Letters in the Editor's Mailbag.Byline: The Register-Guard Excess Bush bashing I've been keeping a count of the Bush-bashing letters in Mailbag. There were five on June 9, and at least one each day before and since. I could find none praising Bush. Then there are the three out of four liberal columnists who appear regularly. The latest Washington Post/ABC News poll gives Bush a 77 percent approval rating. Guess we won't be reading that in The Register-Guard. This must drive you liberals crazy. MARGARET TRIMBLE Florence Republicans fail test Tom Preuss (letters, June 5) writes an appalling indictment of Gov. John Kitzhaber John Albert Kitzhaber (born March 5 1947 in Colfax, Washington) is a physician, member of the Democratic Party and former two term Governor of Oregon. He graduated from South Eugene High School in 1965, Dartmouth College in 1969, and then Oregon Health & Science University with a that would be far more fitting for the Republican-led Legislature. The governor can only propose a budget; it's the Legislature that gets to carve it up, divert it or mismanage mis·man·age tr.v. mis·man·aged, mis·man·ag·ing, mis·man·ag·es To manage badly or carelessly. mis·man  age·ment n. it
altogether. Besides, exigencies like the current recession are beyond
the governor's ability to predict.
When a shortfall was imminent, the governor proposed ways and means WAYS AND MEANS. In legislative assemblies there is usually appointed a committee whose duties are to inquire into, and propose to the house, the ways and means to be adopted to raise funds for the use of the government. This body is called the committee of ways and means. to soften the impact, but the blockheaded Block´head`ed a. 1. Stupid; dull. Adj. 1. blockheaded - (used informally) stupid boneheaded, duncical, duncish, fatheaded, loggerheaded, thick-skulled, thickheaded, wooden-headed, thick conservatives in Salem decided it was more important to embarrass the governor than to address the needs of their constituents. Shame on them. And shame on Preuss for his ad hominem attack An ad hominem attack is a personal attack in the form of an ad hominem argument. Ad hominem attacks are often used in a debate or discussion where the speaker wishes to avoid the substance of the discussion and instead resorts to smearing the character of their opponent. on the governor (the personal attack is a favorite for conservatives, who seem to have no real ideas of their own). Fact is, folks, Oregonians are not groaning under heavy taxes by national averages. Nor has the governor squandered squan·der tr.v. squan·dered, squan·der·ing, squan·ders 1. To spend wastefully or extravagantly; dissipate. See Synonyms at waste. 2. money on useless social programs: The Oregon Health Plan The Oregon Health Plan is the Oregon state healthcare program for low income residents of Oregon. Eligibility Basic eligibility requires that the applicant be a resident of Oregon, as a citizen or otherwise. is visionary, necessary and would be viable under a state Legislature A state legislature may refer to a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. The following legislatures exist in the following political subdivisions: n. One who systematically blocks or interrupts a process, especially one who attempts to impede passage of legislation by the use of delaying tactics, such as a filibuster. . Adequate school funding could have been found if the Legislature had not insisted upon continuing the ridiculous kicker, which is negligible for most recipients and nonexistent non·ex·is·tence n. 1. The condition of not existing. 2. Something that does not exist. non for the rest. The Republican Party spends millions of dollars to smear Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Bill Bradbury Bill Bradbury (born 1949) is the Secretary of State for the U.S. state of Oregon. Bradbury, a Democrat, previously served in the Oregon Legislative Assembly, and ran unsuccessfully against incumbent Senator Gordon Smith in 2002. , but wouldn't spend a penny to promote a sound school funding program. Instead it chose to force taxpayers to make the decisions necessary for a sound economy. The Republicans get an "A" for buck passing, obstruction and pork distribution, but they flunk as legislators. DIANE VAN DREW Springfield No analysis paralysis Well, here it is already June. The time when the whine of chainsaws begins to be heard in old growth and mature forests on our public lands. It is unbelievable to me that in the 21st century our own government facilitates the destruction of our heritage. Only about 15 percent of Oregon's original forests remain unlogged, and scientists, economists and the majority of Oregonians want these forests to remain standing. Instead of continuing down this controversial road, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service should be pursuing a restoration agenda that enjoys broad support. It is enough of a challenge to deal with a multi-billion dollar backlog in road maintenance and to thin millions of acres of young plantations. Continuing to target old growth and mature forests for timber sales just embroils the agencies in controversy. The Bush administration complains about a crisis of "analysis paralysis." It maintains that environmental safeguards prevent the implementation of projects. But the real problem is that this administration can't see the forest for the big trees it wants to cut. There would be less controversy, less litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. and more public trust if the federal government would commit to a win-win solution - a comprehensive restoration program that would employ hundreds, protect and restore our degraded forest ecosystems and produce a stable supply of timber from thinning young managed stands. JEREMY HALL Eugene Don't censor radio My, how we regress REGRESS. Returning; going back opposed to ingress. (q.v.) . We fought against blocking pornography from our children on the Internet at our public libraries because it infringed on our First Amendment right to free speech. Now we have Mark F. Oldham, president of Oregon Chapter National Association of Social Workers The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with 150,000 members. The NASW works to enhance the professional growth and development of its members, to create and maintain professional , who suggests (letters, June 5) that the First Amendment rights do not apply to conservative talk radio. Oldham and others like him call it hate radio. There is nothing hateful about it. Quite frankly, I find it rather refreshing to hear a different point of view than those we get from the predominantly one-sided liberal news media. I don't always agree with these conservative shock jocks such as Michael Savage, who can be extremely abrasive and condescending. I've listened enough to know that they don't just target minority groups, immigrants, gay and lesbians and minority religious groups. They have also gone after right-wing conservatives, mainstream religious groups and policies that give special rights to one group or the other. But to outlaw them - as the Coalition Against Hate Radio would like to do - is to ban such radio. What Oldham is suggesting is called censorship, pure and simple. LEONARD M. HOLMES Springfield LETTERS LOG Letters received in past week: 126 Letters published: 47 What's on readers' minds: The state's budget crisis was the hottest topic in the past week's Mailbag, with 18 readers submitting letters on the Legislature's efforts to resolve an $860 million deficit. Of those letters, seven expressed support for a state sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. , while two weighed in against such a move. We received 11 letters on the Lane County Budget Committee's vote to raise the pay of commissioners by 31 percent - all of them in opposition to the increase. We also got eight letters responding to a June 5 letter by Mark F. Oldham calling for a campaign against "hate radio," and five each on the Bush administration's report on global warming and the $8.5 billion shortfall in the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System. - The Register-Guard |
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