Lovely fall leaves need not be trashed

It disturbs me every year to see the leaves from all the beautiful trees in our neighborhoods raked up and hauled away. The leaves do not need to be hauled away. The leaves are not a problem, but a gift from the tree to its root system. To get the benefits of the leaves, rake them up around the base of the tree, maybe one-fourth the diameter of the canopy.

The leaves will become a ring of compost around the tree, retaining moisture next summer, and providing nutrients to the root system. It also keeps the weeds down. No need to spray Round-Up anymore. The result is a park-like landscape that is completely natural.

Seems to me that giving the leaves back to the tree instead of hauling them away is a win-win all around. I don’t see why everyone doesn’t do this.

This kind of reminds me of my other pet peeve of mine, which is hauling away of grass clippings. But maybe that is a discussion for another season.

Jim Sackinger, Corvallis

Protest organizer disputes quote

As a co-organizer of the local protest against California’s Prop 8, I appreciate the Gazette-Times’ prominent coverage and the time your reporter spent with me. However, I’d like to disavow an indirect quote attributed to me: “Californians were frightened (when the state Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples could marry), but that’s their problem.”

The second clause of that sentence is quite insensitive, and I can’t imagine that I said anything like it. As for the first clause, I have no way of knowing whether Californians felt frightened by their Supreme Court’s ruling. I do know that in the days leading up to Nov. 4, supporters of Proposition 8 conducted a campaign of fear and misinformation in California, and I may have referred to that.

Over-the-top TV ads claimed such things as that unless Prop 8 passed, supporters of traditional marriage could be sued over their personal beliefs, and churches opposed to marrying same-gender couples could lose their tax exemptions.

There are two other inaccuracies in the article: Measure 36 (the constitutional amendment that excludes same-gender couples in Oregon from marriage) was passed in 2004, not 2006, and an Oregon law subsequently gave same-gender couples the right to register domestic partnerships, not civil unions.

By the way, there is no nationwide definition of domestic partnerships or civil unions. Each state decides for itself what to call them, and the rights and responsibilities awarded vary from state to state.

Faith Reidenbach, Philomath

Urban renewal a deal for the rich?

The best way to spend federal bailout money is to give it to the already-wealthy members of the community. Do you agree? If so, then you will really like urban renewal as proposed for Corvallis.

Urban renewal finances itself by siphoning funds away from the school districts, from the county, from the city and from all other taxing agencies in the county. The premise of urban renewal is that downtown projects have the highest priority over anything else in the county. Downtown projects must be funded regardless of catastrophe, depression or any other calamity.

Without urban renewal, the city of Corvallis could still fund the projects otherwise proposed in the urban renewal plan. But it would have to weigh the merits of those projects against all other competing interests in the city. Urban renewal takes away from the city the discretion to say that something else is more important than downtown.

Do the downtown landowners who benefit from urban renewal ever have to give back any of the gain they expect to get from urban renewal? Nope, never. Robin Hood took from the rich to give to the poor. Urban renewal takes from everyone and gives it to the wealthiest landowners. It reverses trickle down and promotes trickle up. It’s really quite a remarkable scam.

David Grappo, Corvallis

A simple dream of civility survives

Letters continue to appear in the paper, on occasion, that attack, attempt to divide and smear. I am reminded that we have a choice of how to respond. Like many others, I, too, have a dream. It is a simple dream, but obviously it is difficult to make the dream a reality individually, nationally, or on a world-wide basis. I dream that love could overcome fear, openheartedness could overcome biased thinking and divisiveness, and that peace of mind and heart could overcome impulsive, reactive words and violence against all people and all creation. I think of the lines from Henri Frederic Amiel that the Rev. John Dennis used to quote: “Life is short and we have not too much time to gladden the hearts of those who travel the way with us. Oh, be swift to love. Make haste to be kind.”

Linda Gelbrich, Corvallis

Church shouldn’t dictate ballots

In recent Gazette-Times articles, church leaders denounce public officials who support measures inconsistent with church policy and suggest denying communion to its members who vote a certain way.

Using church doctrine to guilt or shame people into voting a particular way seems wrong to me. People have the right to believe anything they want — but they do NOT have the right to impose their beliefs on society as a whole. History has shown time and time again that the healthiest governments are those which clearly separate church and state — and that the most destructive practices (the crusades, anyone?) spring from mixing politics and religion.

Leaders are elected to serve ALL people, not to impose their personal theological views on society as a whole. Our founders were wise to recognize that healthy governments keep church and state matters separate — and that healthy leaders are ones who serve all rather than attempt to have all serve the advancement of the leader’s particular faith path.

Coming to reasonable agreements with one’s community of fellow citizens requires recognizing the inherent worth and dignity of each person, regardless of what they do or don’t believe, and shaping decisions collaboratively and respectfully, especially with those whose views are different than ours.

Herein lies the challenge — and opportunity — of living in a community of diverse beliefs and cultural mores.

Churches should stay in the business of being a place of spiritual exploration and stay OUT of the arena of politics.

Suzannah Doyle, Corvallis