Remember our dance athletes

Jesse Sowa's article "A year to remember" (June 16) highlighting the numerous accomplishments of athletes from West Albany and other mid-valley teams this past school year neglected to remember to pay tribute to 100 additional dedicated, hard-working and talented athletes who earned state honors in their chosen sport of dance and drill.

In March the West Albany Hi-Steppers and South Albany Southern Belles dance teams brought home third and second place state titles respectively in the 5A Large State Dance Competition.

Additionally the Lebanon Explosion earned third place while the Crescent Valley Radiance placed eighth in 5A Small State Dance.

Five area dancers - Jenna Borowski from Philomath, Cassie Allen and Rachel Ross from South Albany and Erika Helsing and Katie Kizer from West Albany - were named to the All-State Dance Team.

Any person who has been or is a member of a dance and drill team will tell you they put in as much (if not more) time, sweat, sore muscles, grit and heart as does any football, basketball, soccer, water polo, swimming, or track and field athlete in an effort to refine and perfect their sport.

So to all the talented and skilled dancers throughout the mid-valley, congratulations on your year to remember!

Kelly Merrill, Albany

Those 'Union Facts' aren't

I believe it's time someone addressed the pack of half truths, innuendo, BS and outright lies being presented on TV commercials as "Union Facts.com." I believe their purpose is to defeat the "Employee Free Trade" legislation pending in Washington.

Currently, if employees wish to form a union, they must collect signature cards from a majority of employees involved. Then, weeks or months elapse before there is a vote to determine if the employees want to go union. During this time it is not uncommon for employers to harass, torment and even fire union activists.

From a strictly economic perspective, it is sound business to fire a few activists, knowing they will be reinstated and receive back wages, because of the impact it will have on the rest of the employees.

When and if these hurdles can be crossed, a contract must be negotiated and ratified within one year. Should the company choose to stonewall this process for a year, the employees still have not succeeded in their efforts to achieve some form of workplace democracy.

The "Employee Free Choice Act" aims to streamline this process.

Some of the other untruths these commercials imply:

* Union dues go to political campaigns. Not true! It is illegal for local union dues to be contributed to any political campaign. They can and do ask their members to make contributions of time and/or money to support labor causes and candidates. But that money is separate from the dues. And, it is a completely separate and free choice for the member.

* Unions only support Democrats. Again not true! Our local has had many candidates for local office address our membership, Republican and Democrat alike. The last time I saw the figures, for my local, almost half of those registered were Republicans.

* Employees are forced to pay union dues. I'm told employees in a union shop have the right to make a charitable contribution in a like amount if they choose.

Propaganda has always been the forte of business. While labor tends to excel at hard work and sweat. But, some things are so flagrantly misleading; they have to be challenged, no matter what your forte.

Frank W. Lathen, Lebanon

Call me myopic? Check this!

Steve Ranzoni wrote on June 13: "Well, Sir, excuse me for calling you one of the most myopic folks I have read in some time."

Myopic: Lacking in foresight, showing a lack of foresight or long-term planning.

People who have read these letters and know me say that I need to respond. Well, readers, you be the judge if I am myopic.

1. I worked 38 years as a registered professional engineer, retiring in 2001. In Oregon: mechanical, electrical, environmental and manufacturing. Also in Arkansas, Louisiana and South Carolina.

Now let's get down to a few facts about my foresight and profession:

2. In the late 1960s, working for Willamette Industries: Setting up the first automated control on a hog fuel (waste wood) boiler in Linn County, and probably the nation. This allowed the reduction of about one-third fuel and stack emissions. Myopic? Then as instruments were developed, improved the controls.

3. 1970s: Used waste wood instead of natural gas to fire veneer dryers. Before, the waste had to be hauled away. This allowed a saving of about $180,000 a month and reduction in land fill. Myopic?

4. 1971: Suggesting the use of a gas turbine to generate electricity and then the exhaust to generate steam to dry the paper in our Albany Paper Mill. This now has cut the cost of buying electricity and also cuts out most of the emissions. Myopic? (Albany Paper Mill now has two 35,000 kilowatt generators and makes all of their electricity to power the plant and produce steam to dry the paper. A $1 million a month savings.) Myopic? I need go no further.

This continued until 1991 when I left to set up my DO Engineering Services, an engineering consulting firm. After 10 years it was retired in 2001.

It is too technical to discuss here, but I worked with all the air gases: 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, 0.9 percent argon, 0.03 percent hydrogen, water, ozone, neon, helium, krypton, xenon and other trace elements. Why do activists target 0.03 percent carbon dioxide? It's negligible. Carbon credits are a scam. Professional engineers know this.

Richard E. Owen, Albany

Worried for my daughter

This letter addresses some concerns I have over my daughter's school and her ability to cope with the classes they've put her in. She is a special needs student. What bothers me is they've placed her in regular classes.

Her doctors, with whom I stay in close contact, state clearly that she needs more specially structured classes.

They all have said putting her in regular classes would do more harm than good and I see that happening, and the school chooses to ignore it despite the doctor's recommendations. I know there are other parents out there that are facing this same lack of concern for their child/children's well-being.

I have located two attorneys who would be happy to help with this. Please feel free to contact me (I'm in the book), and together, we can fight this neglect that the Albany public schools are doing to our kids.

Tracy Huffstutler, Albany

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