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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (June 2, 2017)
FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 2017 4 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS Local / Politics — Guest Opinion — ORP Chair speaks to Portland free speech ban Sine Die By The Oregon Firearms Federation Submitted By The Oregon Republican Party The Oregon Republican Party issued the following statement from Chairman Bill Currier in reaction to Portland Mayor Wheeler’s attempt to ban political demonstrations whose message he doesn’t favor, as well as other state- ments and events this past weekend. “We do not want to see violence of any kind in Portland—by anyone - against anyone,” stated Oregon GOP Chairman Bill Currier. “What we do want to see is peaceful free speech and free expres- sion of ideas and opinions, which it is the job of government to protect. We call on Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler to get busy doing so.” On Monday May 30th, Mayor Ted Wheeler stated he had blocked the permit for a Free Speech rally by supporters of Donald Trump and other upcoming rallies because the Mayor condemns their political opinions. In addition, he is seeking to rescind a permit on federal property where the June 4th Free Speech rally is scheduled to take place. “It appears Mayor Wheeler has decided he has the authority to cancel Freedom of Speech in Portland when it suits him,” said Currier. “It is a blatant violation of the free speech provisions of both the Oregon and U.S. Constitutions, a violation of equal protection under the 14th Amendment, and a betrayal of his sworn duty as a public offi cial in the state of Oregon.” At the end of April Wheeler allowed permits to the Alt-Left “Portland Resistance” protest groups that he knew included violent elements that would, and did, riot dur- ing the traditional May Day Socialist-Communist Celebration. These groups enjoyed full police protec- tion while protesters spray painted “Kill Cops” all over the city. Just days earlier, mem- bers of these same violent activist groups issued threats against the 82nd Avenue Parade of Roses for including the local county Republican Party - threats which led to the parade’s cancellation. The justifi cation used by these groups on Facebook was that the opinions of those that they disagree with amount to “hate speech” and that they have the right to prevent people from hearing it. “So the question be- comes, what is the dif- ference between Mayor Wheeler’s justifi cation for trying to block the free speech he deems objec- tionable, and the justifi ca- tions stated by Antifa and other domestic terrorist groups in threatening, and using, violence to shut down kids’parades and terrorize political oppo- nents?” “Based on Mayor Wheel- er’s actions and statements, he allows and even sup- ports demonstrations by those whose message he favors, and doesn’t permit, and even seeks to block, demonstrations by those he doesn’t,” added Currier. “Freedom of speech and freedom from violence are supposed to be for every- one.” Brown signs equal pay legislation Submitted By Gov. Kate Brown’s offi ce Governor Kate Brown will sign into law on Thursday House Bill 2005, expanding pay equity pro- tections to Oregonians. “Pay inequity can keep women in relationships they don’t want to be in and can keep women of color working two or three jobs,” Governor Kate Brown said. “I applaud the Legislature’s bipartisan ef- forts to pass the Pay Equity Bill and make great strides toward a more equitable and prosperous Oregon.” HB 2005 strengthens ex- isting protections, creates new provisions to ensure an individual’s past salary does not hold them back when applying for a new job, and encourages all employers to conduct a pay equity study, just as the state has recently done. PEO scholarships total $21K Chapter AX of PEO in Baker City has awarded two local scholarships totaling $1800 and assisted nine other women from Baker County to receive a total of $21545 for the school year of 2016-2017. The P.E.O. Sisterhood is an international philan- thropic educational orga- nization, founded in 1869 at Iowa Wesleyan College. P.E.O. promotes educa- tional opportunities for women through a variety of scholarship and grant opportunities. Chapter AX was organized in 1932 in Baker City. The purpose of the two local scholarships is to pro- vide funding to outstand- ing, well-rounded women in Baker County who plan to continue their education beyond high school. Edna E. Harrell, as a memorial to her mother, established the Mildred F. Rogers Chapter AX P.E.O. Scholarship in 2000. Mildred was a long time member of Chapter AX. She was a descendent of her Oregon Trail pioneer grandparents and lived her entire life in Baker City. Always a loyal citizen, she gave of herself to the community of Baker City, so that her own family and future generations would have the opportunities to appreciate and enjoy life as she had. She died on June 22, 2000 at the age of 100.The 2017 scholarship of $1000 was awarded to Makenna Huggins of Baker High School. The Gertrude Fortner- Rose Haskell Scholarship was named for two charter members of Chapter AX who strongly believed in higher education for women. The 2017 scholar- ship of $800 was awarded to Cecylee Bruce of Baker High School. The Oregon Cottey Col- lege Scholarship provides grants for selected stu- dents who are residents of Oregon and who have been accepted for admittance to Cottey College. Cottey College is an independent liberal arts and sciences women's collegea tot in Nevada Missouri. The PEO Sisterhood supports and owns this col- lege. It is the only nonsec- tarian college owned and supported by women. PEO is an international organization that provides scholarships to women who return to college after a break in their education and also scholarships to women who are juniors, seniors and working on higher degrees. The students who were awarded funds for the 2017-2018 school year are as follows: 2017 PEO Scholar- ship Recipients hosted by Chapter AX PEO Baker City : Oregon Scholarships: Oregon Cottey—Josie Stearns $5750 Oregon Cot- tey—Tanya O’Neal $5750 Oregon Scholar – Elizabeth Hull $1125 Oregon Schol- ar—Erin Parker $1665 Oregon Schol- ar—Taylor Nelson $1200 Oregon Scholar —Alexandra Colton $1275 Oregon Schol- ar—Corrine Allen $1320 Oregon Schol- ar —Lillian Wood $1610 Oregon Scholar —Anna Morgan $1850 Local Scholarships: Mildred Rogers— Makenna Huggins $1000 Gertrude Fortner/Rose Haskell—Cecylee Bruce $800 For more information contact Dorothy Mason PEO Chapter AX Educa- tion Committee Chair at 541-523-7642. Subscribe today! Go to www.thebakercountypress.com The Oregon Legislature has an- nounced that “sine die” is “imminent.” “Sine Die” means the last day of the legislative session. (Literally “without a date.”) While this does not mean we actually have an announced day for closing the circus down, it does mean the rules change. Once this announcement has been made, the notice required of when hearings are going to take place goes down to as little as an hour. (Unless of course, you are an anti-gun activist. Then, if the past is any indication, you will get advance notice.) So, unless you are camped out in the Capitol, you will not get a chance to testify on any pending legislation. You are particularly out of luck if you live in a rural county any distance from Salem. The very design of this rule shuts out the voices of citizens who live in most parts of the state. It is essential that you take a mo- ment, one more time, to express your opposition to the two dangerous anti- gun bills that are still in play. SB 719 and SB 1065. SB 719, the Boquist/Burdick gun confi scation bill has passed in the Sen- ate and now sits in the House Rules Committee. SB 1065 (an outrageous omnibus anti-gun bill) has been assigned to the Senate Rules Committee. These com- mittees are not subject to the deadlines most committees face, so they can act on these bills at any time with virtu- ally no notice. City selling 29 surplus items online Baker City Public Works Department is currently selling 29 surplus items through GovDeals.com auction site. This is an opportunity for local citizens to purchase items which are no longer needed or used by the City of Baker City. Some of the pieces of equipment and vehicles for sale include a 1995 Chevy Blazer, 1994 Ford Ranger, 1980 Ladder Truck, 2001 Chevy Blazer, Swartz Sweeper, Caterpillar D-6 Dozer, 2009 Crown Vic- toria, as well as dozens of other items. These items are now available for viewing or bidding. To access the site and register to bid, simply go to the website GovDeals. com. Illegal tax hike passed Submitted By Sen. Ted Ferrioli State law proved to be no match for Senate Demo- crats’ desire to illegally pass a $22.8 million tax hike today. Senate Bill 28 will spike taxes at least $22.8 mil- lion in the two upcoming budget cycles. In 1996, Oregonians approved Ballot Measure 95, now Article IV, Section 25, to mandate tax increases receive a three-fi fths vote of all members in the Leg- islature. Article IV, Section 18 of the Oregon Constitu- tion requires tax hike bills to start in the House of Representatives. But SB 28 was il- legal on two accords, it passed without the legally required three-fi fths vote, and it innapropriately originated in the Senate. “Senate Democrats are circumventing the Oregon Constitution and thwart- ing the will of Oregonians by raising revenue in the Senate without requiring a three-fi fths vote,” said Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli, of John Day. “It should have been intro- duced in the House of Representatives, not in the Senate, and it will ignite years of litigation.” “Oregonians are being exploited by Senate Demo- crats who are illegally vio- lating the Constitution to dramatically spike taxes,” said state Sen. Dennis Lin- thicum, R-Klamath Falls. “Today’s tax hike vote was a demonstration of lawless- ness.” “When government increases its budget, Or- egonians have to decrease theirs, so when we see a tax hike like this just pass on through without the proper protocols in place, people are rightfully outraged,” said state Sen. Herman Baertschiger Jr., R-Grants Pass. Senate Republican Deputy Leader Jeff Kruse, of Roseburg, said on the Floor during debate that supporting SB 28 is a vio- — Contact Us — lation of the Oath of Offi ce he took when he assumed offi ce. Businesses will see a dramatic hike in their taxes and for some businesses it will be a new tax. Senate Republicans de- cried the passage of SB 28 saying it thwarts the will of voters, pointing out too that it should have been in- troduced fi rst in the House of Representatives. Senate Bill 28 modifi es how Oregon corporate in- come taxes are apportioned for intangible property and services. It changes the apportion- ment method from a cost- of-performance method to a market-based method. The cost-of-performance method attributes all cor- porate income tax revenues to the state where the greatest proportion of the activity is performed. The market-based method attributes corporate income tax revenue to the state where the customer is located. YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS The Baker County Press President Donald Trump PO Box 567 Baker City, Ore. 97814 202.456.2461 fax Open Monday-Thursday for calls 9 AM - 4 PM Open 24/7 for emails 202.456.1414 Whitehouse.gov/contact US Sen. Jeff Merkley 503.326.3386 503.326.2900 fax Merkley.Senate.gov Phone: 541.519.0572 TheBakerCountyPress.com US Sen. Ron Wyden 541.962.7691 Wyden.Senate.gov Kerry McQuisten, Publisher Editor@TheBakerCountyPress.com US Rep. Greg Walden Wendee Morrissey, Advertising and Sales Wendee@TheBakerCountyPress.com 541.624.2402 fax David Conn, Advertising and Sales David@TheBakerCountyPress.com Published weekly every Friday. Subscription rates per year are $29.95 all areas, e-mail delivery. $39.95 print issue, home delivery, Baker City city limits only. $49.95 print issue, mail delivery, outside Baker City city limits only. Payment in advance. A division of Black Lyon Publishing, LLC 541.624.2400 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; Bruce Nichols 541.523.8200 Copyright © 2014 -2017 541.523.8201
