Letters: Portland council rules on coal, education expectations, entitlement, wrong direction, OHSU, veterans and jobs, sustainable dialogue

Print publication: Monday, Sept. 24
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Council rules on coal

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Post at My Oregon, the Oregonian's online community opinion hub. Regarding: "Stoked against coal, city leaders affirm opposition, call for study" (Sept. 20): Congratulations to the Portland City Council for opposing the export of coal. Any potential jobs gained would be more than offset by the jobs lost due to the damages to tourism and development caused by diesel fumes and coal dust blowing from super-long coal trains that would block traffic many times each day.

Coal exports would increase the world's supply of coal, thereby driving the price down, which would encourage consumption, and thereby slow the search for alternatives to coal. This is the opposite of what we want to happen.

The export of coal would benefit a few; everybody else should be against it.

RODGER WINN
Southwest Portland

So the Portland City Council, speaking for all of Oregon, decides to oppose coal trains and barges. The economy of Oregon is ailing. One of the reasons given was to not spoil Portland and Oregon's image as a green entity. What? Folks there is no such thing as "green energy." A solar panel will not lift a 737 off of a runway. A windmill will not sail a freighter to China. Ethanol potentially ruins your vehicle's mpg rating.

Get real and use the economic benefits of our country's vast reserves of natural gas, oil and coal.

ALLEN NESBITT
Northwest Portland

An important aspect of coal use is that the pollutants, especially mercury, travel long distances. What this means is that a lot of the mercury in the Willamette River came from coal burned in China.

Do we really want to encourage China to burn more coal when the pollutants will come down in our abundant rainfall?

I believe we should develop alternative energy sources and sell them to China, rather than sell coal.

ANGUS J. McCAMANT
Aloha

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Education expectations

Oregon's education czar has ordered Oregon's school districts to up their academic goals for the year ("State tells schools: Aim higher," Sept. 21). Rudy Crew should have aimed his orders instead to our state administrators and legislators to come up with solutions to alleviate the situations that plague our schools: overcrowding, inadequate facilities and insufficient funding.

The way our schools are being managed is simply insufferable. In an NBC evening newscast the other night, it showed schools that were scheduling school lunches beginning at 9 a.m. because the cafeteria could only accommodate so many kids at a time. This may not be in Oregon, but the story could be the same.

Come on, Mr. Crew, help the teachers, not burden them some more. I am sure they are doing their very best.

AL ARBOLEDA
Northeast Portland

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Education and entitlement

In response to letter writer Robby Chavez's comment ("Living beyond their means," Sept. 20) regarding Elizabeth Hovde's column, "We can't know the problems others face or what works to solve those problems, nor should we decide how their money is to be spent":

Likewise, don't expect to spend my money on entitlements for individuals whose lifestyle choices put them in those low-paying jobs.

For instance, there is no excuse for not having a high school education in this country. It's almost guaranteed that without one, you will be poor.

What happened to personal responsibility?

KATHY HUISEL
Southeast Portland

In the wrong direction

Leaving the matter of our economy aside for a moment, our fragile foreign policy is coming apart at the seams. Our embassy was burned and our ambassador brutalized and killed. How that happened is yet another question, but it has hardly caused a ripple in President Obama's administration. We are snubbing our strongest allies, but welcome in Washington the leaders of those groups who hate us. It's time we demanded a strong response, coherent policy and leadership from the president. This is not the "hope and change" that we signed up for.

As Clint Eastwood noted, if someone can't do the job, you have to let him go.

DAVID A. FLOREA
Donald

You know, as a conservative woman, I never thought I'd say this, but I feel bad for President Obama.

Just think, if he's re-elected, what a mess he will inherit.

KARELYN BACKSTROM
Canby

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OHSU and heart disease

In the year and a half that my husband and I have lived in Portland (a city we have come to love), we have been struck by the amazing contributions to Oregon by Nike co-founder Phil Knight, including, most recently, the $125 million gift to OHSU. So we are going to support him and Nike the only way we can: We started yesterday with my first pair of Nike running shoes.

It seems like little enough for all he does, but it is our way of saying, "Thanks, Phil."

SALLIE SNYDER
Southwest Portland

The value of cardiac research supported by the Knights' generous gift to OHSU can only be fully appreciated in step with gains in other medical fields. Complementary gains, to name a few, would include significant advances toward healthy lifestyles, improved antibiotics and fewer constraints on health care education and delivery.

JOHN CAMP
Southwest Portland

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Veterans and jobs

With one in four veterans out of work, it's shocking that the Senate Republicans blocked the veterans job bill. These same senators so willingly sent our kids to war, but then don't want to pay for the war, nor help our soldiers when they return home.

Let's remember this when they start beating the war drums to attack Iran.

MARY DODD
Tigard ?

Sustainable dialogue

What do we keep hearing on a national and local level? Jobs, economy, growth. This dialogue is misplaced. Henry David Thoreau so wisely said, "What's the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?" We had better change our dialogue to stewardship and ecological responsibility.

Let us heed the warning signs: global warming, ocean acidification, species extinction, human overpopulation, pollution and overharvesting.

GREG JACOB
Hillsboro?

Source: http://blog.oregonlive.com/myoregon/2012/09/letters_portland_council_rules.html

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