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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (July 30, 2022)
Opinion A4 Saturday, July 30, 2022 OUR VIEW Voters want results from elected offi cials O ur elected leaders on both sides of the aisles politically need to do much more to realign themselves with the middle ground of America and shun the high-powered rhetoric and shouts of the lunatic fringe. True, everyone in our great nation has the right to express an opinion, and that right is a sacred one that must be guarded. However, during the past decade it seems those who sit on the opposite poles of the right and left have gained new prom- inence, their voices louder, their dogma more militant. In the Oregon Legislature there is a clear divide among Democrats and Republicans with the GOP vastly outnumbered and relegated to an ineff ective minority. The state assembly polit- ical roster mirrors our own national stage politics in the sense there apparently exists a wide gulf between what each side desires. In Oregon, the majority Democrats have the power and use it in ways lawmakers believe their constituents want. Usually, when major political confl icts erupt, Republican lawmakers face few alternatives other than simply leaving the building to erase a quorum needed for votes. That means, essentially, that on really critical issues, the normal discourse needed by a Democ- racy to succeed breaks down. One side gains the advantage, or in Oregon’s case at times, one side is left standing alone on the dance fl oor while the other is long gone. What those types of actions accomplish is create a wider dissatisfaction that continues to grow. Oregonians have shown in polls they want more out of this year’s gubernatorial race than the usual name-calling added to a good dose of fear-mongering from the far edges of both par- ties. Voters don’t want more fi ghting. They want results. Therein lies the problem. Because results are not being measured — either here at home or on the national political stage — by practicable results but instead by which part of the far left or right can gain ascendency. Our elected lawmakers on both sides of the political fence need to begin to work together and to develop concrete solutions to diffi cult problems. Calling Democrats liberals bent on destroying the Republic and Republicans as people who want to create some kind of Hand- maid’s Tale system is not only ludicrous but pre- vents problem-solving and creates more turmoil. The future of our nation and state rests on our lawmakers’ ability to work through problems. Not fi ghting. EDITORIALS Unsigned editorials are the 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. LETTERS • The Observer welcomes letters to the editor. We edit letters for brevity, grammar, taste and legal reasons. We will not publish con- sumer complaints against busi- nesses, personal attacks against private individuals or comments that can incite violence. We also discourage thank-you letters. • Letters should be no longer than 350 words and must be signed and carry the author’s name, address and phone number (for verifi - cation only). We will not publish anonymous letters. • Letter writers are limited to one letter every two weeks. • Longer community comment columns, such as Other Views, must be no more than 700 words. Writers must provide a recent headshot and a one-sentence biography. Like letters to the editor, columns must refrain from complaints against businesses or personal attacks against private individuals. Submissions must carry the author’s name, address and phone number. • Submission does not guarantee publication, which is at the discre- tion of the editor. SEND LETTERS TO: letters@lagrandeobserver.com or via mail to Editor, 911 Jeff erson Ave., La Grande, OR 97850 The Observer newsroom is addressing feedback from surveys, reader comments KARRINE BROGOITTI FROM THE PUBLISHER K en Blanchard, known best as a business consultant, man- agement expert and speaker, has been credited for a quote that’s fl oated in and out of my head on many occasions over the course of my newspaper career. “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” It’s taken on slightly diff erent meanings over the years, but the foun- dational message has resonated and stuck with me like a nice, hearty bowl of oatmeal. Just as breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day (ask any mother or grandmother), feedback from our readers and the communities we serve gives us the opportunity to take stock of our oper- ations and our coverage and ensures that we’re putting our valuable, but limited, resources and energy into what matters most to you. Not into the things that we think matters. A well-balanced breakfast helps refuel your body and mind, restoring focus and helping lift your mood. Your feedback serves a very similar pur- pose for our business and our shared community. When you’re hungry, it’s more diffi cult to perform at your best. Likewise for The Observer. Without feedback, news organizations like ourselves “starve” without the fuel of input from readers — operating in a vacuum and limiting our opportunities to improve and enhance our news and advertising content. Very recently, we conducted a survey of The Observer’s readers, asking them to provide us with feed- back (oatmeal) on various aspects of the paper, including questions about what topics interest them and what types of stories they would like to see more or less of. We also posed scarier questions (What could we do better? What are we missing from our con- tent?), hoping we’d get some honest responses. And we did. The valuable input you shared breathes new energy and focus into our newsrooms and gives us a roadmap for future features and sto- ries. Based on your candid sugges- tions, constructive criticism and a slew of heartfelt compliments, we’ve already added resources and energy into expanded business coverage — U.S. PRESIDENT Joe Biden The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, DC 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 Karrine Brogoitti is the publisher of The Observer and the Baker City Herald. 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 U.S. REPRESENTATIVE Jeff Merkley 313 Hart Senate Offi ce Building Washington, DC 20510 202-224-3753 Pendleton offi ce: 541-278-1129 Cliff Bentz 2185 Rayburn House Offi ce Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6730 Medford offi ce: 541-776-4646 STATE REPRESENTATIVES GOVERNOR Bobby Levy, District 58 900 Court St. NE, H-376 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1458 Rep.BobbyLevy@state.or.us 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 █ CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES 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. both new businesses and features on existing businesses, as well as local reactions to wider business trends. Many responders said they’d like to see more stories related to news and topics impacting our smaller communities and we agreed. You’ll see enhanced coverage and stories from the out- skirts of La Grande in print and online — and so far, readers are enjoying it. We’re looking forward to delivering more of what you’ve asked for in the coming weeks and months. I hope for some, you recognize these enhance- ments as something you yourself indi- cated as important or overlooked when contributing to our survey. A very special thank you to our print and digital subscribers who were willing to participate in our survey and to share the good (and often- times great!), the bad and the ugly. And to those of you who weren’t part of our May reader survey, consider this your personal invitation to reach out to me with your own “breakfast suggestions.” If feedback is indeed the breakfast of champions, The Observer is eating like a king. 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 ..................... 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