LETTERS IN THE EDITOR'S MAILBAG.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Public safety proposal a disaster

The proposed public safety district is a disastrous proposal for a non-existent problem. It is disastrous because in the long run it undermines public support for city and county governments. If all the significant and observable services - water, schools, public safety, fire protection, parks and libraries - are provided by special districts, what would the general public need local government for?

The problem is nonexistent because the money for public safety is there! The county commissioners could, if they wanted to, fully fund public safety. The problem is that they are not willing to fund public safety adequately. That would require them to make hard, unpopular choices.

The county commissioners have chosen to have Lane County attempt to do a lot of things inadequately rather then a few important things properly, because to fund the important things, like public safety, first means that less important items, like the Metro Partnership, might not be funded.

The solution for the county's funding problem is budgeting, not increased taxes. The commissioners need, with input from the public, to prioritize county services and programs, determine what a barely adequate level of funding for each is and then, starting at the top of their priority list, fund each program in turn until the money runs out.

If they believe that there are important programs that need funding after the money has run out, then they should make the case to the voters for more money to pay for those programs.

DAVID HINKLEY

Eugene

Proselytizing can be offensive

Rabbi Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin articulated what I feel many times (Commentary, April 10).

As a strong believer in God but one not interested in organized religion, at too many times lately I notice the inclusion of religious views into teachings, statements and political trends. The separation of church and state is becoming a bit too blurred for my preference.

The rabbi's feeling insulted is certainly understandable. It would be easy to feel offended at this new trend.

SUNNY KIERSTYN

Eugene

Seek public input on UO arena

Recently, 27 voting members of the West University Neighborhood Association unanimously passed a resolution strongly encouraging the Eugene mayor and City Council, Lane County Board of Commissioners and the University of Oregon to immediately initiate a series of forums or committees to gather citizen input about the UO administration's proposal to replace McArthur Court.

Neighborhoods around the university are directly and indirectly affected by this decision in terms of cost of tuition, pedestrian safety and historic preservation. Open planning will help enhance Eugene's reputation as a leader in sustainability and improve university relationships with its neighbors.

Gathering input at this stage on the need for an arena and any preferred sites may reveal low-impact alternatives that architects from Portland or professional planners and UO administrators have not considered. As the university acquires more and more land and seeks to demolish or sell and move many older structures or residences, genuine community involvement will be needed to scrutinize these decisions in a very thorough way.

ZACHARY VISHANOFF

Eugene

Nickels won't save the buffalo

When I saw the front page story on the reissue of the buffalo nickel (Register-Guard, April 14), I almost choked on my breakfast. How ironic, considering the last remaining wild, genetically pure buffalo in the United States, now found only in Yellowstone National Park, are being slaughtered.

Each year, under the pressure of the cattle industry, the Montana Department of Livestock, the U.S. Forest Service and Montana Fish and Wildlife harass, capture and kill up to 1,100 buffalo. Only 4,000 remain - a dangerously small population when compared with the millions that used to roam across America. The agencies waste 2.8 million tax dollars each year on the slaughter in order to protect approximately 200 domestic cattle.

Montana's powerful livestock industry demands that buffalo leaving the park boundaries be slaughtered to prevent the spread of brucellosis, a European livestock disease introduced by cows and detected in Yellowstone buffalo in 1917. The livestock industry complains about the threat of brucellosis, but the facts tell another story.

There has never been a single documented case of wild buffalo transmitting brucellosis to livestock. Even if it were biologically possible, the absence of cattle from lands where buffalo forage in winter months makes it physically impossible. Elk, which also can carry brucellosis, can freely exit the park, making the argument even more ridiculous.

To make matters worse, now buffalo calves are being orphaned and imprisoned in quarantine facilities so scientists can conduct experiments on them.

Good thing we've got that nickel to preserve the wild West.

LEEANNE SIART

Eugene

Editorials don't try to be neutral

Steve Golly's April 14 letter attacks The Register-Guard for non-neutral reporting, citing an editorial on that same topic. It's not clear whether Golly is ignorant of the difference between the editorial page and the news part of a newspaper, or whether he is trying to prey on other people's ignorance to further his agenda. In either case, allow me to explain:

The purpose of the editorial page is to provide a space for the newspaper's editors, readers and selected columnists to express their non-neutral opinions. That's the whole point! Many newspapers emphasize that purpose by actually calling their editorial page Opinion. Now, if Golly could cite an example from the news portion of The Register-Guard that supports his suspicion of tainted editing, that would be something worth expressing his opinion about.

Curiously, conservatives seem to have a lot of trouble grasping this distinction. Yet there are many situations where, to be effective in life, it is necessary to separate our biases from the task at hand: providing public safety services or medical assistance, hiring people, laying people off, doing business with customers and suppliers, being a leader in the armed forces, publishing the news. I wonder if conservatives' paranoia of bias is a result of their own difficulty setting their biases aside when necessary, and they wrongly assume that everyone else suffers from that same disability.

PETER STRATON

Eugene

District merger led to problems

Isn't it amazing? Our rural fire district formed in 1950. So for 50-plus years, no budget problems, no turmoil. Then our board merges us with Cottage Grove. Now we have budget problems and also turmoil.

I feel that this merger should never have taken place without a vote of the good citizens of the district. Former Mayor Ed McCluskey, Don Furrer and I, senior members of the district at that time, urged the board to bring it to a vote and let the community decide whether they were satisfied with coverage or if they wished to change, but this did not happen.

I am concerned about all the rumors and allegations that have been made. It is not going to get back to a workable merger where we will be a better department. It saddens me for the community that the board felt Cottage Grove would do more for us than we could have done for ourselves.

The current board has been working hard to make this a doable merger. Outside pressure from areas that have no concern or connection to Creswell or Cottage Grove have had letters in local papers. I hope our board members look at these the same way I do and ignore them completely when making their decisions.

CAL TAYLOR

Creswell

McKenzie-Willamette a good fit

I am writing in support of McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center's plan to locate its new hospital in downtown Eugene at the current Eugene Water & Electric Board site.

Although I am generally opposed to construction in riparian zones, I make an exception in this case. The current location has already been claimed for urban uses and has been an industrial site for quite some time.

I prefer a landscape plan that would expand the riverside area for the public and would replace the current industrial yard with a beautiful open campus that would be pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly. I also prefer two- and three-story buildings with wide sidewalks, generous overhangs and narrow streets with trees planted in the center median strip.

McKenzie-Willamette's interest in developing the EWEB site is a unique opportunity for Eugene that may not come again. I am in favor of working with McKenzie-Willamette to help Eugene further its urban vision by welcoming them to the downtown neighborhood.

CHRIS BERNER

Eugene

Cop's warning had lasting effect

A motorcycle cop with a big, bright smile pulled me over last month heading north on Prairie Road just past Maxwell Road. After years of wearing my seat belt improperly, I've been wearing it with the strap across my chest rather than under my arm ever since he stopped me.

Although I do still feel that adults should have the right to decide for themselves whether a seat belt protects or endangers their life, this police officer will never know how much more effective than a citation the verbal warning and the promise I made to him have been.

LESLIE PARCHEN

Eugene

Redwoods take centuries to die

I take issue with several points in the April 17 letter "Loggers cut dying redwoods."

First, redwoods take centuries to die, so cutting down old growth because it has begun rotting is like killing a person because they've shown signs of aging.

Second, fallen and rotting trees serve as important habitats for wildlife, a fact that many anti-environmentalists are entirely ignorant of and hostile toward. So let the trees die naturally!

Third, the real issue here is clear-cutting, an absurd practice that destroys entire forest ecosystems. Arcata Redwood Company replanted a few trees, but rarely ever the redwoods they chopped down.

And lastly, I've spent many a night at the protected old-growth forest of Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in Humboldt County, Calif. The campground is in great shape and the extensive trail system that leads all the way to the coast and fern canyon is wonderfully maintained. It's one of the last large tracts of old-growth for the public to enjoy. Long live Sequoia sempervirens!

RYAN HERLANDS

Eugene

LETTERS LOG

Letters received in past week: 224

Letters published: 61

What's on readers' minds: Two massive Internet-spawned letter-writing campaigns produced a ton of unpublished mail this week. Dozens of cut-and-paste letters with identical passages urged readers to contact Sen. Gordon Smith and object to any attempt by Republicans to limit the right of Democrats to filibuster President Bush's judicial nominees. Dozens more letters, most with exactly the same text, urged Oregon legislators to use funds from the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement for tobacco prevention. A reminder: The Register-Guard doesn't publish form letters generated by special interest organizations. Letters must be in a writer's own words.