Posted: Friday, November 21, 2008 12:00 am
Can't churches be homeless havens?
With sadness I read the Nov. 18 story on the ODOT/police action to remove the homeless camp from under Highway 99W. The inhabitants of that camp had pitifully little before and, although understandable from a health and safety perspective, this action simply adds to these people's unmanageable problems and forces them to move to another - equally inappropriate - spot.
Perhaps the churches, synagogues, temples and mosques of the area could help by providing unproselytized space for these unfortunates, thereby fulfilling those tenets of their faiths that direct them to be charitable to the poor and, thereby, enhancing the moral standing of their religion.
If every one of these institutions stepped forward to accommodate a couple of the homeless on an ongoing basis, the problem would be much more manageable, if not alleviated. And, not only would it satisfy the religious injunction to assist those less fortunate, it would benefit the entire community by offsetting the burden of the religious groups' tax-free status. A win-win situation.
Prospectively - and unfortunately - we can expect that the homeless problem will only worsen as the sky-rocketing unemployment rate, the economic downturn and the mortgage crisis intensify. I challenge the religions of Corvallis and, indeed, of the state and country, to acknowledge, accept and put into practice the unselfish charity that is so often disingenuously touted as the foundation of their beliefs. That would truly be doing good. While supporting overseas causes may be romantic, charity, after all, begins at home.
Martin R. Mulford, Corvallis
Get to know CPD, BCSO via course
Who doesn't get nervous when they see the police in the rearview mirror, right? After taking the fantastic "Cops & Robbers" course offered by the Corvallis Police Department, I'm now checking to see if it's someone I recently met so I can wave.
I learned a lot more about how our community is protected and how demanding that job can be. The police are ordinary people involved in doing an extraordinary job. If you come with an open mind, you'll leave as I did, with an enormous amount of respect and a better understanding of the huge job we ask of our force and it's support staff.
Driving past the law enforcement building, I now see the corner room where thousands of 911 calls are handled via its assortment of resources.
Seeing the Benton County Jail, I realize that our city police, in collaboration with the Benton County Sheriff's Office, are handling a very demanding job with compassion. I also learned about how our local courts address Oregon law and law-breakers, and how a case is analyzed. Then there are the awesome K-9 units.
I also had my eyes opened to the drug use in our town and the obstacles there are in handling it. The ride-along with an officer helped me witness aspects I never knew existed in Corvallis and the myriad of details the police address daily.
This is a short list for a great Corvallis civics course - and worth every minute of your time.
Sally Klein, Corvallis
'No!' to Colombia free trade accord
It is so disappointing to watch the flow of disinformation through respectable outlets like our local Gazette-Times.
The latest attempt by the LA Times to fool the constituency to approve the so-called free trade agreement with Colombia is a clear manifestation of the work of retrograde forces within economically powerful groups who only care about maintaining the status quo. These extremists who have taken our country to the abyss' edge by advocating for a foreign policy that often borders on the criminal continue to exert pressure on our government to get their way.
Alvaro Uribe, the president of Colombia, continues to be praised by our media for improving internal security and making it "safe for foreign investment." However, they conveniently ignore the atrocious human rights record of his government. In fact, since his inauguration as president, he has implemented a Nazi-like policy of financially rewarding anyone who identifies a "guerrilla sympathizer."
In the last four years, the Colombian armed forces have assassinated thousands of innocent people, especially labor union leaders, accused of belonging to the guerrilla group FARC. This was recently uncovered by very courageous Colombian human rights activists who learned that members of the armed forces had received promotions and leaves based on the number of "guerrillas" they killed.
According to the government, it killed more than 55,000 guerrillas "in combat," even though the estimate of FARC members was around 15,000 only four years ago! Approval of this agreement would make us accomplices of a crime against humanity!
Mario E. Magaña, Corvallis
Declare a truce in 'mommy wars'
I'm writing in response to the Nov. 14 column by Lenore Skenazy entitled "Do We Really Need a Mom-in-Chief?"
I call for a cease-fire in the mommy wars. Please, let there be peace between the stay-at-home moms and the working moms. I've been both (I have two sons, 6 and 8 years old). I feel guilty no matter which path I've taken. It seems to be the fate of mothers to feel guilty about something.
After years of contemplation on the issue, I've come to the conclusion that we should stop fighting over which is best. There is no right answer. What works best for one family may not work for another. Different paths may work for the same family at different times. Some moms really like working, while others prefer (and are lucky enough to have the choice) to stay home. The ideal situation that applies to every family is a myth.
As Ms. Skenazy pointed out, whether a mom stays home or works, her children have an equal chance of becoming president of the U.S. when they grow up. The important thing is for children to grow up in a home where they feel safe and secure, which can happen whether the mom works or stays home.
Michelle Obama has been a working mom for years. Now, during a huge transition for her family, she has decided that staying home is the best choice for her family. I invite you to join me in not criticizing her choice.
Bonnie Bailey, Corvallis
Stock market a bad retirement risk
Jay Burreson inadvertently discredits his own arguments for investing retirement savings in the stock market (Letters, Nov. 17, "Investing in the stock market worth the risks").
He admits having made a bad investment. If he had not made a bad investment, he would have made more money, he says. It reminds me of an old saying, "If a frog had wings, it wouldn't bump its rear when it hops." But frogs don't have wings, and people who think they know a good investment are often wrong. Social Security is retirement insurance for people like Mr. Burreson.
Since 1998, the stock market has grown and then crashed back in 2003. It recovered but crashed back again this year to the 1998 values. It has made no real gain in 10 years. Worse still, a dollar invested last year is only worth 60 cents today. If you gambled your savings in the stock market and were planning to retire this year, you are out of luck.
If you had invested in certificates of deposit at a local savings and loan, every dollar invested in 1998 would now be worth about $1.40, and your savings would be insured by the federal government.
You should realize two things about the stock market: It is not run for the benefit of investors, it is run for the benefit of stock brokers. And who is it that is telling you how great an investment the market is? The same brokers who are trying to separate suckers from their money.
Phillip Hays, Corvallis