Wetlands, wildlife hurt by development

I have owned 51/2 acres northeast of Seavey Meadows since 1986. In fact, Stewart Slough, which drains much of northeast Corvallis, runs through my "back yard."

With the development that has already occurred in Seavey Meadows, I have witnessed significant degradation both to this wetland and to the wildlife populations on my property.

Due to decreased wetland area, the quality of the water in Stewart Slough is much poorer than 20 years ago, which means we are dumping increased quantities of pollutants into the Willamette that used to be absorbed by these wetlands.

I was part of a citizens advisory committee on Seavey Meadows at least 15 years ago. The citizens argued against development, citing preservation of a significant wetland, an active wildlife corridor, and an urban natural area.

In hindsight, our participation seemed a necessary check-off item so the city could proceed with development as planned.

I hope that in light of increasing evidence about our fragile environment, these arguments will be heard in a different context.

There has already been significant building in this wetland over the last 20 years; what has been built over is already gone. That's the nature of development - unless people with vision take a stand, development moves relentlessly forward until there is nothing left to save.

We have an opportunity to preserve what is left, to take the stand that our natural areas are important and valuable in their own right.

Have we learned anything in the past 20 years? I hope so.

Susan Wechsler, Corvallis

G-T should sharpen its headline writing

"OSU hones in on potential coach."

This is the headline over the article located at the top of the front page of the Gazette-Times on April 1.

It concerns progress in recruiting for a high-profile position at our local university.

I wonder if this headline will cause the candidates to wonder about the academic quality of the college.

Surely OSU is "hoMing in" (moving toward a decision), rather than hoNing (sharpening a tool by hand on a stone) the candidates.

Sharyn Smith, Corvallis

Litter a big problem along area's roads

I was looking for an opening to talk about litter, again, and Jean Townes gave it to me in her letter ("Litter spoiling drive on Sulphur Springs," March 28).

First, if you look, you will see litter on every road, from Highway 20 to Pettibone to Corvallis-Independence, especially in the rural areas, but everywhere.

The interstate is downright embarrassing, because we used to be able to tell that we had crossed into Oregon by how clean it was. Now, it's just the opposite.

It could be because children have not been taught the respect required to protect the beauty around us, but it has to be more than that.

What is it that makes a person think it's OK to open a window and throw out their trash, whether it's an empty water bottle, a coffee cup or a cigarette? Lack of pride? Laziness? Bad breeding? They just don't seem to care.

Meanwhile, it's up to those of us who deplore the filthy countryside we see to take bags and pick up after the mindless litterers. It doesn't solve the problem, but it makes us feel better - until the trash starts piling up again.

A lot of people have commented when they see us picking up trash along the roads.

Maybe if more people did some picking up, even just in front of their property, there would be less ugliness, and the people who throw things out of cars would think twice. You think?

Rebecca Stillwell, Albany

DeFazio fighting for senior health care

Because I have concerns about the proposed cuts to Medicare and Medicaid in the fiscal year 2009 budget, I wrote to Congressman Peter DeFazio.

His reply is, "The President's budget slashed $556 billion from Medicare over 10 years, cutting payments to hospitals, hospice care and rural health care programs as well as other important services.

"The President has chosen to cut critical health care programs that benefit seniors in order to maintain and expand tax cuts for the wealthiest individuals and most profitable corporations.

"While he cuts billions of dollars in Medicare and Medicaid services, he still continues to borrow over $10 billion a month to fund the war in Iraq. I am opposed to these backwards priorities.

"Rest assured I will continue to try to protect health care providers and consumers from unfair cuts and to preserve access to critical health care services for millions of Americans."

We need more congressmen who think as DeFazio does.

Jeanne Raymond, Corvallis

Ballplayers innocent until proven guilty

Contrary to your March 24 editorial, OSU's handling of the arrest of baseball players is not "vexing."

Not only are your comments incorrect, so is the OSU discipline policy. While you correctly note: "all three young men are of course innocent … until a court says otherwise," you promptly ignore this deep-seated American ideal.

The OSU discipline also ignores this deep-seated American ideal.

Coach Pat Casey should not have imposed any discipline until the court proceedings were concluded. Did no one learn anything from the Duke lacrosse debacle where student-athletes were prejudged and a great wrong was done?

To insure no injustice results, the issues in court to be faced by the OSU baseball players should be completed prior to any discipline being imposed by the school (as should have been done in the Duke lacrosse players incident).

Anything else runs afoul of America's innocent-until-proven-guilty principles.

Gerald D. Waite, Corvallis

Bush's election has led to war and more

Let's not be stupid this election.

As Florida became a pivotal state in a past presidential election, thousands of ballots were said to be not voted right. They were taken out of any counting, and it so happened they were most all Democratic votes.

Let's have a review, said some Democrats and have a nonpolitical judge, even from the Supreme Court to examine them. And they were told they could not have a recount or a review because someone destroyed the ballets in question. Before the election, before the final count, this couldn't happen, but it did!

Let's have a good and honest election.

I can't blame the governor of Florida for helping his brother getting elected president, but after seven and a half years, this is what we have:

1. A war with high casualties we can't win.

2. A $10.5 trillion dollar debt

3. A recession.

4. Unemployment.

5. The value of the dollar down to 75 cents.

6. Foreign buyers buying our good business.

7. Property values depreciating.

8. Too easy for foreigners to enter the U.S.A.

9. $3-plus for gas and rising.

After all my griping, I'm proud to be a World War II American veteran.

Larry Underwood, Corvallis

What's happening to freedom in America?

Two articles in the March 29 Gazette-Times dealt with freedom in America.

One reported on a poll showing that roughly 10 percent of the voters, depending on their political orientation, believe - despite denials and other convincing news to support the denials - that Barack Obama is Muslim.

The other tells of a woman, seated in a remote corner of an aircraft cabin prior to takeoff, who was kicked off the plane because she refused to use a blanket to cover the fact that she was breast-feeding her baby. (Ironically, the ejector was a Freedom Airlines flight attendant. Let freedom ring!)

Less obvious is the connection with freedom of the not-a-Muslim story.

Why should a candidate's religion be a factor in determining his/her fitness for public office?

I'd like to believe that Mitt Romney failed in his candidacy for reasons other than his Mormonism.

Where is it written that "Muslims need not apply"? It doesn't appear in the Constitution's Article II on presidential qualifications. Indeed, Amendment I bans such a prohibition.

Our country has survived presidents who were Deists, Unitarians, Protestants, and a Catholic.

I hope this list will continue to grow as it has in Congress, where a Muslim took his oath of office on the Quran earlier this year. A candidate's ability to fulfill his/her official duties rests on far more than religious preference. Let freedom ring.

Mike Wolf, Corvallis