Letters in the Editor's Mailbag.

Byline: The Register-Guard

The Register-Guard welcomes letters on topics of general interest. Our length limit is 250 words; all letters are subject to condensation. Mail letters to Mailbag, P.O. Box 10188, Eugene, OR 97440-2188. Fax: [phone] E-mail: [e-mail]

Needed: attack dogs

As many citizens have noted since it appeared earlier this year, Ed Aster's pit - formerly known as the Woolworth's Building - has been one of the most fabulous, scenic new features in downtown Eugene in years. Clearly the work of a very civic minded local developer, most everyone who has passed by the pit has marveled in delight at the broken concrete hole surrounded by lovely barbed wire and chain link fence. Who could gaze into such a pit and not see the work of a kind-hearted person, returning something to the community that has enriched him so much?

And now, in this season of light, the pit is now lighted, too! Recently installed giant Stalag 17-style illumination means patrons of downtown nightlife can enjoy the pit as they hurry past to local restaurants and theaters. All that's needed to complete this exquisite tableau is a couple of guards with attack dogs, and voila!

KEVIN ANDREW HENRY Eugene

Control health costs

The Dec. 24 Register-Guard carried an article from the Los Angeles Times reporting the rapidly acceleration of health care costs that are exceeding the financial resources of companies, employees, retirees and, in fact, the entire population. Recent stories have indicated health care costs are a main stumbling block in negotiations in the Oregon Health & Science University nurses' strike and in teachers' contracts yet to be negotiated.

Dianne Lobes (letters, Dec. 23) pointed out that in Oregon, the opportunity is here for us to deal with the problem instead of ignoring it and hoping it will go away. Petitions are presently being circulated to place the Oregon Comprehensive Health Care Finance Act, 2002, on the November 2002 ballot.

This act would provide a mechanism to finance virtually all medically necessary health care, including "alternative health care" and prescription medications for all the residents of Oregon, regardless of medical history, age, employment or income. For employees, employers, retirees, the unemployed, public institutions and all Oregonians, the cost of health care would no longer jeopardize labor contracts, the economic viability of companies, the economic survival of families and the delivery of government services.

It would seem incumbent upon The Register-Guard to provide some real coverage on this proposed act, which will probably be the most significant piece of legislation to ever come before Oregon voters.

Once again, Oregon will have the opportunity to lead the nation in solving, instead of ignoring, a major social and economic problem.

MARC SHAPIRO Eugene

Teens need slumber

Got sleep? Most teen-agers don't. Teens need more sleep than anyone, and because of early school starting times they can't get the sleep they need to function.

Many high schools start around 8 a.m. Like many other teen-agers, I can't seem to wake up before 7:30, so I rush out of the house and miss breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and many teen-agers are forced to miss it so they will be on time to school.

Because of these early school starting times, teens are not getting the sleep they need to fully function. Studies show that teen-agers need about nine hours of sleep each night. On average they are getting around seven hours of sleep.

I go through my first two classes of the day half-asleep, and sometimes I have been woken up from a nice nap, right in the middle of second period. Most of my friends and peers are the same.

Some people might say that teens should simply go to bed earlier. The problem with this is that between homework, part-time jobs, sports and any kind of social life, it's hard to make it in bed before 11 p.m. Also, most teens don't get tired until then.

If schools were to start just an hour or two later, then teen-agers would be able to get that extra sleep they need to function their best and be learning more.

BRIAN ERWIN Eugene

Life without electricity

When I received our December electric bill, my thoughts immediately turned to my boyhood seven decades ago. Our farm home had no electricity. We read by lamplight, cooked and heated with a wood stove, bathed every Saturday night in a washtub, wrote letters in longhand, milked cows by hand and spent evenings and weekends reading books, visiting neighbors and attending church.

To cope with today's skyrocketing energy costs, I could reclaim my past by turning off the computers, the TV, the hot water heater, the dishwasher, the clothes washer and dryer, the electric blanket, the electric toothbrushes, the ceiling heat, the telephone, the lights. I could cut five cords of wood for the fireplace, use the manual typewriter, break out the washtub and trim the wicks in our antique lamps.

On second thought ... .

DEAN REA Eugene

LETTERS LOG

Letters received in past week: 117

Letters published: 57

What's on readers' minds: The war on terrorism, both at home and abroad, dominated Mailbag flow during the past week. We received eight letters about the war in Afghanistan and six more about domestic anti-terrorism efforts. We also received six letters each on Eugene's no-smoking ordinance and salmon protection, and five letters each on Eugene Sand & Gravel's efforts to build a new gravel-mining operation off River Road, The Gang of 9's initiative effort on citywide elections, and Enron's collapse.

- The Register-Guard

CAPTION(S):

The Register-Guard welcomes letters on topics of general interest. Our length limit is 250 words; all letters are subject to condensation. Mail letters to Mailbag, P.O. Box 10188, Eugene, OR 97440-2188 Fax: [phone] E-mail: [e-mail]