Who killed Roth's?

To the so-called planning commission of Lebanon: This newspaper recently reported the pending closing of Roth's grocery in Lebanon. With the closing, 47 employees will be without their jobs and sources of income. Roth's is a home-grown, Oregon company that is renowned for generously contributing to our - their - community and state. They have retailed local farm products and put many students to work.

The service we have received at Roth's has always been welcoming and professional. The staff helped you find anything you needed, took your groceries to your car, and looked you in the eye when they spoke to you. They were a part of the friendliness of Lebanon.

Roth's had suffered since the opening of the larger Mall-Wart, an opening that was opposed by many citizens who were ignored by the so-called representatives on the commission. One of the concerns of these citizens was that Mall-Wart's business plan was to crush the local competition while they wired our money to Arkansas and China.

I would sincerely ask the commission to do this: Have a large dinner at your home. Each of you invite at least 10 of the Roth's employees and their families. Sit down to dinner with them. Look them each in the eye and tell them what you were thinking when you invited the king of business-crushing, Chinese-plastic importing businesses to a place that you knew would lose these family-waged jobs as a result. Then, do something that you failed to do before - listen. If you cannot do this, then you are not the right person to represent us. In the mean time, sleep well.

Carl Robinson, Lebanon

We're all omnivores

This is in response to recent letters on healthy eating. Tool marks dating from about 2.5 million years ago have been documented on animal bones. This means that predecessors of humans were eating meat back then. If meat - flesh in the Bible - is so bad for us, meat eaters should have died off in that length of time! Face it people, we are omnivores.

For those who seem to have some kind of ethical problem with butchering animals, they apparently do not realize a major function of the Earth. The Earth is an amazing example of recycling. Everything on and about the Earth recycles at its own rate, and that process is driven primarily by solar energy with some effects due to internal energy. Whether established by God, intelligent design or a simple accident of nature, the food chain was necessary to convert low-level solar energy for high-energy animals. The food chain, with or without human involvement, is a fact of life and death.

Mistreatment of animals, however, is definitely an ethical problem that must be addressed, always! In so doing, however, we must not throw out the baby with the bath water because the food chain is part of the functioning of the Earth.

Joseph F. Cuny, Lebanon

Immigration helps U.S.

Like Europe and many Asian countries, the United States, struggles with maintaining the replacement rate at which a population is replacing itself. Simply put, for a population to stay stabilized, there would have to be one birth for every death. Maintaining the replacement rate is extremely important to the well being of any country.

As Fareed Zakaria points out in his book "The Post-American World," at the current rate, as our population ages there will be fewer and fewer workers supporting the retirees. Unlike many European countries, Japan, Taiwan and other countries that are faced with this same problem, the United States has something going for it: immigration.

Without immigration, the population in the United State would eventually experience population decline. Many driven and ambitious people come to this country ready to jump into the workforce. Zakaria also points out that as workers retire they turn into "spenders" rather than "savers," which causes drastic consequences for national saving and investment rates if not balanced out significantly by the working/saving class.

Without immigration over the past quarter century the United States would not be where it is today. Zakaria notes that 50 percent of science researchers in the country are foreign-born and by next year 50 percent of the PhD's awarded in every subject will go to foreign students.

The more we succeed and the more wealth we gain, we tend to lose that drive and the will to succeed. Immigration is continually refreshing that drive, which gives the United States a leg up on other countries that become set in their ways.

Whether we choose to believe it or not, the success of our great country is, in many ways, based on the hard work and innovations of many immigrants who have dedicated their lives to our country.

Danae Jones, Albany

Check the nutrition label

I feel I must respond to Jsoenne Krueger's recent letter regarding the use of food stamps to purchase junk food. She seems to think that it is no one else's business but hers what she purchases with her food stamps. As one of the millions of taxpayers who provide the funds that pay for her food stamps, I beg to differ.

Ms. Krueger also says that the 100-calorie snack packs of cookies she purchases for her children are good for them. That statement could not be further from the truth. All one has to do is look at the nutrition information on the package to see that they are full of fat, salt and sugar. And at nearly $11 per pound, they are certainly not a good value for the money. Neither are chips and soda. She could purchase a lot of apples, oranges or bananas for that $11.

Food stamp recipients should be given a list of foods the stamps can be used for based on the USDA school guidelines and grocery store computers should be programmed to allow only those foods. WIC coupons can be used for only certain items so why not food stamps as well?

A joint collaboration between the OSU Extension Service and the Self Sufficiency office of the Department of Human Resources could provide nutritional information and cooking tips to those who receive food stamps so we all get the best value for our dollar.

There is one point that I do agree with Ms. Krueger on. There is certainly nothing wrong with eating healthy. But cookies, chips and sodas are not healthy.

Irene E. Rau, Albany

The rules of CARA

It was my understanding when CARA was established that you could get low-interest money and match the amount to renovate a building. Now it seems you can borrow the full amount to purchase property as CADD Connection is able to do. When did the rules change?

Also, if he employs 15 people and puts in four parking spaces for his customers, where are his employees going to park - in the Democrat-Herald parking lot?

Howard E. Johnson, Albany