LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

[January 12th, 2005] TEXAS HOLD 'EM

The words "slash PGE's operations and maintenance budget" are almost lost, deep within your fine article on Texas Pacific's proposed PGE buyout ["The PGE Papers," Jan. 5, 2005]. Even if the huge customer-service cutbacks described were to take place at PGE, this is the tip of the iceberg.

Slashing operations and maintenance is disemboweling the utility. "Operations" is making things work. Maintenance is keeping things functional and sound. Like wires and poles, for instance.

We hear of the terrible toll of mismanagement of utilities elsewhere in the U.S. So far, at least, "a real gem," PGE's "well maintained to 'gold-standard' qualifications" record recently, has kept its Oregon customers safe. But with winter here and storms brewing up, we'll need to keep the operations and maintenance at the "at times, over-maintained" level.

Where would Texas Pacific's cutbacks cause ratepayers to "feel it most"? I say we'd feel it most when it takes two days--or two weeks--instead of two hours to get our heat back! (And then, with customer service gone, we'd wait an hour on the phone and nobody would know why there were problems....)

What I see Texas Pacific planning is to deplete our utility into near-ruin. They'd skim the cream, then whoever they'd sell it to--private or public--would have to re-invent the wheel to get it back into the condition its present fine staff have created.

What works? All we have to do is look at Salem Electric, a publicly owned utility. Rates and service are so fine that it's even a real-estate selling point to say "on Salem Electric." We could have a public utility in Portland, if we capture this opportunity for the public to buy PGE, not bow down to scheming investors and CEOs.

Marian Drake
Northeast Center Commons Way

TIRED EYE FOR THE QUEER GUY

Our new city councilor, Sam Adams, is gay. He also has ideas, experience, plans, and a personality, kind of like every other person (and politician). You wouldn't know that from reading Dec. 29's WW.

Under the "News" section, WW ran a spoof on what new mayor Tom Potter's email inbox would look like on his first day on the job. It pokes fun at the city's various big names in politics: Katz, Foxworth, Blumenauer, Busse, etc.

There are five supposed emails from Sam Adams. One relates to his election competitor, Nick Fish. The other four are stereotypes of gay men, relating to "office decor advice," "that skincare product," and of course the easiest stereotypical gay allusion, "Fab Five tips." I guess WW hasn't researched Adams enough to know anything about him beyond his sexuality. Most of the emails "from" other people relate to their political histories or specific job positions, not their sexual orientations (or oversimplifications about what their sexual orientations imply about their decorating tastes).

I understand that this is supposed to be a joke. But why are tired reiterations of stereotypes about gay men funny? Why must I even ask this question in Portland?

Audrey deCoursey
Southeast 26th Avenue