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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 2016)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016 Don’t tout it I n Lyra Fontaine’s “Everyday People” article Aug. 22 in The Daily Astorian, she intro- duces us to a newcomer touter of the tourist industry, Mr. Kevan Ridgway (“From look- ing backward to making things happen”). Here is another pro- moter of destinations who has rooted around and found the truffle of Cannon Beach. What this master of mar- keting doesn’t understand is that most old-time residents of Cannon Beach feel that the beauty of the beach has been lost in translation. Now it’s the bounty of the boutique. The so-called “village” is now beyond the saturation point with businesses that appeal to people who are clueless about our endless opportunities for “free” recreation. Mr. Ridgway says, “We need a solid brand that we can all get behind.” I think pro- moting Cannon Beach as the one place left where nothing happens is the best marketing brand we could have. Mr. Ridgway also says, “One of the other key princi- ples is we won’t do anything for tourism that isn’t good for our residents.” What will be good for the residents of Can- non Beach, I proffer, is to mar- ket Cannon Beach with silence. Overselling “the village” will kill it. REX AMOS Cannon Beach Positive impact W hen Drew Herzig and Charlie Schweigert folk- danced into town, they brought much fresh air with them. In the short time they have been here, they have accomplished many remarkable things for Astoria. Drew and Charlie got the warming center up and run- ning, they started the Asto- ria Open Studio Tour and they helped create the Lower Columbia Diversity Project. Charlie founded the Consort of all Sorts. Drew was elected to the Astoria City Council. Both of them have been involved with many more proj- ects than I have named. They have made such a positive dif- ference to this town. They are going to be sorely missed. I am hoping that these wonder- ful projects will continue after they leave. SYLVIA DAVIS Astoria More bad planning T hat was an interesting let- ter by Larry Ziak about the streets of Astoria (“Bad plan- ning,” The Daily Astorian, Aug. 26). It must be conta- gious, because we have a simi- lar situation here in Seaside. A 10-block area (North Holladay Drive) was supposed to be completed in six months. For many reasons, includ- ing poor planning, it’s still not complete — and when it is, we’re going to be blessed with concrete lampposts in the mid- dle of the sidewalk. The side- walk is 6 feet wide but only 42 inches will be usable. We have lost so many parking places that it’s ridiculous. It’s not three or four posts, but 19 or 20 that are involved. I’m sure it’s legal — just like the First Avenue Bridge, that causes one to drive out onto First Avenue so you can see oncoming traffic; or the Broadway and highway mix-up, that causes one to sit for up to 10 minutes when making a left-hand turn to head south; or the lack of a turn lane between Safeway and the “Y.” Are we saving money by not hiring project engineers from outside of the area? BOB COOK Seaside Immigration truth I t is frustrating to read let- ters to the editor that either demonstrate a complete lack of factual knowledge on the topic being discussed, or are inten- tionally spreading disinforma- tion and lies. A case in point is Jim Elvin’s letter, “Lax laws” (The Daily Astorian, Aug. 19). It opens with, “Obama’s idea of ignoring our immigration laws and encouraging those who break them ...” What? Here is a reality check for Mr. Elvin: The Obama administration has deported more people than any previ- FRIDAY EXCHANGE ous administration, ever. It is true that in 2015 the number of deportations dropped sig- nificantly. However, they still outpaced all but one year of the Bush administration, where it was essentially a tie, and remain on track to do the same again in 2016. The reduced deportations were because of huge pres- sure from both sides of the aisle. The reasons were two- fold. Some business leaders complained to their represen- tatives because they were find- ing it tough to staff their busi- nesses, thanks to the previous six years of aggressive enforce- ment by Immigration and Cus- toms Enforcement (ICE). But what really prompted the blowback was when ICE began aggressively enforcing existing employment laws and investigating, fining and incar- cerating business people who knowingly hire illegals. That, apparently, crossed the line. Why do so many businesses hire illegals? The answer is simple (if not particularly moral): They can pay them far less, and they don’t have to worry about worker protec- tions or workplace safety and health regulations. With aggressive enforce- ment of the already existing laws regarding hiring illegals, two things will happen. First, the illegal immigration prob- lem will significantly dimin- ish. If there aren’t any jobs, the vast majority of illegals will not come here. Second, wages will rise, workers will be treated better and job sites will be safer because legal residents have recourse to the law, while an illegal will remain silent and suffer what they must out of fear of deportation. Plenty of businesses thrive without hiring illegals. But they complain it is hard to compete against those who do. So they blame the illegal immigrants, who are not the problem. The overwhelming majority of them are just sim- ple hard-working people try- ing to make a better life for themselves and their families. In reality, the problem is the scofflaw business owners who knowingly hire illegals to cut their costs. The right wing noise machine has grown accus- tomed to having its fearful fol- lowing accept any lie it tells, so the lies keep getting bigger, and farther from the truth. But when someone from 100 miles away tries to spread these lies and disinformation in my neighborhood, I’m going to speak up. BILL GRAFFIUS Gearhart A fair question I t seems that we are living in the final days of the Repub- lican Party as a viable national voice. Over the last twenty-odd years we have witnessed the dissolution of that party as a spokesman for, and a provider of reasonable answers to the challenges that have faced us. They instead have consis- tently responded with criticism of all Democratic efforts, while offering nothing to remedy legitimate concerns. They have unfailingly produced lackluster candidates and tepid solutions when in power, and almost nothing of consequence when in the minority. Now, on the cusp of new presidency and a reordering of the Congressional rolls, they present us with Donald Trump, the least likely and most unlike- able of all possibilities, and we are obliged to ask, “Is this the best they can do?” It is a fair question, and one that should worry us all. What it demonstrates to me is that they are in tragic disarray, and can find no cause or can- didate worthy of their efforts. Because democracy is best served by vigorous debate over the issues that confront it, and the initiatives that grow out of those efforts, it is essential that these conversations take place and that they be attended to by both parties. It’s not enough to be against something or someone. In the present climate the Grand Old Party has lit- tle of merit to offer except to defame the opposition candi- date (anywhere from clothing style to Benghazi), while leav- ing the true concerns (jobs, the economy, education, Isis) for another day or year. This won’t do. We need the Republicans 5A Support TPP D to be something, or stand for something, so we can know all sides of an issue, or cause, or candidate. Presidential campaigns are most important because they are the method whereby we set our national agenda for the next four years and beyond. If these concerns are not deemed worthy of their attention, we wind up with what becomes a one party system, and that is not a healthy situation. The country needs a seri- ously involved opposition party. We don’t have one now. JACK GUYOT Astoria No thanks, GMOs have no hesitation in voting for Hillary in the upcoming elec- tion. She has the respect of our friends around the world. She has kept her dignity when she has been attacked. I believe she has proved that she can grace- fully but effectively deal with conflict and adversaries. The “baby” in question would be the Supreme Court. Without a doubt, the next presi- dent is going to be appointing a judge to that branch of the gov- ernment. I want Hillary Clin- ton to be the one making that appointment. Please fellow Bernie sup- porters, join me in voting for Hillary Clinton. PHYLLIS COOK Astoria H Kudos ow did we reach the point where the food indus- try can plunk down a bowl of chemical stew and we will just eat it, having as our only assur- ance that it has not been proven to be harmful? I do not need proof that we should not be eating antifreeze, herbicide and pesticide. I do not need proof that ingredients that sound like paint additives are not food. All of these are in prepared food. Yet we eat it! Because … Why? Because “they” wouldn’t knowingly sell us food that was harmful, espe- cially to babies and children? The tobacco industry long thrived on that kind of logic, and knowingly killed millions of people. I watched a tobacco industry spokesman say he would encourage his own son to smoke, even while their own secret documents even- tually proved that they knew tobacco was both addictive and deadly. People in these posi- tions are paid to have no con- science. They will say what- ever needs to be said to keep selling product. I do not need proof that we should not be eating foods that are genetically modified to withstand doses of herbi- cide and pesticide that com- peting crops cannot. Yet your paper said there is no proof that GMOs are bad for us, entirely missing the point (“GMOs are not the villain or panacea some believed,” The Daily Astorian, May 19). We’re just trying to end hunger, agribusiness cyni- cally responds. How can any- one be against that. And we’ll do it, making our crops imper- vious to massive doses of can- cer-causing chemicals that just coincidentally will make it impossible to grow any crop unless you buy it from us. We will have a monopoly on food and it will be laden with toxic chemicals; but, hey, its a small price to pay, right? How did we become so gullible? RODNEY MERRILL Astoria Vote for Hillary B ack in the olden days when I was in school, I had a wonderful teacher named Jesse Pflueger. Dr. Pflueger taught philosophy, ethics and logic. One of his favorite sayings is one I will carry to the grave. He would reason his way to a conclusion, then poke holes in the reasoning he used in reaching that apparent fact, but remind us that there was some truth in the conclusion. He would then lean forward, wag his finger at the class and very emphatically demand, “but let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater.” In the primary election I voted for Bernie Sanders, and I will always be grateful to him for pulling Hillary Clinton fur- ther left. That said, however, I I was glad to read the recent feature article in The Daily Astorian, “Land of the Giants: The Nature Conservancy leads restoration of old-growth stands in Washington state” (Aug. 23), about the Ellsworth Creek Forest, owned and man- aged by The Nature Conser- vancy (TNC). The writer gave us a recent update of forest management objectives and activities on the forest. How- ever, I was surprised and dis- appointed that no mention was made of the contributions made by earlier forest managers Bill Lecture and Kyle Smith. Back in about 2008, when The Nature Conservancy decided they needed to hire a professional forester to plan and direct activities, they hired Bill Lecture, a local forester with 30 years experience in the field. Over the next four or five years, under his leadership, a management plan was insti- tuted, high quality roads were constructed, old roads were vacated and decommissioned and many overstocked stands were thinned, with the objec- tive of moving these overly dense forests into a more “nat- ural” condition. The forest also began to make money for TNC, as the timber produced by thinning operations brought forest products companies to the table with their funds. After the first couple of years under his management, Bill hired a young forester, Kyle Smith, to handle much of the field forestry work and day to day supervision of activities. Once Bill retired, Kyle then became the staff forester for the Ellsworth and carried on the work initiated by Bill. Kyle now works for TNC in its Port- land office. So, kudos to current for- ester, Dave Ryan, who is doing a good job, I’m sure. But, he is standing on the shoulders of the professional foresters who went before him, and not so long ago that they should not be mentioned and given credit. TOM SCOGGINS Astoria espite the political rhetoric, the facts about trade still stand: The Trans-Pacific Part- nership (TPP) trade agreement will take time, cost and com- plexity out of trade, especially for small and medium sized businesses, while stimulating much needed economic growth here in Northwestern Oregon. As a business leader in our community, I write on behalf of the 708 UPS employees here in Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici’s district to express support for TPP and to encour- age Rep. Bonamici to also sup- port it. As the November elec- tions grow closer, the TPP — and trade in general — has become a hot topic among can- didates at all levels, and in the media. My business knows first- hand how trade impacts jobs and our community. For exam- ple, we estimate that every 22 packages that cross a border supports one job in the UPS package operation, making trade critical to the future of UPS and our employees in Ore- gon’s 1st Congressional District and the 3,601 UPSers in Ore- gon. Additionally, our export volume has increased by 20 percent on average to countries with which the U.S. has imple- mented free trade agreements. TPP will eliminate 18,000 tariffs on made-in-America goods, and remove barriers that disproportionately affect small businesses looking to grow glob- ally. The agreement will also expedite customs procedures and remove red tape by requir- ing fewer paper documents and requiring adoption of electronic pre-clearance processes. The bottom line is that when it is easier to trade, more trade happens. And more trade means more jobs at UPS, and for our customers. I urge Congresswoman Bonamici and her colleagues in the House and Senate to approve TPP during this ses- sion of Congress. Our busi- nesses and workers already face competition around the world, including in fast-grow- ing Asia-Pacific countries. Delay is not in the interest of the U.S. or our economy. JESSE WYCHULES Lake Oswego