Wednesday,June30,2021
Columbia Gorge News
www.columbiagorgenews.com
5
YOUR VOICE CONTINUED
When you purchase an affordable
home and turn it into a $2000-per-
month rental, do you feel good
about yourself? To the people who
buy all the homes to turn into rent-
als — does it make you feel good
that you collect these high rents
which prevent low-income families
from ever being able to own a home
of their own?
Perhaps you will never have
“enough.”
I am greatly saddened seeing
people who have called the Gorge
home their entire lives be unable to
afford to live here any more thanks
Chip seal was the topic of an
Opinion piece two weeks ago. I am to the invasion of the filthy rich. I
am saddened when I drive by the
a bicyclist, and a driver. I love the
roads of our counties here: smooth many vacation homes downtown
road beds, well banked for turning, sitting empty for nine months every
year, when there is no housing to be
great vistas!
I was startled by the author’s take found in the Gorge without a huge
price tag.
on things, about the resurfacing
The idea of building more afford-
of Eastside Road with chip seal.
He sounded so angry. I decided to
able housing is a nice idea — one
go drive on the new surface. Sure
that is constantly talked about in
enough it was rough and noisy. I
the Gorge but never actually done.
was surprised because Hood River However, a lot of these issues could
County roads crews resurfaced part be solved by limiting the amount of
of Clear Creek Road in Parkdale,
properties one person can own.
two years ago I think it was, and
There is someone in White
when they were done it was quite
Salmon who buys up the affordable
smooth. My bicycle found it a fine
homes and turns them into either
surface as well. So what was going
vacation or overpriced rentals.
on for Eastside Road? The answer: A These homes could house many
day or two later it got a second coat local families, but no. This person
of a finer size stone which turned
apparently will never have “enough”.
the rough first coat smooth. Ah!
It is time to change things.
My faith restored. Thank you Hood
Limiting the number of vacation
River County.
rentals in favor of the people who
I’m sorry to say that another
actually live here would also be a
question remains. Why two and
good plan. Let the tourists stay in
three years ago did another road
the many hotel options or camp.
agency, ODOT, resurface the
Let local families live in the homes.
Historic Highway from Mosier to
Why is this such a far-fetched idea?
the Dalles using a chip seal, single
Because the rich never have
coat, with a stone size as rough as
“enough.” “That’s capitalism!” They
that first coat just used on Eastside love to say. Perhaps it’s time for the
Road? A second coat of a finer stone rich to try sharing.
size like that used by Hood River
We learned it in kindergarten but
County would have made a smooth it didn’t seem to stick.
resurfacing job. We are left, how-
A. D. Will
Hood River
ever, with a rough, course sandpa-
per-like surface that only the fattest
bike tires make happy. Darn it!
One good thing I can report
about ODOT locally, when I asked
them that loose gravel left from win-
The recent claim was made in the
June 23 letter titled “Misunderstood
ter, on the bridge from downtown
Symptom” that psychosocial and
Hood River over to Highway 35,
psycho-emotional issues were the
be swept up, they did it within two
root cause of most abortions. It was
weeks of my inquiry. That’s great!
also said that no one sees abortion
Thank you guys. And they carried
as a good thing and that efforts are
on up the hill, up the switchbacks,
sweeping all the way to the Hatfield not being made by pro-lifers to help
women.
West Historic Highway trailhead.
As far as never hearing or read-
It looks so much better, and feels
nice and smooth under the tires.
ing any pro-choice thought on
Timothy Curry-Stevens abortion being something good,
Hood River I would ask the author to look up
#ShoutYourAbortion and you will
see countless stories of abortion
being painted as a good thing.
Is there ever “enough” for the
As for pro-lifers not helping
rich? Why is it even legal for some
women enough, there is always
to own so much at the expense of
room for improvement. However,
those less fortunate?
When will affordable single-fam- in my experience, far more support
has been shown for women, pre
ily homes become a possibility for
the families who need them instead and post abortion, by pro-lifers than
those on the other side.
of the already wealthy investors?
age for purchase of a semi-auto-
matic weapon, he must enforce it.
If there is a global pandemic and
public health is threatened by large
gatherings of unmasked people, he
must enforce the limits and mask
wearing.
Klickitat County is in need of a
new sheriff who respects the law
and protects the lives of all the
people of the County.
Gigi Pomerantz
White Salmon
Road questions
Root of the
Symptom
Never enough
The pro-life movement actually
gives women the opportunity to
choose life and supports those
women through pregnancy, moth-
erhood and even post-abortion life.
Hope Medical Clinic here in the
Gorge is a perfect example of this.
But the root cause of abortion,
psychological issues and abuse is
sin. Sin has corrupted mankind
since the fall in the garden of Eden.
Since then, it is in man’s nature
to do evil, which includes abuse,
rape, murder, etc. While we should
always try and stop these things,
the reality is that these sinful acts
will continue to happen until Christ
comes again. If any education is go-
ing to fix this, it is God’s teaching on
how to love your neighbor and how
Christ has loved the world through
his death on the cross. It is sin that
causes people to abuse others, to
rape women, and that brings people
to tolerate and even celebrate the
destruction of life in the womb.
The goal of the pro-lifer is not to
disregard women and their hard-
ships, but to love both the mother
and the unborn child through any
and all hardships. The pro-lifer who
doesn’t want to support women
post-birth should repent. The pro-
choice person who doesn’t want to
help women who chose life should
also repent.
Zac Patterson
The Dalles
unwanted babies can be given for
adoption.
Donald Rose
Hood River
public health leadership and prac-
tice carried out by Director Erinn
Quinn and health department staff.
Right from the start, the Health
Department worked with partners
to coordinate county-wide COVID
The June 23rd letter that revealed responses, including testing, pro-
the existence of a Political Acton
vision of isolation units, distribu-
Committee maintained by School
tion of vaccine, and much more.
Board member Chrissy Reitz,
Director Quinn has met regularly
concerns me deeply as it should all with county school administrators
parents of students in our county.
to provide public health guidance
PACs have no place in a non-po- and support in keeping our school
litical environment. They are fund- children safe. Meanwhile, she and
ing by individuals or organizations her staff continue with contact
who want to see someone elected to tracing, on and off-site vaccine
office and with whom they want to clinics, public health education,
and myriads of other pandemic
have a working relationship.
related responsibilities. All that is in
The fact that Chrissy’s PAC, left
over from the state senate race that addition to the routine services and
programs provided to safeguard the
she lost, was funded by special
health of Klickitat County residents.
interest groups and organizations
It is shocking to us that an elected
from far outside of Hood River
County should concern all who care county official would make a public
statement that threatens arrest and
about how our school district is
detention of our health department
managed.
employees for acting in the line of
A quick review of the contribu-
duty. Such posturing and rhetoric
tions to Chrissy for Oregon finds
is intimidating and totally inappro-
tens of thousands of dollars from
the very same education unions
priate — regardless of your personal
and other special interests who
beliefs and politics.
actively opposed allowing kids
Our county public health workers
in Oregon to receive classroom
are dedicated professionals whose
instruction this past year. Did that
goal is to protect and promote the
influence Chrissy’s role on the HR
health and well-being of the people
County School Board, and the de-
who live here. They have done
cisions that were made locally that and are doing their best to provide
services through a very unsettling
impacted our kids?
How about the generous contract pandemic. Their expertise is in the
field of public health.
the board just settled with our dis-
Clearly yours is not.
tricts teachers — a 6% bump in pay
The June 23 letter titled
Going forth, Mr. Sheriff, we
“Misunderstood Symptom, the au- after a year in which they missed
thor thinks that many abortions are no paychecks due to COVID, unlike suggest that you focus on the duties
our private sector that continues to listed on the job description for the
performed in the U.S. as a result of
position you were elected to fulfill.
deep psychosocial and psychoemo- struggle to recover? Did Chrissy’s
And hopefully with a measure of
close financial ties to OEA, the
tional issues. He maintained that
appreciation for other public ser-
state’s teacher union play a role in
the women have been abused in
the settlement?
some way.
vants among us.
Who knows, but the point is that
As a physician, who did abortions
Sue Pennington RN, MPH
the existence of this PAC creates the
as a family practitioner, I observed
Paul Moyer PA, MPH
appearance of a conflict of interest
the reason that an abortion was
White Salmon
that taints the image of the school
requested was the pregnancy was
board and creates an unfortunate
inconvenient for one or both of
distraction for the entire district.
the parents of the baby. Certainly,
PACs are for politics, not
alcohol, other drug use and promis-
non-partisan representation like
cuity contribute to the number of
To Klickitat County
a school board position. Chrissy
unwanted pregnancies.
Commissioners: Thank you for
So what do we do about it? What needs to decide: Is she going to be
your recent letter to Sheriff Songer
a political candidate, or be content calling out his intimidating and
I did was to completely stop doing
to serve on the school board? Her
them because perfectly formed
erroneous statements especially
constituents are watching.
arms and legs that I tore from the
with regard to local health officials
Kathy Mussi who are doing their best to protect
torso and held in my hand was a
Hood River all of us. It was necessary and shows
severe blow — I had just killed a
baby! I confessed this sin and never
good leadership.
did any more. I asked God for for-
Your endorsement of new leader-
giveness, which he gave along with
ship in the sheriff’s position would
healing.
be a next good step.
There are many women and men
To citizens of Klickitat County:
Dear Sheriff Songer of Klickitat
who have guilt about contributing
A sheriff who regularly makes
County Washington,
to abortion. They, too, can have
outlandish and legally questionable
As citizen members of the
forgiveness and healing.
statements and clearly attempts to
Klickitat County Board of Health,
They need to confess to God the
we want to respond openly to your divide the populace of the county
sin of self centeredness and sexual
he has been elected to serve does
proclamation dated June 17, 2021.
immorality and turn from them. Ask
not serve any of us well. I’m certain
During the past year and a half,
for his healing and forgiveness and we watched carefully as the Klickitat we can elect someone better.
he will provide them.
Joe Zendt
County Health Department rose
I think that abortion is an”option” to meet the challenges imposed
White Salmon
because true Judeo-Christian values by the COVID-19 pandemic. We
have been rejected in our society.
can say without hesitation that we
One should remember that
are impressed with the excellent
PAC problems
Abortion issues
Thank you
Commissioners
Inappropriate
rhetoric
LOCAL GORGE NEWS
Wyden, Merkley press federal land
managers for 2021 wildfire season help
On June 16, U.S. Sens. Ron
Wyden and Jeff Merkley pressed
federal land managers on Oregon’s
preparedness needs for the 2021
wildfire season as intense drought
conditions persist and are expected
to worsen in the state, according to
a press release.
“As you are well aware, the 2020
Oregon wildfire season was one of
the most destructive seasons on
record, destroying thousands of
homes, burning over one million
acres, and straining communities
already battling a historic pandem-
ic. Though many Oregonians are
still recovering and rebuilding after
last season’s wildfires, the 2021
fire season in Oregon has already
begun,” Wyden and Merkley wrote
in a letter to the U.S. Department
of the Interior, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service and
U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
Wyden and Merkley asked the
agencies to:
■ Provide additional investments
in aviation and other 21st century
wildland firefighting technologies
like drones and helicopters.
■ Continue coordination with
state and local fire response.
■ Ensure a thorough assessment
of firefighting capacity to align
resource availability with resource
needs.
“In 2020, there was increased
investment in planes to put out fires
from above, and it is imperative
to continue prioritization of the
deployment of aviation and other
technologies to keep firefighters
safe. We recognize the importance
of a strategic and integrated ap-
proach to tackle wildfire, and urge
your continued partnerships and
coordination with state and local
firefighting response units. We also
acknowledge the capacity challenge
federal agencies face. As fire season
lasts longer and longer and as fires
become more severe, retaining
qualified firefighting staff will be
challenging. We urge a thoughtful
and intentional analysis of exist-
ing wildland firefighting capacity,
so that resources are prioritized
accordingly,” Wyden and Merkley
concluded in a press release.
TRASH TALK
Q. Where do I dispose of sharps
QA
containers? Riane, Hood River
A. Riane, used sharps pose a potential health
danger. So we really appreciate that folks properly
dispose of them. There are several free drop sites for
sharps in our area. Sharps must be in an approved red
sharps container. The three drop sites are: Hood River
Transfer Station, The Dalles Disposal, and the Moro
Medical Clinic.
questions to:
(541)-506-2636 www.tricountyrecycle.com