Take back the schools
To the editor: House Bill 136 will give my public tax money, in the form of vouchers, to those who make up to $95,000, to send their children to any school.

It is my opinion that ever since the federal and state governments have become involved in the public schools with all their goody-two-shoe unfunded mandates that the public schools have gone downhill.

Now the state wants to cut much-needed funding to the same schools that are struggling from their previous funding cuts, which will continue the downward spiral in the public schools.

What the public needs to do is take the schools back from the politicians and run them locally. We have seen what the results have been when we turned our schools over to the politicians.

In closing, I want my tax dollars to go to public schools only.
Rufus Wallace
Millbury

Public safety?
To the editor: My early morning commute usually includes traveling northbound on I-280 via the Curtice Road onramp. Several times lately, I have noticed an Oregon patrol car lurking partially hidden behind the Brown Road overpass just inside the city limits. It appears that they are preying on the poor fools from Ottawa and Wood counties who are trying to not be late getting to their jobs.

Fortunately for me, when I have seen them, I haven’t been in the process of accelerating – sometimes over the speed limit – while merging, as I sometimes must do to avoid the oncoming columns of semi-trucks.

I have always viewed interstate highway traffic enforcement by small cities with minimal miles of jurisdiction as, not so much a concern for public safety as it is, a means for revenue-raising. In plain words, I call it chicken droppings.

If public safety is truly a concern, perhaps their efforts might be better focused on monitoring traffic and practicing interdiction at that time of the morning in the areas of Oregon that have recently experienced an increase in the numbers of student pedestrians due to the lack of busing.

But if revenue production is the order of the day, I guess I can’t blame them too much, since every hunter knows that a prime hunting spot and camouflage almost always ensure filling one’s bag limit or quota.

With that in mind I would then offer a suggestion to whoever prepares the daily duty assignments to consider targeted enforcement of the Navarre Avenue Early Morning Grand Prix. This venue offers plenty of action, with a choice of moving violations and multiple hiding spots for the officers. In my mind, due to my experiences traveling that route, it would also qualify as promoting public safety.

The only problem that might be encountered is that the majority of violators may turn out to be Oregon residents themselves. City hall might not want to deal with angry residents just trying to get to work on time.
Randy Kania
Curtice

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The letter to which Chief Hummer is referring has been removed until the comments about how police handled an accident scene can be verified. - Editor

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