Posted: Wednesday, October 8, 2008 12:00 am
Raising taxes now especially ill-timed
Our economy has been in a downward spiral while city and county continue to propose raising property taxes. Only property owners affected and have automatic 3 percent increases yearly, plus two new measures already passed. The school district is $1.20 per thousand value, while county is $0.90 per thousand.
The Senior Center would be a third, and very worthwhile. But it is too much - plus adding 10 park updates.
Applying for grants, fundraising with volunteers or delay. What happened to millions left over with school district after new schools built? New taxes (fees) for construction? It discourages needed businesses. "Prosperity that fits?" Who decides? Sustainability? For what? It's time to oppose city and county elected officials when voting comes and please elect people who are realistic and responsible.
I came to Corvallis in 1954 to attend OSC and have lived here until later years, and being a single-income earner, now on a fixed income, increased taxes hurt. My mortgage payments had big jumps past few years with reason given: increased county property taxes. Young first-time homeowners have hurt too, plus renters could see increases. Let's stop excesses. The timber payments have been reinstated, so schools, city and county will receive even more.
Dixie Francis, Corvallis
Liberals championed civil rights change
In two recent letters to the Gazette-Times, John Brenan has offered an absurd interpretation of American history. His contention that conservatives, and not liberals, led the way in Reconstruction and civil rights is bizarre.
The Republican Party during the era of Lincoln was the liberal party of the day. Congressional Republicans were considered so liberal that they were called Radical Republicans. Their Reconstruction policy for the defeated South was violently opposed by southern Democrats who preferred to be called The Conservatives.
During the 20th century, the two major parties slowly swapped political ideologies. Southern Democrats became so incensed with the growing influence of northern liberals in the party that they tried to form third parties behind conservative icons Strom Thurmond (1948) and George Wallace (1968). I attended a Wallace rally in Portland in 1968 and listened to him rave against liberals.
Finally southern Democrats abandoned their old party altogether over the issue of civil rights for blacks, and switched to the Republican Party, which had become staunchly conservative by 1964.
The history of the two major parties has been fluid, but conservative and liberal ideologies and priorities remain the same. Conservatives led the opposition to the great liberal causes of abolition, Reconstruction, women's suffrage, labor reform and civil rights. Whether they call themselves Republicans or Democrats, conservatives remain on the "right" side of the political spectrum. But on the great issues of social change they have rarely been on the right side of American history.
Joseph Fulton, Kings Valley
Bridge players support 02-65
The board of directors of the Corvallis Duplicate Bridge Club supports the proposed bond measure 02-65. One benefit would come from the increase in the size of the Senior Center.
The expansion would allow the Corvallis group to host regional bridge tournaments. This would have a positive economic effect on the community as people come to tournaments from all over the state as well as neighboring states. Tournaments usually last three days and visitors would need to take advantage of our local hotels as well as some of our excellent restaurants.
Currently, due to the restricted space available in the Senior Center, the annual Heart of Valley tournament is held in Albany. We could either share this tournament with Albany or host our own.
On a broader perspective, our group is experiencing significant growth as the number of retiring senior folks in our area increases. Like all mental exercises, the mental stimulus of duplicate bridge has been shown to benefit the health of seniors. We also cater to many with physical disabilities. Adequate automobile parking is thus a concern for all seniors. An expanded facility would enhance our club's ability to serve the senior and other citizens of the Corvallis community.
M. Sue Mariner, Corvallis
Could warming be linked to volcano?
There are enough references to carbon dioxide measurement atop Hawaii's Mauna Loa to conclude that it is a principal site where world-wide dioxide content is determined.
When I was a student assistant in the chemistry department at the University of Hawaii, one of my assignments was to routinely analyze gases from Kilauea, which is one of the world's most active volcanoes (and particularly active in recent times.)
Aside from a small amount of sulfur dioxide and, during periods of intense activity, traces of hydrogen, the gas was almost entirely carbon dioxide from thermal decomposition of deep lying carbonates, and combustion of methane and acetylene from trivalent and divalent carbides by back-flowing air. This is also the situation in active volcanoes world wide.
Although Kilauea is about 30 miles from Mauna Loa, surely a significant part of the emission could sweep up the 13,000 feet to the top of Mauna Loa. Surely the staff at the Mauna Loa observatory is aware of this, and either finds that the contribution is negligible, or has been corrected for; but it would be gratifying to know why such a site was chosen in the first place, and how accurately can world wide carbon values be determined from measurements in the neighborhood of an active volcano, especially since one is looking for parts per million changes.
This is just one more problem many have in accepting as fact the media's statements about global warming.
L. Michael Foster, Corvallis