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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the Editor, April 13 Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Apr. 13, 2016 at 12:01 AM Posted Apr. 13, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Equal pay for women This year the Ashland branch of the American Association of University Women is joining other organizations to bring awareness to the issue of pay equity for American women and girls. April 12 was chosen to symbolize how far into 2016 women must work to earn what men earned in 2015. Census statistics show that women who work full-time, year-round, earn about 79 cents for every dollar men earn, a gap of 21 percent. Oregon reports an earning ratio of 82 percent, while locally, Jackson County matches the national statistics at 79.9 percent. This is not just a women’s issue, it is a family and national one. I am a longtime member of AAUW Public Policy, but also have a daughter and am grandma to two wonderful little girls. Their future depends on lifetime earnings to pay for education, buy a home, provide health care and plan for retirement. New research calculates that during their working lifetime women have a $210,000 shortfall in earnings compared with men. With awareness of this wage discrimination it is my hope that Oregonians will support legislation and initiatives to remove the gender wage gap and help women support their families and grow the economy. Kathy Brandon AAUW Ashland Legislative Luddites I am appalled by the contemporary Republican response on any topic that demands scientific analysis. When confronted with incontrovertible evidence of global warming resulting from the huge quantities of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, and confirmed by virtually all climate scientists worldwide, they reply they are not “scientists” to justify their unwillingness to act. When confronted by the Iran nuclear deal, which scientists from our three nuclear weapons labs (Los Alamos, Livermore, and Sandia), and the worldwide scientists of the IAEA (which correctly reported Iraq had no nuclear weapons activity in 2002-03) assure us is verifiable, they call the agreement unverifiable. The US Congress recognized its members rarely had the background to judge issues with scientific content, and created the Office of Technology Assessment in 1972 to provide unbiased and scientifically sound advice on issues before them. The Republicans zeroed this out after the 1994 Gingrich “revolution” as not needed and an unnecessary expense. The result: Republicans who now control both houses of Congress make decisions in complete ignorance of and contradiction with the best science the US has to offer. It does not bode well for our nation’s future if these Luddites continue to control our legislative branches. Charles K. Sinclair Medford Bright not blight As a native of this beautiful valley, I am grateful for the cultural arts available and am a fan of the Randall Theater. I've seen several of their productions, which range from perfectly ridiculous to utterly preposterous. And I mean that in a good way. For those of you who haven't witnessed the brilliance of this theater, go. But I am also deeply concerned about our homeless situation. Chad McComas said in the Sneak Preview many Americans are only two to three paychecks away from homelessness. That's a steep precipice. Once homeless, it's exceedingly difficult to emerge from that black hole. Rogue Retreat is offering a limited, but promising, hand up for some of our homeless. Residents in the proposed Hope Village will be held to high standards in order to reside there. Newly built tiny homes, with a fence surrounding them, would be an improvement over the current state of that empty lot. These newly housed people, taking pride in the opportunity to better their lives will be a bright spot, not a blight, to our downtown. And Robin, I promise I will still attend your wonderfully quirky theater. Amy Sisemore Medford MailTribune.com Writer Posted Apr. 13, 2016 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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