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Wednesday,June9,2021
Columbia Gorge News
www.columbiagorgenews.com
OPINION
The opinions expressed in the letters below are “your voice,” and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Columbia Gorge News, its staff, publisher or advertisers.
YOUR VOICE
Good bye and
gratitude
I am a Licensed Acupuncturist,
small business owner and employ-
er. I founded and operated Cascade
Acupuncture Center, LLC (CAC),
with clinics in Hood River and
The Dalles from August 2005 until
November 2020, when I sold it to
a new owner. Since the sale, I have
not been involved in any man-
agement, marketing or the CAC
newsletter, but have been working
as the clinical director. The sale
was announced in Columbia Gorge
News on April 28.
Over the last 16 years, I have
served many roles with CAC and
my final role over the past six
months has been to provide the
best transition I can to the new
management team. I chose to sell
and leave the company to have
more private time and pursue other
professional endeavors.
I am deeply honored to have
been part of so many people’s lives
who have trusted me with their
healthcare. It has been amazing to
witness the many positive health
improvements over the years and
those memories are a big part of
my life! I have fond memories of
interacting with business owners
at many chamber events facilitated
by all Gorge Chambers. What an
incredible local business communi-
ty! Thanks to the chamber staff and
business owners for all you do to
serve the Gorge community.
CAC sponsored many local
farmers markets over the years.
I participated by having a booth
and enjoyed speaking with people
about acupuncture, purchasing
local products from the farmers and
becoming part of their community.
I highly respect the work our local
farmers do, thank you!
Finally, I wanted to thank the
local medical providers who have
placed trust in Acupuncture, the
CAC clinics and referred many
clients. It was an honor to co-serve
these clients to reach their health
goals.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time
with CAC and the wonderful staff
who remain with the company. I am
certain they will continue to serve
the local community well with their
healthcare needs. In gratitude,
Carola Stepper, LAc
Hood River
Family Time
A western bluebird flies from a nest box in Lyle.
shortages and tainted food supplies,
and more.
As a high school social studies
and electives teacher with classes in
both agriculture and cybersecurity,
I’ve been privileged to see the writ-
ing on the wall: These two topics
will and now are colliding. I recog-
nize the urge of many conservatives
to emphasize personal freedom and
the desire to go back to a simpler
time with less government red tape,
and maybe less concern about
global events. However, important
interconnected global realities now
stare us in the face: Climate change
(more droughts, early-snowmelt
floods, and wildfires in Eastern/
Southern Oregon), economic
trends, worldwide internet and thus
cyber-threats, and, of course, the
pandemic. None of these respect
national boundaries, let alone state
Last weekend, the meatpacking
and county ones.
company JBS, which processes
Since I also teach a national
almost a quarter of U.S. cattle, was
security course, I’m especially
the victim of a ransomware attack.
hopeful people in rural Eastern and
Preparing the U.S. ag industry to
defend against cyberattacks means Southern Oregon will rise to the
one more burden for already-belea- challenges before us by learning to
guered ag producers. Unfortunately, better plan for, adapt to, and mini-
the costs of not doing so are too
mize these interconnected threats.
high: Higher prices, possible food
The world is moving — if not
Don't ignore global
interconnections
Gary Elkinton photo
forward, at least along. Protecting
ourselves and our communities
from climate change/extreme
weather, economic downturns,
pandemics, and cyberattacks takes
courage; practice in seeing how
aspects of our lives are interlinked,
and humbleness in continued
learning. Luckily, we have a rural
Oregon “can-do” attitude to help.
Raz Mason
The Dalles
Raz (“Roz”) Mason is a high
school teacher, interfaith chaplain,
and climate consultant who lives in
The Dalles.
but there are no affordable houses
available in Hood River.
Supposing these people could
invest now and secure a future
house for themselves, while also
helping to jump start the funding
issue? This might encourage loans
and state and federal grants for the
project, and hopefully speed up the
building of these needed houses.
Alison McDonald
Hood River
to show-up, interact with others,
and respect our country for all the
opportunities it provides to us.
In our nation of abundance,
there is no reason that for one day,
businesses cannot shut down or
show some flexibility so that people
young and old can come together,
to stand in line, to be patient with
each other, to put some physical
effort and presence into their
opinion.
And for those who do face a chal-
lenge, that their neighbors, friends,
relatives, or even poll workers and
I just saw a headline “Fourteen
volunteers take a little bit of extra
States Have enacted 22 New Laws
time to check on those people to
Making It Harder to Vote.” My first
ensure that their ballot is cast.
response is: “I certainly hope so!”
Voting in-person involves a con-
The freedom to vote is a privilege,
and I fear that although we scream nection with the community. Voting
that from the rooftops, our actions
respects our past and changes the
The city-county partnership to
future of our nation. Isn’t that worth
build middle and low income hous- betray us.
Mail-in voting? How much effort a few minutes of our time?
ing off Rand Road in Hood River
does it take to seal an envelope? Is
Lisa Evans
is an extraordinarily worthwhile
White Salmon
project. Although I, too, am worried this the extent of the civic duty we
are instilling in our kids?
about the extreme density being
I propose returning to in-person
discussed, we all know it is sorely
voting. Voting should take effort,
needed.
It matters not what I write or
voting should require some sense of say about the Hebrew Scriptures
Funding is sure to be an issue,
obligation, and maybe even a hint
and I have a suggestion: I know
that would convince anyone of
many people have some money set of accomplishment. Voting in-per-
CONTINUED NEXT PAGE
aside to invest in buying a house,
son involves a conscious decision
Voting is a privilege
Partnership
worthwhile
Biblical beginnings
'Greater Idaho' means changes for Oregonians
Rodger Nichols
■ N By THE
RECENT OREGON PRI-
I
mary election, five Oregon
counties — Sherman, Baker,
Grant, Lake and Malheur — voted
that they would like to be annexed
to Idaho. They join Union and
Jefferson counties, which voted in
favor last November. All the coun-
ties were heavily Republican and
with relatively small populations. In
every county in which it appeared
on the ballot, the proposition
passed, and Idaho Governor Brad
Little and the Idaho legislature have
issued statements of support for the
idea. There are many hurdles in the
way of such a change, but what if it
does eventually take place? Here's
what a Welcome to Greater Idaho
pamphlet might look like:
The moment is finally here! After
multiple votes and long-running
court cases, you are now citizens of
the great state of Idaho. Here’s what
you need to know right away:
• Starting today, you will have
to pay a sales tax. All retail sales
are taxable unless specifically
exempted by Idaho or federal law,
and the booklet that describes
the exemptions is 123 pages long.
Current sales tax is 6 percent for
the state, but cities are allowed to
add another 2.5 percent, and it
appears all of your former Oregon
cities have met that criteria, so your
effective rate is 8.5 percent.
• On the bright side, you’ll pay
less in state income tax. Idaho’s top
bracket is 7.4 percent on income
more than $10,417. Oregon’s top
bracket is 9.9 percent on incomes
over $125,000. And Idaho is lower
in property taxes. But keep in mind
you’ll now be paying all three —
property, income and sales. It defi-
nitely helps to be in Idaho if you’re
rich; not so much if you’re poor.
• You’re going to need a new
Idaho driver’s license. Over the next
six months, we’ll be mailing you
your scheduled visit to the for-
mer Oregon DMV in your area for
retesting.
• If your agricultural-based family
has traditionally attended Oregon
State University, be aware that you
will now have to pay out-of-state
tuition. The difference? In-state
tuition is $11,715, while out-of-state
tuition is $31,215, just shy of three
times as much. However, in-state
tuition at Idaho’s land-grant college,
the University of Idaho, is just
$8,304, as opposed to out-of state
tuition, which is more than three
times as much at $27,540.
• And just as a reminder, all those
of you who proudly proclaim you
are fifth-generation Oregonians or
more, you are now first generation
Idahoans.
• The Assimilation not only
changes the political distance
between your old counties and a
state capital, it also changes the
physical distance. People in Hood
River County, just 107 miles from
Salem, will now travel 369 miles to
Boise, more than three times as far.
Klamath Falls is 235.9 miles from
Salem and 416.8 miles to Boise,
turning a four-hour trip into a six
hour, 42 minute trip. The break-
even point is about 10 miles east of
Hermiston. To the west, closer to
Salem, to the east, closer to Boise.
• Socially, you are entering a
much more comfortably conser-
vative state. You won’t have to
worry about your gun rights here.
We don’t believe in much regula-
tion, including outsiders imposing
mask-wearing regulations. We’re
proud of our independence, even
if it costs us. That’s why we’ve
had nearly the same number of
COVID-19 cases as Oregon (190,900
to 199,356) despite having a popu-
lation two and a half times smaller.
And our death rate per million
population was 1163.92, compared
to Oregon’s 617.87.
• You may encounter some
bumpiness in personal relation-
ships. Idahoans have a divorce rate
of 4.03 percent to Oregonians’ 3.36
percent.
• Your house may lose some
value. Median owner-occupied
home value in Idaho is $192,300 to
$287,300 in Oregon.
• You’ll discover the joys of
hauling yourself to your local
polling place to vote. You can get
Regional news for the Gorge
an absentee ballot without any
special eligibility requirements, but
you’ll have to make an application
for each election and remember
that it must be received by election
officials no later than the 11th day
preceding the election.
• Good news — Idaho state gas
tax is 33 cents a gallon, three cents
less than Oregon. Of course, as a
good independent person, you’ll
enjoy getting out of that comfy car
into rain, snow or blazing sun to
pump it yourself, unlike the coddled
drivers in Oregon.
• And great news if you own a
small business. Minimum wage for
your employees drops from $12.75
to $7.25 per hour, a 43 percent re-
duction in your wage expense.
• Finally, don't Bogart that joint.
Don't even light one, because
cannabis is illegal in Idaho for all
practical purposes. Possession of
even small amounts is a criminal
misdemeanor.
Rodger Nichols is a long-time ra-
dio and newspaper journalist living
in The Dalles.
Mailing Addresses:
PO Box 1910, The Dalles, OR 97058
PO Box 390, Hood River, OR 97031
PO Box 218, White Salmon, WA 98672
Columbia Gorge News
HOOD RIVER | THE DALLES | WHITE SALMON
Columbia Gorge News (ISSN 0747-3443)
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