The Sandy Post
Von Braschler. Publisher
Caroline Duff, Office Manager
Editorial & Opinion
Mork Floyd, Editor
Dan Dillon. News Editor
SANDY, OREGON, THURSDAY APRIL 30, 1981
SUHS budget defeat could hurt all
( ritic a l times call for concerned
boosters to ra lly round their school.
Sandy High School faces just
such a c ritic a l test before voters
May 19. At stake is the right of
students here to a very basic
education.
The levy ballot covers just the
cost of operating and m aintaining
existing necessary programs at the
school. There are no frills in the
May 19 “ A ” ballot that asks
D istrict 2 school patrons for an
estimated $3.77 per Sl.ooo assessed
value. T ha t’s 41 cents less than the
1980-81 school levy (exclusive of
levies for bonded indebtedness).
Even if approved, that meager
amount likely w ill be insufficient,
since the school has lost at least
$238,00 in state basic school sup
port.
A school budget com mittee w ill
reconvene 7:30p.m ., May 1, at San
dy High to ponder how the school
w ill make up the unexpected short
fa ll in outside funding. The public
meeting is a “ m ust” for all who
care about the future of Sandy
High
Disregarding the pending short
fa ll in state support, the d is tric t’s
A ballot levies $1.8 m illio n out
side Oregon’s constitutional lim ita
tion for operating expenses during
fiscal 1981-81.
If this measure is approved. $2.1
m illio n of taxes levied w ill be
financed p a rtia lly by the state in
cluding a $296,088 tax base.
At least th a t’s the way school
budgeters saw the picture back in
November, a more promising tim e
Now things look less certain.
J o pass this c ritic a l budget — in
sufficient though local funding may
prove
concerned boosters are
organizing a telephone campaign
and series of neighborhood coffee
klatches for presentations. The
concern is enuine when one views
the school or com m unity at large,
because the success of this budget
levy well could affect the whole
com m unity.
Fiscally responsible Sandy High
School can’t go forever without
voter approval of a budget. Without
guaranteed funds, in fact, the
school likely would have to shut
down around November.
Don’t count on certain state aid
during this fiscally tight year in
Oregon politics. A fter all, the state
already has withdrawn planned
money lo r basic school support.
So consider the consequences of a
possible school closure with 162
staff members onto unemployment
here. The m a jo rity of them live in
the d istrict, with the rest so close
that unemployment could have a
heavy im pact on an already lim p
ing economy.
It would be even more tragic to
see 1.200 students aimlessly w alk
ing the streets, because they they
were denied a state-guaranteed
right to a basic education.
T ha t’s a right w ritten into the
state constitution and something
that d istrict taxpayers all have en
joyed. Why shut the door to basic
education now? (VID
by
T4ARGULIES
©N8I SUBURBAN F IM ’RES
government off
f o r t i UkUfrhEH
Guest editorial:
The Eagle s landed & looks grounded
W II.I.IA M B. V A II.
Of Estacada
Some Oregon bills downright silly
A lot of bizarre bills have surfac
ed this session in Salem, and a San
dy Chamber of Commerce group It
a recent Salem briefing heard a lot
of them.
Purpose of the legislative brief
ing was for the Chamber delegation
to prep on business-related bills for
possible support or opposition by
the general membership
The Chamber has gone on record
against a proposed state law that
v irtu a lly would make it illegal fo ra
business to close shop here without
prior notice and against a proposed
state ban on smoking in public
buildings and work areas (except
in designated areas).
Besides Senate B ill 370 Indoor
Clean A ir Act and Senator Ted
Kulongoski’s Plant Closure B ill,
the local chamber anticipates w r it
ten opposition to a House b ill in the
E nergy Com m ittee to prohibit
com m ercial lighting October
December. Yes, to save energy,
proponents urge a ban on outdoor
SOMEHOW I FIGURED I'D FEEL
DIFFERENT WITH THE
business lights at Christmas time.
But here’s the capper for laughs,
according to one chamber traveler
to Salem:
One proposed bill would em
power the governor to appoint
guards to protect parking spots
designated for handicapped per
sons.
Imagine a crippled little , old lady
who tries to stop an angry guy with
a buzz in his ears. I t ’s their turf,
after all, so the law must be enforc
ed
Perhaps the state could issue
stun guns’ ’ fo r handicapped
guards to drop interlopers in their
tracks.
But then there’s the cost of the
munitions and the level of dosage to
be regulated.
A classic case of what happens
when an im m ovable object meets
an o b je c tin g im m o b ile , c o m
pliments of Big Brother.
Come on, Salem. L e t’s get
serious. <VB>
only to be rejected by them when
th e ir leaders a re deposed or need for
us te rm in a te s
What of our own people who would
be b e tte r served w ith those d o lla rs ’’
What about our m ilita r y that would
be strong er, if we were not fin a n c ia l
ly bled fro m the ve ry heart of our
cou ntry?
The g lea m ing trip o d s settled into
the lu n a r dust W ith calm c la r ity the
words of brave men reached from
beyond ou r imaginations to in fo rm
the w o rld , "T h e E agle has la n d e d ,"
R em em ber the pride
the pride
in ourselves and our a b ility as
Am ericans?
S o m e tim e sin ce the n in the
cha rtless canyons of tim e , the k n u rl
ed talons of the A m e rica n eagle dug
into a w eathered lim b on a high and
pre cario us ledge This tim e there
was no one the re to record this
h is to ric event that again, the eagle
has landed
The sym bol of freedom that has
been kept a lo ft by the w inds of
courage, the streng th and p rid e has
com e to rest A fte r two centuries of
unbelievable flig h t the endurance of
the eagle has ebbed It seems to
have run its course, brought down by
the arro w s of indecision o f leaders
and overburdened by a maze of
endless obligations
We have watched A m e rica con
tin u a lly back down when confronted
t»> m a jo r o r even m in o r powers, We
have stood like a po w e rfu l yet
pa thetic gian t, unable to act know
ing we are rig h t, sim p ly fo r fe a r of
w hat other nations m ig ht th in k of us
We have atte m p te d to buy frien ds
and form alliances, showering them
w ith m ilita r y and econom ic support,
O ur senses have been dulled by
this ongoing fru s tra tio n We p re fe r
to tu rn aw ay fro m these seem ingly
unsolvable d ile m m a s and preoccupy
o u rs e lv e s , s e e kin g fu n , c o n v e
niences and m a te ria l possessions
leaving ou r fate in the hands of a few
w ithout a thought fo r our fu tu re
These problem s have clouded the
keen vision of the eagle that is essen
tia l fo r s u rv iv a l In a d dition, we are
pressured by dem ands of an ever
gro w in g governm ent that is too
cum bersom e to be e ffe ctive and too
expensive to run
In
it s
b lin d
c o n c e rn
fo r
b u re a u cra tic pe rpe tu atio n, it clings
to the self consum ing philosophy
that m ore governm ent is be tte r
governm ent.
The governm ent of the people, by
the people and fo r the people is
ra p id ly becom ing a m yth fro m an
era gone by Each day brings w ith it
the gre a te r feeling of our citizens
that we have a governm ent versus
the people and a stystem that has
turned a deaf ear to needs of the peo
ple it was intended to serve.
This, too. has left the eagle void of
a c le a r sense of directio n
T his loss of in d ivid u a l freedom has
crushed the cre a tive s p irit that long
ago sent the eagle into flig h t on c u r
re n ts th a t in s p ire d hopes and
cu lm ina ted in the rea liza tion of
dream s.
We must be sw ift, if we are to
reca pture the dream before the
m e m o ry of the dream is gone and
w ith it the winds of reaw akening and
enlightenm ent that once again can
send the eagle spring ing fro m its lo f
ty pinacle on the same outstretched
w ings of courage, strength and pride
that gave b irth to this great nation.
Salem scene:
Public testimony in Salem is tricky
by JAC K Z IM M E R M A N
Associated Oregon Ind ustries
group of the u n fit, appointed
by the u n w illin g to do the un
A considerable lx»dy of
A m e rica n hum or tends to
d ispa rage decision m a kin g
by co m m ittee
Nonetheless - o r perhaps
Legislative Report from the State Capital
because it contains a spark
F XCLUSIVE to Oregon’s Weekly Newspa
of tru th - the com m itte e
pers from Associated CYegon Industries
system is inherent to our
le g is la tiv e process
leaders n e a rly alw ays p e r
The Oregon A ssem bly is
often is successful
m it fellow la w m a ke rs and
no exception
E veryone knows the one
other elected o ffice holde rs to
The c u rre n t L e g is la tu re in
about a co m m itte e being a
speak firs t Such testim on y
Salem is d ivid e d in to 35 com
o fte n
is p r e c e d e d
by
m ittees. depending upon how
a n im a ble ba ntering or b a rb
you count b u d g e t-w ritin g
ed jibes between those testi-
Jo in t Ways & Means This
ly in g and those there m a in ly
session there a re 17 c o m m it
to listen This ritu a l takes
te e s in th e H o u s e o f
tim e and doesn't sit w e ll w ith
R epresentatives and 18 m
o rd in a ry citizens, who m ay
the Senate
have tra v e lle d considerable
T e s t im o n y
b e fo re
a
distance at no sm all per-
The last few issues of the
le g is la t iv e c o m m itte e -
s o n a l in c o n v e n ie n c e to
Sandy Post have provided a
w h ile a convience to the
te stify.
firs t ra te de scrip tion of the
p u blic - often is not fo r the
Good co m m itte e leader
S a n d y E le m e n ta r y “ B ' ‘
fa in t of heart la w m a k e rs
ship makes e ve ry e ffo rt to
ballot contents It should he
a re people and some have
p e rm it such testim ony.
obvious to everyone that this
m ore patience than others
Being told tha t tim e that
is a "n o f r ill s " ba llo t The
C o m m itte e leaders also are
day has exp ire d means some
ballot contains support ac-
people, and some a re m ore
witnesses w ill not re tu rn
tiv itie s necessary to m ain
adept at ru n n in g a m eeting
The in e x p e rie n c e d also
ta in an atm osp he re con
than others,
should be w a ry of testim ony
ducive to learn ing .
F o r the average citize n,
if they are less than ade
As we check the lis t, we
te s tify in g before some co m
quately prepared to su rvive
w ill fin d tha t the ele m e n ta ry
m ittees can be try in g , to say
cross-exam ination by c o m
school p ro gra m s found on
the least Since the re are two
m itte e m em bers W hile m ost
the defeated " B ” ballot are
sides to m ost questions, i t ’s
la w m ake rs a re courteous to
c ru c ia l to the w e ll being of
possible that tim e expires
a fa u lt, m any are skille d in
our c h ild re n Just as the con
before both pros and cons
the a rt of self e xp re ssio n and
crete
foundation is the most
have a chance to speak
have a decided advantage
im p o rta n t asp ect of the
Then
th e re
a re
th e
when it comes to cou ntering
s tru c tu ra l in te g rity of any
courtesies in the c o m m itte e
the opinion of others
bu ild in g, the years a student
procedure that also tend to
The c o m m itte e process -
spends in ele m e n ta ry school
d is c o u ra g e th e n e o p h yte
w h ile con stituted to pro vid e
de term in e to a la rge extent
citize n who aches to provide
in fo rm a tio n on w h ich d e ci
his or her accom plishm ent in
t e s t im o n y
C o m m it te e
sions can be m ade — most
h ig h s c h o o l, v o c a tio n a l
n c e s s a r y . I t ' s lik e w is e
described as a group of three
tha t succeeds only when
m em b er is sic and other ab
sent.
Absenteeism is lik e ly the
sharpest thorn in the Oregon
A ssem b ly's com m itte e bush
— p a rtic u la rly when one con
siders the num ber of com
m ittees involved and fre
quency of m eetings
1 hen again, such decision
m aking is d e m ocra tic T his
fact prom oted a veteran p ro
fessional lobbyist to re m a rk
d u rin g the citizen swam ped
1971 session that dem ocracy
c e r t a i n l y fo u ls u p th e
le g isla tive process
Decision m aking by com
m ittee most lik e ly is favored
because of the be lie f that tw o
or m ore heads are better than
one On the other hand, what
about too m any cooks and
what they do to the soup’’
Letters to the editor:
Grade school rates support
school and college
Those of us who have been
in volve d in fillin g e n try-le ve l
positions know firs t hand the
d iffic u lty in fin d in g enough
young people q u a lifie d in
technical and co m m u n ica
tion skills .
Because our nation is lock
ed in an econom ic contest
w ith Japan and the Com m on
M a rke t countries — as w e ll
as even m ore serious con
fro n ta tio n s w ith the Soviet
Union in the Persian G u lf
and ou r own hem isphere, it
needs hundreds of thousands
of w e ll q u a lifie d young peo
ple each y e a r to f ill jobs in
business, in d u stry, g o ve rn
m ent and the m ilita r y
I f w e w a n t a s tr o n g
A m e rica w ith a healthy, fu ll
e m p lo y m e n t
econom y
c a p a b le
of
m e e tin g
challenges both at home and
abroad, we cannot a ffo rd to
let o u r schools s lip in to
decay
F o r th e w e ll-b e in g o f
everyone in our co m m u n ity ,
le t's pass the " B " ba llo t in
the next election
H arold H a yw ard
Sandy
I-E TT E R S P O L IC Y :
The Post asks th a t all
le tte rs to the e d ito r be typed
double-spaced and signed.
Deadline is noon. Tuesday,
N tters should he accurate,
free of libelous re m a rks and
,n
good
ta s te .
T h is
new spaper
a tte m p ts
to
publish a ll letters It receives
and m ay ed it m a te ria l lig h tly
to conform to guidelines
M a xim u m
length
1« » o
words.