Opinion
4A
Saturday, November 21, 2020
Our View
Local restaurants
need help, and
local businesses
need to comply
hile we just wrote about this, please
consider ordering takeout this
weekend from your favorite bar or
W
restaurant.
Gov. Kate Brown’s two-week freeze is in
effect, reducing food establishments to takeout
only. That means laying off staff and cutting
hours.
Union County is not the most densely popu-
lated place, but we have a fair variety of good
restaurant choices. Let’s ensure they can hold
on through this tough time. And if you can help,
they would appreciate it.
Sandy Sorrels, owner and operator of Ten
Depot Street, La Grande, told us Friday that
her food service representative was making the
rounds to local restaurants, and their situation is
dire.
“He said two different owners on his rounds
this week broke down and cried,” according to
Sorrels. “They don’t know what to do. They have
expended all of their resources.”
And while the $55 million the state is pro-
viding in federal CARES funds will go first to
businesses in the hospitality industry, restau-
rants and other business organizations say it’s not
nearly enough to prevent the freeze from leading
to widespread closures.
Sorrels also said that’s indeed the situation and
the industry needs an infusion of federal funds to
make it.
On the flip side of that, there is a local gym
flaunting the freeze mandate and remaining open.
Anytime Fitness is not closing down nor
requiring its users to wear masks. You can read
more about that on the front page of this edition
of The Observer.
Sure, our local restaurants and gyms have
not landed on the Oregon Health Authority’s
weekly report that includes information on work-
place outbreaks. That also has been the situation
statewide.
But that’s no excuse to disregard the freeze.
Union County saw in June what can happen
when a local church puts itself above the rest of
the community, leading to a raging increase in
COVID-19 cases. That’s not the kind of thing we
want to see happen again.
The county’s case count in the last two weeks
has been on a steep increase. The freeze is
about one thing — stopping that spike here and
throughout Oregon.
You can criticize Brown’s freeze for not get-
ting the right mix. For being too harsh. For not
happening soon enough. For the lack of federal
help to ensure businesses will survive. For a state
unemployment system that still is behind in get-
ting people their benefits. Yes, what she proposed
is wholly imperfect. But faced with a raging pan-
demic, it is not wholly unreasonable.
Disregarding the freeze or trying to find a
way to run around it is the wrong move. Eastern
Oregon lawmakers and county commissioners
are pushing to have Brown revise her one-size-
fits-all approach (you also can read about that on
the front page). That effort becomes a larger river
to cross each time a business owner or manager
in rural Oregon thumbs their nose at actions to
stop the spread of COVID-19.
Letters
Use your brain and do the
right thing
I cannot find the words to express
my anger that so many people refuse
to save lives by wearing masks. What
has happened to the brains of those
who think they need to go to the bar
or restaurant and laugh and cough
and pick up each other’s germs? What
in the world is wrong with those
who threaten the life of the governor
because she wants to protect the citi-
zens of Oregon?
How soft we have gotten that such
a simple thing as wearing a mask is
such a terrible hardship. The tired,
overworked medical workers don’t
think it is a problem for you to wear
a mask or stay a distance away. The
guys driving and loading the mobile
morgues in the cities wear masks. If
those of us in good health would care
enough to help out by wearing masks
and isolating for a short time, the
pandemic would be over sooner and
masks would be unimportant.
If you think it is against your con-
stitutional right to be asked to stay
home for a couple of weeks, do it
because it is the right thing to do.
With thousands of people dying and
millions crowding the hospitals,
doing the right thing holds priority
over your selfish claim to a constitu-
tional right. Everyone has the same
right but they choose to stay. They
don’t want to be near you in a busi-
ness or on the street. But, because you
refuse to do the right thing, others
choose not to go out and the busi-
nesses suffer for a longer time.
So which has your priority —
claim your constitutional right and
refuse to cooperate, or do the right
thing and save hundreds of thousands
of lives? Come on, Oregonians. You
have brains, so use them.
Evelyn Swart
Joseph
Not following safety
mandates is unpatriotic
Once again, the U.S. Marines have
met the enemy and prevailed. The
whipped enemy is the coronavirus.
Marine Training Center San Diego
has no COVID-19 infections. The
infection rate throughout the entire
Corps is extremely low. As always,
discipline and caring for your bud-
dies won the day. The Marines modi-
fied training to carefully follow scien-
tific hygiene guidelines. Masking and
distancing are enforced, preventing
COVID outbreaks and maintaining
readiness to fight. Now, compare the
Marine approach to that of Tootie
Smith, newly elected Clackamas
County commissioner.
Smith has gained notoriety, brag-
ging she won’t limit her Thanks-
giving or Christmas celebrations,
that she will “celebrate Thanksgiving
dinner with as many family and
friends as she can find.” She appears
to cherish the life of a super spreader.
This lack of patriotism is appalling.
Smith’s unwillingness to make the
smallest sacrifice to lessen the burden
on hospitals, doctors, nurses, thera-
pists and floor staff is selfish. Her lack
of concern for the lives of the elderly
and those with diabetes, hypertension
or other conditions is heartbreaking.
Smith’s words mock the sacrifices
generations of veterans have made.
Assigned to a destroyer deployed to
the Atlantic and North Sea, I missed
many Thanksgivings and Christ-
mases with family back in Eastern
Oregon. And I had it easy — with
a warm bunk and hot meals —
compared to my fellow vets with
year-long tours in killing zones of
Vietnam, obviously without family
or old friends for Thanksgiving or
Christmas.
And we paled compared to the
greatest generation. My father
boarded a troop ship departing San
Francisco in December 1941 for the
Philippines, but rerouted to Australia,
then to the jungles of New Guinea.
After three-and-a-half years con-
tinuously overseas (and malaria), he
returned stateside in April 1945. Yes,
he too survived Thanksgivings with
no family.
I fear for my family and country
if Tootie Smith’s attitude of others-
be-damned and no-sacrifices-by-me
(no matter how small) infects others
because of her position of power.
I pray Union County leaders will
choose authentic patriotism over
Smith-style posturing.
Charles Jones
La Grande
Contact your public officials
Local officials
La Grande: City Manager Robert Strope, 541-
962-1309, fax 541-963-3333; RStrope@cityofla-
grande.org; P.O. Box 670, La Grande, OR 97850;
Mayor Steve Clements, mayor@cityoflagrande.
org; Councilors Gary Lillard (mayor pro tem),
glillard@cityoflagrande.org; Nicole Howard,
nhoward@cityoflagrande.org; Corrine Dutto,
cdutto@cityoflagrande.org; Mary Ann Miesner,
mmiesner@cityoflagrande.org; Justin Rock,
jrock@cityoflagrande.org; and through the city
manager’s office.
Elgin: City Hall, 790 S. Eighth Ave., Elgin, OR,
97827; City Recorder/Administrator Brock
Eckstein, cityadm@cityofelginor.org; Mayor
Allan Duffy, 541-240-9763, mayor@cityofelgi-
nor.org; Councilors Mary West, 541-805-0443,
councilor3@cityofelginor.org; Kathy Warren,
541-786-9611, councilor6@cityofelginor.org;
Risa Hallgarth, 541-437-9462, councilor2@
cityofelginor.org; Rocky Burgess, 541-786-2417,
councilor1@cityofelginor.org; David Reed,541-
975-3306, councilor4@cityofelginor.org; and
Ryan Martin, councilor5@cityofelginor.org.
Cove: City Hall, 504 Alder St., P.O. Box 8 Cove,
OR 97824; City Recorder Donna Lewis, 541 568-
4566, donna.lewis@cityofcove.org; Mayor Del
Little, 503-508-6727.
Union County: County Courthouse: 1106
K Ave., La Grande, OR 97850; 541-963-1001;
fax 541-963-1079; Commissioners Donna
Beverage, dbeverage@union-county.org, Matt
Scarfo, mscarfo@union-county.org, and Paul
Anderes, panderes@union-county.org; admin-
istrative officer Shelley Burgess, sburgess@
union-county.org.
Wallowa County: Courthouse, 101 S. River St.,
Enterprise OR 97828, 541-426-4543 ext. 15; fax
541-426-0582; Commissioners Susan Roberts,
ext.133, sroberts@co.wallowa.or.us; Todd Nash,
ext.132, tnash@co.wallowa.or.us; John Hillock,
ext.131, jhillock@co.wallowa.or.us.
State officials
Rep. Greg Barreto of Cove (58th District): Sa-
lem office: 900 Court St. N.E., H-384, Salem, OR
97301; 503-986-1458. Email: rep.gregbarreto@
oregonlegislature.gov.
Sen. William S. Hansell of Athena (29th
District): Salem office: 900 Court St. N.E., S-423,
Salem, OR 97301; 503-986-1729. Email:
sen.billhansell@oregonlegislature.gov
Gov. Kate Brown: 254 State Capitol, Salem, OR
97310; 503-378-3111; www.governor.oregon.
gov.
United States officials
Rep. Greg Walden (2nd District): walden.
house.gov; 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.
Sen. Jeff Merkley: merkley.senate.gov.; 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, Portland, OR 97204; 503-326-3386;
fax 503-326-2900. Pendleton office: 310 S.E.
Second St., Suite 105, Pendleton 97801; 541-
278-1129.
Sen. Ron Wyden: wyden.senate.gov.; 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.
President Donald Trump: The White House,
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C.
20500; 202-456-1414; fax 202-456-2461; to
send comments, go to www.whitehouse.gov/
contact.