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Letters to the Editor: What about the school bus? My son missed his ride to school today, so I ended up driving him. As I sat waiting in traffic, I thought about all the people driving their children to school today and wondered how many of them protest the war on Iraq for oil. Doing some conservative figures, I estimated 100 parents per school dropping their kids off, when they could be riding the tax-funded school bus. If they drive 3 miles to school, then back home and do it again after school, that's 12 miles per day. For a five-day school week, that comes out to 42,000 miles per week. Now multiply this by 36 school weeks, and divide by 20 miles per gallon, and the figure is over 75,000 gallons of gasoline per school year. Have the people of Ashland ever heard of school buses? They are driving to school whether or not their children are on them. Over the years, I've heard excuses like "She doesn't like to ride the bus," or "What else do I have to do in the morning?" Are these good enough reasons to go to war, so our precious students don't have to ride the school bus? If we want to protest the policies of our administration, stop giving them all the excuse they need to "secure" our oil. Kids can walk; the crossing guards are wonderful people. There are skateboards, bicycles, and the FREE city bus. We want our children to grow up with a sense of independence. So do they. What better steps can we take for our security than to stop buying into the notion of cars everywhere? Suzy Birster Hudson, Ashland 'Mother' is not about destruction Did we really need to announce the newest U.S. weapon of mass destruction as the Mother of All Bombs, and glorify its pernicious potential? Oh, brother! Mother surely bespeaks creation not destruction. The acronym MOAB recalls the country east of the Dead Sea that in biblical times was often at war with Israel whom it constantly obstructed and harassed; a country repeatedly denounced by the prophets. Robert H. Miller, Ashland Guest forum: Land trust a model for affordability By Alice Drysdale Ashland This will be the first time I've ever written a letter to the editor, but I feel so strongly about affordable housing in Ashland and the issues surrounding affordable housing that I decided to write. I am a member of the board of trustees for Ashland Community Land Trust. I am also a land trust homeowner. Three of the nine members of ACLT's board are leaseholders - people who own a land trust home and lease the land beneath. I pay $35 a month to ACLT to lease the land. The home I am buying was brand new when I moved in almost three years ago. It's a beautiful three-bedroom, three-bath townhome located in the Chautauqua Trace subdivision. I am considered very-low income although I work very hard as the manager of an Ashland restaurant. I am a single mother of four children. I think the people in Ashland don't believe that affordable housing is possible here. But I can tell you that it absolutely is! The land trust model keeps the house affordable. If I were to sell, I could only do so to a qualified buyer (someone like me - low-income) and the cost of the home doesn't increase like the rest of real estate does. This house is permanently affordable. Our own land trust in Ashland (the first in Oregon to have houses built and owner-occupied) is going to have brand-new affordable rentals soon, to be built on Garfield Street right across from the park. It's an exciting time for ACLT and for the whole community. And what's really great is that everyone in the community can join and help permanently affordable housing remain a continued reality in our town. All members can vote and membership is only $10 a year. ACLT's annual meeting will be held in May. For more information about Ashland Community Land Trust, membership, rentals or the annual meeting, call ACLT at 858-3313. To learn more about the land trust movement as model for permanently affordable housing log on to www.iceclt.org. Thank you. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -