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FREE admission with two-beverage minimum. Must be 21 or older. Smoke-free Tuesday shows. Reservations available at the Box Office. Super Bowl Party Sunday, February 1 SOLD OUT! Sensational Super Saver Saturday Bingo January 17 at 1 p.m. For a $10 Buy-in, all ten regular games pay $1,000. A $4,000 MUSTGO Super Jackpot adds to the fun! Every Thursday, January 15 – March 18 Contact Bingo for details. 6 & 7 p.m. • Final round at 8 p.m. $500 Cash Added – $40 Entry Fee Tracy Lawrence in Concert Sign-up at 4:30 p.m. each tournament day. Contact Table Games for details. Saturday, February 14 at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. • Tickets $29 & $19 Hits include “Can’t Break It To My Heart,” “My Second Home” and many more! Tickets on sale at the Seven Feathers Box Office, Safeway TicketsWest Outlets or call 800-992-TIXX. BERNARD H. DARRELL P. Open to ages 12or older. Portland, OR Riddle, OR $4,354 $15,000 on Bandita 2¢ on Five Times Pay $5 FREE Bus Service from Eugene, Springfield, Creswell & Cottage Grove on Monday, Tuesday & Friday. FOR SCHEDULE INFORMATION CALL 1-541-484-4100 OR VISIT US ONLINE AT sevenfeathers.com! Seven Feathers Hotel & Casino Resort I-5, Exit 99 or 98 • Canyonville, OR • 1.800.548.8461 • sevenfeathers.com 2 JANUARY 8, 2004 DECEMBER 31, 2003 - JANUARY 8, 2004 2200BRAVO: arts & entertainment: ppgg Barbara Embree & Elena Stylos in Far Away at Lord Leebrick. 13 Calendar 17 Art Galleries 18 Movies 19 Clips 20 Bravo 1111 27 Music ppgg 28 Clubs 31 cover story: Wine CProofwitsa abnud lnobgblyein.g sidetrack food supply safety. MIRAMAX, 2003. etc: n4ews: 6 PHIL BRAY. 118832 Classifieds 37 Dining Out Letters News MOVIES: 32 38 ppgg Crossword Puzzle Free Will Astrology 4 Renée Zellweger in Cold Mountain, now 36 38 Viewpoint at Cinemark and Cinema World. Real Estate Personals 21 years EWSubscriptions: send name, address and check. $25/3 mos. $40/6 mos. $70/12 mos. Printedon Recycled Paper. Eugene Weeklyis published every Thursday by What’s Happening Inc., 1251 Lincoln St., Eugene, OR 97401-6209. Application to Mail at Periodical Postage Rates is Pending at Eugene OR. Postmaster: Send address changes to Eugene Weekly, 1251Lincoln St., Eugene, OR 97401-3418. Copyright 2003 What’s Happening Inc. All rights reserved. L G OST EOGRAPHIES AND F G : AILED LOBALIZATIONS F V I ROM ERSAILLES TO RAQ CLOTHING CLOTHING CLOTHING Public Lecture by Neil Smith 2003-4 Morse Chair Professor FOOTWEAR "In the early twenty-first century we are living through a new and dangerous imperialism that Americans have the responsibility to challenge. We must explore the origins of this new empire, along with the unacknowledged political geography of its creation." – Neil Smith,Director of the Center for Place,Culture and Politics Professor of anthropology and geography at the City University of New York January 15, 2004, 7:30 p.m. CAMPING Hilton Conference Center Sponsored by the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics University of Oregon • (541) 346-3700 JANUARY 8, 2004 3 TO THE EDITOR SPORTS AND NATURE birds, killdeers, green herons, swifts, north- The turf wars between naturalists and “or- ern harrier hawks, ravens, kestrels, muskrats, ganized sports” which Alan Pittman accu- raccoons, human sleepers, and arsenic, lead rately described in his 12/24 piece (“Sports and E. coli. vs. Nature: What are the City’s Parks For?”) Why is it taking so long to clean it up? can be mitigated in the short term and Abraham does a fine job of listing several avoided in the long term. agencies and groups who are working to In the short term, the “organized sports” clean it up, but significantly the burden rests organizations (including, but not limited to: on individuals like you and I who live here. Kidsports, Little League, Babe Ruth, Pop Taking small actions like washing your car on Warner, AYSO, City of Eugene adult leagues, the lawn, driving less, not pouring cooking Oregon United Soccer Academy, FC oil in the kitchen sink, or re-planting along Willamette and other youth soccer clubs) the stream are necessary. In addition to indi- need to have a legitimate forum, where each viduals, it seems obvious that higher educa- organization has equal access to scheduling tion should take some form of action. Where and gets a fair shake on fees. This will dis- are the biology graduate students and profes- courage piecemeal field development pro- sors to test the water and its impact on moted by individual organizations, which en- wildlife and humans? Or, how about the envi- croaches on natural areas, pitting “natural- ronmental law students and professors? ists” against “athletes.” Inconsistent and un- Where are the environmental writers and fair scheduling processes exaggerate the field teachers to galvanize the public and student inventory problem. population to become more involved in local In the long term, the community needs to environments? Who will protect the inalien- recognize that Lane County users (not just able rights of water to live a free and unpol- Eugene residents) are beneficiaries of luted life? You and I must. Eugene’s parks and are exacerbating the de- Michelle Satterlee mand to an insufficient inventory of city and Eugene school athletic fields. Lane County government should be ac- THE SPIRIT OF AMAZON tively planning a project similar to the I appreciate Kera Abraham’s wide-rang- with an opinion that the verdict was unfair I wanted to share my own experience work- Tualatin Hills Recreation Center. Such a proj- ing and informative article on Amazon Creek and the defendants not guilty. His arguments ing with Bonny when I was a county com- ect would include an indoor swimming pool, and the complex issues that surround it were compelling, but what do I know? I’m missioner. 16-18 soccer fields, basketball courts, base- (12/18). As one who lives in its neighborhood not a doctor and I wasn’t on the jury. All I do I found that Bonny was always well pre- ball/softball fields and a skateboard park. in southeast Eugene and who has been photo- know is that when I go to the doctor or the pared for meetings. She expressed herself Such a complex graphing it and walking along it hospital, and they look at me for maybe seven eloquently, and she considered the opinions would centralize the for years, I’d like to offer yet an- minutes, they better have some real incentive of others carefully. She was very responsive organized sports of- other perspective. to get it right. to her constituents’concerns. She exhibited ferings, creating enor- Despite the degradation, Some folks say this suing business has the sort of work ethic that I admire in any mous economic effi- flood control alterations and pol- gotten out of hand — there are too many, it’s elected official — conservative or liberal. ciencies and would lution of the creek over the years, ruining the industry, it’s limiting our choices. I noticed that in 2003, Bonny made efforts put an end to the un- a spirit still presides in its waters. George Bush has declared that tort reform is a to bridge the usual rifts in local politics. For necessary turf wars This is palpable for anyone who key part of his “pro-growth” agenda, saying example, in September she worked with Jack and open land en- takes the trouble to observe, who that it, “would have made a difference” to Roberts, the Executive Director of the Lane croachment. Further, stops long enough to look. The benefit the economy. But a recent study by Metro Partnership, on a plan to offer incen- such a complex would Amazon is not a lifeless ditch. the National Center for State Courts found tives for McKenzie-Willamette to locate its serve individual Lane In areas where vegetation that medical malpractice lawsuits per capita new hospital in Eugene. County users of all grows, especially near 24th have actually decreased. Fewer cases went to I think our community benefits from ages and would bring Avenue, I’ve watched in aston- trial in 2002 than in 1962. strong advocacy by both progressives and much needed rev- ishment displays of wave pat- While Bush claims, “everybody pays conservatives. Bonny Bettman helps to main- enues to the commu- terns and plumes of light as more for health care” due to “excessive litiga- tain the balance by zealously representing her nity via regional, ducks bathe and preen in the tion,” the president of the American Tort constituents in south Eugene. I hope she wins state, and national tournaments. water. I’ve seen herons in the high grasses. Reform Association said in 1999, “We reelection in 2004. Sports or nature? Both. Organized sports And one day, a bearded face appeared in the wouldn’t tell you or anyone that the reason to Tom Lininger groups need to be encouraged to work collab- silver ripples, captured in a photo — a kind of pass tort reform would be to reduce insurance Eugene oratively in scheduling and fee structures. Green Man image. Ever since then, I’ve felt rates.” County government should seize the oppor- protective of this sometimes homely water- Malpractice premiums as a percentage of NO CLASS tunity to plan and bond a project which will way. It’s a living part of our “shire.” all health costs have declined from 0.95 per- Re: “Oral Sex,” (“Living Out,” 12/18). I satisfy naturalists, athletes, recreational I believe that the natural world responds cent in 1988 to 0.56 percent in 2000, while fail to understand why EW published this users, and stimulate the tourism industry. to attention, giving out beauty to the loving prescription drugs costs make up about 11 vapid, sensationalistic piece. Ms. Sheklow Steve Barnes eye and heart. Water, especially, reflects percent of all health costs, projected to rise to may teach writing, but she has no class. Eugene what’s around it: clouds, willow branches, 14 percent by 2010. Controlling the cost of Michelle Eldridge amblers; or — bulldozers, paint cans, plastic drugs will have far more impact on insurance Eugene PUTRID WATERWAY streamers. With some help from its friends, premiums than malpractice reform. Despite Thank you to Kera Abraham for writing the creek could return to life along much of these facts, the president and Oregon’s sena- ANTI-BUSH PLATFORM her excellent article (12/18), “A Stream- its length. If citizens take the time to really tors chose to support a Medicare bill that Am I alone in finding it singularly diffi- Ditch Runs Through It: Is there hope for the seethe Amazon, maybe they will be moved would prevent the Medicare administrator cult if not impossible to distinguish between ditched and dirty Amazon?” (Her title ingen- to join others in work to revitalize it. It cheers from negotiating lower prescription drug the Democratic contenders for president? iously refers to Norman Maclean’s wonder- me that groups like the Long Tom Watershed costs. Excepting Congressman Kucinich, the field fully poetic and tragic novella ARiver Runs Council exist, and that landscape architects As is so often the case these days, some of candidates seem intent solely upon a game Through It.) I live near the Fairgrounds and like Jerry Diethelm are envisioning a trans- folks try really hard to confuse the issues. of one-upmanship as to who most dislikes frequently take evening walks along the formed waterway circuit in which natural Don’t be fooled; don’t give up your power. President Bush. Amazon creek-ditch. beauty and urban utility can be integrated. The president and his friends are not on your I myself have been given to knee-jerk I often wonder, “Is it legal for water to be Claudia Lapp side, they just want your money. loathing of the man. Shameful that, I admit. this dirty?” What has surprised me the most is Eugene Tim Mueller However, he is just a man, and as certain as the supposed level of environmentalism this Eugene no man is an island, no man is either a nation. city advocates, yet the appalling quality of CONFUSING THE ISSUES However justified, the Democrats’ anger- this waterway. I have been intrigued and re- Alawsuit was recently won by the family BETTMAN DESERVES PRAISE driven, single-minded focus on the person of pulsed by the murky color and often putrid of a UO student who died while at Sacred After reading the comments about City President Bush, rather than his palpably un- smell of water in this cement channel that still Heart Hospital with an unexpectedly lethal Councilor Bonny Bettman in The Register- just policies, will be their undoing. offers a home to: mallards, red-winged black illness. Afew days later someone responded Guard’s front-page story on Sunday, Dec. 21, An anti-Bush platform cannot, by itself, 4 JANUARY 8, 2004 TO THE EDITOR (cid:40)(cid:69)(cid:76)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:78)(cid:71)(cid:0)(cid:198)(cid:99)(cid:100)(cid:103)(cid:98)(cid:86)(cid:97)(cid:199)(cid:0)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:79)(cid:80)(cid:76)(cid:69)(cid:0)(cid:66)(cid:85)(cid:89)(cid:0)(cid:72)(cid:79)(cid:77)(cid:69)(cid:83)(cid:12)(cid:0)(cid:69)(cid:86)(cid:69)(cid:82)(cid:89)(cid:68)(cid:65)(cid:89)(cid:14) hold the weight of all the pressing national turf. They changed their minds about real needs deserving of center stage. An anti-Bush grass. Only the rush to build a separate tiny platform only serves to confirm the negative stadium for each high school already was nature of politics, and harden the assumptions under way. So money was unnecessarily of powerlessness many feel to change what is. spent, and Autzen sits empty on what used to An anti-Bush platform presumes the president be high school game nights. as the cause of all our problems rather than, as We may go hungry in other areas. But, is more likely, the result of them. heck, we still have games to play. As we begin what will certainly prove a George Beres bitterly divisive political new year, I caution Eugene fellow Democrats to take great care not to de- (cid:38)(cid:73)(cid:82)(cid:83)(cid:84)(cid:13)(cid:84)(cid:73)(cid:77)(cid:69)(cid:82)(cid:83)(cid:0)(cid:87)(cid:69)(cid:76)(cid:67)(cid:79)(cid:77)(cid:69)(cid:1) scend to the same low levels we are oppos- UNFAIR TAX ing. Demonstrate instead the strength of our Please contact the Board of national spirit, which far surpasses that of any Commissioners at 682-4203. This is the main (cid:203)(cid:203)(cid:203)(cid:21)(cid:0)(cid:70)(cid:82)(cid:69)(cid:69)(cid:0)(cid:67)(cid:79)(cid:78)(cid:83)(cid:85)(cid:76)(cid:84)(cid:65)(cid:84)(cid:73)(cid:79)(cid:78)(cid:0)(cid:0)(cid:203)(cid:21)(cid:0)(cid:4)(cid:16)(cid:0)(cid:68)(cid:79)(cid:87)(cid:78)(cid:0)(cid:76)(cid:79)(cid:65)(cid:78)(cid:83)(cid:0)(cid:0)(cid:203)(cid:21)(cid:0)(cid:65)(cid:76)(cid:76)(cid:0)(cid:67)(cid:82)(cid:69)(cid:68)(cid:73)(cid:84)(cid:15)(cid:76)(cid:79)(cid:65)(cid:78)(cid:0)(cid:84)(cid:89)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:83)(cid:0)(cid:0)(cid:203)(cid:203)(cid:203)(cid:0) one man to suppress it. line to get individual emails or extensions. (cid:33)(cid:80)(cid:80)(cid:76)(cid:89)(cid:0) (cid:79)(cid:82)(cid:0)(cid:67)(cid:65)(cid:76)(cid:76)(cid:0)(cid:85)(cid:83)(cid:0) Todd Huffman, M.D. They are considering a tax on pet food and re- (cid:79)(cid:78)(cid:76)(cid:73)(cid:78)(cid:69)(cid:26)(cid:0)(cid:108)(cid:108)(cid:108)(cid:35)(cid:71)(cid:100)(cid:104)(cid:90)(cid:56)(cid:94)(cid:105)(cid:110)(cid:66)(cid:105)(cid:92)(cid:35)(cid:88)(cid:100)(cid:98)(cid:0)(cid:0)(cid:0)(cid:84)(cid:0)(cid:79)(cid:0)(cid:0)(cid:76)(cid:0)(cid:76)(cid:0)(cid:13)(cid:0)(cid:70)(cid:0)(cid:82)(cid:0)(cid:69)(cid:0)(cid:69)(cid:0)(cid:0)(cid:26)(cid:0)(cid:45)(cid:43)(cid:43)(cid:35)(cid:42)(cid:38)(cid:40)(cid:35)(cid:42)(cid:39)(cid:38)(cid:46) Eugene quiring vets to open private records to ensure registration of pets to raise money for the im- NOT VERY LIBERAL poverished LCARA. Liberal readers of EW should be aware Atax on food is always unfair to the poor that the mainstream media has been painting who cannot choose whether or not they Howard Dean to be a liberal, but he is not. His should indulge in nutrition. Veterinarians say positions are available at www.deanforamer- most of the very poor take excellent care of ica.com Note that he is not against the death their pets (sometimes their only companions penalty (“I believe the death penalty should in life), already spending much more than the be available for extreme and heinous crimes, wealthier sector proportionate to income. such as terrorism or the killing of police offi- Those who welcome a tax could choose to cers or young children. But it must be carried send a donation to LCARAinstead! Opening out with scrupulous fairness.”); nor is he for (private) pet records to public officials would substantially stricter gun control (“I don’t only create yet another bureaucracy of audi- think we need a lot of new federal laws. But tors whom would require a salary as well as we do need to do a few things at the federal require more paperwork from vets, thus rais- level, like requiring Insta-Check on all retail ing consumer costs. This would also increase and gun show sales. We also must do a better the chance that unregistered owners would job of enforcing the laws on the books.”). He choose to not get rabies shots. has considered reducing benefits or extend- Compared to the many places I’ve lived, ing the age of eligibility for Medicare and we restrictively limit the number of dogs one Social Security under the guise of making can legally own. Increasing that number these programs fiscally sound. (“Assure that would encourage many people to register Social Security and Medicare are adequately who haven’t out of fear. funded to meet the needs of the next genera- Perhaps some of the financial burden of tion of retirees.” Obvious code words for caring for unwanted pets should fall on the these benefit reductions.) He supports a people creating them. strong military. The list goes on and on. I’ve ties to the rescue community and Although it is true that he has an excellent there are actually a handful of irresponsible record on the environment, civil unions, and backyard breeders who create a surprising women’s rights, liberals who think they sup- amount of shelter animals. Maybe selling an- port Dean should take note: Dean is no run- imals could be taxed with a credit system for of-the-mill liberal; rather, he is a social cen- responsible breeding. trist and fiscal conservative in the mold of a Sondra Arrache “Rockefeller Republican” or Clinton. Eugene McGovernites will have to look elsewhere. James McClelland Eugene CORRUPTED TALE Being a strong admirer of J.R.R. Tolkien, RED FLAGS I was saddened by the recent recreation of Please Join Us At Money continues to be the driving force Lord of the Rings. The grandeur of Tolkien’s Riverpark Health Care Campus in Eugene, even when misused; even when original work lay its portrayal of true good- grossly misused, as in the boondoggles of ex- ness and noble courage in the face of great Saturday, February 7th 10am-4pm for the panding Autzen Stadium and replacing Mac darkness. All of this is lost in the film, be- Court for a multi-million dollar figure that cause the characters have been corrupted First Annual Health & Wellness Fair continues to mushroom. from their original spirit. Alan Pittman (cover story, 12/24) was For instance, for those who have seen the Over 25 booths including:Gateway Medical,Rainbow Optics,Lincare,Willoughby Hearing,Curves dealing with a lesser amount — “just” $25 films, none of the following events actually Fitness,Easter Seal Pool,Four Winds Yoga,Tamarack Wellness Center,Massage,Reiki,Mobile million for community sports and recreation. happened in the books upon which the films Oral Hygiene,E-Z Coil Shoes,Physical Therapy,In-Home Care,Home Heatlh,Nursing,Emerald I have no answers for the debate over how were based: Gandalf the “white” wizard beats Valley Kitchen,Chiropractor,Vicky's Salon,Herbal Products and much,much more ... much should go for each deserving area. But up another he disagrees with, later murders Free Door Prizes, Refreshments and Entertainment when money goes to sports facilities, red him, and ignobly wears mud on his face. Free Lectures on Osteoporosis and Body Mechanics with Tina Meyer, MSPT flags should go up. Frodo the pure-hearted is tricked and rejects Free massage, balance testing, walker and wheelchair maintenance, Acase in point is the spending of $1.7 mil- his only true friend. Eowyn the brave and val- food samples, hearing checks, blood pressure, eyeglasses cleaning, lion for four new high school stadia. Money orous wears her helm lopsided, making her information, mini manicures and much more! probably was well spent — except it should not look foolish right at the moment of her tri- Call Elizabeth for more information 345-6199 have had to be spent. The decision to spend umph. Sam the humble hobbit gets morbid came because the use of Autzen Stadium for satisfaction from killing and delivers one of 425 Alexander Loop (off Goodpasture Island Rd.) R weekly prep games was to end since Autzen the many one-liners in the film ala Arnold iverpark was to replace artificial grass with the real stuff. Schwarzenegger. Elrond the noble elf king Fear was the living blades might lose some of shows his contempt for his daughter by scoff- their luster if Autzen had more than six games a ing at her love for a human man. The film is year. So, goodbye high schools. wholly infected with these subtle but pro- H E AT L H C A R E C A M P U S But wait, the Ducks still play on artificial found corruptions. www.touchmark.com JANUARY 8, 2004 5 TO THE EDITOR BY MICHAEL H. SHUMAN Go Local & Prosper You may say it’s just a film, and different we don’t reap what we sow — everything is than the books anyway. But what saddens me just fine. Think Big Meat’s pig and poultry the most is how few people can recognize it operations are any more sanely or humanely Examining true indicators of for what it is. All the chaotic violence, inter- operated? One look at The Humane Farming success and failure. nal squabbling, and negative energy is por- Association’s website (www.hfa.org), and trayed as “noble and good,” even though it is you’ll realize were not in Dorothy’s Kansas R ecent arguments in Lane County about the value of only a lesser shade of the darkness repre- anymore. using tax abatements for business promotion have sented by the demons and orcs. We have be- The good news it that you can walk away overlooked a key question: Even if the incentives come lost as a society when this decay is so from Big Meat’s stinking, sinking ship. Not work, on what kinds of businesses should they be focused? A omnipresent that few people anymore can only can we choose from an amazing array of growing body of evidence suggests that county officials, long discern a meaningful difference between great non-meat, high protein products that infatuated with attracting big outside businesses, should instead good and evil. We can’t look to traditional au- taste good. For a buck or two more, we can focus inward. thority figures to teach us, because they have buy organic and free-range meat, poultry, and Much has been made of the recent report of two UO undergrads who esti- shown they are just as clueless. In a nutshell, dairy products. As always, we Americans mated that the $49 million tax break to Hynix Semiconductor, even though it produced fewer are we doomed to destroy ourselves? have a choice, one of which we alone are ac- jobs than promised, generated some $225 million in local economic benefits. But they asked the David A. Caruso countable for. wrong question. Simply dropping $49 million in dollar bills from a helicopter over downtown Eugene Robert Hermann Eugene, like any economic stimulus, would probably produce similarly impressive benefits. Eugene The real question is what kinds of businesses will produce the most benefits per dollar of STINKING SHIP public investment, and here the data are unequivocal against outside recruitment. A recent Hmmm, three straight days of front page SADDAM: BFD study in Austin, Texas, found that for every $100 spent at a nonlocal Borders bookstore, $13 is headlines about mad cow. You’ve got to So they finally captured Saddam Hussein recirculated into the local economy. For every $100 spent at a local bookstore, $45 was re-spent admit, it’s more than a little ironic that the so- — defeated, unkempt, and hiding in a hole — locally — nearly triple the economic impact, and roughly triple the tax benefits for the public called “animal rights wackos” that Rush and hardly a threat to the world. Yet now since he sector. his ilk love to deride, could have saved the is captured, we are heroes, the Iraq war was These findings are not unusual. Studies in places as different as Cape Cod and the U.K. have meat “industry” all the financial hardship that justified, and a good thing. The media even come to the same conclusion. And the reasons are easy to understand. Local businesses are is crashing down around them now. You see, quotes Shakespeare, saying: “All’s well that more likely to hire local residents, more likely to pay higher wages, more likely to buy local in- the “wackos” have been trying for years to ends well.” Whatever. puts, more likely to spend advertising dollars locally, and more likely to be good community citi- end Big Meat’s brutal practice of dragging or So how obvious does it have to get? zens. bulldozing downers (animals too sick or in- Within hours of his capture the “liberal” When I debated these issues last month with Jack Roberts, head of the Lane Metro jured to stand) across asphalt so they can be media spins this event to strengthen George Partnership (www.lanemetro.com), I asked him to cite a single study, any evidence whatsoever, slaughtered for profit, rather than allowing Jr.’s re-selection campaign. that nonlocal business performed as well for an economy as a locally owned business. He could them to be euthanized humanely. No go — Never mind that Hussein’s secular regime not. thanks to soulless meat industry lobbyists and had nothing to do with Al Qaeda, Osama Bin In fact, his record in Lane County underscores the relatively poor performance of outside their prey — weak-kneed legislators. Laden, or Sept. 11, 2001. Never mind that business. A recent series of articles last August in TheRegister-Guardanalyzing enterprise Now Big Meat’s apologists, and the Bush Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction were de- zones found that a given dollar amount of tax abatement for local business produced 15 times administration’s pathetic USDA, are scram- stroyed in the 1990’s, their destruction more jobs than the same tax abatement for nonlocal business. And that doesn’t even include bling to tell us that contrary to popular belief, proven, and that the U.S. provided them in the higher multiplier and tax impacts of local business. Put another way, had the $49 million tax break given to Hynix instead gone to locally owned business, the regional benefit might have been not $225 million, but well over $1 billion. R oberts defends his outside recruitments, even those that went sour such as Sony, by saying that the companies were unlucky victims of fluctuations in the business cycle over the 1251 Lincoln St Eugene, OR 97402 past year. But shutdowns during the inevitable ups and downs of business are an inherent 541.484.0519 • (fax) 541.484.4044 problem of nonlocal business. Businesses not rooted to place are always searching for the highest rate on the web @ www.eugeneweekly.com of return, which means they will be quick to close or move a factory when things gets tough. A local business, in contrast, usually only wants a positive rate of return, and its threshold for quit- EDITORIALEditor Ted Taylor ting the community is much higher. This explains why, over a generation, big companies come and go Executive/Arts Editor LoisWadsworth News Editor Aria Seligmann Contributing EditorAnita Johnson but home-grown ones usually stick around. Staff Writers AlanPittman, Bobbie Willis The only coherent reason Roberts gives for preferring nonlocal business is that they pay higher Calendar EditorJacquelyn LewisContributing Writers Brett Campbell, RachelFoster, Kate Rogers Gessert, James wages. And it’s true that if one takes a momentary snapshot of U.S. business, large firms pay slightly Johnston, Mary O’Brien, Vanessa Salvia, Sally Sheklow, Lance more than small ones. But it’s becoming less true as Wal-Marts and other nonlocal box stores fine- SPpedarekrss,o Mn,a Krtahram Uanlm Raant lWiffeyst InternsKoki Smith, Sylvie tune a business model based on part-time, minimum-wage, no-benefits work. Moreover, studies by the U.S. Small Business Administration have shown that over several years as small firms succeed and ART DEPARTMENT grow the wage differentials disappear entirely. Art Director/Production ManagerKevinDougherty Graphic Artist/Webmaster James Bateman Its unfair, of course, to lay these mistakes on Jack Roberts. He’s just following the old industrial Graphic Artists Todd Cooper snake oil brewed by a generation of globalization-minded economic planners. Foolishness in Oregon’s Contributing PhotographersKurtJensen, PaulNeevel economic development is a thoroughly bipartisan affair. Even Gov. Kulongoski, a Democrat, brags ADVERTISING about his record of bringing new businesses to the state — a record that, given the relative neglect of National Sales ManagerMark Frisbee homegrown businesses, is actually an indicator of failure. Every time he beams about attracting wind- Senior Marketing ConsultantBill Shreve Display Marketing ConsultantJennifer D’Angelo, Rob Weiss power manufacturers from out of state, someone needs to remind him that Oregonians are perfectly Advertising Traffic CoordinatorGeneva Miller well equipped to start these businesses themselves. Classified Sales Manager Jeffrey Stout Classified Sales Marah Busey B oth Lane County and the state of Oregon need to refocus their business support on locally BUSINESSCirculation Manager Deena Miller Controller owned firms. Not a single dollar of subsidy whether for tax abatements, bond issues, Paula Hoemann DistributorsDorothy England, Yona C. Riel, Carrie Wedmore, PedalersExpress PrintingSignature Graphics loans, loan guarantees, or capital improvements should go to a nonlocal business. Dump the recruitment game altogether. This doesn’t mean that outside firms should be discour- HOW TO REACH US BY E-MAIL: aged from coming to Oregon. To the contrary, welcome them, throw them parades but just stop (letters): [email protected] (advertising): [email protected] paying their way to the detriment of the hometown players. (classifieds): [email protected] Meanwhile, scarce public dollars should be used to help local entrepreneurs with technical (personals): [email protected] looking (calendar): [email protected] assistance, market studies, and new sources of capital. A recent study from the UO highlighted, (music/clubs/special shows): for example, that the sustainability sector in Lane County produces more than $60 million for for a [email protected] the local economy. With proper government support, this sector— including green building, nat- great (art/openings/galleries): [email protected] ural foods growing and processing, eco-industries, biofuels and biochemicals, solar energy pro- (performance/theater): duction, and waste recycling — could be the prime source of future business and job growth. Film? [email protected] (literary arts/readings): [email protected] As an ancient Chinese philosopher once said, no matter how far down the wrong path you (movies/film screenings): have gone, turn back! [email protected] (circulation): [email protected] Michael H. Shuman is the director of Community Ventures in Washington, D.C., and author of Going Local: Creating Self-Reliant Communities in a Global Age. CHECK ew’s MOVIES SECTION FOR REVIEWS ON THE BESTFILMS IN TOWN! 6 JANUARY 8, 2004 TO THE EDITOR THE WAIT IS OVER! COMING JAN. 22 ... the first place. Never mind that we launched HONORABLE OMNIVORE CHOW! an unprecedented, unprovoked, and pre-emp- Contrary to popular mythology, not tive war on a country far weaker than our everyone can live a healthy life without meat. own, defying the will of the rest of the world. I know this because I am one of them. About Never mind the deaths of thousands of Iraqi nine years ago, at age 36, while a director of a civilians and hundreds of American soldiers, vegetarian organization, I developed a rare Eugene Weekly's Restaurant Guide the thousands wounded who don’t get ade- life-threatening and traditionally incurable Chow! features reviews of area eateries and a directory of Eugene and Corvallis restaurants. quate treatment, and the countless civilian auto-immune illness called pemphigus. I also Ad reservation deadline is Monday, Jan. 15th. lives devastated by years of pointless sanc- had problems with my thyroid, experienced Contact Mark Frisbee 484-0519 ext. 28 tions, tons of deadly radioactive DU, and ex- constant chronic fatigue and had very poor treme lack of water and electricity. muscle tone. My bones had started to soften. Never mind that the people we “freed” are At that time, my future was destined to be R iverpark under a brutal occupation that imposes strict either non-existent or filled with the side ef- curfews, denies basic services, shoots inno- fects of lifelong doses of prednisone or other cent civilians, (mistaking them for attackers) immunosuppressive drugs. As sick as I was, I and controls their main resource — oil. believed that had I been eating animal prod- So they captured Saddam. Couldn’t they ucts, I would be a lot sicker. I was wrong. have done that over a decade ago? Do you As I began to understand my biology and feel safer? What about Osama — remember evolution, I learned that my blood type O H E A L T H C A R E him? How many terrorist attacks were pre- body was not designed to live as a vegetarian. vented by this event? Will this get you to vote By learning to feed myself appropriate foods, S E N I O R S E M I N A R 101 for President George W. Bush? foods that are healthy for me, including some So they finally captured Saddam Hussein. meats, I was able to say goodbye to expen- “Back Facts For People Who Sit” Big f**king deal. sive medical treatments, prescription drugs, Todd D. Johnson supplements, herbs and illness. I was and still Tina Meyer MSPT will teach you how to set up your computer / Eugene am very concerned about the ethics of eating desk area so it is comfortable and efficient. She will review animals. As an urban resident, I am proud to QUOTABLE know local farmers and many others who nat- techniques to help eliminate stiff backs, painful shoulders and Remember the classic quote from the urally raise, care for and kill their animals in a sore necks. Free lumbar roll to attendees! Vietnam War attributed to an American sol- highly ethical way. Wednesday, January 14th dier: “We had to destroy the village in order I have also learned to honor the life and from 12:00 to 1PM to save it.” That quote captured the insanity death of a plant to the point where I acknowl- of a war in which more than three million edge its suffering and death in the same man- “Lunch included compliments of the chef!” Vietnamese and 58,000 Americans died ner that I acknowledge an animal’s life and Seating is limited. Call Elizabeth Tager for reservations. needlessly. death. I consider the act of cutting a vegetable 345-6199 Since the beginning of the war on Iraq, I from its stalk and then chopping it into pieces have heard many things that I couldn’t be- as violent as killing an animal. Riverpark Health Care Campus • 425 Alexander Loop • Eugene lieve were for real, but the following quote I commend those who choose to live their may become a classic in years to come be- lives as vegetarians and who are able to thrive cause it symbolizes the absurdity and contra- while doing so. Toward that end, I am partici- dictions of our occupation and “liberation” of pating in a study directed by Dr. Michael Iraq. In a New York Times story on Dec. 7, Klaper to learn why some people fail to thrive about the new tough tactics being used by the (or in fact become quite ill, as I did) on a American military in Iraq, Colonel Sassaman vegan or vegetarian diet. Perhaps one day I of the Fourth Infantry Division was quoted as will be able to thrive without meat, but that saying: “With a heavy dose of fear and vio- day is not here yet. So until then, I will con- lence, and a lot of money for projects, I think sciously continue to include meat from these we can convince these people that we are farms in my diet. here to help them.” Oh yeah, and the story Steve Shapiro went on to talk about how Colonel Eugene Sassaman’s troops wrapped the village in barbed wire and issued resident identity cards LETTERS POLICY: We welcome letters on all to inhabitants that were done only in English. topics and will print as many as space allows. Amazing! Please limit length to 250 words, and submissions to once a month. E-mail to Pete Mandrapa [email protected], fax to 484-4044, or Eugene mail to 1251 Lincoln, Eugene 97401. If you like books such as THE POWER OF NOW If you like the values of WAYNE DYER YOU'LL LOVE US! Spiritual Growth Center Meditation Service Celebration Service Music,Meditation & Message Contemporary Music,Positive Message Sunday 8:30am Jr.Church,Nursery Sunday 10:30am AWAKEN TO THE SPIRITUAL POWER WITHIN 390 VERNAL STREET • EUGENE (Coburg Rd.at Rustic St.beind Blockbuster Video) 541-485-0035 • www.sgceugene.org JANUARY 8, 2004 7 PEPPER BALLS NOW sues affecting transgender people and immi- IN POLICE ARSENAL grants. And Becky Reilly will speak on the Eugene police have bought a new weapon environment and public health. to use against protesters. The pepper ball gun The mayor’s State of the City Address shoots volleys of paint-ball like spheres that Jan. 7 will be recorded by Metro Television hit victims at 380 ft. per second and explode for broadcast at 9 am and 4:30 pm Jan. 8; 9 in a cloud of concentrated pepper powder. and 10:30 am Jan. 9; and 10:30 am and 12:30 Police use of the weapon has been contro- and 3 pm Jan. 10 on Comcast Channel 21. versial in other cities, according to news re- ports. Protesters against a President George SCIENTISTS TALK ABOUT Bush fund-raiser in Portland last year com- POST-INFERNO LOGGING plained that Portland police opened fire on Two leading scientists with very different them with the weapons without provocation. perspectives will be discussing in a public At Wesleyan College in Connecticut, stu- forum one of the most controversial topics in dents complained after police attacked a public land management today — the log- peaceful street gathering by firing pepper ging of burned-over forest lands.. guns. The free dialog with John Sessions and In the past, Eugene police have been zeal- Bob Beschta will be held at 7 pm Jan. 13 in ous in their use of pepper spray, emptying can Harris Hall at 8th and Oak. after can of the searing chemical on peaceful Jan. 20 is the deadline for public comment tree sitters protesting the cutting of stately on the most ambitious post-fire logging pro- trees downtown in 1997. The City Council ject in modern history slated for the Siskiyou recently passed a controversial new ordi- Wild Rivers area. nance banning unpermitted gatherings of 25 The Forest Service used Beschta’s recom- or more downtown, providing the police yet mendations to develop one logging alterna- more opportunities to use their pain compli- tive that would log 105 million board feet ance weapons. — Alan Pittman (21,000 log truck loads) and a report authored by Sessions to develop another alternative University of New York Graduate Center. He story in our Dec. 31 issue). The idea was to PEOPLE OFFER DIFFERENT that would cut nearly 10 times as much (1.02 also serves as director of the Center for Place, come up with a tourism slogan for Eugene in TAKE ON STATE OF CITY billion board feet or 204,000 log truck loads). Culture and Politics, an interdisciplinary light of our state’s new slogan: “Oregon: We In response to Mayor Torrey’s annual For more information, call the Cascadia center providing an forum for the examina- Love Dreamers.” State of the City Address Jan. 7, local pro- Wildlands Project at 434-1463. tion of a wide range of vital contemporary is- • “Eugene: Sometimes a Great Notion,” gressive groups are joining forces once again sues. by Benton Elliot takes a prize for being a slo- for the Third Annual Citizens’State of the GEOGRAPHER TO LECTURE Along with public lecture on Jan. 15, gan that might actually become adopted City Address from noon to 1:30 pm Monday, ON GLOBALIZATION Smith is teaching a geography course and someday. The hopeful message honors the Jan. 12 at Harris Hall at 8th and Oak. Neil Smith, geogra- leading a roundtable for activists on Jan. 22. literary and philosophical insights of Ken The event, organized by Citizens for pher, anthropologist “In the early 21st century we are living Kesey. Public Accountability and Friends of Eugene, and current holder through a new and dangerous American im- • “Eugene: Sustainable Disagreement” by is billed as “the people’s companion” to the of the Wayne perialism that Americans have the responsi- Rachael Dillman wins for being succinct and mayor’s perspectives, and will include sev- Morse Chair of bility to challenge,” Smith says. During his insightful, and only slightly cynical. eral speakers: Law and Politics visit, he will explore “the origins of this new • “Eugene: Caucasians for Cultural Cara Stevensen will speak on creating for 2003-04, will empire over the last century and especially Diversity” by Martin and Linda Sage wins networks, empowerment and community at speak on “Lost highlight the largely unacknowledged politi- for its wit, truth and irony. the neighborhood level. Gary Gillespie will Geographies and cal geography of its creation.” • “Eugene: Come for the rain, stay for the speak for the Eugene Springfield Solidarity Failed Globalizations: For more information, call 346-3700 or hippies” by Jake Wilson takes a prize for re- Network on jobs, justice and the local econ- From Versailles to Iraq.” The free public talk visit www.morsechair.uoregon.edu minding us that life is unpredictable and full omy. Lauri Segel of 1000 Friends of Oregon will be at 7:30 pm Thursday, Jan. 15 at the of surprises. will speak on key Eugene land use issues. A Hilton downtown. TOP SLOGANS PICKED Winners can claim their prizes, a choice speaker from Community Alliance of Lane Smith is a distinguished professor of an- Purely subjective judging has been com- of Bijou tickets or an EWsweatshirt, at our County (CALC) will talk on human rights is- thropology and geography at the City pleted in EW’s Eugene Slogan Contest (see offices. RiverBend Can’t Snarl Traffic “well beyond” 2018, according to LUBA. To address immediate traffic congestion from the project, PeaceHealth and LUBA decision could cost PeaceHealth millions. Springfield could build a smaller/less dense hospital development, redesign the facility to better promote buses, amend the regional TransPlan to provide more roads or bus PeaceHealth may have to pay millions of dollars more to improve roads to build its rapid transit and/or amend the plan to accept higher levels of congestion, LUBA noted. huge new hospital complex on the banks of the McKenzie River, according to a decision But amending TransPlan would require potentially difficult city and county approvals Jan. 5 by the state Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA). and PeaceHealth has strongly resisted any restraints on the size or location of it’s plans PeaceHealth has argued that it doesn’t need to pay for most new road infrastructure for a car-oriented hospital. Another option would be to pay for more roads. PeaceHealth to serve its hospital because congestion would be at acceptable levels by 2018, when had earlier agreed to pay $10 million for road improvements to mitigate congestion that Springfield planned to build new roads to serve the area. would otherwise continue after 2018. PeaceHealth officials have said the hospital is al- But critics charged that would leave people struggling with traffic snarl for more ready paying “more than it’s fair share” for roads in the area. than a decade and said the hospital was legally required to address traffic concerns now. What the higher road tab for PeaceHealth may be is unclear but could be hefty. “Real compliance would require almost $100 million in new roads on or before the date Wilson has totaled $130 million in area transportation projects that PeaceHealth will the hospital and associated commercial facilities become operational,” Jan Wilson of rely on that are mostly unfunded. The list includes $38 million for extending BRT to the CHOICES commented on the RiverBend proposal. development but doesn’t include the $122 million estimated cost of upgrading the I- Opponents, including CHOICES, 1000 Friends of Oregon, Lane County and Robin and 5/Beltline interchange. Jon Jaqua, appealed the city of Springfield’s approval of land use changes to accom- Another option would be hoping to win an appeal of the LUBA decision in state court. modate the hospital to LUBA and the appeals board agreed that PeaceHealth’s traffic One of the three LUBA members did dissent from the majority on the road congestion impacts must be addressed before 2018. LUBA cited previous decisions and court cases issue. that waiting a decade or more could make state regulations requiring traffic mitigation Of course, RiverBend opponents could also appeal and challenge LUBA’s dismissal of for such major projects “meaningless.” their complaints that RiverBend violates rules about building in flood plains, building a “To conclude that OAR660-012-0060 is unconcerned with such potentially lengthy hospital in a residential zone, and requiring county and city of Eugene approval and co- periods of failure seems inconsistent with the rule’s prime directive: to assure that al- ordination. lowed uses are consistent with the function, capacity, etc. of transportation facilities,” LUBA also ruled that PeaceHealth’s RiverBend plan was inconsistent with the LUBA opinion stated. Springfield’s adopted Commercial Lands Study, which designated the area for far less LUBA noted that given financial and other constraints, it is “something of a polite fic- commercial development. But LUBA did say that PeaceHealth and Springfield may be tion” to assume that all the city’s planned road improvements for the Gateway area will able to get around that problem later with arguments that RiverBend met the overall in fact be constructed by 2018. Therefore, area roads may be failing with congestion policy goals of the study. —Alan Pittman 8 JANUARY 8, 2004 • Despite scanty coverage in local media their operations. If Measure 30 fails, the agement team is leaving EWto pursue this week, it was huge news that county will face even bigger cuts in the other opportunities and his responsibilities PeaceHealth and the city of Springfield lost future. have been divided between Editor Ted major issues in a Land Use Board of Taylor and Director of Sales and Marketing Appeals decision regarding the RiverBend • We were sorry to hear this week that Rich Bill Shreve. News Editor Aria Seligmann will project (see Alan Pittman’s news story on Cunningham will not be challenging Bobby be taking on additional duties, including page 8). The appeal was filed by the Jaqua Green in the 2004 County Commission coordinating letters and guest commen- CORRECTIONS/ family, 1000 Friends of Oregon, CHOICES races. Rich has been battling coronary taries. Staff Writer Bobbie Willis will also be CLARIFICATIONS and Lane County. The 58-page ruling clear- heart disease and is facing major surgery. editing special publications and food In our New Year’s Eve music ly indicates that PeaceHealth and He says he might run for the LCC Board columns. Some of these changes will affect roundup in our Dec. 24 issue, the per- Springfield did not do adequate transporta- after he recovers. phone extension numbers. Questions? Call formance group Wongai was incor- tion planning in light of the massive impact 484-0519 or see an updated staff list with rectly identified as being from of this medical center on the region. Will •• The new year brings some internal job titles and e-mail addresses at Guinea. Wongai is actually a Eugene the sprawling hospital still be built as changes at EW. John Herron of the man- www.eugeneweekly.com under “Contacts.” collection of local West African planned? The LUBA decision sets major WWiinntteerr SSdrumaamers and danllcers. ee hurdles for hospital backers to over- come. And the ruling validates concerns by citizens and land-use groups that the project is both out of scale and poorly sited. We applaud the excellent work that went into this appeal. • Mayor Torrey is scheduled to deliver 7755 his 2004 State of the City Address as we go to press Wednesday noon and we hope he talks about some issues of sub- stance. Eugene faces chronic problems that call for decisive action that we SSaavvee uupp ttoo %% have not yet seen under Torrey’s tenure. A logical new year’s resolution for the mayor would be rededication to the council’s Growth Management Policies, but that’s not likely. His votes and statements have often been contrary to the council’s 1998 stated goals oonn aa wwiiddee sseelleeccttiioonn ooff lliivviinngg,, of reducing sprawl, preserving our urban growth boundary and protecting our city’s few remaining natural areas. ddiinniinngg aanndd bbeeddrroooomm ffuurrnniittuurree Our mayor has been a vocal advocate for youth and education in Oregon. We hope he uses his bully pulpit to urge Eugeneans to vote for Measure 30 in February. The annual State of the County Address is also scheduled the morning of Jan. 7 with Commissioner Pete Sorenson honoring former Congressmen Charlie Porter and Jim Weaver, along with Councilor Bonny Bettman (that’s right) and other local powerhouses for positive change. • County Commissioner Anna Morrison Club chair,leather gets roasted a lot in this column. It’s Accent tables in 3 was $499,Sale $399. "Butler's tray" table, nothing personal. She just keeps doing sizes, each was $269, Club chair,micro-fiber cherry, 48 x 35 x 22"h, absurd things. The latest is her hit list Sale $69. was $349,Sale $249. was $899,Sale $199. in late December in response to the need to cut an additional $4 million in county expenses. Rather than suggest across-the-board cuts in programs — cuts that can be restored when the economy and county revenues pick up — she called for the complete elimina- tion of funding for 18 programs. Here’s a partial list: teen pregnancy/family planning, high-risk pregnancy and infant care, victim services, HIV preven- tion, animal control enforcement, Lane County Extension Service, county archives, Boundary Commission, What great value! 5 seat sectional sofa group, Document Resource Center, Metro with bumper in durable, stain resistant micro-fiber. Television, electronic supervision of Check store for color selection. offenders, treatment of adult sex Sectional was $1599, Sale $1299. Ottoman was $249, Sale $199. offenders, and the public information officer position. Budget cutting is a difficult and painful process, but other EUGENE • 856 Willamette Street • 541-342-5000 commissioners made more reasonable Open Mon. - Sat. 10-6, Sun. 12-6 • www.scan-design.com suggestions, such as asking department heads to come back with informa- Other Oregon locations: MEDFORD, BEAVERTON, PORTLAND tion on how an 8 percent cut will affect We validate parking at Overpark, Parcade, and U.S. Bank JANUARY 8, 2004 9 BY MELINDA YOUNG Worry-Free Sex two years to write. The work put into the In constantly soliciting feedback through complicated and lengthy waiver application surveys and focus groups, FPEPemployees Funding extended for Oregon’s would ultimately pay off though. In late like Uebel have tailored the program to fulfill Family Planning Expansion Project. 1998, the approval from the federal Medicaid clients’requests. Some changes seen over the office came through. past five years include shortening waiting F or thousands of UO students, there is In addition to birth control and family “We were celebrating in the clinic hall- times at clinics; providing educational mate- one incomparably good reason to planning resources, eligible women receive ways the minute approval from the feds was rials directed toward male partners, espe- brave the student Health Center even free annual exams and pregnancy tests received in the fall of 1998,” says Marilyn cially in the Latino communities; and provid- on its busiest days — free birth control. through FPEPand eligible men may also re- Helton, patient services co-director of ing additional cultural competency training The UO Health Center is one of more than ceive family planning counseling and serv- Planned Parenthood of Southwestern to service providers. 120 statewide providers that offers free birth ices. Oregon. Renewal of FPEPthrough October 2006 control and family planning resources to Since that time, Helton says, “We have is cause for celebration for employees, ‘It is no small women and men who otherwise couldn’t seen nearly 400 percent growth since FPEP providers and clients alike. “In the face of afford it, thanks to Oregon’s Family accomplishment began in early 1999. We have built new clin- such a conservative administration and polit- Planning Expansion Project (FPEP), that Oregon ics in the Bethel/Danebo neighborhood and ical climate, it is no small accomplishment which reimburses the providers for received this on Q Street in Springfield, purchased larger that Oregon received this renewal,” says these services. renewal.’ buildings, expanded hours of operation, and Helton. Despite its importance, funding hired many additional staff.” Until now, many providers were waiting – Marilyn Helton, for FPEP, a five-year “demonstration Family planning clinics and health centers in the wings, unsure if they would be able to Planned Parenthood project,” was originally slated to end this across the state cite similar expansion of their continue offering services beyond December. December. But last month, the federal gov- services and programs. Thus the “expansion” The UO Health Center was urging clients to ernment renewed FPEP through October Because FPEPis a program specifically in Family Planning Expansion Project. take care of their birth control needs by the 2006. Even an administration that’s presently geared toward preventing unintended preg- end of the year. Now they can rest easy — at waging war against family planning pro- nancies, resources are allotted on the premise least for another three years. MILLIONS IN SAVINGS grams cannot dispute FPEP’s benefits: The that clients want to avoid this particular situa- savings are substantial, the social impacts far- tion (safer sex, though, is an added benefit). More than 10,000 unintended pregnan- LOOKING FOR reaching. cies among Medicaid subscribers were PERMANENCE At sites where FPEP is offered, the UO averted during FPEP’s first two years alone. THE VISION Health Center, LCC, Planned Parenthood or the (This was measured by comparing the num- FPEPemployees and providers intend to Public Health Department, clients go through The vision for FPEPwas born seven years ber of actual unplanned pregnancies to the continue their quest to constantly improve the the same process: After scheduling an appoint- ago when the Oregon Legislature joined number of expectedunplanned pregnancies.) program. At a statewide level, the primary ment, they merely fill out an eligibility form, go forces with several public health departments With the typical cost of a Medicaid birth esti- focus will be on reaching out to clients who through a height/weight/blood pressure check, and family planning programs to reduce the mated at $4,875, that’s an estimated gross of may not have had access up to this point. and have an informative conversation with a high rates of teen pregnancies in the state. $64.9 million in savings. (Though, unfortunately because of citizen- typically pleasant nurse practitioner. The visionaries knew the cost of providing Over the past five years, thousands of ship requirements, this does exclude some Eligibility requirements include being a free birth control would be less than the short- women and men have come to rely on populations that could greatly benefit from U.S. citizens and for Oregon residents, hav- term and long-term costs of Medicaid-funded FPEP’s services to help prevent unplanned FPEP.) At the provider level, programs like ing an income within 185 percent of the fed- births. pregnancies. Arwen Ungar, a UO senior, has Planned Parenthood and the UO Health eral poverty level (a single person with an an- The people involved — then-Gov. John used FPEP through Eugene’s Planned Center are looking for more ways to expand nual income less than $16,613 or a family of Kitzhaber, Bill Sheppard, CEO of the re- Parenthood since she was 16. Ungar received their services. four with less than $34,040). gional Planned Parenthood, and Atkins — free birth control based on her own income, The greater hope is that FPEPmay some As long as they meet eligibility require- began drafting the proposal to the federal not that of her parents. Through the inherent day obtain permanent status. Clinics through- ments, clients receive the kind of birth con- Medicaid office. FPEP was proposed as a privacy FPEP offers, Ungar was given the out the state are keenly aware of Marilyn trol they prefer, such as pills, diaphragms and waiver project similar to the Oregon Health freedom to make decisions on her own. Helton’s observation — that until such a pro- condoms (including expensive methods like Plan. Like the OHP, it would reach economi- Understanding the needs of clients is of gram becomes permanent and no longer Depo-Provera) at no cost. In most cases, they cally disadvantaged people who may not utmost importance to FPEPstaff. They know deemed a “demonstration project,” it could can walk out with a supply of contraceptives qualify for Medicaid. The goals cited in the that many people have been misinformed or disappear. that day. proposal were to decrease unintended preg- have had bad experiences with birth control After all, as long as people continue to be On-the-spot allocation of contraception is nancies among teenagers and women of all in the past and that many welfare recipients sexually active, the need for this program will a cornerstone of FPEP. Jeanne Atkins, FPEP ages, to expand family planning services, and have been treated with judgment and conde- exist. SaysJeanne Atkins, “We are just begin- program manager, emphasizes the impor- to save significant dollars. scension in the past. ning to see the impact on unintended preg- tance of not making clients apply for contra- “It was an exciting opportunity,” says “The ultimate goal is to make sure that nancies that such an effort [as FPEP] can pro- ceptives only to make them wait several Atkins. “But meeting all of the requirements every FPEP-qualified person receives the in- duce.” weeks to receive them. “Because,” she says, of the federal Medicaid office for this kind of formation and care that they deserve,” says For more information about FPEP “people don’t necessarily wait until they can waiver was a bureaucratic challenge.” Leslie Uebel, FPEPsocial marketing coordi- (including county programs), visit get birth control to have sex.” So challenging, in fact, that it took almost nator. www.dhs.state.or.us/publichealth/fp/about.cfm ew $1.75 Riverpark IT’S CHEAPER HERE ALL DAY EVERY DAY! 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