Letters to the Editor: Dec. 1, 2023
Missing out
I read Starla Pointer’s story about her uncomfortable visit to Linfield with interest, because I’ve been going to Linfield at least twice a week for several years and I sit with students all around me. Also I’m certain I graduated from high school quite a while before Ms. Pointer.
I never enter the buildings full of nostalgia. I’m excited to learn about the present and future.
Never in the world would I think of the students as or compare them to “a bunch of kittens who enjoy being close like in a basket.” If I did, I would certainly be missing out!
Ann Helm
Lafayette
Back to its roots
I am a Beaver. My son is the third generation in a row to graduate from OSU and there’s a chance one of my grandchildren will continue the tradition.
I am dismayed we are losing a great coach in Jonathan Smith. Losing Smith and the PAC 12 might be a death knell for football at my alma mater.
I was very upset at first, but after really thinking about it, I decided, “So what?” College football has departed from any constructive purpose and become a money making and spending activity completely divorced from what we alumni think of as our school.
Now that it looks like college sports will become professional, it’s ludicrous to think of students being loyal to the football program, feeling that it represents their school.
So what would we lose if college sports went back to true Beavers taking on other schools’ real whatever? That really doesn’t sound like such a bad thing.
John Caster
McMinnville
Quarantine concerns
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s quarantine regulation, allowing people to be involuntarily quarantined in interim housing, in order to prevent spread of contagious disease in epidemic situations, has been reinstated by the New York court system’s appellate division.
This kind of regulation could come to Oregon. By their oaths of office, the Yamhill County sheriff and board of commissioners would then, I believe, have a duty to nullify it locally, and I believe nullification would be supported by the people.
Undcr Hochul’s regulation, health authorities could detain someone for mere exposure to a communicable disease. In the original trial before Judge Ploetz, counsel for the state admitted there was no mechanism in the regulation to compel the state to release a detained person short of a court order the affected party would have to pursue on his own.
Of particular concern to me would be regulations triggered by a state of emergency declared by the World Health Organization. That danger is soon to increase as the United States signs off on amendments to WHO’s international health regulations.
Dan Katz
McMinnville
Ruled by wealth
A study was done in 2014 by Princeton and Northwestern universities to see how responsive government is to different groups of American citizens. The study produced graphs that showed how large a percent of the group had to push for something in order for that thing to become law.
The group that includes me and anyone reading this, average Americans, were found to have under a 30% chance of getting what they wanted no matter how big or small a percent of the group wanted it. The odds were the same if 1% of us wanted it or 99%; essentially saying that what we want doesn’t matter at all.
The same study was done on the top ten percent by wealth. They started having the same 30% chance of getting what they wanted as average Americans when about 10% of them wanted something. When a large percent of the wealthy want something they get it a little over 50% of the time. When the wealthy don’t want something to become law, it only takes a very few percent of them and the chances of the law passing go to near zero.
This is the foundation of everything that’s wrong in the lives of American citizens today. It’s long past time for another reform era. The evidence of the damage this is doing to all of us is on every night’s depressing newscast. From homelessness to the inability to afford even basic items, our problems are caused by the fact that we live in an aristocracy that masquerades as a Democratic Republic.
It is time for the reformers to emerge and restore what’s been lost.
Fred Fawcett
Lafayette
Comments
TroyProuty*
insightful Fred. Represent US.org uses the study by Princeton that indicates rather 100% agree with something or nobody does, makes no difference on policy outcomes basically. It's a broken system, what I will tell you however, is even broken we tend to do better than for example countries of authoritarian rule. Our standard of living is better, we are better educated, potential access to healthcare and more personal freedoms of speech and press. Many of these things though are in decline.
If you were to align the "Fall of Rome" that came out ironically in 1776 to the United States, it matches.
Special interest and great wealth has always been a threat to democracy. Capitalism came off feudalism with many of the same things. Slavery, Genocide, Oppression, what changed Capitalism staying that way was democracy. Workers rights, Vacations, safe work conditions, education, healthcare, etc,etc,..
It's no surprise that many companies like Home Depot will back Trump wanting to end Democracy and it's no surprise a large faction inside the GOP does as well.
The real question is what are we going to do about it?
Troy*
Here is the link to Represent Us.
https://represent.us/
TroyProuty*
I should mention Fred, we already see divisions from Blue vs Red States and why the GOP leans Authoritarian. I wrote this piece that shows the differences and basically outlines what we can expect if States lose independent rights under authoritarian rule.
Please join the Greater Blue Movement, including Oregon
Feel like your opinion and vote doesn't matter? Perhaps you dislike someone's beliefs being applied to your well being and your lifestyle?
Maybe you want to live in a State that still believes in Democracy and our constitution?
Here is something Red States don't want you to know.
Blue States have plenty reasons over Red States like Idaho.
Historically people in Blue States live longer, have better higher education degree's, have their vote counted with less gerrymandering and less voter suppression.
Blue States have lower rates of cancer, lower heart disease, lower obesity and better health overall.
Children in Blue States are less likely to be killed by gun violence.
Blue states care about the environment and the impact longer term.
People living in Blue States have more access to healthcare, more food resources and have far more personal freedom protections and rights including worker rights and civil liberties.
People in Blue States have better wages.
No place is perfect. But I pick Blue and maybe you should also.
spicy_t
What article is Ann from Lafayette referencing in her “Missing Out” letter?