Opinion
4A
Tuesday, June 22, 2021
OUR VIEW
Road
construction
a necessary
hassle
I
t’s that time of year when construction crews
will be out on local roads completing a series
of projects and for locals that can mean
delays and long waits.
It should also mean, though, that area motorists
pay especially close attention around road project
sites.
Accidents in the area involving road crews
working on roads and motorists are fairly rare,
but that doesn’t mean they don’t — or won’t
— happen.
We all can relate to sitting on the road waiting
for what seems like hours to get by an area where
crews are working on our highways. Sometimes
— especially if we are in a hurry — that frustra-
tion can build and then erupt in a spate of care-
less, or inattentive driving.
That kind of incident not only puts the driver
of the vehicle in danger but also puts the crews
working on the project at risk.
The road projects are necessary and part of
long-term plans by the Oregon Department of
Transportation to maintain the pathways we all
use to get from point A to point B.
In short, the work is essential and necessary.
Every summer, construction crews fan out
across the region to start a variety of projects, so
their work has become sort of a time-honored tra-
dition. We know when its summer from the high
temperatures and from the amount of road con-
struction projects that are going on throughout
our local area.
Crews will be working on well-traveled
arteries such as Oregon Highway 82 this month
and throughout the summer. The delays will
be there and so will the impulse to grow impa-
tient. Try not to. We want everyone to be safe this
summer and we don’t want any local excursions
to turn into a tragedy — either for area motorists
or work crews.
Slowing down and being attentive will go a
long way toward staying safe this summer.
We all want a good summer. Let’s make sure
we stay safe out there.
EDITORIALS
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opinion of The Observer editorial
board. Other columns, letters and
cartoons on this page express the
opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of The Observer.
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LETTERS
Anti-animal ag initiative
is a very bad idea
I read an article a few weeks ago
about Initiative Petition 13 (“Anti-an-
imal ag initiative raises alarm among
Oregon farm groups,” May 20, 2021).
I couldn’t believe our state would even
consider such a move. This would
destroy any activities that involve
animals.
Ranching of any kind could
become a thing of the past. Animal
control in regards to hunting, fi shing
would end, leading to an overabun-
dance of crop-destroying animals.
This initiative would aff ect the pro-
duction of meat and poultry (including
eggs) and pork, which this bill says
can only be used for consumption
after the animal has died a natural
death, meaning old unsafe meat. It
also aff ects the safety of people in
their homes. If this bill passes no one
will be allowed to kill a rat or for that
matter a bug in their home without
breaking the law. The organiza-
tions like FFA and 4-H, which train
ranchers and farmers, could become a
thing of the past.
In the letters to the editor also on
May 20 Duane Berry stated, “For way
too long rural Oregonians have lived
under the thumb of a Democratic gov-
ernor and Legislature that design the
rules and laws to fi t the metropolitan
scene, totally ignoring the lifestyle of
ranchers, logger and citizens in rural
Northeastern Oregon.” This quote was
in regards to Northeastern Oregon
becoming part of Idaho, but it fi ts with
Initiative 13.
This idea of meat production and
ranching was brought up by our vice
president as part of their new idea
of a “Green New Deal,” which so
far has proven to be harmful for our
country as gas prices are way up due
to the shutdown of oil and natural gas
production.
Mr. David Michelson, the chief
petitioner of the bill and an animal
rights activist, has presented this
bill and has reached one hurdle of
receiving 1,000 sponsorship signa-
tures. The next step will be to collect
112,020 signatures to have it placed on
the November ballot.
This initiative is bad for our state as
well as our nation and must be stopped
here in Oregon. We still have time
to stop this. It is the worst thing that
could happen.
Gail Baker
La Grande
American Capitalism should
work for employees, as well
The American capitalistic system
is based on supply and demand. When
there is not enough product to supply
the number of people who want and
can aff ord it, the prices increase. When
there is more product than people want
or can aff ord, prices go down.
Supposedly, this creates a balance
that benefi ts both consumers and pro-
ducers. According to the theory, there
is no need for the government to be
involved in this system.
Because of a global pandemic, pro-
duction has been low. Workers were
furloughed, laid off or unable to work
because of disease. The economy
tanked and not enough goods were
produced to keep businesses going.
The government, in order to prevent
a serious economic depression, pro-
vided subsidies for furloughed, laid off
or disabled workers to keep the people
from doing without their basic needs.
While receiving assistance to meet
their needs, families survived and the
economy began to show the possibility
of improving.
To the surprise of many capitalists,
unemployed workers are not eager to
return to work for the low-wage sal-
aries they were barely surviving on
before the pandemic. Apparently, the
potential employees are reluctant to
go back to the low-paying jobs. They
are unwilling to accept jobs producing
goods they cannot aff ord to buy.
Now our American capitalists con-
clude that government must become
involved. Because they are not get-
ting their workers back, employers are
demanding that the government stop
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People need psychiatric care in
their community
The Oregon State Hospital is nearly
full. Members of the military have
been called in to care for patients
in need of 24-hour on-site nursing
and psychiatric care. What led to the
crisis? Our mental health system is
meant to provide a range of care. Trag-
ically, we have not yet built a key piece
of this system: treatment services that
people can access in the community.
People are surging into the level
of care that’s meant as a last resort —
our state psychiatric hospital — and
stressing it. This is a natural and fore-
seeable consequence of not building
the other essential parts of the system.
In less than 10 years, people who do
not have the mental capacity to stand
trial because they are unable to help
their attorney defend them in court
have more than tripled. As a portion of
the OSH’s overall patient caseload, the
percentage of these patients climbed
from 11% in 2012 to 69% in 2021.
People who could have been
treated in the community are ending
up at OSH. Because OSH is the most
restrictive, least cost-eff ective part
of our system, the human and fi nan-
cial tolls of this practice are enor-
mous. People do better when they can
access treatment in their community.
Subjecting individuals to unneces-
sary segregation and institutionaliza-
tion is unconscionable.
We solve this by providing people
housing, supports, and the treatment
they need where they live.
KC Lewis
Portland
STAFF
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paying subsidies to help families sur-
vive. CEOs and business owners want
the government to force workers back
to work for less than sustaining wages.
So my question is, if capitalism
works for pricing goods, why is it
not useful for paying workers to pro-
duce the goods? Couldn’t the theory of
supply and demand apply here?
Evelyn Swart
Joseph
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