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Budget talks were center stage this week, no major substantive bills. Republican leaders asked the Senate Democrats what our "price" would be to collaborate in developing a recession-tinged budget. There was even talk of throwing the Adult and Family Services budget up for a vote early, with all its devastating cuts, to test the waters and see if Democrats would agree to sacrifice child care programs, welfare grants, and job training in tough economic times. To the co-chairs' credit, at least they're honest; they openly produced an early counter to the governor's first budget. Last session, the "alleged leadership" of the House just hid out and refused to produce a budget until the last days of the session, the third longest in our history. Sometimes term limits and tough races are a good thing: good-bye Snodgrass and Lewis, Qutub and Shannon 4 vanquished banshees. This week, my Senate Revenue Committee might see a March revenue forecast $50 million to $100 million lower than previously anticipated. Our senate Democratic caucus is taking a wait-and-see attitude on the budget. We won't commit until we're assured that the co-chairs will make revenue available to restore some of the brutal cuts in senior and disabled services, AFS, programs for abused kids in foster care, mental health, the Oregon Youth Authority and Multnomah's highly successful gang intervention program, higher education and other areas. What are "available revenues?" Well, there are: ´ new revenue sources, i.e., tax increases 4 highly unlikely 4 even though we've now become a low-tax state for businesses, ´ current sources, like the tobacco settlement and the kicker 4 yes, there are ways to keep the kicker from kicking by paying off certain debts earlier than required, ´ the elimination or reduction of tax credits 4 called tax expenditures 4 to keep more money in the general fund. Remember, there are good tax credits and bad tax credits. Then, out of nowhere, House Speaker Mark Simmons suddenly rode in on a white horse and announced he's changed professions; he became a magician! In 1999 he made $166 million disappear from the general fund in the form of a tax break for the rich. As a House Republican leader in 1999, he helped ram through a referral (remember, the governor can't veto referrals) to raise the federal tax deduction from state taxes from $3,000 to $5,000. Now, he's frantically trying to pull $27 million out of his hat to fund popular senior and disabled programs like Project Independence. So Mark's going to turn a dog-and-pony "task force" into cuts in other programs without us seeing it. And all this without new revenue! Seigfried and Roy would be proud! Prestidigitation is alive and well in Salem. Electric Deregulation Update: My bills to repeal deregulation were finally assigned to the Senate Rules Committee. I caught up with Sen. Gene Derfler coming off the podium Friday after session and asked him if my bills would get a hearing. "Yes, you'll get a hearing," he said, "but I don't want to kid you, your bills aren't getting out of committee." In other words, a courtesy "public hearing" but no work session. Imagine my shock! The Senate president, who loves deregulation only slightly more than his sidekick Ron Eachus, assured me that there will be no vote on the Senate floor 4 even though a recent poll shows that Oregonians list power deregulation as one of their greatest concerns. But Gene's a good man, we're on the same side on the regionalization of Bonneville, so I'm thankful he's giving me a hearing at least. Meanwhile, on the House side, we're hoping Rep. Bob Ackerman's bill to delay deregulation for five years will get a fair hearing in Rep. Carl Wilson's House Rules Committee. Wilson and other rural Republicans in both chambers are feeling a lot of heat on this issue. I'm hoping the governor will give due consideration to at least delaying implementation until we get a better handle on the generation and marketing end. Tony Corcoran of Cottage Grove is minority whip in the Senate and represents portions of Lane and Douglas counties in Senate District 22. He can be reached in Salem at (503) 986-1722 or e-mail corcoran.sen@state.or.us Back to Top
"Users" were out in force on this February day to urge restoration of Rogue bait fishing and Sandy River hatchery steelhead. Upon staff biologist recommendation, the commission had earlier cut back on both in order to help restore wild fish runs. Bait hooks often kill wild fish being returned to the river; and hatchery steelhead on the Sandy will compete with wild salmon after Marmot Dam is breached, as currently scheduled. But it takes patience to fish with flies and lures rather than bait, and even more patience to wait for restoration of wild runs. Fishermen, bait fishing shop owners, fishing guides, and a young boy testified against the commissioners' earlier decisions. They variously denied a difference between wild and hatchery fish; said their businesses depend on bait or hatchery fishing; and claimed that unless people can "contact" fish they won't care for them, and that fishing keeps young people away from drugs. One man pointed to the mission statement, reminding commissioners, "You're supposed to ensure use. " Elk farms were the next decision item. In the 1970s, the Commission grandfathered 11 elk farms that had begun to operate in Oregon, and issued five more permits in 1997. Since the beginning, however, the commission has been extremely wary of the threat these farms pose to wild elk and deer: Escapes inevitably happen; genetic alteration of wild elk can occur; diseases can be transmitted; and the high fences block wild elk and mule deer migrations to winter habitat. Now, chronic wasting disease (CWD), a prion-based mad cow-like disease, is arriving in the West's elk ranches, and in adjacent wild elk and mule deer. It's impossible to tell if a deer or elk has CWD until after it's dead; and it's not known whether CWD can jump to humans, as mad cow disease does, causing always-fatal Creutzfeld-Jacob brain melt. Now Oregon elk farmers want 10 new ranches a year. They want to sell elk to new ranches, and they want to be able to sell elk meat (which would lead to poaching of wild elk for money), They're also promoting Senate Bill 41, which would transfer elk farming authority to the Oregon Department of Agriculture. As one elk farmer testified, "The ODFW doesn't do anything for us." On this issue, however, both users and non-users were present to urge commission protection of the wild: hunters, hunting and anti-hunting associations, wildlife biologists, and a member of a four-generation Oregon agricultural and ranching family. The commissioners held firm against new elk farm permits. But what would their decision have been if there were a test for CWD? What if elk farms only threatened wild elk winter habitat, leading to more trough-feeding of wild elk during winter? What if elk farms only threatened wild deer mice, or frogs? By the end of the day, I had three main thoughts: First, more people who enjoy, but do not "use," wildlife need to be present at wildlife hearings. Second, Oregon needs to follow Montana's lead: Citizens there passed an initiative requiring the phase-out of Montana's elk farms. And third, we have to move, as a people, toward regarding "Our mission is to protect and enhance Oregon's fish and wildlife and their habitats" as a complete sentence. Mary O'Brien has worked as a public interest scientist for the past 18 years. Her new book, Making Better Environmental Decisions: An Alternative to Risk Assessment, has been published by The MIT Press. She can be reached at mob@efn.org Back to Top Trudy was a patient teacher. She shook her head and laughed, extended a work-roughened hand and helped me up. She freed the squirming calf from the lasso and patted his rump. Momma cow took over, and nosed her son out of harm's way. Trudy was my first lesbian mentor. She was strong and independent and could rope cattle like a real rancher, which she was. A straw cowboy hat anchored down her fine, gray-blond hair. Her green eyes were gentle, softer than the rest of her weathered face. She'd fire up her old brier pipe to commemorate special moments, the end of a long day, a job well done. Trudy was in the life years before the Stonewall riots brought gay liberation to America. She served in the U.S. Navy during the World War II. Nylon was rationed then so, to keep up with the dress code, the women painted stocking seams on their bare legs with eye make-up. Trudy's steady hand drew the little line up the backs of her bunkmates' legs. She was careful to conceal her pleasure. Trudy told me how sometimes she'd arrange access to a Jeep. Six like-minded women would pile in and head off base to the countryside. They'd park, and stroll away two by two. After the designated time, the three couples would meet at the Jeep and drive back to the base. They never talked about it. When the war was over they all returned to civilian life and got married to men. Thirty years and four husbands later, Trudy came out for good. Our paths crossed when I was only 25, newly out and still shaking off my heterosexual upbringing. Trudy was everything I wanted to be; a bold, independent woman who didn't need a man. "Ode to a Gym Teacher" was big on the women's music scene at the time. I'd ride my bike across town singing "She was a big tough woman, the first to come along, to show me being female meant you still could be strong." I pumped those pedals and glowed with hot love for my sure-talking, cowboy-booted, pipe-smoking Trudy. Still tender from a recent break-up, Trudy had no interest in romance, especially with an overly eager youngster like me. But I was persistent and got myself hired on as a ranch hand. She needed the help and I worked hard to earn my keep. After a few months, her resistance to my affections softened and she welcomed me into her bedroom. During the two years I lived with Trudy on her ranch, I developed a lot of self-confidence. She taught me how to use a chainsaw, drive a tractor and string barbed wire. I strutted around with my heavy leather gloves and big wire cutters in the back pocket of my ranch overalls. I was invincible. Trudy taught me not to be afraid of challenges, not to give up. My second try at branding succeeded. I seared the ranch emblem onto the hindquarters of that calf and set him loose before Momma cow arrived to investigate the commotion. Trudy tipped back the frayed brim of her hat, reached into her suede jacket and pulled out her tobacco pouch. She took her time packing and lighting her pipe. Puffs of gray smoke floated skyward and disappeared over the hayfield. Trudy click-closed her Zippo lighter, tapped out the pipe on her boot heel and we got back to work. Sally Sheklow has been a part of the Eugene community since 1972 and is a member of the WYMPROV! comedy troupe. Her column, which began at EW, also runs in several other newspapers around the country.
One recent example was EW's review of the movie Quills. In real life, the Marquis de Sade was a rapist and torturer who spent a small amount of time behind bars because of physical damage he did to actual women. In Quills, he is reinvented as a martyr persecuted for his writing 4 which eroticized sexual assault and murder. Reviewer Lois Wadsworth offers uncritical praise. Then there was EW's deluge of publicity for a book called One Hundred Dollar Misunderstanding. In a calendar announcement, EW called the book an "irreverent satire" about "an affluent white college sophomore's relationship with a 14-year-old prostitute." Reviewer Michael Kroetch assures us it's poignant, funny, and a profound analysis of interracial relationships. Give us a break. There's nothing funny about an adult man acquiring the sexual services of a 14-year-old girl. Especially a rich white man using a black girl, an ugly story as old as the history of slavery. Is sexual exploitation just one more commodity you're selling to an audience you hope has more money than brains? Betsy Brown Amazing Grace is a sensual smorgasbord of multiple art forms, a bold and courageous expression of that which is beyond words. At once sobering and cathartic, empowering and even humorous, this piece ranges the gamut of human emotion. It celebrates love, spirituality, and victory over adversity. I hope that this remarkable production, which states much about living and dying, can be repeated here in Eugene, and also taken elsewhere. Its message imparts grace to us all. Jenny Gusset Deserving to
Get Served Both Snyder and Evangelista (12/22) have a difficulty we don't: distinguishing battered men from male batterers. My advice: Start a hotline. You'll quickly learn. That's right! Stop whining and provide a service more to your liking 4 working hard for low/no pay and taking grief from the hostile and ill-informed. (Note: Someone believing in serving 4 percent of clients with 4 percent of the budget should not be in charge of organizational finances.) Your hostility is far surpassed by the appreciation a majority of men voice for our services 4 for men and women. The only service provided for women and not men is shelter. It's not feasible to house battered men and women together and the only battered men's shelter closed after a year because they only had one client. To victims/survivors of domestic violence of any sexual orientation or gender: You can call Womenspace for educational materials, referrals and safety planning. You don't cause domestic violence and don't deserve it. Our experience is that it usually gets worse and you deserve a good life. We'll help figure out how you can make your life better and safer. Batterers ready to quit hurting their partners and families should call Options Counseling, ACES/NOVA or Christians Addressing Family Abuse. Margo Schaefer Change, Not
Oil If Americans so value energy security, particularly less dependence on foreign oil, why don't we demand that proven alternative fuels be subsidized and developed? We invest in clearly more pollutive industries, in research and development of much less essential technologies. Is it the fear of paying even more in taxes and bills? But what could cost more than treatment for emphysema or cancer caused by pollution? More than damage caused by erratic weather patterns, coastal flooding, or crop failures due to increased greenhouse gases and depletion of the ozone layer? Is not the economy based upon, even rooted in, the ecology? Family farmers could be growing renewable fuel crops rather than
going under and selling off land to factory farms or megaconglomerate agribusinesses.
So long as the sun shines, the wind blows, the rain falls and the grass grows, we
need not go punching holes in the planet, create radioactive waste or disrupt the
few remaining pristine places on Earth. Get informed and get involved. In all the information about mental illness we learn about, in all the self-tests, Oprah features, quotes and interviews from psychiatrists, and advertising in the media, what is usually missing is the recognition of the power and appropriateness of unbidden emotional reactions. Emotions are a necessary part of being human, and I'm not just talking the recognition of being sad or angry somewhere inside and dealing with it in a controlled manner. We all have guts, and sometimes they need to scream in rage, sob with grief, moan in despair, or whoop with joy. Those of us who have struggled with the labels of mental illness have seen those self-tests that ask us questions about how we feel, and the truth is that anyone that has strong emotions that come to them unbidden would probably "pass" those tests with the recommendation of seeing our doctor. There is a message out there that emotions should be noticed and accepted from a detached stance, but not truly experienced. We are taught that they are messy, rude, inappropriate, and inconvenient when stacked up against how we should live our daily lives. For all the sufferers out there that are truly ill and need help, there are many that misunderstand what emotions actually are and the positive things they do for us, and mis-identify the voices of these emotions as depression or mania. Some of the points in your feature are well-taken. The speed of our society does make emotions inconvenient. When we need to scream in frustration and hit or kick a pillow or a wall, or spontaneously break down in sobs, we're rarely in a safe atmosphere to be able to do so. And we rarely make the space for it, either. So we swallow, or take some measured, deep breaths, or detach ourselves. Who can blame anyone who would draw the conclusion that this is the appropriate way to live, or that being "taken over" by our emotions from time to time is cause for concern? We are surrounded daily by messages that reinforce these views. After enough deep breaths, the world turns gray, or the emotions surge forward with what feels like violence. It's no wonder we turn to pills to control the flow. Curt Siffert Thanks, Tony Jane Rimerman Qwest Conspiracy Peggy discovered that if you pick the phone up right away, the caller is Qwest. If you hold Qwest in the same low esteem that I do, you will suspect that they might well be using an automated device to sell additional services to their captives (I mean customers). I urge everyone who has this problem to contact the Oregon Attorney General at: Oregon AG, 1162 Court Street NE, Salem 97310 (503) 378-4400 doj.info@state.or.us and also to contact (and help support) a public interest group that monitors Qwest, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) at CUB of Oregon, 921 SW Morrison St., Suite #511 Portland 97205 (503) 227-1984 cub@teleport.com CUB also works to protect citizens from electric utilities. Randy Webb LCC Candidates When the mail ballots arrive in late February, vote for Lucille Salmony of Veneta. She's an attorney with a mediation practice. Bringing staff together is crucial. LCC needs her. Dennis Shine of Springfield should be elected. LCC has growing money problems and Shine is an economist with business training. LCC needs him. Marston Morgan of Cottage Grove is an architect. When LCC completes its new buildings, it will need to upgrade older structures with limited funds. LCC needs him. These three are a great fit for LCC's needs. They'll make a good board strong. Their opponents are decent, nice people, but what LCC needs now are board members qualified to help the college get on top of serious challenges. Salmony, Shine, and Morgan can get the job done. Larry Romine Ralph has lived in Lane County for many years, graduating from McKenzie High School and the UO. He clearly understands the needs of local residents and works hard to see that Lane remains the excellent school that it is. He deserves your vote. Kathleen Shelley Quarters, Please Maybe part of these funds comes from the $85 parking permits sold to students for spaces that don't exist, leaving the majority of paying students without a legal parking space. The UO then earns even more from the same students who bought a permit that they never get the opportunity to use, this time from the quarters pumped into meters all day long, five days a week. And for those whose academic schedules don't fit into the neat two- or five-hour maximum time allotment of the meters, UO gets their money a third time in the form of a $10 citation. But I'm sure all of this revenue pales in comparison to the sizable donations made to the UO in the name of football. If the UO has money left over after tending to the Ducks and their fans, perhaps they would consider building a parking structure in one of the many lots available in the campus area. I'm not advocating cars over buses or bikes, but for students like myself who live outside the city limits and are not on a bus line, driving to school is the most practical option. Until the UO realizes there's more to higher education than football, I'm taking my permit in for a refund in quarters. I encourage others to do the same. Stacy Carleton
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