Letters in the Editor's Mailbag.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Reverse smoking law

After almost six months of enforcing Eugene's smoking ordinance, the only fine for noncompliance has been levied against a nonprofit group operating a bingo game. Representatives from several organizations, along with numerous bar and tavern owners, tried to warn city officials of this ordinance's impact. It's now obvious that businesses and charities running bingo games are forced to choose between following the law and going out of business.

As the manager of a nonprofit bingo game trapped inside Eugene, I can attest to the damage that has already been done. Because The Arc of Oregon chose to comply with the new ordinance, our customer count was instantly sliced by almost one-third. Many of our regular customers were forced to go to Springfield or elsewhere. The promised influx of eager nonsmoking bingo players has been small.

Our programs, which serve Oregonians with developmental disabilities and their families, have suffered severely because of this funding loss. All full-time employees within our organization have received 20 percent pay cuts as our organization taps its reserves and waits for a turnaround.

I do not smoke, but I believe that Oregon's recently passed statewide smoking law adequately addresses the issue in a fair and uniform fashion. How are businesses inside Eugene expected to remain competitive when they're subjected to a different set of rules?

After almost 17 years of employment with The Arc, I am disgusted that a single vote by a group of elected officials has put my job in jeopardy. The city needs to recognize this crisis and change Eugene's ordinance before irreversible damage is done to our organization.

CLARK HANSEN Springfield

Kicker madness

I appreciated George W. Evans' guest column (Register-Guard, Dec. 20) calling for a rainy day fund for the state of Oregon.

As someone who recently moved to Eugene from Michigan, I've been puzzled to hear that the state is sending out kicker refunds to residents, while at the same time facing a $720 million budget shortfall. What kind of madness is this? To outsiders, this system sounds like something imported from a Third World country.

Recessions are an inevitable periodic occurrence, and it seems the state of Oregon is not allowed to prepare for them. The result is disaster for education and social services in Oregon, and for the very people most in need. Evans' call for a rainy-day fund is a common-sense solution to this Kafkaesque situation.

JOE DAUNT Eugene

Taking care of business

Too many high school students are against U.S. soldiers fighting in Afghanistan. Why are we in Afghanistan? To eradicate terrorism. We were attacked on American soil on Sept. 11. This was an assault by a terrorist group. It needs to be punished. So we entered Afghanistan.

Shortly after the Sept. 11 attack, we found paper trails leading to Osama bin Laden. The CIA determined that he was responsible for the attacks. Yet some students think we should not be fighting back. "Let's just leave them alone," they say. If we leave them alone, we show weakness, and we'll just be attacked again. They had multiple attacks planned after Sept. 11, but after we started to take action in Afghanistan, they didn't attack again, did they? We showed we were stronger.

I'm a senior at Churchill High School, and I hear about this every day. I walk the halls hearing both sides. I'm saying we should take care of business and end terrorism. When you talk to the students who oppose the war in Afghanistan, they say, "It's just wrong" and "We're taking innocent lives." But we really aren't taking innocent lives; few civilians have been killed.

I understand that we are responding to an act of violence with violence. That's not always right, but it happens in war. These students are too young to be so gung-ho anti-war. No politicians are complaining about the war in Afghanistan. Why are they?

ROBERT GUSTAFSON Eugene

A simple solution

In response to the editorial "Oregon hit hardest" (Register-Guard, Dec. 21), I must ask: Does anyone really believes that funds kept by the state instead of refunded to taxpayers would have been set aside in a rainy day fund and not spent?

Why is it that in good times, bad times, medium times and basically any times, the government never seems to have enough money? Why is it that individuals have to restrain spending and make sacrifices, but not the state?

When citizens lose income, they make cuts in their spending. Why doesn't the state Legislature institute a 2 percent reduction across the board - in every salary, budget, expense account, everything? Why wouldn't such an approach be reasonable?

I know that I will be criticized by the editors and others for offering a simplistic solution to a complex problem, but aren't simple solutions usually the best way, if they're reasonable, to contend with any problem?

MIKE GREGORY Eugene

Ordinance costing jobs

Let me see if I understand this: A nonsmoking ordinance was passed by the Eugene City Council to protect workers from the effects of second-hand smoke. Well, workers at bingo halls and bars are now facing something worse than second-hand smoke - the loss of their jobs.

Organizations such as The Arc of Oregon, which have chosen to comply with the law, have lost customers, and many may have to go out of business. Customers who smoke have not quit smoking; they have taken their business elsewhere, either to a Eugene business that is ignoring the smoking ban (the city is having a hard time enforcing the non-smoking law) or to places outside the city limits.

Because of lost bingo revenues, The Arc of Oregon has cut back staff hours and is hoping that the quality of its services to people with developmental disabilities and their families will not be severely impacted.

I can't believe that the City Council intended such outcomes from the smoking ban, and hope it will consider revisiting Eugene's ordinance. Bringing our city's ordinances in line with the statewide smoking law would provide for an equitable treatment of all businesses and lessen the negative impacts on workers.

ELIZABETH THORIN Eugene

Fueling fanatical militancy

I have been a regular reader of Anthony Lewis' column for the last 30 years and express my regret that he has written his last. I find it remarkable that I cannot remember a single statement of his that I really disagreed with in all this time. I found his writing to be always intelligent, articulate and deeply human.

I want to repeat one thing he wrote in his last column: "Fundamentalist Judaism and extreme Israeli nationalism have fed the movement to plant settlements in what was ancient Israel, fueling fanatical Islamic militancy among Palestinians." Lewis was right about this, as he has been about so many other things. Our failure to insist that the Israelis stop building settlements in occupied Palestinian territories has undermined our national character and our role as peacemaker. The practice of talking peace while continuing to build homes for Jewish "settlers" on Palestinian lands is arrogant and disrespectful; it cannot furnish the basis for a lasting peace, which must, in the final analysis, be based upon mutual respect.

I do not support terrorist acts, the killing and maiming of women, children and noncombatants, but I can fully understand the hatred that so many hold against us because of our unfairness in this matter. Lewis warned about this issue long before Sept. 11; I agreed with him then and I still do. We must correct this lapse in our sense of justice.

THOMAS GUSHURST Eugene

Of Enron and Democrats

I'm really tired of the many people who blame Republicans and President Bush for what happened to their investments and retirement funds when Enron went into bankruptcy.

Gee, I wonder how so many people were fooled into investing their savings in a company that may have cooked the books for almost eight years. Was it because they (Enron officials) lobbied the Democratic Party, and the Clinton administration in particular, so heavily? And was it because so many people believed in a Clinton administration that could do no wrong - no matter what cookie jar its members got their hands caught in?

The beginning of the end, not just for Enron but many companies, began almost a decade ago. Our economy began a downturn long before Clinton even left office. Now it's the Democrats in the Senate who have held our economy hostage. As long as the economy does not flourish - and how can it if an economic stimulus package was not allowed to pass in the Senate? - the Democrats, in the next election year, can blame all our woes on the Republicans, and especially President Bush. Wake up, people!

GREG ANSON Eugene

Kids helping kids

Kids encouraging kids was the theme for the St. Vincent de Paul's Sports and Crafts Carnival held at a local athletic club two weeks ago. Fifty volunteers from the community, including local middle and high school kids, turned out to help youngsters from St. Vincent de Paul's housing program enjoy an afternoon of sports, crafts, fellowship, food and fun.

We were hoping for 50 kids, and we planned gifts and activities for 60. But we were thoroughly delighted to have served 91 kids during the afternoon events. Youths from different backgrounds mingled during this holiday event, giving us a glimpse of what can happen on a regular basis with the cooperation and generosity of the community.

Youngsters from all walks of life enjoy similar activities; some just don't have the opportunity to experience them. We hope to have many more activities such as the carnival in the future. The approach of kids helping kids is an important way of improving the quality of our children's lives.

The St. Vincent de Paul Sports and Crafts Carnival reminded us that we live in a great community. The compassion, love and hope that the carnival provided gave us all a great sense of community pride, and for that we want to express our deep appreciation.

TOM and CINDY GREIDER Eugene

CAPTION(S):

The Register-Guard welcomes letters on topics of general interest. Our length limit is 250 words; all letters are subject to condensation. Writers are limited to one letter per calendar month. Because of the volume of mail, not all letters can be printed. Mail letters to Mailbag, P.O. Box 10188, Eugene, OR 97440-2188 Fax: [phone] E-mail: [e-mail]