The Sandy Post
Von B raschler. P ublisher
C a ro lin e D uff O ffic e M a n a g e r
Editorial & Op
SANDY
OREGON
Dan D illo n . Editor
Scott N e w to n . N ew s E ditor
THURSDAY AUGUST 13 1981
t obacco subsidy cut short-sighted
It’s hard to legislate morality ef
fectively, but some solons continue
to try—whatever the cost.
Oregon’s Republican Senator
Mark Hatfield, a religious man who
tilts tirelessly at increased defense
spending, now has added the tobac
co industry to his list of immoral
opponents.
He proposes cuts in heavy
federal subsidies to dom estic
tobacco growers, with the justifica
tion that the nation is plowing
millions of dollars back into a drug
crop that the nation also is trying to
convince the public to avoid.
Indeed, new public warnings on
cigarette packages are expected to
carry even harsher warnings about
health hazards of smoking, based
on continuing evidence from the
U S. Surgeon General. The federal
w a rn in g s —m a n d a te d by th e
fe d e ra l g o v e rn m e n t — w ill
discourage smoking, due to cancer,
heart, birth defect and respiratory
problems.
But like the old “cold turkey”
way to stop drinking, the subsidy
cut-off to tobacco growers may be
drastic and ineffective. The patient
may live, but the doctor may die.
The American tobacco industry
is too large a part of the national
economy, and stifling the smoke
too suddenly may choke us all
economically.
Of course, there may be other
supporters of a subsidy squeeze
plot with less moralistic reasons.
Tobacco as an industry long has
been aligned with regional and p ar
ty politics. Tobacco money is
s o u th e r n
an d
h is to r ic a lly
Democrat.
Viewed as a squeeze play
politically, tobacco resembles cot
ton at a time when the industrial
north tried another squeeze on the
a g ric u ltu ra l south. Then the
justification also was morality
concern for slaves.
Wouldn’t it lx* nice, if public
representatives could see the rip
pie effect—before they throw some
of us in the tub for cleaning?
Let’s hope saner heads prevail.
Sect morality in a democracy
shouldn’t stifle a strong, free
marketplace, a strong national
defense, regard for borders or any
other concern of the body as a
whole. (VB)
fell public all news that fits here
The Sandy High School Board
Monday clarified its position on use
of Portland newspaper advertise
ment of public notices.
Sometimes those legal notices
about expenditures, meetings and
elections will appear in the com
munity newspaper and sometimes
th e y
w o n ’t —d e p e n d in g
on
deadlines and urgency.
1’he board amended their recent
motion that named a Portland m or
n in g n e w s p a p e r as o ffic ia l
newspaper for school district legal
advertisements. They said that
measure included an oversight of
the local newspaper, which they
planned to utilize whenever possi
ble for publication of public
notices.
We commend the local board for
atempting to publish public notices
locally whenever possible, and sug
gest the public is best served if they
could work around meeting times
and deadlines to publish locally all
the time. That way, a greater
number of district taxpayers can
read how their school is being run
(VB)
Marathon session ends
Not with whimper,
■annual report card
NEW YORK
II the first half of
1981 left you neither dismayed or
ecstatic, join the crowd
formance m the first half of 1981 was
how remarkably little it performed
The Dow Jones Industrial Average
moved no more than 93 points from
closing high to closing low ; it ended
a yawn inducing 13 points from
where it began Even in the era of
p<‘t rocks, this one might have had
trouble finding someone to adore if
Eor the financial landscape of the
last six months provided scant com
fort for extreme optimists or ex
treme pessimists It was a vaguely
puzzling terrain containing a rock, a
plateau and a mirage
The rock was the stink market
Some told us around New Year’s
that it was about to In* I lung high into
heavens never previously explored
by hum an beings or even
stockbrokers Others were equally
certain that it was alxiut to plunge
deep into the well of financial
despair They were all wrong the
rock just sa, there, extraordinarily
still
Indeed, the most remarkable
thing about the stock market’s per
The plateau in 1981s financial
landscape was in interest rates, and
a dauntingly high plateau it was, too
After reaching a record 21 1/2 per
cent in late 1980, the prime rate
charged by major banks sank only
slightly before rising back to the 20
1/2 percent altitude. The interes
rate plateau, like the stock-marki
rock, left v irtu a lly everybod
dissatisfied.
The mirage, meanwhile, was ,h
much predicted big, long recessio
now a, least two years late, accoi
ding to who's counting
Whether the market is ye, ready ,
burgeon from a rock to a mountain i
arguable, many technicians believi
that a further washout is necessary
before tha,
In any event, some change o
scene is surely overdue; look for i
more variegated financial land
scape ahead
Letters to the editor:
by JACK Z IM M E R M A N
Associated Oregon Industries
When the 61st Oregon Legislative
Assembly convened in regular biennial ses
sion Jan 12. new Senate Pres Fred Heard
made two predictions
In view of then-questionable revenue pro
jections, Heard invoked the adage about the
f>est government being that which governs
leas, and opined subsequent legislative ac
tivity would produce the ties, government
Oregon ever had
He predicted an orderly session that
would adjourned in the full light of day
Revenue projections steadily worsened,
as the session in Salem continued and
lawmakers ultimately approved a budget
even leaner than tha, proposed by Gov Vic
Atiyeh Eor the most part, there will be less
government during the next biennium But
some particularly the governor are wor
ried about its quality
Although the Senate president’s other
prediction came true (adjournment did oc-
t ui during daylight), it was the grey light of
dawn at 6 30 a m , Aug 2, concluding a
21-hour continuous floor session that started
the morning before
Despite criticism for lack of productivity
during the session's firs, five months,
law m akers u ltim a te ly passed more
measures than ever before a total of 998.
compared with the previous high of 978 in
1977,
The total represents 39 percent of the 2.333
introduced and continues the trend of the
last few sessions enacting larger percen
tages of measures under consideration
But the factor tha, will haunt the 61s,
Assembly for years to come was its inter
minable length I, lasted 203 davs-alm ost
three weeks longer than the previous
longest 180 day session in 1973
That it would be a long session was fairly
predictable almost from the onset
A skidding economy that had provoked a
budget-cutting special session last August
failed to improve and estimates of revenue
from existing taxes continued far short of
spending Gov Atiyeh asked for nearly $230
million in tax increases to balance his
budget lawmakers postponed making final
de< isions until additional projections in
June
When those forecasts remained gloomy, it
still took another six weeks of soul-
searching before the final revenue package
was forged in the session's dying hours
Although it took further budget cuts to
balance spending with reduced revenue, the
session managed to accomplish much of
wha, it faced in the way of decision making
last January
Noteworthy was the fact boundaries were
redrawn for both legislative and congres
sional districts Although legislative reap
p ortion m e nt faces a court test in
Wall Street report.
Reader blasts mountain development
Fight developers
Legislative Report from the State Capital
E X C L U S I VE to Oregon's Weekly Newspa
pers from Associated Oregon Industries
Multnomah County, it marked the firs, time
in recent history that lawmakers had
agreed to agree on this touchy political task
The Legislature also produced laws
governing land use decisions during the post
acknowledgement period, after cities and
counties achieve approval of comprehen
sive plans from the Land Conservation and
Development Commission
Although greatly amended Gov Atiyeh’s
Workers’ Compensation Taks Force bill
achieved passage. Unemployment Compen
sation law was changed to the satisfaction of
both business and labor
Atiyeh also saw passage of his energy con
servation and clean drinking water pro
posals lawmakers agreed to refer a $60
million package of corrections legislation to
voters next May
The governor expressed displeasure with
budge, reductions for Human Resources
and Higher Education, but witnessed ap
proval of his proposals to nearly match las,
biennium's basic school support and fully
fund property tax relief
The revenue package finally adopted con
sists of three major components They in
volve delaying for two years an increase in
the state’s personal income tax exemption,
a seven cent increase in cigarette taxes and
quarterly payments of corporate and per
sonal income taxes not subject to
w ithholding
In addition to the overriding revenue pro
blem. the session also was dogged by in
vestigations probing lawmakers’ ethics and
spent much time hearing special interes,
proposals that ultimately were abandoned
Unlike four previous sessions when
Democrats held significant majorities in
both chambers and a moderate Senate
generally charted the course, the 61st
Assembly saw emergence of a strong House
Republican minority Together with a half
dozen moderate House Democrats, tha,
coalition often was the final arbiter
Also unlike recent previous sessions, it ’s a
foregone conclusion record long delibera
tions of the 61st Assembly ended before
finishing the most important task Further
cuts in federal spending and continuing
recession almost guarantee a special ses
sion early next year to once more adjust ex
penditures and taxes
Wha, is even more upset
ting than the prop ed
developments planned for
the Brightwood area
e ,
Sweitzer’s hydroelectric pro
ject, the Alderwood "trailer
court subdivision." Tillicum
Woods. Brightwood Glen and
etc.) is the apathy expresi ed
by many residents who f *t*l
they can do nothing to stop
this urbanization of th< M,
Hood area
So wha, can they do'’ The
exact same things we are d<
ing Eight'
We residents, sportspeo
pie, and concerned recrea
tional users of the area have
banded together personally
and financially to combat
the destruction of one of the
most beautiful areas in the
Northwest
We call ourselves the
Mountain Area Corridor
Citizens" (MACC), whose
purpose is to inform the peo
pl<‘
of
u n s u ita b le
devlopm ents which w ill
s e rio u s ly
im p a c t
the
wildlife, the fisheries, the
aesthetics, the serenity and
quality of life we now enjoy
on the mountain And what
about the impact on our
pocketbooks?
I don’t care where you
live, these developments af
fee, you I don’t care if you
hunt, fish or jus, sit in your
cabin These developments
are going to hi, you right
where it hurts Financially!
These ’ ’u nacceptable"
developments will increase
everyone’s taxes in the form
of new sewage and water
systems tha, w ill be needed,
upgrading of our fire and
police protection, impact to
our schools, increased traf
fic on our highways and
roads that will make them
even more expensive to
maintain, no, to mention the
increased traffic hazards we
w ill have to contend with
How much will it really
cost us? The developers
claim their projects will help
the area 's economy Bu, who
w ill it really help’’ Only the
select few who will profit
from the rape and violation
of our mountain and ita
natural resources Thi res,
of us will be burdened with
the increased service costs
and taxes
Now is the time for work
ing people, people on fixed
incomes, property owners
and countless others w ho use
and love this area to join
MACC in our struggle to
save the mountain If we
work together, we will , and
can win
Stop the ravaging ol our
mountain and save it, so that
,u,ure generations can enjoy
it, as we have in the past
Gordon Cabral
Brightwood
Tourney success
1 banks to all participants,
coaches and Sandy mer
chants who contributed to
our firs, Sandy women's
softball tournament
D espite
103 degree
weather, we feel it was a big
success
Special thanks to our
recreation d irector, B ill
K n ig h t- Weiler (all-rou n d
handyman) for scoring, lim
ing and umpire Special
thanks also to o ffic ia l
scorekeeper Diane Gedde
and umpires Digby Morrow
and Kevin Olsen
The league also ap
predates and thanks Jerr
Swails for preparing ,h
fields, Marie Rusisill for pro
viding the concession stan<
and Mayor Ruth Ioundrei
for presenting the trophies
Barb Johnsor
League representative
L E T T E R S P O LIC Y :
The Post asks that all
letters to the editor be
typed, double-spaced and
signed. Deadline is noon,
Tuesday. Letters should
be ac c u ra te , fre e of
libelous remarks and in
Rood
tas te.
This
newspaper attempts to
publish all
letters it
receives and may edit
m aterial lightly to con
form
to
guidelines.
M axim um length is 200
words.
I he Innocent Bystander:
Enjoy golden years with your SSAN
I was shoveling out the junk mail
when an attractive booklet caught
my eye I, was titled. -Your Golden
Years You Excerpts follow
So you're thinking of retiring*’
Good for you' You've worked long
and hard all your life and you cer
tainly deserve to idle away your
golden years in leisurely pursuits far
from the madding throng
Now you may be saving ,o
ment. Mr. K. has already con
yourself. "Bu, what will | do with
structed an eight-foot high scale
myself all day after I retire’’ " Don't
model of the Eiffel tower ou, of Pop
give it a second though, Keep in
side sticks and is now working on a
mind tha, many, many people are
replica of Mt Satchagoomie carved
happy in retirement The secret, of
out of a single block of Styrofoam
course, is to keep busy as a bee
Many senior citizens remain
Eor example. l/o n a rd R of
politically active An excellent case
Astoria. Ore . devotes every waking
in point is Morton P of Smckley.
hour to watching "the crazy goings
Ohio, who writes a letter to 47
on' in the an, farm he has placed on
newspapers throughout the United
the end table next to his chair in the
States demanding repeal of the
family rumpus room
Smoot Hawley Tariff Act of 1930
If you're more goal oriented, you
Several have been printed
might take a leaf out of George K s
Retirement w ill also give you time
book After only 18 months of retire to read all those great books you've
always wanted to read (»rover S of
Denver immediately began Marcel
Proust's "Remembrance of Things
Past" when he retired three years
ago and is already up to Page .38 " I
can’t wait until Proust gets ou, of
bed, he says eagerly
Like Mr S . you, too, should have
somethign to look forward to Of
course, you can no longer look for
ward to your coffee break, lunch
break, five o'clock whistle, Friday,
vacation or retirement Bu, Kenneth
W of Fresno has solved this pro
blem On arising, he sits on the liv
ing room couch and looks forward
all day toSp m when his wife pours
him the firs, of his two martinis
Needless to say, there are dangers
you should watch out for One is
togetherness, which m arital experts
have found to be the leading cause of
divorce.
Eor .30 years, I pu, up with him
absentmmdedly humming. There'll
Be Bluebirds Over the White C liff’ el
Dover after dinner." Gertrude G
told the court "But 16 hours a day•»"
Her husband. Alfred, countered
that he'd tried to ge, ou, of the house
but was sick and tired of coming in
the door each evening ,o hear her in
quire.
What's new in the back
yard?”
Physicians also warn that the lack
of stress can cause an adrenalin
deficiency which may lead to bucolic
s e n ility, verbal atrophy, and
heaven forbid, tertiary coreopsis So
whatever you do in retirement try
to stay tense at all times
Otherwise, we re sure you II en
joy your golden years And if you
have any further questions about
that retirement you have been plan
nmg to take soon, such as how to
prepare kibble, please write the
publishers of this free brochure -
The United States Social Security
Administration