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.
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