Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, October 25, 2006
RCC MEASURE/MERCHANTS - Peter Ang-
stadt, Rogue Community College president, will speak
Thursday, Oct. 26 about the RCC bond measure on the
Nov. 7 general election ballot and how it will affect the
future of business training and development in Illinois
Valley. His presentation will occur during the Illinois Val-
ley Merchants Association meeting at 6 p.m. at Selma
Community Center. Anyone can attend.
SMART MOVES DANCE - A Halloween dance
with soft drinks and pizza will be held at Lorna Byrne
Middle School Friday, Oct. 27 for seventh- and eighth-
graders only. The event, sponsored by the Boys & Girls
Club Smart Moves Program, will run from 7 to 10 p.m.
Admission will be $1 for club members; $5 for non-
members. Beverages and pizza slices at a buck each will
be available. Phone 592-4771 for more information.
FALL DROPPINGS PICKUP - Bagged leaves
and grass clippings will be picked up free Saturday, Oct.
18 by the city of Cave Junction as part of its Greenwaste
recycling program. Bags must be at curbside by 9 a.m.
and weigh less than 25 pounds each. The bags must con-
tain only leaves and grass clippings; and be sturdy and
tied securely. Phone city hall at 592-2156 to arrange for
pickup “although efforts will be made to get all bags that
are out.” Volunteers might be available for those who
want to participate, but cannot because of special needs.
Phone city hall for more information.
HORSEY HALLOWEEN - Bingo games to bene-
fit the Illinois Valley High School equestrian team will
be held Saturday, Oct. 28 at Illinois Valley Grange Hall
on Holland Loop. Early bird games will begin at 6:30
p.m.; regular games at 7. There will be a drawing for a
$50 fuel certificate and a DVD, plus food will be avail-
able. Those who come in Halloween costume will re-
ceive a door prize ticket. See the ad in this issue.
‘BUSINESS HYPERGROW’ - An evening work-
shop, “Hypergrow Your Business,” will be given by
Curt Clinkinbeard from 6 to 9 Thursday, Nov. 9 in
Grants Pass. The sponsor is RCC’s Small Business De-
velopment Center. There is a fee. Phone 956-7494 to
sign up, or use roguecc.edu/sbdc or roguecc.edu/bcwd
GRAVE BUSINESS - Josephine County Historical
Society Living History Players will present the 10th an-
nual Graveyard Tour Saturday, Oct. 28 from 5 to 8 p.m.
at the IOOF-Masonic cemeteries. The tour is suitable for
all ages. Tickets will be available at the gate.
NOTEPAD - A fund-raising luau by Ohana O Ha-
waii for scholarships for three seniors in Three Rivers
School District will be held Saturday, Oct. 28 at North
Valley High School. For tickets, phone 592-4463 or 761-
9926 ... I.V. Senior Center will hold a Halloween party
and potluck Friday, Oct. 27 beginning at 5 p.m. at the
senior center on E. River Street ... A Halloween Ex-
travaganza at Kerbyville Farm, including free hay rides
to the pumpkin patch, will be held Saturday, Oct. 28
from noon to 6 p.m. Children’s activities will be avail-
able free; there will be small fees for pony rides, pump-
kins, candied apples, and hot dogs ... Selma Community
Center will hold open house Saturday, Nov. 4 from 2 to
5 p.m. Refreshments will be served, and attendees
should enter by Coyote Coffee … “Stage Fright,” a
play at Lorna Byrne Middle School, will be staged Mon-
day, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. by students of Tim Talty …
Kitchen plaques: *Friends welcome. Relatives by ap-
pointment. *The best man for the job is usually a
woman. *A friend is someone who knows all about you,
but loves you anyway. *Explain to me again why I
should be happy working here. *My home was clean last
week. Sorry you missed it.
LAST WORDS - The best portion of a good man’s
life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kind-
ness and love. (William Wordsworth)
Affordable Housing Workshop
Saturday, No ve mbe r 1 8 , 9 a.m. to no o n in the
Cave Junc tio n City Hall Co unc il Chambe rs.
This wo rksho p is a
public se rvic e fo r:
Current renters
First-time home buyers
• Second home buyers
• Investors
• Retirement property
purchasers
•
•
Atte nde e s will
re c e ive a fre e
pro fe ssio nal
inspe c tio n and/ o r
a ho me warranty
pro te c tio n plan
be fo re c lo se o f
e sc ro w.
Fo r mo re info rmatio n,
pho ne Luz Mo o re o f
C2 1 Harris & Taylo r at
Sponsored by:
(541) 592-3181
e xt. 102
First American Title Co.
Illinois Valley Chamber
of Commerce
Golf Savings Bank
(Continued from page 2)
we “the people” continue
letting him say, “I’m a work-
ing man just like you,” to our
faces here in Oregon and then
let him lead a different life in
Washington, D.C.? Why do
we continue letting him enjoy
the best of both worlds at our
expense?
I was shocked and of-
fended at his ridiculing Jim
Feldkamp yet again. The
words actually formed and
came from his mouth that Jim
just sits back and receives
family money without putting
in any work. He then punctu-
ated that absurd, condemning
effort by yelling that he him-
self has earned every penny
of his money.
The crowd was silent.
Everyone knows that Jim
has worked in the FBI for
four years, served in the mili-
tary for 12, not to mention
that he is a teacher at two
different community colleges,
and is efficiently assisting
friends and family all the
while.
What is DeFazio cover-
ing up with the many per-
sonal attacks he launches on
his opponent and the Republi-
can Party?
I say strengthen and heal
America by making the right
changes. Step one: Vote Jim
Feldkamp for congressman.
Sales tax needed to pay
for services wanted
From Harry E. Abrams
Cave Junction
All right; I have heard
several people complain
about the high crime rate, no
police protection, and not
using the full capacity of the
jail we had built.
To me, everyone is stay-
ing away from the suggestion
that we get a sales tax to fund
all this.
The property owners
cannot be expected to pick up
the bill for all of these ser-
vices. Let’s get some other
folks in the pot to pay their
fair share. I am not asking for
the property taxes to be low-
ered, just not raised anymore
until a sales tax is in place.
Surely there are enough
property owners in this
county and state to vote in a
sales tax.
I have enjoyed not pay-
ing a sales tax just as much as
anyone else, but times have
changed, so let’s get it done.
Community changes;
so do perspectives
From John Tree
Cave Junction
In response to Ellis
Couron’s letter (“Illinois Val-
ley News” Oct. 18) I also
moved here in 1970. I was
seeking a quiet, back-woods
rural way of life.
Our community was
much smaller then. A city
limit sign at the south end of
town stated that 320 was
Cave Junction’s population.
The Chevron station was
a little building on what’s
now Stevereno’s Restaurant
parking lot (before that sta-
tion became Bruce & Van’s
Gulf). Across the highway a
guy named Lee sold produce
out of his truck where the
Junction Inn is. He eventually
became Lee’s Produce in
Rogue River.
Larry Musil, a PP&L
lineman, owned the movie
theater (no hippies allowed,
nor for that matter titty bars or
Bible verse or what-not store
in his theater.)
At that time there was, if
Couron remembers, the Illi-
nois Valley Betterment Asso-
ciation. It made available to
business owners a sign then
seen in several stores stating,
“We do not solicit hippie pa-
tronage,” thus proving that
some small-town prejudice
did indeed thrive here at the
turn of the decade, and show-
ing that it was not brought by
later arrivals.
I, as many others, had a
chance to change those ways
as years progressed. Some
big-city principles of which
Couron speaks were indeed
coming into Illinois Valley at
that time.
“Live and let live” is a
product of an urban-born
movement. Similar to
Couron’s idea to fit in and to
help improve his environ-
ment; and which in turn have
resulted in his reaping great
rewards during the years --
tolerance of others, befriend-
ing a neighbor, being part of a
community.
His ideas are similar to
what I and at least 100 others
I could name sought in com-
ing here to live.
Now, some 36 years
later, my kids and grandkids
call the valley home. The
Gulf station I described ear-
lier now gone (although
Bruce Hoppert has become
quite a horticulturist.)
Our valley is at a cross-
roads, and we are hearing
much from each other about
what we want to see here. Or
should we not complain and
let the real estate agents and
developers have their way? Is
there an overpriced, gated
community in your property’s
future?
Yes, there are a lot of
complaints that I think are a
waste of energy. But others
may think differently. And if
we don’t encourage it the few
really good ideas will never
come out.
We are the seniors now.
A lot of what the generation
under us is in tune with we
may not be. Their time is
coming, and it will be their
valley we leave them. I think
with some guidance they may
actually enjoy some of what
we have found to be worth-
while.
As others complain about
injustices they are exposed to,
we elders get an education in
a perspective that differs from
our own.
Provide basic protection
or resign, he suggests
From Gary McAlister
Cave Junction
Because of the lack of
law enforcement in our com-
munity from the Josephine
County Sheriff’s Office,
some of us have come up
with the following petition,
available at Old Stage Mini-
Storage.
“As taxpayers we have
asked our teachers to do extra
and they have stepped up to
the plate and afforded our
children an excellent educa-
tion. We thank them for their
public service.
“It is time, however, to
ask our other public servants
to step up and perform their
duties, as assigned, in a pro-
fessional caring manner -- our
sheriff’s office and the depu-
ties who serve Josephine
County, especially the outly-
ing areas of Illinois Valley.
“We, as taxpayer citi-
zens, believe that our sheriff’s
office should have the follow-
ing qualities:
“*Courteous demeanor.
“*Excellent communica-
tion skills.
“*Professionalism.
“*Willingness to put in
extra time to accomplish the
mission, public safety.
Stephens F am ily Chapel
Funeral & Cremation
Memorial Center
- Leo Buscaglia -
Located minutes from
Three Rivers Community Hospital
“*Respect of minorities,
the elderly and the handi-
capped.
“*Respect and service
for our business community.
*Follow-through with all
investigations.
“These basics are the
minimum requirements we as
taxpayer citizens demand
from our sheriff’s office per-
sonnel. If the current person-
nel are unwilling or unable to
meet these basic requirements
then we suggest that they
resign their positions immedi-
ately and seek employment
elsewhere.”
Ex-candidate ‘not card-
carrying Libertarian’
From F. Bellermann
Selma
Paul Grad’s letter (“I.V.
News,” Sept. 13) caught my
eye. He wants to be a choice
distinct from collectivism.
A noble cause, to be sure,
but does he really know what
the alternative is, what the
words mean? He claims he
will use a “Libertarian,
conservationist, free-market
capitalist approach.” Sounds
good, but let us examine his
proposals:
He says that our most
pressing need is increased law
enforcement. To be sure,
that is one of the few legiti-
mate roles of government, but
repeatedly citizens, land own-
ers and business people have
failed to vote for the neces-
sary funds to implement
round-the-clock professional
policing in the valley.
In the meantime, would it
not be a more cost-effective
use of limited tax dollars to
redirect money spent on drug
eradication efforts and
properly train a citizen’s auxil-
iary to help patrol the night? If
the sheriff would thoroughly
vet and train responsible vol-
unteers and issue right-to-
carry permits, crime would
decrease. Evidence supports it.
In the same breath Grad
calls for bus service between
Selma and the border.
Whose money is he going to
confiscate for this service?
Those who save and scrimp
to buy an Oregon “beater,”
those who work many hours
to afford gas to stay mobile,
those who get their hands
dirty and do their own auto-
motive repair?
Let’s face it, we do not
owe anyone a free ride. In
addition, I would bet that an
honest accounting of existing
public transportation expense
per user will find it more
cost-effective to call a private
cab for every ride provided
by the, yes, most assuredly,
collectivist bus service.
What about those north
of Selma, those up (pun in-
tended) Deer Creek? Aren’t
those too “entitled” to free
public transportation? How
dare Grad make a choice for
them, but oh, hey, perhaps
they are not “bright enough
to manage their own transpor-
tation'“ to paraphrase him.
Naturally he knows
what the average biking,
walking, hitch-hiking and
horseback-riding resident
needs: More diesel-belching
buses driving around empty.
Next, he wants the
county to fix pets for free.
Yes, pet owners must be held
responsible for the procrea-
tive misdeeds of their ani-
mals, but when someone
owns an animal they, not the
rest of us, have to pony up the
money to look after them
properly.
I have adopted animals
from the shelter, but if I find a
stray dog on my place, it’s
surely faster, cheaper and
assuredly more final to solve
the problem with a .22 -- This
way there is no need to check
if the mutt had its shots, wait
for Animal Control or let the
hapless animal linger in a
cage until they are “properly
euthanized” anyway (at my
exorbitant expense, again.)
So he wants me and the
rest of us who budget our
money to feed our own
families, to feed the homeless
as well? Send ‘em all up to
my place, will ya’? Every
bum willing to split a cord of
wood can have a healthy
meal, and the women and
kids can stack firewood for
their next meal.
Once I get my firewood
business good and going, I
will have excess capital to
invest in regular pay for those
who’d prefer to work hard for
a living on a regular
basis. Does Grad actually
know how capitalism works?
Unconfined pit-bulls
should be a controlled sub-
stance? How about uncon-
fined SUVs? Second-hand
tobacco smoke? Cite one
valid scientific study that
gives credence to the hyper-
bole and hysteria of the health
and anti-pleasure Nazis.
To be sure, the county
jail kitchen should be used,
but Grad doesn’t get it. Pris-
oners should be made to pre-
pare their own meals, or bet-
ter yet, run a catering service
from that kitchen for profit
that helps pay for their con-
finement.
You get what you pay
for. Well-paid public profes-
sionals need to live up to
their salary expectations. If
they do not, fire (unelect)
them. Volunteer commission-
ers working at minimum
wage for the (collective) pub-
lic good will deliver what
their wage is worth.
Grad should go ahead
and run for commissioner. He
might even get elected and
it’d be a good thing, because
at least he brings up the topic
of collectivism, but he should
keep the $70,000 salary and
buy himself some good
books. Bastiat’s “The Law”
would be a good start. Grad
has a lot of reading to catch
up on things such as collec-
tivism, Libertarians and the
true nature of capitalism.
If he has money left over,
he could buy some of those
books for the library (it does-
n’t have them either, I
checked) and then start a
business. He can buy free cab
rides, fix all the pets he wants,
keep a pot of beans bubbling
24/7 and prohibit everyone at
his place-of-wealth creation
from smoking anything he
doesn’t like.
It’s his money: Earn it,
do what he wants with it and
let the rest of us do the same.
He is not a card-carrying
libertarian or he’d already be
on the ballot.
Benef it
HALLOW EEN DAN CE
wit h t he
Frankie Hernandez Band
Sat ur day, Oct ober 28
Cost ume Cont est wit h Pr izes
476-7900
1629 Williams Hwy.
We don't love to be loved; we love to love.
Page 3
The Stephens Family
Let our family serve your family.
Call 592- 3911 f or mor e inf or mat ion.
No alcohol on pr emises.