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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: One man's beacon ... Guest Opinion: Lies about marijuana are finally being debunked ... Mochas, midrash and mysteries: Choosing light to banish the darkness ... Our View: One man's beacon ... Guest Opinion: Lies about marijuana are finally being debunked ... Mochas, midrash and mysteries: Choosing light to banish the darkness ... LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the Editor, Jan. 26 Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Jan. 26, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Jan. 26, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Editorial was right on Very nice editorial Jan. 22 on the survey of Ashland residents. A few specific reactions: You are spot-on about parking. Ashlanders, like a lot of people (and probably more true of groups than individuals) are often resistant to recognizing that two “goods” are in conflict: you can’t have more of one without negatively impacting the other. (Though one “third way” is better public transportation, a possibility made harder by the recent Jackson County vote to reject money for public transport. It benefits those who use it and also those who benefit indirectly by shopping at places whose employees depend on it and/or by the reduction in traffic/parking hassles if other people take the bus.) I’ve lived in D.C., which regularly mishandled snow because it pretended that it was a Southern city and didn’t need to be prepared. But do people in Ashland really want to pay more taxes to buy and maintain another snow clearing machine that is likely to be used once every 10 years? (and that discounts the impact of climate change.) You are also right that cost of living and availability of affordable housing are linked to the lack of land for building. But I would argue that in addition to expanding the city boundaries (which only increases the land that will have city services) we should be focusing on in-fill, including modest increases in building heights. Even if the building that takes place as an immediate result is high-end condos, those in turn increase the tax base and free up land that would otherwise be used for McMansions. Anyway, good job. Mary Coombs, Ashland Not watching Super Bowl I’m not watching the Super Bowl this year. Not just because of Deflategate, although that’s probably what pushed me over the edge. Mainly, I’ve realized it’s not something I wish to support any longer. The NFL just confirmed that one in three football players will suffer significant brain damage. There’s also more dementia, shorter life spans — or so the hard-to-verify statistics say. Then there’s the domestic violence issue. All of which doesn’t slow down the money train. NFL football is big, big business. Cheating, violence, traumatic injuries — all just part of the game, apparently, and life goes on. Except, life is on a slippery slope these days. 2015 begins with more challenges to human survival than ever before. In the time it takes to watch the Super Bowl, 20 to 35 species may go extinct, and that will repeat every four hours (check my math at http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/biodiversity/biodiversity/). Why don’t we care more about that than we care about who wins the game? I want my values back. So, I’ll do something else this year, something less distracting and more likely to help me face the fact that we are failing to honestly and aggressively confront the really important problems of our time, and that this will negatively impact quality of life for our grandchildren. So, I’m not watching the game. I  will  host a party and maybe we’ll watch Rudy for some authentic sports inspiration. Will Wilkinson, Ashland Successful tree-cycling On Jan. 10, Ashland Boy Scout Troop 112 collected over 1,200 Christmas trees in Ashland. These trees would have ended up in our landfill or burned. Instead, they were recycled into chips by the Ashland Parks Department to be used on the trails in our parks. Thanks go to the Ashland Parks Department, Ashland Lions Club, All-In-One Rental, and families from Pack 112 and Troop 112. The generous donations by the citizens of Ashland to Troop 112 for this service will help to fund this year's summer camp and future high-adventure treks. Additionally the Scouts that worked that day learned the value of community service. If we missed your tree, please call 541-482-0042. donations can be sent to Troop 112, P.O. Box 839, Ashland, OR 97520. John Wurfl, Ashland Lions Club, Troop 112 DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Jan. 26, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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