Skip to main content
The voter registration smashup at the Oregon DMV keeps getting worse. Last week, WW first reported that a flawed policy caused the agency to add 178 people born in American Samoa—who are U.S. nationals but not U.S. citizens—to the voting rolls (Murmurs, Oct. 9). That brings the total of improperly registered people to 1,259. The governor has suspended the state’s motor-voter program until an outside investigation is complete. Here’s what our readers had to say:
P Miller, via wweek.com: “Knowing exactly what the MAGA GOP could and most certainly will do with such a voter roll ‘mistake,’ this level of negligence and incompetence is akin to handing out matches to known arsonists.
“Simple firing is too good for those responsible.”
Matthew Chapman, via Facebook: “Good. They addressed and resolved the foundational problem before it could impact an election.”
Ian Rasmussen, via Twitter: “Keep waiting for this to hit the right-wing conspiracy outrage circuit with the anxiety of walking through an active mine field.”
Successful_Load5719, via Reddit: “Things like this become legit talking points for people to complain about, and they’d be justified. If I made an error of that magnitude where I work, I’d be fired on the spot. Waiting to see what consequences this brings.”
Sassypants McGee, via Facebook: “Don’t worry, folks…it only happened one time, never happened before and never will happen again.”
TWO KELLERS? TOO MANY.
I just read Rachel Saslow’s story on the proposed Keller Auditorium renovation plus new PSU venue [”Portland City Council Approves Resolution on Renovating Keller Plus Adding New Venue,” wweek.com, Oct. 11]. I have to say, as a parent of a student in Portland Public Schools, I am shocked and dismayed that this city is entertaining a near $1 billion project on arts venues while PPS school facilities remain an antiquated disaster. Our schools are an embarrassment when held next to school facilities in neighboring districts.
In Southwest Portland, our kids were displaced from their buildings last winter because a fairly straightforward storm repair project was massively complicated by asbestos abatement. Asbestos! These school buildings have no air conditioning, windows that don’t open, and I am just speculating they are not earthquake safe. This last item is one of the criteria being used to justify a Keller renovation.
Can this city please put a pause on pet projects and start focusing on the basics? Our schools are decrepit. Truly an embarrassment by 2024 educational standards. So on the subject of modernized buildings, maybe our children are more deserving than the next touring production of Wicked.
Matthew S.
Southwest Portland
ALL CLAIMS ARE NOT THE SAME
The letter writer [Dr. Know, Oct. 9] didn’t indicate whether they were making a claim against their own car insurance policy (a first-party claim) or a claim against someone else’s policy (a third-party claim). Sometimes a claimant’s rights may be affected depending on which company is handling the claim.
What happens a lot is that the insurance company totals the car, but the owner says, I want to keep it because the damage isn’t that bad; the owner takes a cash settlement that has the salvage value of the vehicle taken out, keeps the vehicle and then has to go and get a salvage title! Any time that an insurance company determines a vehicle is a total loss, the owner must get a salvage title so that any future buyer knows that this vehicle has been wrecked. An insurer can make this decision even if the owner disagrees!
Jim Walsh
Eugene
Letters to the editor must include the author’s street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words. Submit to: P.O. Box 10770, Portland, OR 97296 Email: mzusman@wweek.com