Opinion
A4
Thursday, July 1, 2021
OUR VIEW
Should grocery
stores have the
freedom to sell
liquor?
f you are a newcomer to Oregon and yearn
for booze, you learn quickly that you can only
buy hard liquor in state liquor stores.
If you are a newcomer to Oregon, you also
learn quickly that Oregonians can’t pump their
own gas in many parts of the state. (It’s a wonder
the state lets people plug in their own electric
cars!)
Surveys from the Oregon Values and Beliefs
Center seem to indicate Oregonians are ready for
change — in where they can buy liquor and in
pumping gas. Polls done in January showed more
than 50% of Oregonians support both policy
changes.
The restrictions on pumping your own gas
already have begun eroding. It’s OK to pump
your own in much of Eastern Oregon. Right
now Oregonians can do it because of the heat —
until Tuesday evening. We think Oregonians can
handle it full time. If you don’t want to pump
your own gas, we understand. In other states,
full-service stations often cater to that desire.
A permanent shift in the rules for booze may
soon be coming to a ballot near you. Two possible
ballot measures led in part by Lauren Johnson
of Newport Market in Bend aim for change. In
one, grocers could sell local spirits. In the second,
hard liquor just would be for sale at the grocer.
It’s not clear if the Northwest Grocery Associa-
tion, which is backing both eff orts, will actually
focus on one or the other for the 2022 ballot.
A private system with state oversight works
OK for pot sales. Grocery stores manage to sell
beer and wine just fi ne. We are sure they could do
the same with hard liquor.
There are many questions, though. What
happens to the people who have invested in
state-controlled liquor stores? Their business
model would be in big trouble. And will small
producers of craft liquors be better off in this new
system or worse?
The bigger worry for some is what happens if
it becomes more convenient to get hard liquor.
Would problems with addiction and substance
abuse rise? Maybe. But if people want booze now,
they will manage to get it. And we don’t see a
tidal wave of people in states with more freedom
to buy liquor calling to add more restrictions to
where liquor can be sold.
There’s going to be interest in fi guring out
what it might do to prices, as well. But until we
know for certain what will be on the ballot, it’s
hard to know what it might do. It’s also hard to
know if this just will be another in a series of
similar measures that never became law.
I
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The Oregon Legislature
honored our Vietnam veterans
STEVE
BATES
OTHER VIEWS
he 2021 legislative session
started with the hope that the
state Legislature would honor
our Vietnam veterans by passing
a bill to establish a Vietnam War
Memorial on the Oregon State Cap-
itol Grounds.
Senate Bill 319 was introduced by
the Senate Committee on Veterans
and Emergency Preparedness. The
bill dedicates a portion of Capitol
State Park to a Vietnam War Memo-
rial to be funded and constructed by
a qualifi ed nonprofi t corporation.
SB319 in its last paragraph
declares an emergency. Its preamble
states more than 180,000 Oregonians
served during the Vietnam War, of
which about 100,000 are alive today.
The average age of these Oregon
Veterans is 70+. Oregon is losing up
to eight Vietnam veterans per day.
This is based upon data from the
United States Department of Vet-
erans Aff airs. SB319 states: “It is
imperative to memorialize the ser-
vice and sacrifi ce of all who served
during the tumultuous decades of
the Vietnam War.” This should be
done before our Vietnam veterans
are gone.
The Senate passed SB319 with a
29-0 vote on March 18. The bill was
moved to the House and assigned to
the House Committee on Veterans
and Emergency Management with
T
a subsequent referral to the House
Committee on Rules. On May 18,
the House Veterans Committee
passed the bill unanimously with
a “Do Pass” recommendation. On
June 16, the House Rules Committee
did the same. On Tuesday, June 22,
the House of Representatives passed
SB319 with a 58-0 vote.
It now awaits Gov. Kate Brown’s
signature.
In 2017, the Vietnam War Memo-
rial Fund was founded as a 501(c)3
nonprofi t corporation with the sole
mission of funding and constructing
a Vietnam War Memorial on the
Oregon State Capitol Grounds. For a
year and a half, its steering committee
met regularly and developed a design
for the proposed memorial. The
design was adopted July 31, 2019.
During 2020, the design was
reviewed and approved by the
Oregon Capitol Planning Com-
mission and the city of Salem His-
toric Landmarks Commission. The
design was also approved by the
Oregon Parks and Recreation Com-
mission on Feb. 25. Subsequently,
the Oregon Parks and Recreation
Department and the Vietnam War
Memorial Fund have entered into a
memorandum of understanding that
outlines each entity’s responsibilities
going forward.
The approved design includes
interpretive panels that will detail
historic events and facts of the
Vietnam War. This information will
be developed later in the process
by the steering committee, which
is outlined in the memorandum of
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understanding. The steering com-
mittee will consist of veterans, local
and national historians, interpreters,
local and state public offi cials
and people representing Oregon’s
Vietnamese and Southeast Asian
communities.
This project has met all local and
state requirements with more than
a dozen public hearings or forums.
As a result, the Oregon Legislature
voted to honor our Vietnam veterans
by passing SB319 and setting aside
space for a Vietnam War Memo-
rial on the Oregon State Capitol
Grounds.
With the governor’s signature on
Senate Bill 319, the major permis-
sions will be in place to construct a
Vietnam War Memorial. While there
are state and local requirements
to be met, the greatest challenge
remaining is raising the $3 million
needed to complete the project.
As we approach the Fourth of
July holiday, remember to honor
all of our veterans. Freedom is not
free! In particular, you can honor our
Vietnam veterans with a contribu-
tion to the Vietnam War Memorial
on the Oregon State Capitol Grounds
Project.
———
Steve Bates has resided in Boring
for 44 years and is an honorary life
member of the Vietnam Veterans
of America and is a life member of
the Associates of Vietnam Veterans
of America. He serves as chair of
the Committee on Memorials and
Remembrance and president of the
Vietnam War Memorial Fund.
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