Opinion
A4
Tuesday, June 21, 2022
OUR VIEW
Actions
speak louder
than words
S
tate lawmakers said all the right things
during a forum at the Eastern Oregon Eco-
nomic Summit in Hermiston last week,
including vowing to cooperate with each other
and try to eliminate partisanship.
Those vows should be good news for voters,
but unfortunately talk — at least in this modern
political era — is cheap.
Making bold promises to work together and
making a big show regarding cooperation makes
for good theater, but it only takes a single fl ash-
point issue — just pick one as they are legion
now — and all the smiling pledges will vanish
like wheat dust in a Umatilla County wheat fi eld
during harvest.
Frankly, voters have heard it all before, and
what usually occurs is — after assurances of
bipartisanship — yet another political dogfi ght
that gets no one anywhere but placates only the
lunatic fringe of both parties.
The bottom line is voters in this state — and in
Eastern Oregon — deserve better.
They deserve lawmakers who can put aside
the bellowing rhetoric of the fanatics in each
party. Lawmakers who can fi nd a middle ground,
regardless of how controversial a particular issue
may be, and move things forward.
Walking out of a legislative session isn’t pro-
ductive. Yet, neither is political bullying by a
majority party in blind obedience to views and
policies that work for only a select few. Nei-
ther one is democracy. Both are symptoms of a
far more insidious disease that haunts our great
Republic now. A malady rooted in prejudice, mis-
information and the ambitions of individuals who
do not have the best interests of the Republic in
their hearts. Individuals who tap into a general
angst perpetrated by TV personalities who care
only for growing the size of their paychecks, not
what is best for democracy.
We are a great nation that is capable of so
many great things, but you wouldn’t know it
by glancing back over the past few years at the
American political arena. Instead of reasoned,
productive political discourse we’ve been a cap-
tive audience to riots, scandals and outlandish
federal spending. As much as Americans like a
good spectacle, at some point the one-trick pony
of partisanship becomes just yet another bizarre
— and meaningless — circus act.
Lawmakers in this state need to back up their
lofty words of unity and cooperation. That means
they must do so with not just the countless minor
legislative issues that arise, but also on the con-
troversial themes that can quickly divide.
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OTHER VIEWS
Educate yourself about
Alzheimer’s and dementia
June is Alzheimer’s and Brain
Awareness Month, and as a volun-
teer for the local chapter of the Alz-
heimer’s Association, I encourage
all Oregon residents to raise aware-
ness and educate themselves about
Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
This devastating disease impacts
more than 69,000 Oregonians with
that number growing year over
year.
In addition to raising awareness
at home in Oregon, last month I had
the pleasure of heading to Wash-
ington, D.C., to meet with members
of our congressional delegation and
urged them to support a number of
our priorities including:
• the bipartisan NAPA Reau-
thorization Act and Alzheimer’s
Accountability and Investment Act
that would help ensure the nation
continues to prioritize Alzheimer’s
and other dementias
• an additional investment of $226
million for Alzheimer’s research at
the NIH for 2023
I am grageful to Rep. Bentz, his
staff and the rest of our delegation
for their time and continued lead-
ership on issues critical to those
impacted by dementia.
To learn more about this disease
and how you can join the fi ght to end
Alzheimer’s, visit alzimpact.org.
MacKenzie Rodgers
Enterprise
Wildfi re, high winds could
bring unwelcome visitors
in the form of embers
As I sit looking out my window
on this early morning, I am capti-
vated by the sight of the luxurious,
nay, rampant growth of every green
thing known to man. Some wel-
come, others not at all.
Our rainy season has settled in
to encourage rainforest-like growth.
The human eye has a sensitivity to
green light. Perhaps a holdover from
our ancient past as free-range ten-
ants of forests and grasslands. The
color off ers a sense of well being and
calm. It is a good way to begin the
day, turmoil forgotten.
Then my thoughts turn to our
surrounding miles of grasslands and
forests. Now we see verdant growth
replacing images of the dry brown
ruin left by the winter months. Yet
our traditional weather patterns fore-
tell summer droughts and all the
tall greenery turning to fl ammable,
dried fuel for potential wildfi res.
Other areas across the West have
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
STATE 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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suff ered fi res of amazing ferocity,
even early in the season. Homes and
business districts burned out. Could
this portend a similar fate for us?
Looking eastward, I can see a
large, well-weathered wooden struc-
ture wrapped with vegetation on
two walls, nearly to the eaves. Then
I imagine the lush foliage dry, des-
iccated, no longer an eye-pleasing
green, rather the tan color of prime
tinder. Just like the bare wood walls.
Is this why fi res, once limited to fuel-
fi lled forests, invade cities? Homes
and businesses are more vulnerable
when the in-town areas contain such
structures as I see across the street
from my window. How many others
are dotted around our community?
Could we be vulnerable? What about
a neighbor’s stand of tall grasses?
Have I any that need trimming
down? How much is too much?
Should the drought cycle descend
upon us, the outlying areas could be
at risk. From there, a wildfi re com-
bined with high winds could bring
unwelcome visitors in the form of
embers. I now look at overgrowth
with a diff erent perspective. Time
to dress and get outside, to tour the
property.
Cut it back while it is still green.
Rick Rienks
Baker City
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