Letters in the Editor's Mailbag.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Casino supports charities

Now that the U.S. District Court has ruled that the tribes can build a casino in Florence, I hope the negativity will subside. Having lived in Pendleton, where the Wildhorse Casino thrives, I'd like to give some facts regarding that Indian casino, which is not unlike others in Oregon.

Wildhorse Foundation gives back 3 percent of its net profits to charities in Umatilla, Wallowa, Union, and Morrow counties. This year they will give away over $400,000. Since they opened, the casino and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation gave away approximately the same amount every year. The foundation has supported nearly everything from United Way to the Girl Scouts to Meadowood Camp to the Tribes Celebration Committee. Other recipients include the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame, the Blue Mountain Forum, assisted living facilities in Weston, Ukiah, Boardman, and Pendleton, the Milton-Freewater Library, CAPECO, Umatilla Alcoholism Detox Center, Umatilla River Rescue, and dozen of other entities. The resort supports dozens of community activities and charitable events.

As an added note, other tribal foundations give 6 percent of their net profits. Wildhorse was allowed to go down to 3 percent because the tribes already provided many services to non-tribal residents of the reservation such as fire, police, EMT and other services.

Perhaps PACT might consider shuffling its priorities and build a pool or another facility needed for Florence youth.

JERRY MOSGROVE

Bend

Bush provides own satire

The cocky adolescent braggadoccio, also known as President Bush, once again shows us and the rest of the world the level of his statesmanship and diplomacy with his puerile pugnacious threat on Wednesday (Register-Guard, July 3): "There are some who feel that the conditions are such that they can attack us there (Iraq). My answer is bring 'em on. We've got the force necessary to deal with the security situation." However, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Bush's combative tone was not meant to invite attacks on Americans.

As singer-songwriter Tom Paxton, has wryly observed: "Some people you don't have to satirize, you just have to quote them." I rest my case.

KAREN MYERS

Eugene

Retirees bring much to city

I read with interest the letter of Robert Childers (letters, July 1). I would like to respond.

I am one of those retirees who chose Florence as my new home. I am one of those retirees who helped increase the population by 42.2 percent. My wife and I have been looking at cities along the Oregon Coast and other places for 15 years. We have had the time and the opportunity to see the good and bad in many cities and localities. We chose Florence as the place to retire.

We could have chosen any town to retire in, but we chose Florence. When we moved to Florence, we also brought our retirement earnings, earned in California, to Florence. That retirement money helped create jobs in the housing industry, health and welfare industry and many more too numerous to count. These are new jobs, not employees moving from one job to another.

Are the jobs that other retirees and I helped create in Florence of no importance? We pay income taxes to Oregon on the income we earned in California. We also pay Lane County property taxes, of which Florence receives a share. A gambling casino pays neither.

The only tax Florence and Oregon receive will come from the employees' income taxes. You do the math.

I know I speak for many of my newfound retired friends and acquaintances when I say that I would not have moved to Florence had there been a gambling casino here.

CARL SLUSSER

Florence

Government sucks resources

The only thing our state government has ever done effectively is suck resources out of the private sector. With one of the highest income taxes in the nation, we see the result in our employment statistics. Now, state lawmakers are talking sales tax again.

The only thing that will do is suppress sales, just as income taxes have suppressed incomes. We need to tell government that they can't have any more of our resources. Until we get that message across clearly, our state government will continue to suck.

MICHAEL A. KALISH

Eugene

Overturn Roe vs. Wade

The U.S. Supreme Court realized the mistake it made in 1986 and overturned its decision, basically apologizing to homosexuals and lesbians for demeaning their lives. Now let us hope the court will have the courage to overturn Roe vs. Wade, a ruling that made it legal to kill an unborn human being.

Unfortunately, it is too late to apologize to the more than 42 million unborn babies who have been murdered in the womb since that tragic day.

ANN T. CRAWLEY

Cottage Grove 

A question of priorities

It just amazes me when I listen to the priorities of our city and neighborhood leaders. Renaming a street, speed bumps, traffic flow and philosophic regulation; all seem to be more important than people. It is shocking, that a great organization like Food for Lane County has to struggle and its employees have to make personal sacrifices.

It is painful when I hear children talking about how they saw daddy crying in the back yard, or heard mommy crying at night. I slip away and cry, when I hear a child say, "I'm hungry" and find out that they are lucky to get one meal a day. I get sick when I sit and listen to the wealthy call the poor or single mothers names I dare not mention here.

We have some of the most beautiful low-income housing facilities in the state. Though they are beautiful and well maintained, they create an illusion for the general population. Inside those dwellings you will find lots of tears, very little food, little to no hope, worn-out clothing and fear. The people in these communities are nothing more than marketable products for unscrupulous service organizations to use in writing grants.

These wealthy people should realize that it isn't the poor who are tapping their paychecks - they should be monitoring the people who are administrating their money. They should compare how much play time they pay for compared to how much food and education they provide for children.

GREG EWERT

Eugene

Officer doing his job

I must be missing something. Traffic laws generally fall into two categories: "for your own good" (wearing seatbelts, motorcycle/bike helmets, etc) and "in the interests of public safety" (speeding, driving under the influence, running red lights, reckless driving, etc.).

Some people might well argue against the for-your-own-good laws but I don't see much of a case against the public-safety laws.

We all have taken driving tests. On much of I-5, the posted speed limit is 65 m.p.h. (maximum implied). If we could afford the officers, someone doing 80 wouldn't get two miles before they were stopped and given a ticket. And they'd get another one two miles down the road if the message didn't sink in.

The Coburg police officer (Register-Guard, June 26) is doing what we pay him to do. He might even be bringing in enough money to cover his own salary, which is all the better since it means we taxpayers don't have to. And just to counter the "abuse" argument that many will bring up, I see no reason to just assume there would be abuse of the system. Police officers are selected and trained for their position of authority and deserve our trust.

KEVIN SQUARE

Eugene

Officials should feel shame

Remember shame? Shame is what you feel when you act way, way below yourself. The lack of shame in elected officials and corporate crooks has got our nation on an appalling downward spiral. The first job of our elected officials is to protect those who pay them and to protect the defenseless. Governing bodies in Oregon failed to budget - something every householder has to do - and now they are hacking away in desperation. Lane County Commissioners said they would help fund the Lane County Animal Regulation Authority cattery if the city of Eugene did. The city didn't, so the county didn't. Now helpless cats will be spreading diseases and dying in the streets. No money for the most vulnerable- the lost and homeless, injured and starving, neglected and abandoned. But they could find thousands of county dollars to name a street - a street that already had a name. Because those who cared made them listen. And they will find money for other non-life-and-death items. Bet on it.

There are more cat owners than people who wanted to rename Centennial Boulevard. They should make themselves heard! I am not a cat owner - and I feel outrage, and deep shame. If every cat lover sent a toy or paper cat to their elected officials, wrote, phoned, showed up, do you think they might do the right thing?

Today cats. Tomorrow dogs. God is watching us.

RITA CASTILLO

Springfield

Sales taxes invariably increase

I have lived in two states in which voters were wooed into voting for a small sales tax. These sales taxes greatly increase as the years go by and those who voted for that small tax have no control.

We know that much money is wasted not only in this city, but also in the state. If you use your no vote, you still have some personal power. If the Oregon Legislature gets its way, the sky is the limit on spending.

BILL BRILEY

Eugene