I saw Bill Oram’s cri de coeur for Moda Center renovation, (“I hope I’m wrong, but this is why I fear the Trail Blazers could be as good as gone | Bill Oram,” Feb. 9). It was shortly followed by the news that state Sen. Rob Wagner is proposing that the state help foot the bill, (“Moda Center funding bill introduced in Salem with few specifics, broad support from top Democrats,” Feb. 11).

To be abundantly clear, it is obscene to propose spending more than twice the TriMet budget shortfall on a basketball arena. If moving the Blazers would “set Portland’s economy back by a generation,” an opinion Oram attributes to economists, I would need to see hard data to this end, and not histrionic pearl clutching about the spirit of the city.

According to Smart Growth America, every dollar invested in public transit generates four dollars in return. By that metric, $300 million in funding for TriMet would generate $1.2 billion dollars in return.

Portland is a city full of people who deserve reliable transit, and who depend on reliable transit. I cannot countenance spending civic funds on a basketball team while services Portlanders depend on, including transit, are in fiscal freefall.

Tom Dundon’s net worth is reported at around $1.5 billion. The city I live in is not his playground, and the state’s coffers are not his purse. I would appreciate if the paper of record would show some dignity before Croesus.

Moira Hicks, Portland

It’s easy to remember the date when Oregon became a state because it shares it with Valentine’s Day.

Although it would have been sweet if the day was intentionally selected, it was not. That day in 1859 just happened to be when President James Buchanan signed the bill officially admitting Oregon as the 33rd state in the Union.

Oregon is the first state with a Feb. 14 anniversary of statehood. The event was celebrated at the Capitol Saturday with live music by the Oregon Old Time Fiddlers Association.

The group performed classic American folk songs and fiddle tunes such as “Bile ‘Em Cabbage Down,” also known as “Boil Them Cabbage Down.”

The earliest known printed version of the song appeared in 1878, meaning it was probably known by people on the Oregon Trail, said Cathy Yale, chairwoman of the Oregon Old Time Fiddlers Association’s District 8. There are 10 districts.

Musicians invited kids to a table to touch an old-fashioned cigar box guitar, autoharp, fiddle and mountain lap dulcimer.

People also had a chance to see the original Oregon Constitution protected in a glass case on view in the Capitol Galleria. The document will be returned to the Oregon State Archives.

For more on Oregon’s birthday, see Oregon-themed valentines created by OregonLive.com. The Peak Northwest podcast, celebrating Oregon’s birthday and beloved places in every part of this state, can be heard at OregonLive.com/podcasts.

Oregon legislators are considering a bill that would prohibit public bodies from spending resources to help sell or transfer federal public lands to private interests.

“National public lands belong to all Americans, including all Oregonians,” Fiona Noonan, of Central Oregon LandWatch, said at a hearing on the bill Feb. 2.

For years, some congressional leaders have sought to privatize federal public lands. The effort has gotten a boost under the Trump administration.

A draft federal budget bill released last summer proposed selling off thousands of acres of Oregon public lands, including Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service land. That provision was dropped from the bill.

Significant areas in Oregon, especially the areas around Mount Hood, have been targeted for privatization.

“This profiteering would eliminate public access and permanently degrade recreational experiences, local economies, and cultural and traditional uses throughout Oregon, and thwart long-term conservation management needed to sustain these resources for generations to come,” Ryan Houston, executive director of the Oregon Natural Desert Association, said in written testimony.