Opinion
A4
Tuesday, July 5, 2022
OUR VIEW
Public records
law needs a
disclaimer
O
regon’s public records law should come
with a disclaimer. It should be like one
of those car ads on the radio where after
you hear about the deal, the announcer goes rap-
id-fi re through all the conditions that can make
you wonder how good a deal it really is.
That’s because Oregon law discriminates against
people on access to public records.
If you are rich or have a rich backer, the fees for
getting access to public records are no problem. If
you are not rich or work for a company that makes
slim profi ts or no profi ts, Oregon’s law essentially
says you are not worthy of the same level of access
to records that are purportedly public.
Oregon’s Public Records Advisory Council
is developing legislation aimed at improving the
equality of access.
Children get public education in Oregon, no
matter what their socioeconomic status. You get to
check books out of the public library, no matter what
your socioeconomic status.
But access to public records, that is based on your
ability to pay. Of course, a lot of things are like that.
It’s hard for most people to fi nd the time and money
to give a lot of attention to what’s going on in local,
state or national government and try to infl uence it.
Being rich helps. Being poor certainly does not.
A police report. Details about new development
in your neighborhood. Plans for trails along the river.
Those are all things the public has a right to. All
those things are usually pretty easy to get and at low
or no cost.
What if you want records that show the negotia-
tions with a big-tech company over how much water
it will use in its new plant in Hood River? What if
you want all the records that show how the police
interacted leading up to a protest at Pilot Butte?
What if you are worried your government is doing
something it shouldn’t? Do you think getting access
to those records would be easy or cheap? Most likely
not. People with money would be able to at least
try. The barrier of fees would stop some from even
trying.
Oregon’s Public Records Advisory Council has
been holding meetings and listening to testimony
about this issue for months. Last week, it talked
about what possible legislation might say.
One big change: Requester tiers. The type of
requester would change what could be charged.
Commercial interests would have to pay for the
actual cost of any searching, duplication and review
of documents. Media and public interest organiza-
tions, educational and non-commercial scientifi c
organizations would have to pay only for duplica-
tion. Anyone else, including members of the general
public, would have to pay for search and duplication.
One additional requirement that is being consid-
ered is no fees for a requester’s own fi les or records.
Another is that fees would be waived or reduced
by at least 25% if the requester is a member of the
media and the request is made in the public interest.
There’s much more to the proposal than we have
listed. You can see a draft in very preliminary form
at tinyurl.com/PRACchanges.
A clear outcome of such changes is that costs of
public records would shift from individual members
of the public seeking information to government,
which of course is funded by the public as a whole.
It may also increase demand for records because
requesters would not have to pay as much. That may
increase the burden on government staff with more
requests. But if they are public records, shouldn’t the
law ensure all the members of the public have rea-
sonable access to them?
You can see more about the Public Records Advi-
sory Council here: tinyurl.com/ORprac.
YOUR VIEWS
Private insurance
companies never asked
what we wanted, needed
Thank you for your editorial of
June 23 outlining some questions
regarding the Joint Task Force for
Universal Health Care. As the edito-
rial points out, there are questions and
concerns. Right now, the task force
is taking input and questions from
us, the public. When did our private
insurance companies ask us what we
wanted, needed and preferred from
them?
Many questions are addressed on
this link for the Task Force: tinyurl.
com/ORhealthmeetings.
To become involved with solutions:
www.hcao.org
Let’s put our heads together and
come up with the best solution for all
Oregonians.
Teresa Smith-Dixon
La Grande
Republicans forcing women
to decide between
bad options
Well, Republicans have once again
reaffi rmed to whom their loyalties
lie. This time they have ignored the
happy, healthy lives of future genera-
tions, and given in to the deep pockets
of the oil and coal giants.
Young women will have to live
under the umbrella of bad choices
or no choice at all, about their lives,
deciding if life without choice is really
worth living. I have never before in
my life seen more hypocrisy than dis-
played by so-called evangelical Chris-
tians, who believe the only freedoms
we should have are the ones they think
we should have. Liars in the Supreme
Court.
I usually don’t like to point fi ngers,
but it is apparent now that they have
only one goal in mind, and that is to
make the entire country believe their
way is the right way. It is time to stand
up and say no, not today.
I am not an overly religious person,
but I believe if there is a God, he
meant for us all to choose the way of
life we live, right or wrong, follow
your own feelings, and suff er the con-
sequences, good or bad.
Don Worley
Baker City
Trump is the only
example of fraud in the
current situation
Where to start? The Jan. 6 hear-
ings that a lot of President Donald
Trump supporters have no doubt been
afraid to watch for fear of hearing the
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
STAFF
SUBSCRIBEAND SAVE
Subscription rates:
Monthly Autopay ...............................$10.75
13 weeks.................................................$37.00
26 weeks.................................................$71.00
52 weeks ..............................................$135.00
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Offi ce Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton offi ce: 541-278-1129
STATE REPRESENTATIVES
GOVERNOR
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
NEWSSTAND PRICE: $1.50
You can save up to 55% off the single-copy
price with home delivery.
Call 800-781-3214 to subscribe.
damning testimonies of people for-
merly loyal to the Donald have peeled
back one ugly layer after another
about this highly incompetent and
abhorrent individual.
A person so un-American that he
lets his own personal interests and ego
come before the good of the nation. So
petty and childish that we can almost
feel pity for this man-child with
claims of fraud. He is and continues
to be the only example of fraud in the
current situation.
The ultimate irony is that the only
fraud committed came from him and
his lapdogs, asking for donations from
those still foolish enough to believe in
his false claims of voter fraud. Mil-
lions given for his phony stop the steal
campaign. Money that’ll never be
used for anything other than to line
Trump’s pocket.
The Democrats can’t even get
out of their own way, let alone orga-
nize choreographed fraud on a multi-
state scale. Stop the whining, come to
realize that the inability of Trump to
even bring about a scant resemblance
of a grown man and admit he lost in a
free and fair election is the reality.
There is a sucker born every
minute according to P. T. Barnum.
Trump’s lackeys prove that every day.
David Gracia
Hermiston
Anindependent newspaper foundedin1896
www.lagrandeobserver.com
Periodicals postage paid at Pendleton, Oregon 97801
Published Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
(except postal holidays) by EO Media Group,
911 Jefferson Ave., La Grande, OR 97850
(USPS 299-260)
The Observer retains ownership and copyright
protection of all staff-prepared news copy, advertising
copy, photos and news or ad illustrations. They may
not be reproduced without explicit prior approval.
COPYRIGHT © 2022
Phone:
541-963-3161
Regional publisher ....................... Karrine Brogoitti
Home delivery adviser.......... Amanda Turkington
Interim editor ....................................Andrew Cutler
Advertising representative ..................... Kelli Craft
News clerk ........................................Lisa Lester Kelly
Advertising representative .................... Amy Horn
Reporter....................................................Dick Mason
National accounts coordinator ...... Devi Mathson
Reporter...........................................Isabella Crowley
Graphic design .................................. Dorothy Kautz
Toll free (Oregon):
1-800-781-3214
Email:
news@lagrandeobserver.com
POSTMASTER
Send address changes to:
The Observer,
911 Jefferson Ave.,
La Grande, OR 97850
A division of