The Aug 8 article, "Enrollment levels off in Corvallis schools," is refreshing. In recent years, gloomy reports of "declining enrollment" have created dismal revenue forecasts and have severely impacted district and school board decision making. Perceived budget constraints played key roles in elementary school closure debates and decisions.

Contrary to prevailing wisdom, K-5 enrollment in the district has been on the rise since 2005. The increases were predicted in a 2001 forecast by Portland State University's Center for Population Research, and events have shown these predictions to be accurate.

Nevertheless, in 2006, the district's own PR2 committee published new forecasts of declining K-5 enrollments. The PR2 report also noted that district-wide capacity in K-5 schools was at or near capacity.

I urge the district leadership and the hard-working volunteers of the Corvallis School Board to recognize that enrollment forecasts have two opposing aspects: Conservative enrollment forecasts lead to conservative revenue assessments, but low enrollment forecasts drive risky facilities decisions that can (and have) produced crowded schools.

It is no surprise that many Corvallis elementary-school children now spend all or part of their days in (expensive and "temporary" modular classrooms and that class size reduction occupies the top of the district's list of planning priorities with its new operating levy and other revenues.

Bill Bogley

Corvallis

Chance and nature turned out the lights

During the six years I've lived in Corvallis, there have been many more power outages than there were where I lived previously, and the restoration time has been much longer. I came here from a part of the country that has more birds and squirrels than Corvallis does, as well as frequent thunderstorms.

One difference is that there were municipally owned power companies and local people available to take care of problems where I lived before. This caused me to cynically begin to think that corporate greed just might have some bearing on the situation here.

I was much comforted to read Pacific Power's assurances in the Gazette-Times on Wednesday that the unusual problems in Corvallis have largely resulted from chance. It's a great relief to know that Corvallis will not have to abandon free enterprise and resort to creeping socialism to solve its power problem.

Aaron Brown

Corvallis

Did cut backs drain Pacific Power?

As I recall, Scottish Power, which formerly owned Pacific Power, had a firmly stated policy of actively minimizing power outages. Since Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., bought Pacificorp, parent company of Pacific Power, many jobs have been cut and employees laid off. I wonder if economizing on the number of employees in the name of good business (for stockholders) hasn't been bad business for us in Corvallis.

Don Alan Hall

Corvallis

Corvallis too remote for big conferences

Theo Dreher applauds the recent conference of 1,300 virologists in Corvallis. Scientists from around the globe descended on our fair city to "enjoy presenting and hearing science while showing off our home territory," according to Mr. Dreher, one of the scientists involved.

I find it extremely depressing that these educated people - people who understand far better than the rest of us the horrendous implications of the human-affected global warming now well under way on Earth - can still justify flying from the far corners of this besieged planet to play in Corvallis.

The academic community seems to have decided to recuse itself ethically from the global movement to reduce our carbon footprints. Quite obviously, existing technology allows these 1,300 scientists to "present and hear" science without ever leaving the comfort of their offices in their home countries. The decision to travel to Oregon seems adolescent at best, immoral at worst.

Oregon State University president Ed Ray has signed the University Presidents Climate Commitment, which essentially commits OSU to achieving "carbon-neutral" status as soon as possible. This arrogant academic need for conferences seems to fly in the face of any OSU commitment to reduce greenhouse-gas production, and unnecessarily endangers future generations by contributing huge quantities of carbon dioxide and other gases to global warming.

Simply put: Please grow up, scientists, and conduct your lives as adults. You'll feel better knowing you've made adult decisions about your personal and professional contributions to the future welfare of humans on Earth.

Kirk S. Nevin

Corvallis

Founding Fathers' intent still matters

Robert G. Gourley's July 25 letter contains an excellent example of the thinking involved in Darwinian jurisprudence - the kind of jurisprudence that prevails today. Gourley wrote, "So it really doesn't matter what Thomas Jefferson, or James Madison, thought back in their time. What matters is what works for us now."

According to Darwinian thinking, life evolves, society evolves and therefore laws and constitutions evolve. Judges who follow Darwinian jurisprudence believe the Constitution's meaning evolves and changes with time.

The founding fathers were Newtonians in their jurisprudence. Like Sir Isaac Newton, they believed in a God who created the heavens and the earth, and established fixed laws of nature by which governments operate.

According to Newtonian jurisprudence, the validity of the Constitution does not change, and it matters very much what Thomas Jefferson and James Madison thought about the First Amendment.

If, instead of being guided in our decisions about government by the wisdom of the founding fathers, we choose to be guided by "what works for us now," then our laws become as variable and uncertain as the next Supreme Court appointment.

David R. Prichard

Corvallis