Letters to the Editor

COUGAR BAIT

DEAR MERCURY—Just curious how we ended up on Wm. Steven
Humphrey’s radar? I was surprised when I read that Humphrey suggests,
“I beg you to DEFY this cultural trap! Older ladies, go snag yourself
one of those PSU lacrosse players” [“Mercury Sex Survey Results
2009,” Feature, March 12]. Funny enough, we are playing the Washington
State University Cougars on April 4 [at] 1 pm. Feel free to let the
older ladies in the city know to stop on by and watch the game; free
admission and plenty of single lacrosse players!

-James Taylor, PSU Lacrosse Club President

BARE NECESSITIES

DEAR MERCURY—Interesting article about Karen Rider, the
woman that auctions the foreclosed properties on the courthouse steps
[“Going, Going, Gone!” Feature, March 19]. I also thought it was
interesting that while she bemoans the fact she sometimes only
makes 30 or 40 bucks a day and is contemplating bankruptcy, [she]
still has money for coffee and cigarettes. I don’t have a lot of
sympathy for people that are not doing everything possible to get
themselves in a better financial position. 

 -Jim Taylor

HIGH AND DRY

I fail to understand why a lending institution would kick a person
out of a house and have it stand empty, then sit down with the borrower
and work something out [“Going, Going, Gone!” Feature, March 19]. I
guess I just don’t understand high finance.

-Posted by ujfoyt on portlandmercury.com

NOT JUST NOW

DEAR MERCURY—As a former staff member at Just
Out newspaper, I feel the need to add a few details to Matt Davis’
article that Just Out owner Marty Davis conveniently left out
[“Weaker and Weeker,” News March 19]. I was employed at Just Out in 2007, WAY before there was any noticeable recession. Even in 2007
Ms. Davis repeatedly missed pay dates, often offering us very small
cash “advances” under the table in lieu of our processed payroll
checks. The irregularity of when and how much we would get paid made it
difficult to pay bills on time, make rent each month, and caused three
of my coworkers to quit within a few months of each other. Keep in
mind, this was YEARS AGO. The dedicated, hard-working editorial and
sales staff that stuck it out despite not being paid were rewarded by
Ms. Davis with verbal attacks, name calling, emotional abuse, and blame
for the paper’s financial problems. The fact that Portland may lose its
only queer-focused paper is sad, but its demise is neither the
economy’s nor the staff’s fault. Just Out is failing because of
poor management and the unprofessional and often cruel way Davis treats
her employees.

-Ben Nystrom

MONEYSUCKING WHAT?

How does a delay in implementing an accounting system cost $60,000 a
day [“BREAKING: New Accounting Delay Will Cost City up to $3.9m in
Unanticipated Overruns,” Blogtown, Mon March 23; also see News, pg. 6]?
That’s like paying the complete annual salary of a CPA every single
day.

-Posted by Graham on blogtown.portlandmercury.com

JUICED

DEAR MERCURY—My condolences to the person who wrote the
blurb about getting juicy grapefruits at the Portland Farmers Market
[My, What a Busy Week! March 19]. That’s just silly. Unless somebody
moved the market to Texas, California, or Florida and forgot to tell
me, we’ll never see citrus at our local farmers markets.

-Jill Charvat

GOOD CALL, JILL! You got us, mesmerized as we were by the summery
scent of citrus fruits at our area grocery stores (and not at the
farmers markets)! You win two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater and
lunch at No Fish! Go Fish!, where the chefs can distinguish a Texas
grapefruit from an Oregon morel much faster than we.