Letters to the Editor: 2-20-2014
WEAK FORESTRY LAWS Continue reading
Letters: Page 254
Letters to the Editor: 2-13-2014
SCABS WANTED The teachers are on strike in Medford, and to fight the strike and stonewall negotiations the Medford School District is reaching out to substitute teachers in District 4J, and probably other districts, looking for what, in my day, we called scabs — hiring teachers to cross the picket line and weaken the strike. Continue reading
Letters to the Editor: 2-6-2014
WHO BENEFITS? I first noticed it several years ago at a community forum on health care. “It” came in the form of a union representative arguing against an inclusive single-payer health care model that would benefit us all. I wondered why unions would not support such progressive policy. Others in attendance educated me: Health insurance is a bargaining issue. Unions include it in contracts and appreciative members pay their union dues. Continue reading
Letters to the Editor: 1-30-2014
DON’T TRUST YMCA I appreciate the valuable services the YMCA contributes to the community. However, they should not be entrusted with development of valuable public lands like Civic Stadium. Continue reading
Letters to the Editor: 1-23-2014
PAINS OF DISPLACEMENT The most world-respected literary personage from our area is Ken Kesey. He is principally known for his novel One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1962). It develops a common theme where individual and group clash, both losing. In this case, we like to give the edge to the skill of the first-person artist who renders us the depiction. Continue reading
Letters to the Editor: 1-16-2014
WHAT THE FRACK? “Does that burger taste funny to you?” Recently I learned that fracking chemicals might be in the meat and produce being distributed to a grocery store near me and near you. “On a North Dakota farm, five cows died after fracking began in 32 wells within three miles from the farm,” according to Food and Water Watch. In New Mexico, petroleum residues were found in 54 out of 56 animals tested. Some cows lost their tails! Continue reading
Letters to the Editor: 1-9-2014
NO FEAR NEW YEAR Time to ring in a brand new year! It finds me still tryin’ to make friends with fear. Learning to let go, let life steer. Life is not for the weak of heart, my dear. The Whit seems to be the place for a beer. And our downtown is definitely threatening to reappear. Let’s come together and kick this thing into a higher gear. Continue reading
Letters to the Editor: 1-2-2014
BETTER THERAPY AHEAD I thank Catherine Burke-Maher for her thoughtful reply [12/19] to my letter [12/12] on the “Cuckoo’s Nest Option” for cleaning up downtown Eugene. While I do not feel wise, I am old enough to be the father of any reader here up to 70 years of age. Continue reading
Letters to the Editor: 12-26-2013
KEEPING BOTH TONGUES I am a teacher and a conversation I had in line at the bank steered towards bilingual education. The person I was speaking with expressed dismay at monolinguals who spoke only Spanish. “They are in America now, and in America we speak English.” Continue reading
Letters to the Editor: 12-19-2013
POWER BILLS COMING Last week, we experienced the lowest temperatures in 40 years. We also used more electricity than anytime during the last decade. At one point, Eugene was consuming 557 megawatts to stay warm. Overall energy consumption was 30 percent to 50 percent above a typical December day as many residents hunkered down at home and kept the heat turned up. Continue reading