FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2015
4 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
Opinion / Local
— Editorial —
Teddy had
it right
Congressman Greg Walden gave a par-
ticularly rousing speech in Baker City this
weekend in which he quoted Theodore
Roosevelt: “Far better it is to dare mighty
things, to win glorious triumphs, even
though checkered by failure, than to take
rank with those poor spirits who neither
enjoy much nor suffer much, because they
live in the gray twilight that knows not
victory nor defeat.”
This quote embodies the spirit of a
long-ago America—a spirit we’d like to
see renewed, rebuilt.
Too often these days we see a divide
between those of whom the likes of Wil-
liam Wallace or Ronald Reagan would
be proud—those Americans who want to
create freely, to support themselves and
thrive despite all risk—and those who
want to feel safe, secure and taken care of
even if that security comes at the price of
their independence.
Where has our nation’s desire for
self-sufficiency gone? Has mass timidity
somehow overcome bravery and ambi-
tion?
Teddy had it right all those decades ago,
but today in many circles he’d probably
be looked at as “divergent.” He’d prob-
ably end up on a terrorist watch list.
Life is meant to be lived. The failures
and successes along the way serve to grow
our souls, and when our souls flourish, so
do our families. When our families flou -
ish, so do our communities. When our
communities thrive, so does our nation.
Whether beholden to Federal dollars in
order to farm your land, or that monthly
welfare check that supports your perpetu-
ally unemployed family, the end result
will always be a certain stagnation of
spirit. You are living in the gray twilight.
Our wise friend Utah State Rep. Ken
Ivory said to us once that this dichotomy
has been the way of things since the dawn
of time, this struggle between surrender-
ing and suffering. We think he’s right.
But we also think there are pinpricks of
light in that darkness. America has long
been one of those greatest lights. But even
her light won’t shine forever if her people
are content to go dim.
—The Baker County Press Editorial Board
— Letters to the Editor —
I support the trade agreement
To the Editor:
I urge Oregonians to encourage our
Congressional delegation to support adop-
tion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
trade agreement.
TPP boosts Made-in-America exports to
some of the fastest growing countries in
the world, eliminates trade barriers, cre-
ates a level playing field, and establishes
rules stopping unfair trade.
In 2013 Oregon exported $2.3 billion in
raw agricultural products, as well as other
value-added products. Oregon’s agricul-
tural exports boosted farm income and
supported about 17,400 jobs that can pay
20% more than jobs not connected to the
international economy.
Foreign trade is crucial for Oregon’s
urban and rural businesses. Standing still
on the TPP is not an option.
With Oregon’s strategic Pacific Rim
location the TPP is vitally necessary. For
Oregon companies with products garner-
ing international demand, Asia is essential
for our growth.
The TPP will grow Oregon’s economy,
add family-wage jobs, and support indus-
try throughout Oregon.
Stan Baker, Baker Seed Technologies
Corvallis
only choices were: allow the City to cheat
me or take them to court. If I was the only
one being cheated I would have let the
City get away with it. It’s only because I
am a member of the Baker City Council
that I felt I owed the other people, who the
city is also illegally double charging, my
obligation to straighten this out.
I have endured one year of ridicule
from the City staff, four members of the
City Council and that other newspaper.
I was wrongfully removed as mayor by
those four council members. I risked
paying about $50,000 in attorney fees. If
the mayor of Baker City has to go through
this to be heard what chance does an aver-
age citizen have ?
Richard Langrell
Baker City
Clearing the smoke
To the Editor:
I was amazed by the misinformation
in another paper’s editorial on 3/18/2015.
Tim Collins’ mistake was deciding he had
the power to dictate sewer/water rates,
only City Council can set rates. The
person costing tax payers thousands of
dollars is City Manager Mike Kee.
Mike can’t understand a simple one-
page contract. In depositions Mike said
“the City has no document that allows
us to charge Langrell’s double for sewer/
water.”
Mike convinced four members of City
Council, one an attorney, to enter into
the lawsuit instead of returning the over
charged fees.
A double sewer/water rate was never
part of the annexation. It was discussed,
but never considered for the contract. The
City offered the 10-year moratorium on
taxes because none of us felt a need for
more property in the city. We built in the
county because we didn’t want to be in the
city. None of the annexed property has
been built on.
Judge Pahl’s ruling does not preclude
the city from introducing evidence. It
says Tim Collins has no authority to set
rates and what was discussed during ne-
gotiations is not part of a written contract.
The reason the city will not be introducing
any evidence is because none exists.
I tried to get city managers to follow the
terms of their contract for ten years. My
To the Editor:
On March 19, a press release was put
out by the US Forest Service on “Focus
turns to Forest Plan Revision public en-
gagement as Travel Management [Subpart
B] paused in the Blue Mountains”
This press release as nothing new, and
bordering on an open attempt to confuse
and give a false set of hope to the public
on Travel Management.
1) Travel Management has been on the
“back burner” of both the Wallowa-Whit-
man & Malheur National Forest Since
2012, this article states nothing new, and
is a disservice to pretend they have done
something new.
2) This release gives the false impres-
sion that the supervisors and regional
forester are giving some sort of relief to
the people of Eastern Oregon, when no
such relief is been given.
3) Sub part A of Travel Management on
the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest is
still being developed and the article fails
to state that or how Sub A will be used
as a spring board to Sub part B and the
closure of the mountains.
Most importantly – This is not the Blue
Mountains Forest Plan Revision. Restrict-
ing motorized use fully is in the forest
plan revision through the designation of
routes, and you are still fully looking at a
closure of our mountains if it goes through
as written with designation of routes.
The message is the same, No designation
of routes, No obliteration of roads, and No
reduction of road densities in The Blues,
period, end of discussion.
I cannot stress enough, this is a non-
story and worse it gives people the false
impression this is some sort of victory, IT
IS NOT! Your access is still in jeopardy
and your vigilance is needed and required
to keep your mountains open. Do not
get sucked into the hype, because it’s all
smoke and mirrors.
Chuck Chase
Baker City
Letter to the Editor Policy: The Baker
County Press reserves the right not to pub-
lish letters containing factual falsehoods or
incoherent narrative. Letters promoting or
detracting from specific for-profit business-
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every other week per author. Letters should
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the opinions of their authors, and have not
been authored by and are not necessarily
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endorsement of or fulfillment obligation
by this newspaper for the products or
services advertised.
Misinformation about lawsuit
abounds
County signs CCAA
Baker County has re-
cently signed a Candidate
Conservation Agreement
with Assurances (CCAA)
with US Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS).
The main goal of the
CCAA program is to assist
landowners in preparing
their land for the possible
land use regulations that
would come with listing
the sage grouse.
Some have compared
the potential impact to
the ag industry to impacts
felt by the timber industry
when the spotted owl was
listed.
Landowners who are
interested in the program
would work one-on-one
with SWCD staff to form a
site specific plan.
These plans will help
demonstrate that ag op-
erations are not causing
damage to the sage grouse
habitat.
Landowners in Baker
County who are interested
in learning more about the
voluntary CCAA program
are invited to attend a
public meeting, hosted
by the Baker County Soil
and Water Conservation
Districts.
Speakers will include
representatives from USFS
and Baker County Com-
missioners.
The meeting will be held
on Thursday, April 9th
from approximately 5 p.m.
- 8 p.m. at the OTEC meet-
ing room in Baker City.
Ladd accident takes teen’s life
Oregon State Police
(OSP) troopers are con-
tinuing the investigation of
a single vehicle, fatal, roll-
over traffic crash on I-84
near milepost 277 - Ladd
Canyon.
Preliminary information
indicates that shortly after
7:00 p.m., a Blue, 2000
Ford Excursion pulling
a toy-hauler type travel
trailer, being operated by
Todd M. Schroeder, 54,
of Milton-Freewater, was
traveling eastbound on
I-84 and descending Ladd
Canyon when the vehicle
lost control and rolled over
into the center median.
The vehicle was occupied
by two adult and three
juvenile passengers. The
front seat adult passenger,
Jerry W. Schroeder, 73,
of Milton-Freewater, was
transported via air ambu-
lance to Legacy Emanuel
Hospital in Portland with
serious injuries.
The center seat passen-
ger, Fisher Schroeder, age
14, of Milton-Freewater,
was ejected from the
vehicle and pronounced
deceased at the scene. The
driver and two other juve-
nile passengers suffered
minor injuries and were
treated at Grande Ronde
Hospital in La Grande.
Information about safety
belt use is still being inves-
tigated.
OSP was assisted by
the Oregon Department
of Transportation, Union
County Sheriff's Office,
Island City Rural Fire
Department and the La
Grande ambulance. The
cause of the crash is under
investigation and any
further questions can be
referred to Trooper Robert
Routt at the Oregon State
Police office in La Grande
Released murderer warnings
were made in error
Several in Baker County
received a call last week
stating convicted murderer
Ward Weaver, for one, had
been released from the
Snake River Correctional
Facility, and asking them
to call if they felt their
safety was threatened.
The wording led people
to believe he and other
convicted felons had been
released to this area. It was
all just a glitch.
Oregon's VINE (Victim
Information and Notific -
tion Everyday) system
experienced a major
technical glitch Friday
evening. Routine system
maintenance appears to
have triggered numerous
notifications to victims
in error. The contractor
for the service, Appriss,
working on the repair, and
issued an "alert express" to
everyone who received an
erroneous notification
In addition to the alert
express, victims and
members of the public can
check on the current status
of inmates in the custody
of the Oregon Department
of Corrections (DOC) by
using the Oregon Offender
Search. DOC and Appriss
apologize for the erroneous
notifications, and are co -
mitted to remedying the
issue as soon as possible.
Oregon launched the
statewide VINE service in
2001, becoming the 11th
state to adopt the program.
Oregon VINE, available in
both English and Spanish,
monitors offenders being
held in county jails, Or-
egon Department of Cor-
rections facilities, Oregon
Youth Authority facilities,
and individuals who are
currently on community
supervision. The program
has sent more than 10 mil-
lion notifications since its
implementation.
Walden secures SRS funds
WASHINGTON, DC
– U.S. Rep. Greg Walden
(R-Hood River) today
announced that he has
secured a two-year exten-
sion of the Secure Rural
Schools program for local
schools, roads, and law
enforcement in Oregon’s
rural forested communi-
ties. The extension has
been included in a bipar-
tisan agreement to reform
how doctors are paid under
Medicare, which the House
is set to vote on this week.
“This two year extension
gives us time to continue
work on a long-term plan
to reform federal for-
est policy to grow jobs
in the woods, improve
forest health, and provide
certainty for essential local
services like schools and
roads,” Walden said.
— Contact Us —
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David@TheBakerCountyPress.com
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The extension will provide
funding to 33 cash-
strapped Oregon counties.
It is broadly supported by
local teachers, sheriffs, first
responders, and county
commissioners.
If the county timber pay-
ments were not extended
without another solution,
the consequences could be
dire for public safety and
education in some areas.
YOUR ELECTED
OFFICIALS
President Barack Obama
202.456.1414
202.456.2461 fax
Whitehouse.gov/contact
US Sen. Jeff Merkley
503.326.3386
503.326.2900 fax
Merkley.Senate.gov
US Sen. Ron Wyden
541.962.7691
Wyden.Senate.gov
US Rep. Greg Walden
541.624.2400
541.624.2402 fax
Walden.House.gov
Oregon Gov. Kate
Brown
503.378.3111
Governor.Oregon.gov
State Rep. Cliff Bentz
503.986.1460
State Sen. Ted Ferrioli
541.490.6528
Baker County
Commissioners Bill Harvey;
Mark Bennett; Tim Kerns
541.523.8200
541.523.8201