Opinion
A4
Tuesday, March 1, 2022
OUR VIEW
Buying peace in
the Legislature
not a long-term
solution
W
alkouts and slowdowns have been
features of recent Oregon legislative
sessions. This time around we have
thankfully seen only slowdowns.
New House Speaker Dan Rayfi eld,
D-Corvallis, is trying something novel. He
off ered Republicans a slice of the state’s
unexpected extra revenue to divvy up themselves.
It’s $100 million.
“There’s absolutely no strings attached,” Ray-
fi eld said. “This is not an exchange for anything.
This is about making meaningful change in com-
munities across this state.”
Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner, was one of four
lawmakers tasked with creating a plan for the
money.
“I believe the speaker of the House is saying,
‘Let’s see if there’s a better approach to public
policy, one where we can all communicate
together.’ It’s refreshing,” Smith told OPB.
Smith said that initiallly lawmakers thought
the goodwill gesture was some sort of payout.
“After initial conversations and once folks had
a chance to better understand what this approach
was about, I think more folks came along,” he
said of a meeting in which House and Senate
Republicans discussed the idea.
In a way, this peace off ering is good. Demo-
crats have control of the House, the Senate and
the governor’s offi ce. Republicans have felt like
they are ignored and resorted to slowdowns and
walkouts. The money could help smooth over
some of the diff erences.
“We’re all committed to make sure that rural
Oregon has the things it needs to progress,”
said state Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward,
D-Portland, one of the state’s top budget writers,
when asked about the package. “I’ll be honest
with you. I think we’re making investments that
are more than $100 million.”
But in another way it’s disappointing. It hints
that a functioning Legislature can only be bought
with money. What then happens in the next
downturn?
Smith, the House Republican budget lead, said
this is an approach unlike any he’s seen. He’s just
not sure it will help heal relationships in Salem.
“I would hope it moves us a step closer,” he
said, adding: “You’re always going to have folks
who are skeptical.”
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YOUR VIEWS
Use nonlethal practices
on wolves and coyotes
We are a rural, hunting family and
would never kill a wolf or a coyote.
Research in several states has proven
wolves and coyotes prefer to eat wild
game. Destroying their family structures
leads to increased livestock predation.
So we buy beef only from ranchers that
use predator-friendly practices, available
locally.
Currently before the state Legislature
are two bills: House Bill 4080 authorizes
creation of “predator damage control dis-
tricts” to pay the controversial “Wildlife
Services” program of the U.S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture to kill Oregon’s
wildlife deemed a threat to private prop-
erty, without having to use or consider
nonlethal methods. End of year 2020,
this program killed 201,606 native wild-
life in Oregon.
HB 4127 requests an additional $1
million on the heels of $400,000 from
the Legislature, just last year, to be paid
into the current Wolf Compensation
Fund. This fund was established to sup-
port nonlethal prevention methods and
compensate rancher losses. These funds
have been misused to supply livestock
managers with “tools” such as telemetry
equipment tuned to wolf radio collars
and ATVs used in state-issued kill orders.
“Coexistence” doesn’t mean deputizing
these compensated livestock managers to
hunt down state-protected wildlife.
Before handing out any tax candy,
the political arm of the livestock industry
needs to prove the same success as indi-
vidual ranchers. The largest sheep oper-
ation in Idaho has proven such success.
Even after initial skepticism, the most
cost-eff ective protection of their business
is nonlethal methods over killing pro-
grams or reimbursement fund programs.
See link to fi lm: wildlifecoexistence.org/
the-wood-river-wolf-project.
Killing everything in order to do
our human business is not the future we
want to hand our children.
Susan Strass
Bend
Time to restore energy
independence
Time to wake up, America. Things
have to change. What we see happening
in Ukraine is unconscionable.
Since becoming a player of some
signifi cance on the oil and petrochem-
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. PRESIDENT
Joe Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
U.S. SENATORS
Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Offi ce Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande offi ce: 541-962-7691
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
Bobby Levy, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-376
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.BobbyLevy@state.or.us
Cliff Bentz
2185 Rayburn House Offi ce Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
Medford offi ce: 541-776-4646
SENATOR
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-415
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us
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ical scene, Putin has decided to fl ex his
muscles and he needs to be reminded
he is not invincible. One way to do that
is to hit him in the pocketbook. Every
time we fi ll our tanks with gas, we con-
tribute to his war chest.
Why are we still buying Rus-
sian oil? Oh, right, now I remember,
someone higher up decided we Amer-
icans should quit being energy inde-
pendent, quit producing so much oil
at home and buy Russian. By doing so
we have aided and abetted — and still
are by the way — Ukraine’s desperate
situation.
We should not be begging Russia
or OPEC to sell us more oil, we should
be petitioning our politicians to do
their job and demand the restoration
of drilling operations and the opening
up of the Keystone Pipeline work here
in America immediately, creating
American jobs and American profi t.
America could be exporting oil and
gas to the EU.
Please, folks, write to your represen-
tatives and senators. Time for us “little
people” to make our voices heard!
Stand up for American Made, America.
Darrell and Rose Howe
Monument
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