Opinion
4A
Thursday, May 21, 2020
The Observer
OUR VIEW
Legislature has no time to waste in special session
here is a growing
probability that Gov.
Kate Brown will
call a special session of the
Oregon Legislature within the
next few weeks to deal with
expected budget shortfalls
created by the COVID-19
virus outbreak.
Brown should call the spe-
cial session and shouldn’t
wait long to do so.
That’s because the state
is beginning to stagger after
weeks of closed businesses
and high unemployment.
Already, Brown has asked
state agencies to create a
plan to slash their budgets
by 17%. The Office of Eco-
nomic Analysis revealed
Wednesday the state is
almost $3 billion short.
Oregon faces another chal-
lenge — the state consti-
tution demands a balanced
T
yet another series of legisla-
tive battles over issues tied to
party dogma.
We don’t have the time
now to watch the special
session descend into chaos
because a group of law-
makers suddenly decide to
resurrect some flashpoint
issue from the past. The
only goal must be to face the
budget shortfall and balance
the budget, and then get back
to dealing with the virus
outbreak.
AP Photo/Anna Reed, File
There is a growing probability that Gov. Kate Brown will call a spe-
Anything less will be a
cial session of the Oregon Legislature within the next few weeks to betrayal of voters. Party
deal with expected budget shortfalls created by the COVID-19 virus
leaders and the governor
outbreak.
need to meet before the spe-
budget.
lenges for lawmakers, and
cial session and craft an
Unlike the federal gov-
their jobs during the spe-
agreement that narrowly
ernment, Oregon can’t put
cial session will be crucial.
defines what the special ses-
everything on a virtual credit What simply cannot happen
sion will tackle. That agree-
card and let the future take
is a divergence away from
ment must be clear and pre-
care of itself.
the budget woes and how to
cise and include provisions
That creates steep chal-
deal with COVID-19 into
that there will be no devia-
tion from the pressing matter
— the state budget — at
hand. Oregon lawmakers
no longer have the privi-
lege of wasting away days
on the legislative time clock
fighting over pie-in-the-sky,
New Age political initia-
tives. Lawmakers can do that
later. Policy issues that are
not related to the state budget
and the COVID-19 outbreak
should be jettisoned.
As is always the case,
elected leaders from both par-
ties will have an opportunity
to do some good work if a
special session is called. They
will be presented with an
opportunity to face a serious
set of problems, work on
them together and solve them.
Wasting time in any other
fashion is simply that —
wasting time. Time the state
and Oregonians do not have.
CONTACT YOUR
PUBLIC OFFICIALS
President Donald Trump:
The White House, 1600 Penn-
sylvania Ave., Washington,
D.C. 20500; 202-456-1414;
fax 202-456-2461; to send
comments, go to www.white-
house.gov/contact.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley:
D.C. office: 313 Hart Senate
Office Building, U.S. Senate,
Washington, D.C., 20510;
202-224-3753; fax 202-228-
3997. Portland office: One
World Trade Center, 121 S.W.
Salmon St. Suite 1250, Port-
land, OR 97204; 503-326-3386;
fax 503-326-2900. Pendleton
office: 310 S.E. Second St.
Suite 105, Pendleton 97801;
541-278-1129; merkley.senate.
gov.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden:
D.C. office: 221 Dirksen
Senate Office Building,
Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-
224-5244; fax 202-228-2717. La
Grande office: 105 Fir St., No.
210, La Grande, OR 97850;
541-962-7691; fax, 541-963-
0885; wyden.senate.gov.
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden
(2nd District): D.C. office:
2182 Rayburn Office Building,
Washington, D.C., 20515,
202-225-6730; fax 202-225-
5774. La Grande office: 1211
Washington Ave., La Grande,
OR 97850; 541-624-2400, fax,
541-624-2402; walden.house.
gov.
Oregon Gov. Kate
Brown: 254 State Capitol, Sa-
lem, OR 97310; 503-378-3111;
www.governor.oregon.gov.
Oregon State Treasurer
Tobias Read: oregon.treasur-
er@ost.state.or.us; 350 Winter
St. NE, Suite 100, Salem OR
97301-3896; 503-378-4000.
Oregon Attorney General
Ellen F. Rosenblum: Justice
Building, Salem, OR 97301-
4096; 503-378-4400.
State Sen. William S.
Hansell (29th District/
Pendleton): Salem office:
900 Court St. NE., S-423, Sa-
lem, OR 97301; 503-986-1729.
Website: www.oregonlegisla-
ture.gov/ hansell. Email: sen.
billhansell@oregonlegisla-
ture. gov.
State Rep. Greg Barre-
to (58th District/ Cove):
Salem office: 900 Court St.
NE., H-384, Salem, OR 97301;
503-986-1458. Website: www.
oregonlegislature.gov/barre-
to. Email: rep.gregbarreto@
oregonlegislature.gov.
State Rep. Greg Smith
(57th District): Salem office:
900 Court St. NE., H-482, Sa-
lem, OR, 97301; 503-986-1457.
Heppner office: P.O. Box 219,
Heppner, OR 97836; 541-676-
5154; Website: www.oregon-
legislature.gov/smithg. Email:
rep.gregsmith@oregonlegis-
lature.gov.
Oregon Legislature:
Legislative documents and in-
formation are available online
at www.leg.state.or.us.
City of La Grande: Mayor
Steve Clements, City Manager
Robert Strope; P.O. Box 670,
La Grande, OR 97850; 541-
962-1309; fax 541-963-3333.
Union County Commis-
sioners: Donna Beverage,
Matt Scarfo and Paul Anderes;
1106 K Ave., La Grande, OR
97850; 541-963-1001; fax 541-
963-1079.
Wallowa County Com-
missioners: John Hill-
ock,Todd Nash and Susan
Roberts; 101 S. River St.,
Room 202, Enterprise, OR
97828; 541-426-4543, ext. 11;
fax 541-426-0582.
Elgin City Councilors:
Mayor Allan Duffy, 501 N 11th
St., 541-437-1016, mayor@
cityofelginor.org; Mary West,
260 N 5th Ave., 541-805-0443,
councilor3@cityofelginor.org;
Kathy Warren, PO Box 697,
541-786-9611, councilor6@
cityofelginor.org; Risa Hall-
garth, PO Box 525, 541-437-
9462, councilor2@cityofel-
ginor.org; Rocky Burgess,
800 N 14th St., P.O. Box 854,
541-786-2417, councilor1@
cityofelginor.org; David Reed,
1011 Detroit St., PO Box 368;
541-975-3306, councilor4@
cityofelginor.org; Ryan Martin,
councilor5@cityofelginor.org.
La Grande City Council:
Mayor Steve Clements, Gary
Lillard, Nicole Howard, Cor-
rine Dutto, Mary Ann Miesner,
Jim Whitbeck, Justin Rock;
through the city manager’s
offi ce, 541-962-1309.
City of Cove: Mayor Del
Little, 503-508-6727, 504 Alder
St., P.O. Box 8, Cove, OR
97824; City Recorder Donna
Lewis, 541 568-4566.
Your views
‘Social approaching’ must
not be lost
I’ve traveled and been to a
number of countries, and what I
found was Americans are by far the
most touchy-feely. That’s why social
distancing is beyond hard for us. It’s
part of our DNA.
We are compelled to shake hands,
hug, high-five, knuckle touch, or pat
a child on the head. We are phys-
ically drawn toward each other
like no other place in the world. In
Southeast Asia, long-lost friends
Write to us
Mail: The Observer, 911 Jefferson Ave.,
La Grande, OR 97850
Email: news@lagrandeobserver.com
• The Observer welcomes letters to
greet each other with a polite bow.
In Australia, it seems there is always
a tankard of ale blocking a hug or
a handshake. I saw social touching
in France, but it seemed nonsponta-
neous, rehearsed and brazen, as in
“hey-look-at-us.”
This part of us is slipping away
and making us feel hollow. We need
to get it back before being colder
toward others becomes OK. I think
the touchy-feely chromosome is nur-
tured in Americans, and it adds to
what makes us strong. It drives first
responders to respond just that much
the editor. We edit letters for brevity,
grammar, taste and legal reasons. We will
not publish consumer complaints against
businesses or personal attacks against
private individuals. Thank-you letters are
discouraged.
• Letters are limited to 400 words and
must be signed and carry the author’s
quicker. It has something to do with
the “leave no soldier behind” mantra.
It makes us stop for someone waiting
to cross a street, or makes us wish
we had. It makes us nod and smile
at passing strangers. It might start
small with a pat on the head, but in
time it grows into full-fledged com-
passion for each other.
When social distancing is no
longer a law, social approaching
should become one, until we get back
whatever slipped away.
Mike Hayden
Cove
address and phone number (for verifica-
tion only).
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every two weeks.
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