FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2015
4 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
Opinion
Pub Talk: CPOs
CONTINUED FROM
PAGE 3
Nelson introduced new
business owner and SBDC
client Theresa Ball, of The-
resa’s Treasures, LLC, who
spoke to the crowd about
her success and business
experience, and introduced
a couple of new products.
She said she wanted to
bring something new to
Main Street, and she envi-
sions a type of mini-mall
in the future.
Dawson, considered an
expert by Nelson on the
topic of CPOs, spoke to
the audience. She said,
“It’s (the CPO) a new form
of providing capital for
businesses. What it is, is
security crowd funding.”
She gave examples of
securities, as in a loan with
interest, or the purchase of
a business with an expect-
ed return.
“So, why is this new se-
curities crowd funding spe-
cial? It’s special, because
it allows anyone to become
an investor in a business.
It opens up investing to
anyone that has a little bit
of money. It makes this
type of investing avail-
able to people who are
not wealthy. It gives the
opportunity to Oregonians
to become stable in their
— Guest Opinion —
community, and it‘s real
effective,” she said.
Dawson went on to
explain other details
regarding CPOs, followed
by Nelson’s introduction
of Baker County Chamber
of Commerce Executive
Director Debi Bainter, who
said, “A mini-Hatch will
be located at 490 Campbell
Street, in the Baker County
Chamber of Commerce
and Visitor Center,” fol-
lowed by applause from
the audience. “We are
super excited about it; it’s
a great opportunity,” she
said. The “mini-Hatch”
Bainter referred to will
be a local component of
Hatch Oregon, a new eco-
nomic engine for growing
community capital.
Nelson introduced John
Childers, President and
CEO of Baker City Saddle
Co., at 2950 Church
Street, an SBDC client,
and said, “John’s is our
first northeast Oregon,
company that has jumped
through the process, and
been kind of our guinea
pig, for this Community
Public Offering.” Childers,
accompanied by Alex Bo-
gardus (who was enlisted
to represent and speak
for the company about its
offering), talked about his
business briefl , before
handing the microphone to
Bogardus.
Copies of the company’s
offering, for the sale of
securities, were provided
at the event, for interested
investors. The document’s
Executive Summary states,
“Baker City Saddle Co.
was founded in 2015 as a
full service saddlery and
is an Oregon Corp. We
combined the tools, materi-
als, clientele and exist-
ing orders of two small
established businesses and
formed Baker City Saddle
Co. This company is now
poised to grow. For Baker
City Saddle Co. to oper-
ate efficientl , additional
equipment, inventory and
working capital is now
necessary. We are raising
$50,000.”
The offering document
included comprehensive
company details, including
the minimum of $5,000 to
be raised, with a maximum
of $50,000 (the minimum
per investor would be
$100, with a maximum of
$2,500). The crowd was
informed that the company
has raised over $7,000 so
far. For more information,
including offering details,
Baker City Saddle Co. can
be reached at 503-896-
0055, or john@bakersad-
dle.com.
The end of an era …
On the death
penalty
By Bob Niemeyer
The Constitution guarantees to the
people that no one can be deprived
of life or liberty without due process
of law, and expressly forbids cruel or
unusual punishment.
I ask the following question: What
is the difference between “life without
the possibility of parole” and “death
by imprisonment?” Either way, the
government is taking away all of
someone’s life.
For me, there is no real difference,
other than you definition of “cruelt .”
• It is ‘cruelty’ to put someone in a
box and then feed, clothe, and provide
health care for that person until they
die of old age.
• It is ‘cruelty’ to the People of the
United States to risk their very lives
should some day, for some reason, that
person is put on the street and kills
again.
• It is ‘cruelty’ to the loved ones of
the victims to force them to live with
waiting for the person who took the
life of their loved one to finally be
punished for what they did.
• It is ‘cruelty’ to everyone to use
‘fear’ that the government will require
the release of prisoners due to budget
cuts as a way to increase taxes.”
Being a representative of the people
“is” being responsible for the lives of
the people, both now and in the future.
If someone attacks the United
States, it is the responsibility of the
Government to take life from those
Letter to the Editor and Guest Opinion
Policy: The Baker County Press reserves
the right not to publish letters containing
factual falsehoods or incoherent narrative.
Letters promoting or detracting from spe-
cific for-profit businesses will not be pub-
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Letters are limited to one every other week
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Advertising and Opinion Page Dis-
claimer: Opinions submitted as Guest
Submitted Photo
Bob Niemeyer has just declared his
candidacy for Governor. This op-ed
is printed in order to provide
information to voters on his views.
More about this candidate is avail-
able at www.bobniemeyer.com.
that attack us to protect the citizens of
our country.
If someone rapes and kills a child,
is caught, and convicted of the crime,
it is the responsibility of the govern-
ment to take the life from those who
attack the innocent to protect the
citizens of the United States.
If someone kills a prison guard
doing his or her duty of protecting the
public from criminals that would kill
again if allowed on the streets, it is
the responsibility of the Government
to take life from those who obviously
will kill again to protect the citizens of
the United States.
And if you do not have the guts to
be a responsible representative of the
people of the State of Oregon and the
United States of America, then get out
of office
Opinions or Letters to the Editor express
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been authored by and are not necessar-
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tion by this newspaper for the products or
services advertised.
— Letters to the Editor —
Wrong strategy used against
road closures
Photo courtesy of Linda Evans Wentworth.
On Tuesday, the In and Out sign, so famous in Baker City, stood above that
establishment for the last time. After decades, the Lethlean family has sold the
business. Trucks arrived for removal early in the morning and the sign was
gone by midday.
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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
To the Editor:
Past letters to this Editor have encour-
aged readers to bombard the USFS and
BLM with comments, opinions, and de-
mands regarding proposed federal actions
on road closures, sage grouse habitat,
wolves, B2H project, etc. This strategy is
all wrong.
Here’s why. The Federal agencies are
required by Congress to follow specific
laws regarding closure of forest roads and
other proposed actions. These laws are
clearly set forth in the National Environ-
mental Policies Act, Endangered Species
Act, National Forest Management Act,
Regulatory Flexibility Act, Data Quality
Act, etc. all these Acts mandate coordi-
nation with local governments, in which
local economic, safety, and health issues
are addressed in a plan— with which the
feds then coordinate.
That is why it is so crucial for our
commissioners to pass the NRAC plan
immediately to fulfill the first step in c -
pelling federal agencies to recognize, and
obey, our local requirements. Before any
road can be lawfully closed by the feds,
it must first be subject to an exhaustive
“inventory”, which considers the impacts
on the local economy, social cohesiveness,
consultation with relevant local agen-
cies and authorities, public safety issues,
Environmental Impact Statements, and
many other required studies. Then, and
only then, can the feds propose their plan
to coordinate with the local law or policy.
Fortunately for us, past Commissioner
Brian Cole (2001) sponsored Ordinance
No. 2001-1, which is the law of this
county. It is seven pages of detailed re-
quirements to which the federal and state
agencies must comply in order to preserve
and protect the local economy, private
property rights, public safety, etc, and also
mandating an extensive list of studies to
be done first by the feds
Significantl , any right of way on public
land established prior to 1976 (RS 2477
road) is not under the authority of the
USFS to regulate. It is beyond its jurisdic-
tion.
So comments and complaints against pro-
posed federal actions are a waste of time.
By the people neglecting to hold them to
their own laws, the federal agencies deem
that we have waived their requirements,
and then they proceed ahead. We need to
challenge them on their required compli-
ance with their own law, and make them
go back and start over.
Jim Iler
Baker City
Police respond to bus incident
On Tuesday, during the
afternoon bus route, Baker
City Police responded to
an incident on a Baker 5J
school bus near Campbell
and 17th Streets.
The allegation, according
to Lt. Dustin Newman, was
that one child had shot an-
other child with an Airsoft
gun during the ride home.
Witnesses at the time
reported hearing the same
claim. Due to the young
age of all parties involved,
names will not be made
available.
No arrests were made and
no additional information
was available at the time
of print.
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