Page 2
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, February 4, 2009
We had a good time visiting family Down South in
sunny and warm (unseasonably so) San Diego County
during early January. We drove because we had so much
stuff to haul, including Christmas presents left behind by
daughter Vicki and our granddaughters. They flew to visit
us and didn’t have room to take the items home with them.
Plus, we took Scrappy the cat with us. He hit it off with
Charlie the cat, and they are doing great together in Carls-
bad. I still marvel at the temps there, as they’ve been in the
70s while we Pacific Northwesters are shivering through
much lower numbers. Feeling the cold must be because
I’ve gotten older. I used to be able to wander around in
jeans and a T-shirt no matter what the temp.
One highlight of the trip south was granddaughter
Natalie, 6, taking me to a movie theater. That’s right; she
had a gift card, and so she and I drove to Oceanside to
watch a late-afternoon showing of Bedtime Stories starring
Adam Sandler. I was her date. It’s a good children’s movie,
for the most part, and we were the only people in that part
of the theater. It was a little weird, but fun because we sat
all the way in the back, way up high. And because we com-
prised the entire audience, we could talk. Natalie, like her
mom as a young girl, likes to ask questions about what’s
happening or why something is happening, or what did
someone say.
Another good time was visiting a serenity garden; I
think it was in Leucadia. Quite beautiful, overlooking the
Pacific Ocean. And we visited a beach at low tide on the
Carlsbad coastline. We brought stale bread that Vicki had
been saving, and wow, did we get the gulls.
It’s always great to visit Down South, and then we
come home. But I’m already ready for another trip. And
some warm weather.
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What to do with homeless
From Linda Tedder
Cave Junction
I attended the Cave Junc-
tion City Council meeting on
Jan. 26 just to hear how the
good people of Cave Junction
are handling the homeless
citizens of Cave Junction.
Seems that their only decision
would be for them to some-
how just make them go away.
I’ve talked to these street
people, and they aren’t going
anywhere. And why should
they? Yes some seem to be
dirty, and drunk/high -- but
hey, these are human beings
too.
Immediate-past Mayor
Tony Paulson stated that they
are considered alcoholics, and
that’s considered an illness in
Oregon, and how in the past
there really wasn’t anything
that could be done. Seemed
the solution is to ticket them,
jail them, keep people from
considering moving here
from seeing them. Oh Lord,
should a child see reality: Oh
mommy!
Look, we have a domes-
tic abuse house, and a place
for “single mothers” to get
help. But for those who have
mental issues, and substance
abuse, well there aren’t the
warm fuzzy feelings going
on. The street people don’t
want to drink in bars as they
get picked on.
They need a place where
they can drink, and as odious
as this seems to many, they
will continue. They feel that
they have lived here longer
than those looking to move
here, and if they don’t like
what they see, well so be it.
Personally I’ve had more
issues with the non-homeless.
Things stolen from my prop-
erty weren’t taken by the
homeless. It has been sug-
gested that they go to a shel-
ter in Grants Pass, but they
don’t want to leave their
home here in Cave Junction.
And they can’t be forced
to do so. They have no
money. All the tickets in the
world won’t change any-
thing. What would be accom-
plished?
How about a League of
Compassion & Understand-
ing. Anyone moving here
isn’t perfect. I bet there are
some skeletons in their clos-
ets. Somehow we need to
take care of our own social
issues here in Cave Junction.
I know the churches try
and do as much as they can:
Bless their hearts. But most of
the homeless have a story and
a life. One of the street people
said that he had so many cita-
tions for drinking in public
tickets that he can’t count
them. So now what?
Airport planning view
From Ed Russell
Cave Junction
In response to Dwight
Ellis’ comments (“County
board revamps airport advi-
sory committees,” Illinois
Valley News, Jan. 21, 2009):
When Dwight Ellis
called past citizen airport ad-
visory boards and commis-
sions “contentious and unpro-
ductive,” a better description
would be that, filtered
through Airports Director
Alex Grossi, some of the
commissioners, and/or their
sponsors, haven’t liked the
truthful information and ad-
vice that two different groups
of local, hand-picked aviation
and business experts have
been offering for many years.
All of which, I believe,
has been more correct and
insightful, and would already
have produced more tangible
benefits, than those obtained,
or likely to be obtained, by
ignoring informed commu-
nity input.
Blagojovich-style politics
(trying to work against natu-
ral laws, acting contrary to
good advice while promoting
greed and ignorance) mani-
fest contentiousness, and are
as costly and counter-
productive as is possible.
During the past 10 years
that I have flown from and
been involved with the I.V.
Airport, each of us who has
served on airport boards and
commissions, to my knowl-
edge, has worked for the best
interests of the community,
the airport and aviation as a
whole. We acted explicitly
and empathically without
regard to “special interests.”
None of which paid to
put us in our high-paying and
powerful jobs. In fact we
have volunteered countless
hours and much effort for the
good of the whole commu-
nity. Plus, we were power-
less, except to appeal to rea-
son, which seldom did any
good. Ask any aviator at ei-
ther airport.
It’s too bad that so many
of us have had to fight this
bureaucracy and its airport
director so hard, for so long,
trying to facilitate appropriate
progress on our airport while
protecting the real airport
assets and everyone’s quality
of life here.
For the good citizens
now chosen and serving to be
blamed for nothing happen-
ing is pitiful politics and mis-
placed blame. Someone in
power needs a mirror.
If one keeps stacking the
deck all will finally come up
all aces. And one can “break
the bank,” or do worse with
our quality of life.
I am glad for the sense of
wholesome community and
the service of those neighbors
and friends that comprised
citizens airport advisory
groups. The common ground
we found from our broad and
varied experiences in flying,
business and life in the valley
affirms my enjoyment in the
aviation community and the
spirit of the people.
At this moment, Grossi
and the commissioners are
preparing a new airport plan
that will determine the future
of our airport, and to a large
extent this whole area. It’s a
shame no citizens board rep-
resentation or input has been
possible before the formal
planning began.
We should beware the
consequences of “Big Plans”
in this small valley.
We all know that legal
handguns and hunting weap-
ons in Southern Oregon are a
high priority for the U.N., so
it comforts me to know that
Sheriff Gilbertson is there to
defend us.
In the meantime, if the
sheriff can use some of his
energy to protect us from
more mundane dangers such
as bird flu, Lyme disease, or
even burglary, we will have
even more reasons to be
grateful.
Likes Dave’s Outdoor
From Ryan Wargin
Cave Junction
I just have to state my
appreciation for Liz & Dave
(and Larry) at Dave’s Out-
door Power Equipment in
Cave Junction. That is a store
that backs this community.
Just recently my
“moneymaker” (chainsaw)
blew up. I was dead in the
water. With their help, I was
out the door with a new saw.
There is no better or
more honest saw shop in
Southern Oregon than Dave’s
Outdoor.
I’m grateful that it’s here
for the working man, and that
it backs the community.
Economic recovery
From Ann Centonze
Cave Junction
We are all abundantly
aware that the “artificial infla-
tion bubble” of the past 15
years has burst, and that glob-
ally we are in a state of eco-
nomic correction.
With a third of the U.S.
workforce unemployed, fore-
closures on homes and proper-
ties at historic highs, financial
institutions increasingly unsta-
ble, and the cost of basic goods
and services at their highest
costs ever, it is time to fast-track
an economic recovery.
It is simple physics (for
every action there is an equal
and opposite reaction) and
basic economics (when the
cost is too high, nobody buys;
reduce the price, and voilà,
you create an overwhelming
consumer base). Since Au-
gust 2008, the price for fuel
has dropped more than half
from its summertime highest
prices, and yet a 4.5-percent
increase that was undoubtedly
voted into effect during that
summertime high, has now
been passed on to Oregon
electricity consumers as of
December 2008.
I have visibly decreased
the amount of energy con-
sumed in my home, as evi-
denced by my bill, and yet I
was charged more than this
same time last year. I’m do-
ing my part to consume less,
what about Pacific Power?
Why hasn’t the overall eco-
nomic decline been recog-
nized by Pacific Power, and
that rate increase rescinded?
And just today, in the
market news, energy and
electricity posted above-
average profits, at a time
when the stock market has
been in a tail-spin for weeks.
The same can be said for
perishable goods at grocery
stores. I have recently seen a
higher rate of thrown-away
and/or donated perishable
items such as fruit, vegeta-
bles, bread and dairy products
than during the past four
years. I am certain this is due
to higher prices, and fewer
folks able to pay those prices.
That is so wasteful. Espe-
cially since the bottom has
fallen out of the commodities
market, and those costs are
now cheaper to the producers,
and those cheaper prices
should be passed on to the
retailers and the consumers.
On June 19 Congress
enacted the complete Food,
Conservation & Energy Act of
2008. The Farm Bill was
passed to provide subsidy for
agricultural development that
meets standards for clean air,
clean water and land conser-
vation. This bill is meant to
promote cleaner agricultural
standards while paying 70 to
90 percent of provable loss to
farmers, farming corporations
and co-ops during the over-
haul process.
However, it could
amount to a government-
funded national famine while
the industry upgrades its prac-
tices during the next four
years. And it could eliminate
green waste, needed to pro-
duce biofuels, as well as limit
affordable farm-fresh food
here and abroad.
It also implies that the
consumer/taxpayer is paying
twice for meat, produce, sta-
ple goods and energy devel-
opment: first as subsidies and
again at the marketplace.
We should not have to
depend on our government to
regulate and control our
everyday economic drive. We
do not suffer from a lack of
food, clothing, goods, homes,
fuel, medical care or automo-
biles, but from an unwilling-
ness by those in retail to rec-
ognize and readjust to the
economic downtown. Mer-
chants and retailers who do
not readjust their pricing
strategies are going out of
business across the nation.
(Continued on page 3)
Life in the
fast lane
the Y-way
Resist not the cheese
From Dan Beal
Kerby
Sheriff Gil Gilbertson’s
pledge to resist the United
Nations is lamentable.
If the U.N. trucks ever
come down the road it will be
because our government has
collapsed, and they’re bring-
ing relief, free cheese or
something.
Everything modern life promises is here, only a little more
personal, a little more tangible, a little more fulfilling. The YMCA
is more than just a place to workout. We’re that sense of commu-
nity you seek, a sense of belonging. We’re home. We’re the Y.
Join the Y today and experience the Y-way.
Salutes Sheriff Gilbertson
From Steve Wireman
O’Brien
In the Jan. 21 issue of
the Illinois Valley News, I
was struck by a passage in the
article, “Gun issues hot
topic.”
When Sheriff Gilbertson
was asked about “the possi-
bility of troops from the
United Nations being used to
disarm local residents,”
Gilbertson responded that he
“is determined to defend his
constituents against any such
intrusion,” adding that
“they’ll never step foot on
this turf, they are not a good
group.”
I take my hat off to this
man, who would bravely face
such an effective world
power as the U.N.
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