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MOLLIFICATION
While I did not expect to receive the endorsement of Willamette Week, I did expect to have my views reported accurately. Since they were not, please allow me to set the record straight for your readers and make the following corrections to your May 6, 1998, endorsement editorial ["Looks Aren't Everything"]: 1. From 1990 to 1995 I worked at the American Legislative Exchange Council, including two years as senior legislative director. And since 1995, I have been a public affairs consultant with local and national clients. In his endorsement of my candidacy, [former] Gov. Vic Atiyeh cited my work experience in Washington, D.C., and my deep roots in this community as reasons voters should consider supporting my candidacy. 2. I do not support a "constitutional ban on abortion" as you assert. Indeed, when I am asked about my stance on abortion I make it clear that I do not have a single-issue abortion agenda or litmus test for legislation, appropriations or nominations. I do support a ban on partial-birth abortions and requiring one-parent notification for minors seeking an abortion. 3. While I did vote for Steve Forbes in the 1996 presidential primary, I did not endorse his flat-tax plan as you claim. Following the primary I was vice chair for the Dole-Kemp campaign in Oregon and worked on the campaign of Sen. Gordon Smith. As for tax policy, in addition to supporting lower taxes, I believe we must simplify the current tax code, making it less cumbersome and easier for all citizens to understand. To that end, I have stated that I support moving to a fairer, flatter and simpler tax system and I look forward to a vigorous national debate on this subject. For the record, I have not endorsed any specific tax reform proposal and believe current deductions for home interest, charity and education should be preserved. 4. I did not identify eliminating the federal education program known as Goals 2000 as my top priority as you report. At your request, I offered it as an example of unnecessary federal regulation of local education policy. The focus of my education agenda is returning federal education dollars directly to local school districts so they may pursue initiatives such as reducing class sizes in early grades. Further, I never said that Beaverton Schools Superintendent Yvonne Katz had complained specifically about Goals 2000. Rather, I said that Katz had expressed a general concern with the impact of federal regulation on local school districts. As this campaign continues, I intend to keep an open door to Willamette Week as I do all members of the media. And while I am certain we will not agree on every issue, I believe you would do your readers a greater service by more accurately reporting my statements and the views of all candidates seeking public office. Molly Bordonaro
Southwest Canyon Lane Bob Young responds:In 1996 Bordonaro did indeed advocate a constitutional ban on abortion--at least, that is what she told us at the time. If her position has changed since then, we apologize. Bordonaro did support Forbes--who ran almost solely on his flat-tax proposal--and she told us she doesn't believe in progressive taxation. In her endorsement interview, Bordonaro identified education as her top priority, with more control for parents and teachers as her chief educational objective. To accomplish this, she said she wanted to remove onerous regulatory burdens such as Goals 2000. When asked to name an educator who found programs such as Goals 2000 a problem, Bordonaro provided the name of Yvonne Katz, the superintendent of the Beaverton School District. OAKS PARK FULL OF HERONS, NOT TRAILERS
Having attended Africa Fete '98 at Oaks Park yesterday, I would like to correct misinformation in John Graham's piece comparing three music events to be held this weekend in the Portland area ("Which Fest Is Best?," WW, June 17, 1998). In charting the pros and cons of the events, Mr. Graham told readers the venue for Africa Fete was a drawback: It "feels more reminiscent of a trailer park than an African plain." Has your writer ever been to the site where the concert was held? I ask because I am at a total loss to see any comparison between the idyllic setting for Africa Fete yesterday and a trailer park. Was it the Willamette River just a few yards away,with a few people, kids and dogs enjoying the water? Perhaps it was the scent of cottonwoods in the air, the green lawn and the beautiful, big trees that surround the site. Maybe it was the view of the forested west side of the river as the sun went down, or the distant skyline of Portland silhouetted against an orange sky at sunset. I know--it was the blue heron that flew past as Salif Keita opened his part of the show. We all know trailer parks are full of herons and ducks. I have written before about the snide attitude that infects so much of WW's cultural writing, and one could hardly ask for a better example than Mr. Graham's characterization of Oaks Park. Please get over to Oaks Park, look at the concert site, and ask Mr. Graham to explain himself. Then apologize to your readers and the organizers of Africa Fete for poor reporting. Alan D. Coogan
Southwest Patton Lane John Graham responds:I have been to Oaks Park many times. To reach the concert site one must pass a parking lot full of Ford trucks, a lavender looping rollercoaster and a Shriners-like miniature railroad, all of which scream "tacky Middle America" more than "traditional African village." (And, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think cottonwood trees are very African, either.) HIGH-TECH HEALTH CARE
Your June 24 cover story on OHSU's new emergency room problems is representative of an alarming trend in medicine ["Barely Managed Care"]. Qualified, experienced and caring staff are being replaced with machines. Sophisticated technology that allows one person to "observe patients' medical status from all corners of the floor by pointing and clicking a computer mouse" is seen as equivalent to having a whole staff. These types of changes indicate that the higher-ups in HMOs and hospitals feel that simply having access to information about a patient's vitals--blood pressure, heart monitor, IV information--is sufficient to provide good care. In obstetrics, the area with which I am most familiar, nurses can monitor a baby's heart rate, maternal blood pressure and frequency of contractions without actually visiting the woman. It allows one nurse to cover many patients at one time. This may seem like an advantage, especially in terms of efficiency, but it is deceptive. By watching the machine you miss the human elements--fear, pain, loneliness, excitement--that may have a huge impact on the outcome. I would think the same is true for the ER. Watching a patient go pale, start to space out or maybe just lose faith could make the difference in saving his life. Cost-effectiveness is important, but good care is paramount. Experienced and sensitive health-care providers are irreplaceable. Beth Sagli
Northeast 11th Avenue |
