Posted: Tuesday, August 22, 2006 12:00 am
Suzanne Downing's interesting Aug. 4 letter, "City loses bid to tell tax facts," was quite thought-provoking. Her description of our city officals as wasting taxpayers' money and as being arrogant is off the mark - way off.
Our City Council did not threaten the loss of a city service (fire protection). Instead, they decided that essential fire protection equipment and essential training would be provided. Further,our city officals did not provoke a law-suit when they accepted the ruling of the secretary of state and withdrew their explanatory statement from the voters' pamphlet.
However, Ms. Downing's letter does point out an important fact: Our elected City Council has to and does make difficult decisions after exploring facts and considering consequences. Their unanimous decision to extend the existing franchise fee on land-line telephone companies to cell phone providers was made after considering the consequences of making additional cuts in other city services, including parks and recreation or in initiating alternative taxes.
Agree or disagree, we elect our City Council to make tough public policy choices, and they have done so publicly and democratically. Vote "Yes" on Measure 02-54 on Sept. 19.
Bob Wilson
Corvallis
Forestry articles favored Salwasser
In recent articles about Oregon State University's College of Forestry and scandal with the journal, Science, the Gazette Times treats forestry Dean Hal Salwasser with a great deal of deference, almost obsequiousness.
In contrast, the reader might conclude that the newspaper's spell checker automatically pairs the words "Daniel Donato" with "flawed study." I have yet to see "not peer-reviewed" adjacent to John Sessions' report, which advocated extensive logging in roadless areas of the Siskiyou burn.
I have some background in fire ecology (although my measly little thesis would never have made the pages of Science), and Mr. Donato's papers in Science did not appear flawed. Rather, they were well-written and clearly presented, as was his testimony to the congressional panel, which I heard on the radio.
One wouldn't know that from the reporting in the local paper. If I believed what I read in the paper, I would conclude that merely by strolling the halls, the dean could make all right again at the College of Forestry.
However, as a member of the public with a long time interest in environmental issues (ergo, a goon), I am still concerned at the level of collusion between industry and the college's administrators detailed in the chain of correspondence ferreted out by the legislative panel. Little of the content was mentioned in this newspaper, but is easily located on the Web. I would appreciate a more balanced and objective level of reporting by the newspaper in the future.
Patricia Haggerty
Corvallis
Term limits are will of the people
It's a shame the Corvallis Gazette-Times editors sided with the politicians instead of the people.
In a July 24 editorial, the Gazette-Times claimed "term limits don't merit a comeback" because voters can already term limit legislators in every election. Unfortunately, it's not that simple.
In an ideal political landscape, incumbents would only be re-elected if their previous performance was deemed acceptable by voters, and in every election cycle a new crop of capable and motivated citizens would emerge and make a strong bid for political office. But we don't live in utopia.
In reality, incumbents enjoy tremendous advantages - such as media attention and special-interest donations - which effectively dissuade newcomers from taking office.
Restoring term limits, however, will cycle new blood and new energy through the Legislature, holding politicians accountable to the people, not the special interests.
If our current system is acceptable, why, in 1992, did 70 percent of Oregon voters vote to enact term limits in the first place? Why, after term limits were struck down by the court, did 166,000 Oregonians sign petitions again in 2006 to restore Oregon's term limits?
Like politicians, the editors at the Gazette-Times don't seem to have a very high opinion of voters. It seems to me that the people's will has always been made crystal clear: We want legislative term limits. So, the only thing that doesn't merit a comeback is the elitist idea that the politicians know better than the people.
Paul Farago
Spokesman
Restore Oregon's
Term Limits Committee
OSU Horse Center critics self-serving
We are writing to correct several items omitted or vaguely covered in the Aug. 11 article on the Oregon State Univeristy Horse Center management.
The attack on the Rammerstorfers' reputations is self-serving by members of the community who believe the horse center should provide recreational programs at the state facility. The mission of our horse center is to provide training for students interested in careers in the horse industry. It is inappropriate to simply provide recreation to the student clubs and the community. Horses boarded at the center enhance the teaching opportunities for our students.
The Rammerstorfers were following procedures approved in 2003 by the same internal audit division of Oregon University System. None of the situations cited in the article resulted in increased costs to the university.
A $2,000 stud fee for a stallion whose sire commands $25,000 per breeding is far below market value. Horses boarded for training pay full stable fees while at the center. The roof repair barter saved the center $5,000 over another commercial bid.
There was no mistreatment of animals at the center. The university animal care and use committee evaluates all units annually to identify and address animal welfare problems. They found no evidence of mistreatment during their investigation of allegations or during any of routine visits.
The Rammerstorfers are valued members of our (the Animal Sciences department) faculty.
Thanks to the their teaching, leadership and innovative projects such as the "Colts-in-Training" program, OSU now has a nationally recognized equine science program.
Mike Gamroth
and seven others
OSU Animal Sciences faculty