Letters, June 26 – Medford News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News

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Letters, June 26 By Mail Tribune readers Jun 26, 2022 12:00 AM A A OSF’s defensive response It seems curious to me that, in response to a longtime supporter’s recent social media posts regarding the paucity of plays by Shakespeare this season and the apparent failure to fulfill their promise and commitment to completing the Shakespeare canon, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival chose to characterize it as bordering on harassment. The supporter characterized the festival’s choices as “very sad.” This hardly rises to the level of harassment, which is defined as “aggressive pressure or intimidation.” Such a defensive response to a mere expression of disappointment on social media smacks of a dogmatic insecurity and reminds one of the tactics employed by a recent resident of the White House. One wonders if OSF intends to continue to follow an apparent policy to brook no criticism and vilify loyal audience members who dare to express their honest feelings and opinions. John Rose Ashland Ashland survey a riddle Has anyone else tabulated the options from the Ashland City Budget Survey? Figuring it out the survey means unraveling a riddle wrapped in a mystery where any decisions city leaders make are supported by survey results. It’s also worrisome Ashland’s “wokeness” credentials will be tarnished by requesting more police funding, or playing a shell game with marijuana taxes. The next thing is Ashland’s moderate courts and police regionalized with the likes of Jackson County’s commissioners. Ashland’s “progressive” label might disappear when citizens figure out cost increases aren’t taxes but utility bill fees. Not only will business outlets get “votes” on the survey, but fixed-income pensioners end up paying the same as well-to-do property owners in any fee increases. Progressive taxation be damned! Among the options with three or four intertwined possibilities, those appreciating parks and recreation might be required to pay more. Will the howls of displeasure from parks commissioners be entertaining? Will the parks director resign in protest? A question becomes whether confusion was the intent of the survey, or an unintended consequence. Maybe city leaders are rewriting the old adage: You can fool all the people all the time, and some of the people some of the time. James Jarrard Ashland