how to return clean javascript from a rails3 custom view helper?

Using Rails 3: In my update.js.erb file I found I was repeating a lot of stuff. So I tried to put it all into a helper. But I'm having trouble getting the helper to give back clean javascript. It puts in \" everywhere instead of "

Here's what I started with:

<% if @list.show_today %>
    $("#show_today_check_<%= @list.id %>").removeClass("gray").addClass("orange").attr("value","0");
<% else %>
    $("#show_today_check_<%= @list.id %>").removeClass("orange").addClass("gray").attr("value","1");
<% end %>   

<% if @list.show_inventory %>
    $("#show_inventory_check_<%= @list.id %>").removeClass("gray").addClass("white").attr("value","0");
<% else %>
    $("#show_inventory_check_<%= @list.id %>").removeClass("white").addClass("gray").attr("value","1");
<% end %>

etc.

Here's the helper I wrote to generate the above javascript:

def toggelButtonState( object, name, color)

    if object.send(name)
      @add_col = color
      @rem_col = 'gray'
      @value = "0"
    else
      @add_col = 'gray'
      @rem_col = color
      @value = "1"
    end

    js = '$("#'
    js += "#{name}_check_#{@list.id}"
    js += '").removeClass("'
    js +=  @rem_col
    js += '").addClass("'
    js +=  @add_col
    js += '").attr("value","'
    js += @value
    js += '");'

end

I call it with:

<%= toggelButtonState( @list , 'show_today', 'orange' ) %>

And here's what I get in the response:

 $(\"#show_today_check_2\").removeClass(\"orange\").addClass(\"gray\").attr(\"value\",\"1\");

Now I did notice a similar problem with straight html in helpers. It wouldn't let me return stuff in angle brackets. But then I found out about content_tag. Is there something similar for javascript? How can I get rid of the \"s?