a nonpartisan nature that aimed at preventing the federal government from using the Oregon National Guard in unconstitutional wars and other deployments without congressional approval.
Something that is required by the Constitution but, nevertheless, is being violated constantly. The Oregon National Guard is currently deployed to three war zones without declaration of war from Congress. Last year three African American members of the Georgian National Guard were killed on the borders of Syria, one of the war zones that Oregon Guardsmen are illegally deployed into.
The bill has grassroot support from different political affiliation. Watch the hearing from Feb. 27. People from the Democratic Party, Republican Party, Green Party, Libertarian Party and others testified in support of this bill. But what does Manning do? Objects to the language used, then refuse to move it out of the committee after the language was fixed and sent to him. Of course, when we tried to talk to him again, he just brushed us away. Manning not only wants the forever wars to continue but also ignores his promises to his constituents. He should be recalled.
Ibra Taher
Eugene
Climate Change is Here
Reading the latest reports on the melting of glaciers in the journal Nature, among others, I find that nearly half of them are set to disappear by the year 2100, even if global warming were limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
The emphasis on 2100 means that no one in power today, or even their children, will be alive when the ice is mostly gone and Earth’s ecosystems collapse. Plus, reminding us that the glaciers will likely disappear regardless of what we do further weakens our motivation to do something about it. Until glaciers melt, seas rise, saltwater intrusions come and famine and massive drought ignite an immediate global catastrophe and outrage, I’m afraid most people will regard this news as so much water under the bridge.
Mainstream media feeds on sensational statements and apocalyptic scenarios, since incremental environmental changes are like watching paint dry. How can we get news outlets to start focusing on what governments, banks, major industries, schools and regular folks can do to mitigate and prepare for the daily, monthly and annual impacts of climate change as the global community experiences it now? Not only stories of farmers whose fields are encrusted with salt, climate refugees fleeing drought and food shortages as well as biologists reporting on iconic species nearing extinction, but also more about inventors, researchers, teachers, artists, gardeners, diplomats, business people and others who have discovered real solutions that can be scaled up and made available to the masses to make a difference.
Jack Cooper
Eugene
A Letter to the President
Hey, Donnie boy, I figure we’re buddies now that I wrote you that other first letter expressing my liberal outrage about all the harm you were doing people but I think I got that out of my system. No reason we can’t keep the conversation going, right?
So, I wanted to ask about a couple things that are on my mind.
First, did any immigrants help you build your tower hotels? I wondered about that because I see lots of good workers out here that are black and brown and white and whatever. I don’t know where they come from. People move around a lot, don’t they? Just saying.
Some are good people and good community people with families and everything and it scares them. It disrupts their families and their kids’ schooling. Just saying.
I’m also kind of worried about that Dark Lord guy in the black clothes, is he American? Is that leather? What does doge-style mean?
One last thing, man. the economy. It sucks. Everybody’s losing money.
I’m afraid those bankers and CEOs are going to grab you by the short hairs. They might get your friend in the black clothes to give you a spanking!! (Dude, get out your leash and collar!)
Anyway, thanks for listening. I’ll write to you again soon. Have a good day.
Mark Reynolds
Eugene
The Federal Government is Leaving Us
With the Trump administration trimming so many from the federal work force, it’s like the federal government is seceding from the states (and the people).
This will lead to weakening the effectiveness of many federal agencies and programs. Wanting and sometimes needing these kinds of expertise will lead people into filling this newly created void. But at what cost? And who will pay for it? It is wise for the people of Eugene to shoulder a little more tax so that we may benefit from emergency aid — fire, ambulance and police — rather than withdraw our support and have to shoulder individually our own personal crisis when it comes.
The more we can harness true needs to tax dollars the more we can actually trim, if any. And if it is trimmed, should we not pass this savings back to the very rich as Trump and Elon Musk would have it. Tell our representatives not to make such a terrible mistake.