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
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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
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