Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Columbia Gorge news. (The Dalles, OR) 2020-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 2021)
Wednesday,April21,2021 Columbia Gorge News www.columbiagorgenews.com 5 Politicians should stay on the job McLean ■ I By am Lucy extremely disappointed community. We need our senator to show up for us, not turn his back with Sen. Chuck Thomsen, who has on us. When politicians walk off the job walked off the job in Salem so many and refuse to negotiate on policies, times, most recently in February, it shows they are unfit for office. because he was mad about some legislation or proposal. It’s shameful It doesn’t matter what the issue is that he doesn’t like. We didn’t elect and there must be accountability Thomsen to go on vacation when for lawmakers who fail to show up the going gets tough. That is why I and do their jobs. There have been support proposals that would bring a lot of scary moments over the consequences to lawmakers who last year for myself and my friends violate their oath of office and skip and neighbors in Hood River. A frightening pandemic, smoke from out on work. One proposal on the table says that if lawmakers don’t massive wildfires, as well as small show up when they are supposed businesses worried about if they will be able to survive extended clo- to, they won’t get paid and will sures and unemployed Oregonians face fines. I support that. No work? No pay. And the bill prohibits the worried how they will be able to kind of fundraising that can occur pay the bills. This is on top of how from big political donors to pay the the pandemic has made hunger and homelessness more dire in our fines or make up lost wages. They can’t turn to their drug company, corporate timber industry, and other corporate donors to reward them for walking out. I also strongly support the proposal that would ban any lawmaker from running for office who has had 10 unexcused absences. Regular people have to show up, go to work and do their entire job, not just parts of their jobs. If they don’t they get penalized or fired. The same should be true for the people we send to Salem. I grew up here in Hood River, and I now work in health care admin- istration. Every day in my work our customers and coworkers rely on me, as do my friends and family. I take seriously all of my obligations and duties, and I frankly find it stunning that Sen. Thomsen and the other GOP Senators who claim to be our leaders and ask for our votes don’t do the same. Working in the health care field, I see the sacrifices our front-line health care workers are making ev- ery day. Under immense stress, they still do their jobs because they keep their promises and take their oaths seriously. They deserve to know that every single day, no matter what, every single lawmaker is showing up for them. When these Legislators refuse to do their jobs, they are delaying our communities’ access to desperately needed housing assistance, resources our schools urgently need to safely fully reopen, legislation to lower pharmaceutical drug prices and other assistance Oregonians need. Perhaps even more infuriatingly we the taxpayers, who are hurting most right now, have to pay for the costs of the walk- outs. Last year these costs came to almost half a million dollars. Hood River, and communi- ties across Oregon, can’t allow these walkouts to continue. A strong bipartisan majority of Oregonians support policies that would make walking out on the job hurt for lawmakers. As more and more Oregonians get fed up with GOP gridlock they are joining together with teachers and oth- er community organizations to demand change. Please check out NoMoreCostlyWalkouts.com to learn how you can get involved. We as a state cannot allow our govern- ment to continue to be shut down in these scary times. Lucy McLean lives in Hood River. YOUR VOICE CONTINUED May 2021 election. business, solving complex Sincerely, legal issues, and creating and Hunter Johnstead advocating for good public The Dalles policy is exactly the expertise we need right now. Please join me in supporting Marcus Swift for I wish we could all agree Port of The Dalles in the that paying your fair share of Fair taxation taxes is patriotic. Obviously we all need the dollars we work hard to earn, but not contributing to our country’s infrastructure, which almost everybody uses daily, is like not maintaining your car, or your family or your place of Want to write a letter? C OLUMBIA GORGE NEWS ENCOUR- ages readers to submit letters to the editor for the weekly opinion page. Letters on all topics are welcome. Writers must include their name and hometown (for publication) and daytime phone number (for verification, not for pub- lication). Letters from an agency or group must be credited to the author or a contact person. Anonymous or “name withheld by re- quest” letters are not accepted. Letters must be 350 words or fewer; generally, the briefer the message, the better. Opinion pieces longer than 350 words may be published as a guest commentary at the discretion of the editor. Letters are published as space allows, and efforts are made each week to provide as much space as possible. Deadline for letters is noon on the Friday prior to publication. We reserve the right to edit all letters: Letters must be civil. Vulgar or inappropriate language will not be considered, nor malicious, false or misleading statements. Letters attacking an individual, rather than an opinion, are not acceptable. Letters criticizing a particular business over a particular complaint or grievance will not be considered. The opinions expressed in letters are “Your Voice,” and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Columbia Gorge News, its staff, publisher or advertisers. Letters may be submitted online at www.ColumbiaGorgeNews.com: Scroll to the bottom of the page and select “Submission Forms,” then select “Letter to the Editor.” Letters also may be sent via email to Mark Gibson at markg@gorgenews. com. Or mail your letter “attention editor” to any of the Post Office boxes listed at bottom of page 4. COVID ? residence. Why then are entities and people who avoid taxes con- sidered smart? Like Trump proudly boasted, they wear their avoidance to help pay for the defense of this nation, for the roads on which our commerce travels, or the airports and seaports that import or export goods and services as a badge of honor, or simply as shrewd business practice? Last year, more than 50 of the largest U.S. companies paid no federal income taxes at all. Many haven’t for years. Yet they wave the flag on the fourth, and incorporate it into their product packaging, even as they lobby to pay even less than they do. Meanwhile bridges are crumbling, broadband penetration is third rate, and the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the state of our infrastructure a C-. Barely passing. Yet [some large compa- nies] had a total effective tax rate of zero or less for the last three years, even though they are profitable. In addition, many compa- nies locate over seas in tax havens to avoid U.S. taxes. I pay my taxes. I think these fortune 500 companies that make use of our roads, airports, defense and other infrastructure should pay too. Their avoidance should be deemed unpatriotic, not lauded as “smart”. Jennifer Ouzounian Hood River COVID kills COVID-19 vaccinations are rapidly coming available to all. Yet, there are people in Oregon not wanting to be vaccinated for various reasons. To those who have a rea- son not to get vaccinated, talk to the 500,000 families who lost love ones. Explain your reason to them. Take the vaccine. COVID kills! Lee Huckins WELCOME TO THE LIBRARY phd.org 41-506-2600 Want the COVID-19 vaccine? LIMITED SERVICES are now available in-person at your library EVERYONE 16 and older is eligible Visit ncphd.org to book or call 541-506-2600 ENGLISH E S PA Ñ O L • Browse the library collection • Use computers • Print/copy/scan documents • Pick up your holds* Visits are limited to 30 minutes or less and building capacity is reduced. For your convenience, you can schedule your visit at www.fvrl.org or by calling 888-546-2707. *Curbside or walk-up services are still available without an appointment. FVRLibraries FORT VANCOUVER REGIONAL LIBRARIES
