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Medford, OR 97501

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Oregon's ground-breaking social services are assisting citizens throughout the state. For example, reducing Jackson County's welfare caseload by 18 percent in the past year has helped 149 families toward self-sufficiency. Some 6,460 Jackson County working people have Oregon Health Plan coverage. And home- and community-based care is helping many seniors in Southern Oregon stretch their retirement dollars.

Now, the state's health and human services agency wants more help from Jackson County residents in shaping the future of services, including fighting alcohol and drug abuse. Substance abuse is at the root of other costly problems such as chronic unemployment, child abuse and spousal abuse, welfare dependence, teen pregnancy and school failure. Jackson County has already begun to tackle this problem with its Family Addiction Community Team.

We also want to take advantage of Oregon's booming economy to obtain jobs for people with disabilities, whose unemployment rate is 10 times that for all Jackson County residents. And we are working with local partners to weave community safety nets to help families at risk of abusing their children. We are now developing the social-services budget for 1999-2001 that addresses these and other social-services needs of Oregonians. Please join me at a Medford meeting on Monday, May 11, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Smullin Center, 2825 Barnett Road, to help decide how to invest dollars that make a real difference in our lives and those of our neighbors.

-- Gary K. Weeks, director, Oregon Department of Human Resources

Surely, the Mail Tribune can find something better to take up space than that diatribe written by O.J. Simpson ("Prosecute Fuhrman," April 17). One would think that even he would have sense enough to lay low and shut up! The only thing I would truly like to hear out of him is the progress he is making, re: "finding the real killer(s)."

-- Mary Engelson, Medford

Curt Bennett isn't the only city council member who expresses some strange thinking. Diana Rasmussen of the Phoenix council is offended if people who allow their property to look like trash heaps are called "trashy." She thinks we should just "all get along,'' including senior citizens offering to help clean up the rat's nests of people young enough to be their grandchildren.

Of course it should be noted that there are properties in Phoenix that have been a disgrace for years, and the council has ignored them. I never heard that Ms. Rasmussen was out there helping to clean them up. Nor did I ever hear that she did anything to strengthen the laws to stop them from becoming detriments to property values or to pride in the city. If people really need help, that is one thing. For Ms. Rasmussen to pander to some lazy, inconsiderate people of Phoenix is an insult.

Let us hope that all of the council members are not of the same mentality when they are asking us for more money. They can show their thinking by acting now, and enforcing a new, stronger ordinance.

Ms. Rasmussen, there really are people who are just plain slobs, and no amount of tears from you, or pleading from neighbors, are going to change things. Put a Band-Aid on your bleeding heart, and go forward to make our city one of pride.

-- Beverly Dargo, Phoenix

I read on the Mail Tribune's Web site the April 15 article about Jim Maddox's fund drive for the repainting of the Hedrick Hornet mascot on the side of the newly remodeled school. I have talked with my sister and brother, both of whom were students as was I, and we have sent checks to Western Bank.