Um, Dude?

I thought this was the dumbest letter to the editor in the Register Guard today

Sheriffs protect gun owners

We should all applaud Sheriff Russel Burger and other sheriffs around the state for refusing to disclose my personal information to media and other groups. Recently, an Oregon court has ruled there is no evidence that people get a concealed handgun license as a security measure; it ordered the Jackson County Sheriff to disclose the personal information about Jackson County permit-holders to a newspaper.

That case is being appealed to the Oregon Court of Appeals.

There are only a few reasons that I currently hold a permit. Security is No. 1 in my job and family life. What business is it of the court to tell you why I hold a permit, and make a ruling accordingly? Why else would a law-abiding citizen have a permit? This, by the way, is the only kind of person who can get one.

My name and the home I own are public information. However, if this information to the public is also to include which homes have an occupant with a permit, it also will tell everyone, including those with bad intensions, which homes do not have one. This is very dangerous territory, and the Jackson County judge who made that ruling should be challenged by constituents for ruling on such assumptions.

The reality that people in this state hold a permit for security is clearly evidenced by the fact that they are law-abiding citizens who want to own and carry a handgun legally.

Cory T. Neu

Springfield

because publicly thanking someone for not releasing your name to the public is just stupid, but then there was this bit of short-sighted idiocy:

It’s a fine time for an arena

In response to the Dec. 23 letter “Not the time for a big arena,” I say, what better time! As stated in the letter, we are in the midst of the worst economic downturn in more than 20 years. As jobs continue to disappear in our area, why would anyone advocate further employment cuts? Lending to the University of Oregon to build a new arena is money well spent. All of government is looking to find ways to boost employment, especially in such hard-hit areas as construction and manufacturing.

Locally, replacement jobs are virtually nonexistent. This project will either save jobs or re-employ many currently unemployed people — heavy equipment operators, carpenters, roofers, glaziers, plumbers, electricians, drywallers and heating technicians, as well as many local suppliers, service industries and manufacturers.

The domino effect that large unemployment in one sector has on another actually works both ways. As we start to add valuable jobs in one area, many associated business also will feel the positive effects.

This is an opportunity to improve the infrastructure at the UO and help the local economy. Just think, the job saved may be yours.

Lawrence M. (Mike) Flaherty

Eugene

For those that don't know, the ability of the arena owners to pay back that "loan" from the state is premised on the notion that the Matt Knight Court will be able to draw the same (or more!) amount of non-basketball-related business as the Rose Garden in Portland. Let's hope all those contractors and construction workers earn enough to keep us in monster truck rallies and Lil Wayne shows until the economy recovers, or this may be the worst "investment" the state has made in awhile.

[For those that may have missed part of the story and thought the arena is being paid for by donor money, it turns out that after the UO made a big deal about how this was all financed by donors and not a single drop of public money was going to be used, that all that donor money was actually for the UO Legacy fund and the UO had agreed with the donors that it would only be used to secure a loan from the state. You see, if the state didn't bond the arena, the UO would lose $100+ million in donations, and nobody wants that. Because the UO is so totally going to pay back that loanski, they still keep saying that no public money is being used to build the arena. Awesome.]