Everyone deserves decent health care
I am one of the many people in Oregon who falls within the cracks of having no access to affordable, decent health care and insurance. I am just above the poverty level and cannot get coverage under the Oregon Health Plan.
The Health Care for All Oregon initiative would expand Oregon Health Plan into an umbrella that people of all income levels could stand under. When people like us cannot afford preventive health care, we may wind up in a position to need emergency care, running up more costs in the long run than if we used preventive health care.
The current situation hurts both men and women, as well as children. Single women, mothers and racial minorities are especially vulnerable. Visit www.ohsu/edu/women/ReportCard.htm or www.healthcareforalloregon.org for more detail.
Every man, woman and child deserves decent health care.
Celia Starshine Levine
Eugene
Educational grants need funding
Oregon’s Legislature is making decisions that will result in a powerful impact on those seeking a post-secondary education. Both the Student Childcare Block Grant and Oregon Opportunity Grant may be decreased or cut because of the $720 million shortfall in the budget. Other programs this affects are the Community College System and Oregon University System budgets.
The proposed $2 million cut to the SCBG means that many families covered by the funding will be unable to attend school until 2003, when the funding would be restarted. OOG would suffer the same loss. Those relying on grants would also need to find another way to attend school. Between SCBG and OOG reductions, 433 families and 1,500 to 3,000 students would not be able to attend school.
While we are in the middle of an economic recession, it is extremely important to find the funds for Oregonians to attend college to train and relearn skills for employment. It should be a main concern for state legislators to see to it that these programs receive the appropriate funds.
Stephanie M. Reyes
Eugene
Expand educational and childcare funding
I’m writing to urge you to prioritize expanding funding for the Student Childcare Block Grant, the Oregon Opportunity Grant, Community College and Oregon University System budget during the special session.
During this economic recession, Oregon should prioritize increasing access to education by building on programs like the OOG.
Key to enabling low-income women to become hirable in the competitive work force is the Student Childcare Block Grant. Numerous studies have focused on the importance of early childhood development and issues of quality standards and provider training. Research addresses links between childcare costs and the ability of low-income women to participate in the workforce. Studies examined the scope of the demand for childcare and needs of specific populations.
People relate to studies. According to the Center for Research on Women, studies have found children in self care, especially those spending substantial hours on their own, face greater risks. Compared to their supervised peers, they’re more likely to have lower grades, poorer social adjustment, increased fears and greater susceptibility to peer pressure, as well as greater likelihood of using alcohol and illegal drugs.
Other research has shown that when comparing day care costs to a family’s income, it’s clear that child care subsidies for low-income and working mothers are a necessity for transition from welfare to work. Studies document how subsidies have been used for relative care, center-based care and family-based care.
Thank you for supporting the expanded funding for these initiatives.
James Larson
Eugene
Emerald needs to do its homework
The Emerald’s editorial (“University must stay out of users’ personal files,” ODE, 1/29) demonstrated the editorial board’s deep lack of understanding of the underlying technology involved in the privacy issue.
In failing to properly research and understand file sharing technology, the Emerald has compounded the ignorance surrounding personal computers by neglecting to state that when a user shares files on the Internet, those files are readily available to anyone on the Internet, not only Computing Center staff.
The BBC reported that a major security flaw was discovered in the common peer-to-peer music sharing program, Morpheus. The story was confirmed by ZDNet News.
This discovery emphasizes the fact that people sharing files on Internet-connected computers have a much greater security threat than simple copyright enforcement. After all, one hacker with access to you computer can steal user names, passwords and account numbers and then erase everything on your hard drive.
The University has a responsibility to balance student, staff and faculty privacy rights with the reality that UONet, the University’s network, is meant for academic, research and University-related business.
At the same time, the Emerald has the responsibility to properly research topics before taking an editorial stance, lest ignorance becomes knowledge.
Patrick Chinn
University staff
