LETTERS IN THE EDITOR'S MAILBAG.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Submit condemnation to voters

I appreciated The Register-Guard's balanced, unbiased report on the issues involved in the possible use of eminent domain to halt development in a south Eugene neighborhood zoned residential.

The facts are not at issue: Residents of the neighborhood opposed to development are supporters, financially and otherwise, of Mayor Kitty Piercy and four liberal members of the City Council. These residents live in homes built by clearing a similar forested area, which was also frequented by deer, woodpeckers and frogs. They enjoy watching wildlife from their own little piece of nature.

City acquisition of the properties to create a permanent forested area would greatly enhance their property values. Citizens of Eugene voted money for the acquisition and development of city parks in neighborhoods not adequately served by the park system. South Eugene is rich in city parks.

The mayor and liberal council members would use the park money we approved to pay for the parcels in question. I hope they will submit this matter to the voters. That would abate the pungent odor of cronyism which now hovers over this matter.

R. CRAIG TAYLOR

Eugene

Church is less formal in Mexico

I read with amusement all the silliness that seems to be inflicted upon people at their church services (Register-Guard, June 24), such as drinking coffee, cell phones and casual attire.

I've attended Catholic services and weddings in Mexico, and they are wonderful celebrations of real life. Caffeine and cell phone addictions are replaced by dogs entering and leaving at leisure, a constant exiting and entering of the congregants, gringos dressing like gringos, locals wearing their Sunday best - which has a broad spectrum depending on economic status - and even street urchins, barefoot, in for a brief visit and look around next to the pulpit.

Community exists with or without formalities. Everybody's welcome in Mexico.

ANNE CUTTING

Eugene

Threats needed to protect work

A few days ago, I was helping someone guard a freshly poured concrete sidewalk, not far from downtown Eugene.

I was guarding it because the night before, some fine citizen had vandalized the first section of the repair, and it took extra time and money to fix the damage. We had "Sidewalk Closed" signs on both ends of the walk, traffic cones in place, plastic orange fencing, pallets stacked up, and I parked my car next to the sidewalk.

I was walking back and forth with a big stick. Still, an even 50 percent of the pedestrians tried to walk around the signs and into the fresh concrete! After stopping one man, he started to argue with me that it was my fault that he and his friend had not known of the obstructions, and that they didn't know of any problem to using the walk. This was the typical answer to my question: "Didn't you see the sign?"

Most were oblivious to the warnings, and this is where the stick came in handy. I had to yell and wave the stick at several folks to even get their attention. This was a frustrating, and sad, social behavior observance. To me, this is a sign of a more general problem we, as a country, are having.

Why did I have to threaten getting physical to gain the slightest respect for someone's hard work and property? We were trying to repair the sidewalk for local residents' safety!

JOHN JONES

Eugene

Don't put useful items in dump

In the middle of a remodel, my husband and I went to the public works waste facility in Glenwood.

Every time I go, I am disgusted - not by the smell, but by the sight of the usable things being tossed away. As we were unloading our trash, a man backed his work truck up and proceeded to throw a large dresser that looked brand new into the pit. Next followed a perfect file cabinet, and before I could recover from my shock and intercept it, another matching dresser - nice light wood finish, unscratched, nice silver drawer pulls, all taking up space in a landfill somewhere.

I couldn't help but think of the many hardworking families I know of that can't afford new furnishings and would have been blessed with those. It would've been an incredible donation to a Goodwill. I can't help but think of the money that could have been made had it been sold on Craigslist (instead of spent to throw it away).

If you have something you don't need, maybe something a past renter left behind, if all else fails please try placing it on your curb for a day with a sign saying "Free" before heading to the dump. You never know whose day you'll make, and maybe I'll be a little less nauseated after our next trip.

JAKLYN LARSEN

Eugene

Whose money bought mailings?

I got yet one more anti-Democrat flyer today in the mail. Can the annoying robo-call be far behind?

It was sent by some phony-sounding astroturf group, "Promoting Oregon Leadership," which apparently has no Web site. Makes you wonder which right-wing uber-rich scumbag is footing the bill, doesn't it?

So, let me make this my first, last and only notice to the people who insist on cluttering my mailbox with this garbage: Tell me who you really are, or else your spendy little offering is going right into the recycle bin.

BILL SMEE 

Springfield

Budget bolsters key services

Sometimes, no news really is good news. The unanimous approval of Eugene's 2008 budget received little media attention this year, in part because our stable financial situation was overshadowed by news of other local governments' serious budget dilemmas.

Thanks to years of long-range financial planning, there is much to applaud in this year's budget. It reduces property taxes by $95 on the typical home by absorbing nearly $6 million in youth and library program costs that were previously paid for through special property tax levies - while keeping those services at current levels.

The budget also funds our new Office of Sustainability, promotes green building practices and community education, and enables greater accountability in the police department. It funds our planning efforts for the 2008 Olympic Trials and provides a match for donations to support a celebration of the Hult Center's 25th anniversary. It plugs some important gaps in our region's human services network, continues the council's efforts to address homelessness, and improves pedestrian, downtown and neighborhood safety.

The city will now begin to take a fresh look at how we spend our precious general fund resources. With the help of citizens and policymakers, we will review, realign and reaffirm spending priorities for our 2009 budget.

We all owe appreciation to City Manager Dennis Taylor, staff, the City Council and the Budget Committee for providing Eugene with the framework we need to make these important decisions.

KITTY PIERCY, Mayor

Eugene

Jewish backlash stifles speech

In response to a June 19 letter submitted by George Beres, I am still dumbfounded that such banterings within the Jewish context gather so much heated response, not only among well-known individuals but within the ranks of common people.

The real issue, of which most are well aware, is that one cannot voice an opinion without some type of verbal backlash from the Jewish community coupled with accompanying accusations of anti-Semitism. That people's jobs and reputations are threatened is even more disturbing.

No one should have this kind of stranglehold on American free speech. Where does this end?

BILL GREEN

Eugene

What's vision for west Eugene?

I am looking for the logic of placing another large store within walking distance of a competing business on West 11th Avenue. The new Lowe's is proposed to go where the ShopKo was and the Safeway is now. These are both businesses whose customer base was thinned by building a Wal-Mart and a Target a mile away. The back parking lot of the new store will join corners with the lot of Home Depot, which was sited next to Fred Meyer. Closer to town there is Staples, and just half a block away they are breaking ground for a new Office Depot. Where is the planning and vision piece of the progressive city that is Eugene?

The huge trees in the parking lot of the ShopKo site used to be next to a farm house and were part of the edge of Eugene. Those of us who have lived west of Eugene have watched as the entry to town has changed from fields to fast food and big-box stores.

The maps showing the siting of these stores don't show the whole picture. The map showing Lowe's didn't show the Home Depot on Seneca Avenue. The map showing all the Home Depots didn't show the proposed site of Lowe's. Maps of the proposed hospital site in north Eugene don't show all of Eugene and how much of the population is not served by its suggested location.

Maybe the new sustainability director could propose a new employee, the director of sensible development?

JULIA NELSON

Eugene

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