Opinion
4A
Thursday, October 8, 2020
Our View
Voters should
turn down
Measure 109
he most surprising item you’ll see on your
Nov. 3 ballot is Measure 109.
Oregon voters are being asked to decide
whether or not to legalize psilocybin — also known
as magic mushrooms — with very specific rules,
restrictions and timelines.
Background: Psilocybin is a compound found
in certain mushrooms. It is psychoactive, meaning
it has effects on the brain, and it has the ability to
induce hallucinations. It is being studied as a treat-
ment for alcoholism and other addictions, and more
recently for depression, post-traumatic stress dis-
order and anorexia. Historically, it has religious
and medicinal uses in some cultures, and has a low
potential for abuse.
Researchers at well-respected institutions are
increasingly studying psilocybin to determine how
to best use it to help people. But there is much to
be learned. Like all psychoactive drugs, it can have
serious side effects.
Psilocybin is a Schedule I narcotic, and it has
been decriminalized in a few places, but remains
illegal except for medical research.
While it’s very possible that psilocybin will
become a valuable therapeutic tool in the future,
we don’t see the advantage to Oregon being out in
front of the rest of the nation. We hope the research
continues, and that we see a similar measure on the
ballot in a few years, but for now, we recommend a
“no” vote on Measure 109.
T
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Letters
Nicole Howard pursues
projects that improve
lives
I enthusiastically endorse
Nicole Howard as the most quali-
fied candidate for La Grande City
Council Position 2. Having served
in this position for the past four
years (and on the city planning
commission before that), she has
proved she understands how to
provide more opportunities for all
citizens in our city, regardless of
their background, economic situa-
tion or level of family support.
As a teacher and parent, I am
impressed by her diligence in pur-
suing projects that improve lives,
especially those of seniors, youth
and community members who
have few resources. I feel certain
that Nicole will continue to advo-
cate for programs such as our city
library, with its Wi-Fi hotspots,
computer access and literacy pro-
grams that have helped so many.
She is working toward the cre-
ation of a library district, which
would bring improved revenue
streams and would link ours more
directly to libraries throughout
our region. Additionally, she sup-
ports the endeavors of the parks
and recreation department in its
pursuit of more opportunities for
year-round athletic and wellness
activities for our residents.
Most important, Nicole is very
observant. She is a problem solver
who seeks creative solutions
despite the constraints of our city
budget. She, along with current
council members, understands the
expectation for transparency and
accessibility. Please know that, in
my experience, she will welcome
your input if you choose to give it,
and she will respond honestly and
consider your ideas thoughtfully.
Please join me in reelecting
Nicole Howard for City Council
Position 2.
Anne March
La Grande
Use critical thinking to
evaluate claims
I’d like to remind everyone
that the La Grande mayor and
the city council are nonpartisan
offices. There’s no surprise at
the attempt to politicize them,
that’s been going on all over the
country.
I’d also suggest that the idea
that there’s a plan for the city
to involve itself with anti-fas-
cist protests is as silly as the
rumors that there was a busload
of anti-fascists making their way
here. We’re getting this sort of
noise every week, and we need
filters to keep things straight.
Here are two rules from Carl
Sagan about critical thinking that
I use for that purpose. Take them
for what they’re worth:
• Wherever possible there
should be independent confirma-
tion of the facts.
• Encourage substantive debate
on the evidence by knowledge-
able proponents of all points of
view.
The internet has given
everyone in the world a voice.
That’s never happened before.
We need to listen to as many of
those voices as possible — oth-
erwise we’re all stuck in an echo
chamber. I like to step out of that
chamber and take it all in. I hope
to see others around me doing the
same thing.
The mayor and the city council
are not Republicans or Demo-
crats. They are public servants.
Norm Cimon
La Grande
Grandma’s Golden Rule
method could be useful
today
I had a loving but stern,
no-nonsense grandmother. When
a grandchild would bite, say a
naughty word, yell, lie or speak
unkind things to another person
— look out! Grandma would cut
a thin slice of her special bar of
Ivory soap. The offender would
have the soap chip placed in
their mouth for exactly two min-
utes. During that time, Grandma
would lecture on how what we
did was harmful to someone
else. Having your mouth washed
out with soap was very effec-
tive. The faint taste of soap
and the lecture made a lasting
impression.
Is there something similar to
do in 2020 to stop the avalanche
of accusations, name-calling,
lies, mean spirited speech and
slander? Yes, there is.
I propose that if someone
speaks ill, is unkind, fires off
unfounded personal attacks or
lies by use of a cellphone or a
computer, we just update Grand-
ma’s methods. The offending
phone or computer must be
placed in soapy water for two
minutes.
As one is buying a replace-
ment phone and searching for
new computer components,
I would hope that would be
an opportunity to reflect on
the behaviors that caused this
situation.
Call it karma or the Golden
Rule, none of us will be made
happier by being unkind or
bringing pain and distress to
another person.
On the bottom of all of my
emails is this quotation: “Be
kinder than you think is nec-
essary. Everyone you know is
going through some sort of diffi-
cult battle.”
True dat.
Zee Koza
La Grande
Work of city council
makes La Grande a
better place to live
I want to express my sincere
gratitude for Mayor Steve Cle-
ments and all La Grande city
council members, especially
Nicole Howard and Corrine
Dutto.
It is evident to me that:
• You take your roles
seriously.
• You have given much of
your time in service to the com-
munity of La Grande.
• You look at all sides of
issues before making decisions
for our community.
• Individually and as a group
you have made our city a better
place to live.
I appreciate your willingness
to be in the public eye and do the
work that helps make La Grande
a wonderful place to live.
Lisa Foggia
La Grande
La Grande council
challengers lack real
platform
Mr. Alex McHaddad and his
fellow Republican-endorsed
La Grande City Council candi-
dates present a number of ideas
about city governance as their
platform.
Central to their platform is the
idea that city government lacks
transparency. Nothing could be
further from the truth.
The city more than meets all
requirements for meeting noti-
fication and posting of min-
utes. There are multiple routes
for citizens to receive such
notifications.
McHaddad has suggested that
all committee and commission
meetings should be recorded. Of
course, city council and budget
committee meetings already are.
How much would his proposal
cost? Five committees meet
monthly. That’s 60 meetings a
year, at $600/session to Brent
Clapp. That’s $36,000 a year.
Three other committees meet
on an as-needed basis. If they
each meet twice a year, that’s an
additional six meetings, and the
total video cost would be nearly
$40,000. Is this the best use of
our tax dollars? I think not.
Another central point in their
platform is snow removal. Cur-
rently, the city starts plowing
if 6 inches of snow have fallen.
McHaddad proposes plowing
all arterials if 2 inches of snow
falls. It takes a day for snow-
plows, trucks and operators to do
this, and costs $20,000. A 2-inch
arterial plow policy could easily
necessitate 10 extra plows a year.
Should we earmark $200,000
of our already stretched public
works budget for 2 inches of
snow? I think not.
McHaddad proposes a police
commission. The number of
complaints about police in La
Grande is vanishingly small.
Do we really need a commis-
sion? I think not. Do I need, as
McHaddad proposes, to have
“coffee with a cop”? I think
not. I’d rather have police on the
street than meeting with me. We
have a great police department.
Let them do their job.
The reality is Mr. McHaddad
and his slate don’t have much
of a platform to run on. So they
fabricate issues where none exist
and propose unnecessary and
expensive solutions without dis-
cussing where the money will
come from.
Our city government func-
tions pretty darn well. Hard
choices about resource alloca-
tions have to be made, and not
everyone will agree with council
and the city manager’s actions.
But, given the economic con-
straints the city faces, we should
be giving council and staff a big
thank-you. One way of doing
this is to retain our incumbents
with your vote when your ballot
arrives.
David Moyal
La Grande