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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 1978)
Editorial and Opinion Groups A id City, School in Budget Straits Salem scene. The Kiwanis Club of Sandy, with support from the Sandy Chamber of Commerce, will conduct a telephone campaign to encourage local voters to cast their ballots on the city levy election Sept. 12 and on the Sandy High School levy election Sept. 19. It’s the third try for the city and the fourth for the high school. D istrict Superintendent Jack Peters said this week that the high school cannot operate after Nov. 22 if the levy does not pass. It is noteworthy that the high school has not increased its number of teachers, despite an additional 100 students this year. The City of Sandy has pared its budget request to $2.93 per $1,000 of a sse sse d v alu atio n from an original $4.02 in an effort to gain voter approval. The budget levy failed Aug. 15 when only 18.7 Opinions solicited by Forest Service percent of all registered voters took tim e to vote. Voter apathy appears a large cause of budget failure. To m otivate citizens to cast their votes, various civic groups have set up phone lines with concerned volunteers to man them. Ned Dyal is spearheading efforts of the Kiwanis club and the cham ber of com m erce. The cham ber voted last week to support the city budget and this week agreed to support the high school m easu re. Ginny Brew ster heads a special citizens’ committee for passage of the school levy with George Morgan treasurer. (E d ito r’s note: Salem Scene is a legislative report from the c a p ita l provided to weekly newspapers by Jack Zim m erm an of Associated Oregon Industries.) These citizens deserve our support for their concern and our full attention when they and their associates call to remind one and all to vote. (VB) Straub’s Gamble on Tax Stand May Pay The Dem ocratic party has found a glim m er of light in Measure No. 6, the property-tax ceiling which will be on the November ballot. That glim m er is the feeling that Gov. Bob Straub may have reaped some political hay by calling a special session. Concurrently, Republican challenger Vic Atiyeh may have lost ground by delaying his position on No. 6 until too long after Straub had acted. Polls reportedly show Atiyeh com fortably ahead at present writing. But Atiyeh’s lack of a positive stance on No. 6 until just this week may have eroded some of his support. S traub’s entourage thinks so. They feel that by calling a special session, Straub has reasserted political leadership. One Straub loyalist has called it the “ turning point in the 1978 e le c tio n .” Obviously, he sees Straub going on from here to victory in November. Straub is gambling, of course. The legislature may not approve his property tax plan; it may not approve anything. It may do even worse and approve Atiyeh’s plan or Vern Cook’s (a reduction in income tax). If S traub’s plan is approved, voters still could toss it out and vote instead for No. 6. That’s what happened in California. Thus S trau b ’s gamble. At least he has recovered some momentum and, even if only tem p' • T ily, has Atiyeh on the defensive. Hang in There, Commissioner Charles Davis We applaud the decision by State P u b lic U tility C om m issioner Charles Davis to stay in his job despite efforts by a lobbying group to force his resignation. We have known Davis for some tim e and c o n sid er him a scrupulously honest, totally fair and eminently reasonable person. We were delighted when first he took the PUC job. We still are. Davis has caught a lot of flak, of course, from various pressure groups, usually because he has found it appropriate to approve higher utility rates. So it is with the so-called Oregon F air Share group. They’re mad at Davis because he doesn’t do what they say. Most states have some sort of a public utility commission but Oregon is one of the few where one man has to make the decisions. We re sure it is a lonely, often frustrating job. You simply can’t please everyone. But if Oregon’s system is wrong, th at’s the fault and the respon sibility of the state legislature, not the utility commissioner. As far as Charlie Davis is con cerned, we think the state would be much the poorer if his resignation is forced by one group or another. We hope he hangs in there. Boeing Aircraft Booms Should Echo this Way Boeing A ircraft cannot now predict increasing employment at its Sandy Boulevard plant because huge orders recently announced are too far in the future. However, employment locally certainly will stabilize in the years ahead. Recently announced orders are for the 757, a stream lined version of today’s 727. The 757 still is in the future, being projected for about 1983. Boeing, meanwhile, will continue to sell other commercial jets and workers gradually will shift from these planes over to the 757. Boeing just can’t say when the transition will take place but it will be done gradually. W hatever the time fram e, it’s good news for us. Von Braschler. General Manager John Kline, Editor Caroline Duff. Office Manager Mark Floyd. Staff Reporter Kaye Barton, staff reporter P u blished w e e k ly Thu rsdays by The O u tlo o k P u b lish in g Co Bo» 68 Sandy O re g o n 9 7 0 5 5 Second do s s p o s tag e p a id at Sandy O re g o n 668 5548 SUBSCRIPTION RATES In M u ltn o m a h o n d C lo rh a m o s Count>*5 p er ye a r »7 00 5 e r*tc e m e n a n y ad d ress »7 00 In O re g o n o u ts id e M u ltn o m a h a n d Clock om os C o u n tie s per yeor M 00 MMt N R aja 7 'ownOetf IMS In N o rth w e s t ond P o tih c C oast States o u ts id e O re g o n per yeo r t9 00 O u ts id e N o rth w e s t a n d P a n lie Coast states p e r ye o r ... t i l 00 - Oregon Newspaper Publishers Associât tort Sandy Poet, Sandy. O re ja n 97055 I •»p resen ted N a tio n a lly b, U 5 SUBU»BAN PSf SS INC Na. M Sag* 7. 1970 Stumble Softly And Carry An Embarrassing Staff Letters to the editor Police brutality To the Editor: This is to register public protest against brutal tactics by Clackamas County Sheriff deputies who beat up James Purdy last week. People on the mountain know Purdy as a man of honor and integrity, a law- abiding citizen respected everywhere. The sheriffs’ tactics were w ithout provocation. Purdy has file d suit against the s h e riff’s department. The court w ill take care of that end of it. Sheriff Renfro has a most serious problem on his hands — the behavior of his men, he must answer for them. If the citizens cannot trust the police, who can they trust? Police b ru ta lity cannot be tolerated. Joseph A. Stein Star Route. Truman Rd, ZigZag County courthouse To the Editor: What should we do with our Courthouse? Clackamas County is faced with that question since our Commissioners decided to move the courts and ad m inistrative offices to the Red Soils Center on Warner- M ilne Road in Oregon City. We should applaud their decision, taken on the advice of a group formed to study the problem. As member of that group I learned the worst, that our courthouse is outgrown and located in the wrong place. Parking is impossible in Oregon City. To have it remain there w ill cost huge sums of tax money. The County setup already is costly and overcrowded, and economy alone justifies the decision to move. Con ditions w ill do nothing but worsen as we add more spaces to meet the un deniable needs of justice. Offices scattered between Marylhurst. Gladstone and Oregon City cost us more than 1200.000 a year in leases Needs of a growing population forced govern- ment expansion. Clackamas had barely 50,000 people when the courthouse was built in 1936 Now we ap proach 220.000 The knotty space problem has developed a million- dollar lawsuit against the County over an ill-starred lease in Gladstone Defense of that case alone w ill cost quite a sum Thus, the space crisis generates waste In addition, it coats in wasted time and travel of employes among the various sprawled offices — between ja il and courts, between assessor and building d ivision, etc. Nobody knows how to curb this expense, which is mostly hidden, but it is plain to see when you fritte r your time and travel among county offices. There is plenty of room and existing facilities exist at Red Soils. The County owns land adequate there for decades to come. Our study found no reasonably economical alternative to the move. When the County vacates the old courthouse we believe it could serve the community in other ways. I think our citizens have the intelligence and good sense to find worthy answers to the question. This letter is an effort to initiate public discussion, for that w ill at least give better understanding It is sure to bring a solution that w ill benefit the entire county, as well as the communities clustered by the old cour thouse at historic Willamette Falls. Joseph A. Stein State Route, Truman Zig Zag Rd. Voter apathy To the Editor: Voter apathy is one problem but voter rebellion is a problem of another nature. Both are now in evidence on the local and national level and both are the result of a third problem, education. There is apathy when those exercising the right to vote is only 20 percent of the registered voters There is rebellion when the vote cast is “ No" to any proposal It is an act aimed at persons in power or at programs and expenditures It is like saying. “ We have had enough — there must be a lim it ” The Sandy-area Chamber of Commerce believes it must exercise leadership against apathy. As members of the Chamber, we are in sym pathy w ith voter rebellion because we also feel the same tax burden. We are taxpayers at every level as homeowners and income earners. We pay the same tax rate as the non-business person to support the city, county, fire and other districts. Government services cost dollars and we all receive the benefits from them in va ryin g degrees. Today’s taxpayer received his education at the expense of past taxpayers. Police and fire protection is peace of mind. We should keep in mind that the tax rate for the city in previous years was $11.63 per $1,000 of assessed valuation in 1974-75; $8.86 in ’75-76; $5 02 in '76-77; and $4.57 in '77-78. The budget request for this year is $5.41. The city budget is sound. The Chamber urges your vote Support your city on Sept. 12 and your high school on Sept. 19. Ned E. Dyal Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce Board Member The United States Forest Service wants help. It is com pleting a nationwide study of national forest lands not yet penetrated by roads and is inviting public participation. O ffic ia lly designated as roadless areas, some 3.1 million acres — more than 10 times the size of Multnomah County — are involved in Oregon’s portion of the national study known as RARE II (Roadless Area Review and Evaluation). Purpose of the study is to determine how much of the roadless land to set aside for wilderness designation and how much to release for m u ltip le use, a concept blending recreational access with forestry, grazing and mining When the study is com plete, the forest service will make its recommendations to Congress, probably shortly after the first of next year. USFS already has produced a voluminous e n v iro n m e n ta l im p a c t statement for the roadless areas and now wants the public to express its e lf regarding use of these vast lands If you own a camper, travel trailer, mobile home, off-road vehicle, outboard motor, ski boat, snow skis or even a rifle and fishing pole, you should make certain your wishes are known Most recreation connected with the foregoing w ill be banned — or at least become more difficult to enjoy — on any land designated as wilder ness by Congress Most people consider any s p a r s e ly p o p u la t e d , relatively undeveloped area wilderness They achieve a wilderness experience by visiting almost any forest, as long as it isn’t jam-packed with other human beings But Congress is much more definitive. When it designates an area a wilderness, that means no human access except on foot or horseback. It means no cabins, camp shelters, fireplaces, water systems or even toilets. It means no ski lodges. It means no roads or p erm a n e n t s tru c tu re s . Off-road vehicles and out boards are banned. Wilderness means the land remains as it is. No one is allowed to harvest its timber and reforest its land for future generations. No one is allowed to mine its mineral deposits or graze livestock on its grasslands, Oregon currently has 1.3 million acres of wilderness — 8.4 percent of the state’s national forest land. It can be visited only by hardy back packers and those affluent enough to rent horses and other animals for lengthy excursions. W ild e rn e s s v is it o r s represent about 2 percent of the population. The rem aining 98 percent is expected to conduct its outdoor recreation on multiple use lands or go w i t h o u t . W ild e r n e s s designation doesn’t preclude hunting, angling, or cross country skiing. But it limits those activities by each in d iv id u a l's physical en durance and stamina. Demand fo r forest recreation — mostly non wilderness in nature — is expected to double by 2020 The demand fo r wood products also w ill double in the same period. Sizeable increases in congressionally designated wilderness lands w ill do little more than increase the already growing pressures fo r grazing, tim be r production and recreation on existing multiple use lands If you have an opinion on this subject, write to: USFS Pacific Northwest Region (R-6), P.O. Box 3623, Port land 97208 Deadline for receipt of public expressions involving establishment of more wilderness areas on national forest lands is Oct. 1. Maps and complete descriptions of each roadless area under study are available at all USFS offices Opinions relating to specific roadless areas likely w ill have greater impact on the final forest service recom mendation than simple pro- con statements regarding wilderness and multiple use generally. Congressional creation of more wilderness in this state's national forests should be a subject of great concern to all Oregonians. In addition to providing recreation, national forests contain a s ig n ifica n t in ventory of timber upon which our largest industry depends in great measure. Each acre of forest with drawn from that inventory creates additional pressures on that industry, the jobs it provides and the economy as a whole. Another view: Summit support is needed This week’s Mideast summit at Camp David is an occasion, if ever there was one, for the American people to put aside carping about Jimmy Carter and to support him as their President. The President of the United States remains the world leader w ith the most likelihood of influencing events and attitudes toward peace in the Middle East The present ram pant skepticism about the summit must not be thoughtlessly allowed to undercut his ef forts and thus become self- fulfilling propheev. The atmosphere for negotiation can hardly be improved by reports from Jerusalem that Is ra e l’s Prime Minister Begin has no intention of offering any alternatives to his peace plan SOVEREIGN STATE Of AFFAIRS ITS A DAY OFF FOR THE AMERICAN WORKER AS A REWARD FOR HIS HARD WORK A N D DEDICATED EFFICIENCY \ and by the knowledge that E g y p t’s President Sadat already rejects the plan Yet the atmosphere for progress could be markedly improved by a summit that restores the dialogue of peace even without major substantive agreements. Mr Carter has been criticized for v io la tin g c o n v e n tio n a l summitry by not having agreements su fficie n tly worked out so that the summit would be simply a panoplied platform for an nouncing them But he must be admired for taking a risk so bold to revive the faltering momentum for peace In preparation for the sum m it, Mr. C arter is reported to be considering various proposals to get things moving again if deadlock develops They are said to involve Palestinian representation in subsequent peace discussion, the possibility of an American “ presence" (somewhat like that in Sinai) for security purposes in the West Bank, plans for territorial with drawal, and the working out of a peace treaty. But, whatever gets floated on all sides before the sum m it, whatever the essential preparations in depth by all parties, the key w ill lie in whether the summit participants can rise to the full responsibility of representing the peoples' yearning fo r peace and security They can be helped to do so through th e ir p e o p le s ' e q u iv a l e n t responsibility of giving them firm and enlightened sup port Christian Science Monitor BOYD & WOOD
