FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2016
4 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
Opinion
— Editorial —
High hopes
for the newly
revised
Chamber of
Commerce
We’re excited about the new di-
rection the Baker County Chamber
of Commerce and Visitors Center
seems to be taking.
This week our publisher visited
with new executive director Shelly
Cutler, who has been on the job
less than two months.
Let us describe the scene when
one walks through the door now.
First, the visitors center and public
restrooms are now accessible to
tourists together at one end of the
building. On the other side, the
business end of things—the Cham-
ber—is now focused and clearly
separate.
The director’s “office,” desk and
all, has been moved downstairs
right across from the front door
so that when a person walks in,
there’s no doubt they’ll be greeted,
and there’s no doubt who works
there.
Noting those initial changes, we
started to get hopeful.
Over the past few years, we’ve
tried a Chamber of Commerce
membership and let it lapse twice
on purpose. The reason for that
lapse was that somewhere along
the way, it began to feel as if
Baker City’s small businesses were
viewed as a support system to keep
the Chamber operating, rather
than the other way around. In our
current economy, Baker County
needs a strong Chamber of Com-
merce and a motivated director. We
need media who dive in and inform
the community of all the business
happenings in the area. We need
the businesses themselves to band
together.
Ms. Cutler has already taken the
initiative to map out new benefits
for businesses and new member-
ship tiers. She’s reaching out to
business owners and meeting with
us. She has ideas and energy that
might breathe life into some com-
munity events that have dwindled
over the years—if she gets our sup-
port in the community.
We’re almost afraid to get this
hopeful—but we are!
—The Baker County Press Editorial Board
— Letters to the Editor —
A failure of leadership in Grant
County
To the Editor:
Is it no wonder Grant County has the
issues we do?
We have a county court that is about
as consistent as the weather in Eastern
Oregon, give it 15 minutes and they will
change.
They are a group of men that state they
stand up for individuals of the county,
except when they speak their mind, then
they attempt to pass resolutions to silence
those voices, or picket public meetings to
harass concerned citizens into silence.
They want more timber coming out of
the mountains, but in a rare sign of conti-
nuity, keep allowing the forest service to
destroy the very roads that allow us to get
timber out of the mountains.
They don’t want outsiders address-
ing the concerns of the county, but allow
Oregonwild, Sustainable Northwest, Blue
Mountains Biological Diversity Project,
and other outside influencers to peddle
their influence, so long as friends of the
courts projects are allowed to slide thru
with approval.
The only consistency in the Grant
County Court, is the consistency of mak-
ing sure their friends know “the court has
their backs”, and that is a very small circle
of friends.
Who’s to blame? We all are, I am, each
and every one of us that bought into the
big talk and little action of these three
men. So this is my challenge to each of
you, think wisely in your votes this fall,
because you’re going to have a choice to
make. Stick with the narrow view of the
Grant County Court that champions hav-
ing the back of a man like Harney County
judge Steve Grasty, or break a new path
with men that really support you as indi-
viduals, because the crew we have now is
leading us down a path of no return, with
a dim future.
John George
Bates
Chamber supports HCMR
To the Editor:
The purpose of this letter is to express
the Baker County Chamber of Com-
merce’s support for the Hells Canyon
Motorcycle Rally.
The Baker County Chamber advocates
on behalf of over 400 businesses within
Baker County representative of a diverse
variety of sectors including retail, tour-
ism, restaurant, lodging, manufacturing,
construction and healthcare industries.
Events such as the Hells Canyon Motor-
cycle Rally are of the utmost importance
to both our members and Baker County,
and are essential for supporting growth in
Baker County’s industry sectors, par-
ticularly retail and tourism. The Rally
is a unique opportunity as it has already
proven itself to bring thousands of tourism
dollars to Baker County.
The Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally can
be developed and structured in a mutually
beneficial manner that coincides with the
county’s growing tourism needs. The col-
laboration between event organizers and
the Baker City Council is of tremendous
economic value to businesses and families
living in Baker County. Restriction of
events such as these would result in the
loss of thousands of dollars in tourism
income, losses which businesses cannot
afford considering likely minimum wage
and tax increases. Prohibiting or crippling
certain events in Baker County would be
a move in the wrong direction, potentially
eliminating the interest of organizers
considering holding events in our county
in the future.
I ask that the City Council continues
working closely with the Hells Canyon
Motorcycle Rally organizers in order to
continue supporting Baker County’s grow-
ing tourism needs.
Shelly Cutler
Executive Director
Baker County Chamber of Commerce
and Visitor’s Bureau
— Guest Column —
So I was
thinking ...
Male fashion
By Jimmy Ingram
Special to The Baker County Press
I’ll admit it. I’m the last person who
should be giving anyone fashion advice.
Like so many Eastern Oregon males I’ve
spent the majority of my life wondering
which Carharrt jeans and T-shirt I should
wear to work. I was barely qualified to
pick out the suit for my own wedding.
But even an amateur like myself knows a
major violation of the fashion code when
I see it.
Socks with sandals: This is an interest-
ing philosophical conflict. Sandals or flip
flops are the definition of casual. Socks
are the definition of practical. However,
the combination of the two is a lack of
commitment to either cause. It’s a look
usually reserved for men wearing hats that
say, “I’m not retired, just tired.” And no,
bleached white socks are no better than
the dingy old striped ones. It’s summer—
your toes deserve to be set free. Live
dangerously and ditch the socks.
Novelty hats: Caps and stocking caps
are a safe bet. Cowboy hats are pretty
standard around our neck of the woods.
Deviation from those gets into uncharted
territory. Berets, newsboy hats, fedoras,
and things of the like are bold statement
makers that are usually better suited for a
Broadway play than they are for real life.
While some dapper gentlemen can pull
it off, the rest of us look confused about
what decade it is. Samuel Jackson looks
cool in a Kangol wool snap brim. Your
neighbor Sam just looks odd when he
wears it with his cowboy boots.
The mullet: This one hits home for me.
Like most guys from my generation, I
proudly sported a mullet in my youth. But
like VHS and Aquanet, mullets jumped
the shark many years ago. One thing is for
sure: If you see a middle-aged man with
a mullet in 2016, there is a strong likeli-
hood he’s still fixing up his TransAm and
hasn’t yet learned that David Lee Roth left
Van Halen. If you are an adult male and
still utter the words, “Leave it a little long
in the back,” each time you get a haircut,
your family may be considering a hair-
style intervention for you.
Skinny jeans: Admittedly I don’t under-
stand the logic behind men wearing tight
jeans. It seems counterintuitive consider-
ing we’ve spent most of our post adoles-
cent lives trying to be comfortable “below
the waist.” If you’re a male and you have
to ask a friend, “Do these pants look too
tight?” then they are. I suggest you grow
a beard, buy a chainsaw and eat a two-
pound steak. It will immediately put hair
back on your chest and bring you back
into the world of masculinity where you
belong. You’ll be back wrestling grizzly
bears in no time.
Pants worn below the butt: While this is
less common in Eastern Oregon, it seems
to have stood the test of time with a select
few who are incredibly proud of their
underwear. The inclusion of a belt adds
Submitted Photo
Jimmy Ingram is a local farmer and
father of two who enjoys people
watching within our wonderful com-
munity and beyond.
to public bewilderment and must be for
aesthetic reasons only. No belt deserves
that job. While most of us fear prospect
of our pants falling down, the “saggers”
have willingly turned it into a reality. The
good news: If a friend or relative that you
know chooses to wear their pants like this
there is help. Suspenders are available in a
variety of colors and styles. Nothing says,
“Hey man, pull your pants up,” like the
gift of suspenders. They may also need
a reminder that no potential employer
has ever pointed to a man with his pants
below his ass and said, “That guy is com-
pany material. Hire him immediately!”
Bluetooth earpieces: While not “fash-
ion” in the traditional sense, these devices
may as well be considered a fashion state-
ment. Unless you spend 8-10 hours a day
on the phone or require the use of both
hands at all moments, the worn-every-
where earpiece is probably unnecessary.
We all realize you are busy, important,
and in high demand, but wearing your
Bluetooth to Thanksgiving dinner may be
a bit overkill. When you say “turkey,” I’m
not sure if you’re demanding someone
pass the turkey or telling someone on the
phone what you’re eating for dinner. Gen-
erations of successful people have been
able to function without these devices for
years. So can you.
Fanny packs: It’s hard to believe 180
degrees of extra wearable storage on the
body can make such a different impres-
sion. A backpack says, “I’m adventurous.
I know where I’m going and have things
to do.” Put that storage on the front of
your waist (a more practical location after
all) and you’ll be teased by everyone you
know, mistaken for a tourist, and receive
unsolicited directions from people who as-
sume you must be lost. But while most of
us wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a fan-
ny pack, I imagine they feel they’ve been
given an unfair rap. I’m convinced fanny
pack wearers think of themselves as mod-
ern day gunslingers—quick on the draw
with extra Chap-Stick, grocery coupons,
a Nokia phone, nail clippers, and a map
of Crater Lake National Park. Despite the
practicality, you probably shouldn’t wear
one. Convenience and preparedness aside,
you’ll never escape the stigma.
I won’t guarantee that if you follow
these fashion rules that you’ll be the talk
of the town. But subtlety rarely goes out
if style. If you’re worried about your
whether or not your fanny pack matches
your skinny jeans or have issues with your
mullet getting caught in your Bluetooth
earpiece, you may have bigger problems
than you think.
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