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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW (No heading) ... Our View: Charging ahead on supporting electric vehicles ... Rogue River man allegedly copped to fatal knifing, affidavit says ... (No heading) ... Our View: Charging ahead on supporting electric vehicles ... Rogue River man allegedly copped to fatal knifing, affidavit says ... Letters to the Editor, Jan. 21 Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 21, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Jan 21, 2015 at 12:18 AM Posted Jan. 21, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Jan 21, 2015 at 12:18 AM » Social News Become informed January has been designated as National Sex Trafficking Prevention Month. In order to prevent this crime that is rampant in America and takes place even in the Rogue Valley, citizens need to become informed about where and how it takes place, as well as who the perpetrators and victims are. According to the Dept. of Justice, at least 100,000 U.S. minors are exploited in prostitution every year in America. They are also exploited through pornography and other sexual entertainment. The average age a child is first exploited through prostitution is 13 years old. This is often accomplished by a "Romeo Pimp" who meets girls at a mall or other teen hangout or on social media. They begin a grooming process to gain the trust of the naive girl and eventually lure her away to another city to chase her dream, which then turns into a nightmare. A Dan Rather report, "Pornland: Sex Trafficking in Portland, Oregon," can be viewed on YouTube. ACT (Abolish Child Trafficking) is a local organization with chapters in Medford and Grants Pass that is dedicated to raising awareness. More information can be found on Facebook at ACT Southern Oregon. Nancy Bachmann, Medford Raise inappropriate How could the police chief dare get a raise when Medford is considered the most crime-ridden city in Oregon? We need more boots on the ground to fight the rising thefts, drugs and vagrants. This is a misappropriation of tax dollars. Cheryl Singleton, Medford Raise taxes on the rich President Obama’s proposal to increase capital gains and inheritance taxes is a step in the right direction. It will promote fairness in the tax system and could help improve the economy. In fact, his proposal should go further. All unearned income should be taxed at the same rate as wages. Preferential tax treatment for the super-rich has resulted in a huge concentration of wealth in this country. In this country, the 400 richest people are worth more than the 150 million lowest-net-worth individuals. The concentration of wealth is constraining economic growth. Seventy percent of the U.S. economy is based on consumption. Flat wages in this country have kept workers from buying more. At the same time, the super rich have so much money that they cannot spend enough to help the economy grow. Taxes have been dramatically reduced for the super-rich over the last 50 years, resulting in less public spending on higher education and infrastructure such as roads and bridges. At the same time, the national debt has ballooned. President Obama’s tax proposals promote fairness and will help the economy. Bob Harkness, Medford Drop ski area expansion Would the Mt. Ashland Ski Area have more support from the local community if they publicly announced an end to their planned expansion? As their very existence is on the line, it would be wise to drop the controversial expansion plans to garner as much support in the community as possible to keep themselves open during periods of little to no snow. The expansion would be about 500 feet below their current runs, and with recent declines in snow and the effects of climate change looming, this proposal is not only fiscally irresponsible and ecologically inappropriate, but could perhaps amount to organizational suicide. Simply put, expansion is bad land management and bad business. Mt. Ashland will never be a destination resort, but can be a community asset if managed correctly. Perhaps there would be more support in the community for the Mt. Ashland Ski Area if they were not proposing to log old-growth forest in the Ashland Watershed, including the only stand of Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) in the Siskiyou Mountains, or expand into habitat for the rare Mt. Ashland lupine (Lupinus aridus ssp. ashlandensis), which grows nowhere else on earth. Mt. Ashland Ski Area: Drop the planned expansion! Luke Ruediger, Jacksonville MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 21, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Jan 21, 2015 at 12:18 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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