The Srfndy Post
Editorial & Opinion
Von Braschler Publisher
Caroline Duff. Office Manager
Don Dillon. Editor
Scott Newton, News Editor
SANDY, OREGON THURSDAY. APRIL 22. 1982
Crowd frenzy, tricks raw politics
Sure, it ’s hard to arouse voters
into groundswell supporters these
days. Inciting them with reac
tiona ry issues like property
assessment adjustments and tax
revolt, however, is like throwing
raw meat to hounds.
incite the mob just to capture the
moment.
Tricks the voters don’t need.
Tricks they’ve seen before. That’s
why they distrust government.
Phoney letters to the editor at
district newspapers is one trick
that isn’t working this year. A
We’re seeing a lot of savage
crop of look-alike, sound-alike let
politics practiced here this spring,
ters of endorsement for a com
as fa cele ss nam es th ro w
munity college board candidate
themselves at crowds for recogni
this spring were challenged by
tion in new legislative districts.
this newspaper as suspiciously of
Opportunism is the name of the
the same o rig in . Even the
game—leading the leaderless
signatures looked alike. We
mobs.
printed this candidate’s endorse
C ertainly, government isn’t ment le tte rs th a t could be
popular anymore. But anti- validated, however.
government politics practiced by
Now a letter to the editor on
those who seek election to govern behalf of Senate D istrict 14 can
didate Thompson appears to be of
ment posts sounds deceitful.
The re g io n moans w ith questionable origin. The short let
economic wounds The land cries ter attacks size of signs for
out for builders with plans, not prim ary opponent Joe Davis as il
battlers with plots for dismantl legal by county ordinance.
Strangely a third person (not
ing. City, county, state and
federal governments limp with the s ig n a to r o r a d m itte d
budget woes that cripple social o rig in a to r) recently inquired
programs and ability to respond whether HIS short letter that
to economic hurts felt in home and challenged certain political signs
as illegal would be published.
capitol alike.
So it smarts on the che *k to see
How the plot thickens. How the
a smart guy like John Thompson blood boils.
Oregonian smiles fight dry spell
A p p a re n tly G o v e rn o r V ic
A tiy e h
proposes to lead
economically dry Oregon through
new, uncharted desert land.
Things w ill get better, we’re told,
if we all pull together and put on a
happy smile. That, at least, was
the gist of his Sandy talk
The state budget, $350 million
leaner with revenue shortfall
cuts, can’t afford to prime the
pump for housing or start a state
bank The state can’t afford to
assist SE Asian im m ig ra n ts
whose welfare assistance here
has been cut by the federal
government.
So the kind-hearted sponsors
who brought them here are asked
to resume responsibility for the
5,000 northwest im m ig ra n ts,
many still jobless
And unions are asked to form a
state central depository to prime
the pump for their own jobs.
And jobless Oregon emigrants
to Wyoming and other energy-rich
states are given high marks by
Atiyeh for their get-up-and-go at
titude.
State governm ent’s role in
economic recovery here seems
almost limited to an assistance
role, with a revitalized tourist pro
gram and state economic develop
ment commission to work hand-
in-hand with local recovery ef
forts.
The state’s looking for new in
dustry and tourists, so the gover
nor wants to change Oregon’s
public image of remote aloofness.
Time to put on a happy face and
smile at the world with disarming
confidence.
Salem scene:
Highway measure lauded
by JACK ZIM M ER M A N
Associated Oregon Industries
Seldom in recent history has economic
development enjoyed more popularity in
recession ridden Oregon
Commissions, councils, task forces,
committees and study groups are tackling
the issue from every angle at city, county,
state and regional levels
And wj * ( authorities tell us, every
registered voter will have a chance to par
ticipate in restoring the state s ec onomic
vitality May IB
That's the date of this year's primary
election, and the opportunity to stimulate
the economy involves passage of Ballot
Measure 4 It calls for an increase in
gasoline taxes and weight mile taxes
levied on trucks
Why is an increase in gasoline taxes im
portant to the economy’ Very simple Our
highways, roads and streets are the
backbone of commerce in this state
Ixrng sought industrial diversification
and the location of new industries in the
leas densely populated and economically
depressed areas of the state are heavily
rlepenrlent on up to-date, well maintained
roads and highways
And • at about tourism that socalled
clean industry nearly every community
cla m o u rs tor? L et our h ig h w ays
deter locate any further than they have,
and the tourist dependent Oregon Coast
would be an even more stark wasteland
that it now resembles, due to the depressed
market for wood products Who doubts
that our roadside parks are an important
ingredient in the mi» that maintains our
economy’
During the Fifties and Sixties Oregon s
highways were the envy of moat other
states Oregon led in developing and com
pfetmg its part ofthe fwieral interstate
system At the same time our gasoline
taxes were among the lowest
Hut condition« have changed Gasoline
prices have soared Inflation has outstrip
ped revenue and energy conservation has
esacerhalad the situation Deterioration
began in the bevenliea and achieved crisis
preport«me thia deesdt
The I legislature repeatedly has placed
gas and weight mile las increase» on the
hello*, end they've been soundly trounced
Readers eye school, taxes, elections
VICA w inner
T e rry Lenchitsky for
Sandy Union High School
Board race!
I would like the voters to
support Terry Lenchitsky
for the Sandy Union High
School board He is very
supportive of vocational
education. He knows the
importance of teaching
students technical skills
Terry recently spent two
days of his time, giving
support to the Sandy VICA
Club at their state contest
Terry is concerned about
saving tax dollars
He
discovered the metal shop
needed sheet metal, so he
w orked to h ave the
necessary metal donated
This saved the district 1200
T e r r y w ill w ork to
upgrade the vocational
department and at the
same time put his in
dustrial business skills into
use
He is willing to donate hut
time and energy to help
Sandy students achieve
success
Pleas«* support Terry for
the Sandy Union High
School Board He is much
too valuable of a person not
to elect.
Lynn Sondenaa
Sandy
Candidate quits
V eçitletive Report from the Stale Capital
E XC L U S IV E Io Oregon » Weekly Newspa
p ert 1 rom Associated Oregon In d u ttric i
They again might go down to defeat But if
Measure 4 fails May IB, voter rejection will
fly in the face of ec onomic necessity It will
he just that much harder and more expen
aive in the future to improve conditions
that will restore employment to those who
want to work
Ballot Measure 4 seeks equal increases
in gasoline taxes and weight mile taxes
each July I thia year, and the next two
yearx The gas tax boosts are in one cent
increments Weight mile taxes paid by
truckers will rise an average of 12 5 per
cent, 11 I percent and 10 percent on cor
responding ates the same percentage*
levied on gasoline
Oregon's gasoline tax now is so low com
pared with other states that only six are
lower Weight mile taxes, on the other
hand are third highest
How much does our present B-cent a-
gallon gas tax coat’ About 153 a year, if
you travel 12.(W0 miles and your car gets IB
miles per gallon Chances are the car
you’re driving <• ea much better than that
and the coat is proportionately less
If you do only average IB rnpg however
with Measure 4, you'll wind up paying
about t » more a year- after July 1. i«M
And if you don't think that’i a bargain,
consider some other expenses you pay for
that ear
I t ’s likely you're paying
somewhere near eight times what you pay
to maintain highways just for the in
surance you buy.
Voters between now and May 18 will he
bombarded with so-called facts and
voluminous statistics from these on both
•idee of th* issue
But it seems times and conditions dic
tate that those who vote on thia issue must
consider their veto for or against a positive
step us the direction that will begin km
pruvement of Oregon's economy.
I am sorry to have to an
nounce that I have decided
to withdraw my candidacy
for state representative in
District 23 I have decided
to withdraw for health
reasons I am glad to have
had the experience of being
a candidate, and I am glad
to have met so many new
friends
I am supporting Mark
Pihl who Is the other
Republican candidate for
District 23 He is conser
vative, and Mark Pihl
believes in our free enter
prise system
Mark Pihl is a corporate
officer in a family travel
business His background
includes being a director of
finance for A C.U. Educa
tion and Research Institute
and an instru cto r for
language at P S.U As a
representative for Small
Business Advocates Inc.,
he learned the needs of
small business and In
dustry
Of particular concern to
Mark Pihl are unemploy
ment, logical land use. ade
quate school support and
economic d evelopm ent
through d iversification
Mark Pihl is against in
creased taxation
Sincerely,
Dianne Oliver
Sandy
Fight power cost
PGE and PPfkl. want to
build two new nuclear
pow er
p la n ts
in
Washington State Evident
ly they haven't noticed the
plight of WPPSS or new
forecasts that show much
lower energy needs in the
Northwest
PGE and PPAL already
have spent more than |3Mi
million on power plant pro
jects unlikely to be com
pieted The projected cost
of two new nuclear plants is
SB 2 billion i before cost
overruns >
PGE and PPA L’s fan
Uisy is to use the 1300
million debt as a down pay
ment on the new nuclear
plants, since they are pra
hihited by a state law pass
ed by voters in 1978
i Measure 9> from charging
their customers for un
finished power plants
Dave McTeague. can
didate for Congress in the
new Fifth Congressional
District, was a major pro
ponent of M easure 9
M cTeague,
th ro u g h
M easure 9, has saved
Oregonians millions of
dollars in lower electric
rates
We must continue to fight
these skyrocketing electric
rates of PGE and PPAL If
we send Dave McTeague to
Congress, I'm sure he will
show us that Measure 9 was
just the starting point
Help came fast
We wish to express our
appreciation for the efforts
wards, while trying to
determine the cause, show
they are more than people
merely doing their jobs
The action of one fireman
who donned an oxygen
mask just to save our fam i
ly
photo
a lb u m
underscores this point
My belief that the Sandy
area has a unique sense of
"com munity” was rein
forced immensely by the
a s s is ta n c e , food and
clothing given to us Im
m ediately following the
Letters to the editor
made by the fire depart
ment and Alpine A m
bulance to save the life of
our son and brother They
certainly are to be com
mended for the efficient
manner in which they res
pond and carry out their ef
forts to help those in
distress
For all the expressions of
sympathy and acts of com
passion by the V F W and
Sandy Ward Relief Society,
we expecially are grateful
Mr
and M rs
R obert
Minyard
and daughters
T hank you
Most people tend to rate
a fire department by how
fast it can man the trucks
and get out the fire hoses
The Sandy Fire depart
ment deserves commenda
tion for their abilities in
this area The speed at
which the mostly volunteer
department responds to a
fire is nothing short of
amazing.
Our recent fire pointed
out another side of the
department that is not
often mentioned Their
compassion and sensitivity
during the fire and after
fire
Just saying "Thank you”
doesn't begin to express the
gratitude we feel to these
people
A fire destroys many
memories, but memories
of friends and neighbors
reaching out to help makes
a great step in filling that
void
The Emerich family
Sandy
Jobs, not taxes
Oregonians do not need
more taxes, they only need
m ore em ploym ent. We
should insist that Oregon
residents be hired for
Oregon jobs Instead of
passing laws to restrict
business, we need to en
courage business
A legislator does not need
to suggest jobs Tbosands
of people are bursting with
good ideas and business
acumen They only need
the political climate of no
harassment to pursue their
dreams
I am in favor of tax in
centives to businesses that
hire additional employees,
a state bank with interest
people can afford, and
repeal of a number of the
state’s regulatory func
tions
Do
p e rm its
fo r
e v e r y th in g
h elp
the
economy? Do extensive im
pact statements create
jobs, other than for the
researchers? Are laws
needed
to
re g u la te
everyone’s persona, life?
Jean Roberts
Senate Dist.14 candidate
Mehama
Avoid home rule
The public should not
condone the current tactics
of the Clackamas County
Commissioners in what ap
pears to be another stride
toward home rule Ours is a
statute county govern
inent—not home rule, so
the commissioners should
not attem pt to control
either the number or quali
ty of candidates seeking
elective offices
Obviously, the proposal
to cut back salaries of the
clerk and surveyor has
come at a time after can
didate registratio n but
before primary elections
T h is
c e r t a in ly
m ust
discourage at least the
most qualified candidates
who are likely to be cur
rently employed at larger
salaries than the Commis
sion proposes to offer If
any of the affected can
d id a te s
chooses
to
withdraw his registration,
the voters' rights will have
been pre-empted
It is ridiculous too, that
we have at least one com
m is s io n e r,
R o b e rt
Schumacher, would have
the appointed personnel of
ficer evaluate and make
recommendations re g a r
ding elected officers Can
didates for the surveyor’s
office are required to be
pre-qualified by law
J. M Kerr
West Linn
Ask the superintendent:
Sandy High’s Peters starts column
(N O T E : Sandy Union High
School Superintendent John D
Peters this week begins a weekly
question and answer column in
The Post Headers who wish Dr
Peters to address matters of in
terest to them should direct their
questions to Dr John Peters, in
care of the Sandy Post, P O Box
M, Sandy, OH 97065 Dr Peters
will answer all questions in his
column in The Post. I
by JOHN D. PETERS
Q What will happen to the art
classes as a result of last Thurs
day's fire?
A The quick response from the
Boring. Estacada Sandy and
W elches fire m e n kept the
damage to our art building lew
The school board has called for
bids to repair the area that is
damaged In the meantime, Mt
Hood Community College has
allowed us to use their kiln to
finish the student's pottery pro
jects for the remainder of the
school year.
The art classrooms were not
damaged, and therefore we will
continue to teach art in those
areas
Q Why were 19 teacher contracts
for the 1982 82 school year not
renewed?
A The contracts for these 19
teachers were not renewed by the
SUHS Board of Directors under
Oregon laws that state: "Each
district school board shall give
written notice of the renewal or
nonrenewal of the contract for
the following year by April 1."
and ... “For any cause it <the
school board> may deem in good
faith sufficient, the district Board
may refuse to renew te contract
of any probationary teacher
However the teacher shall he en
titled to notice of the intended ac
tion by April I....**
The school board feels they
m ust fo llo w
s ta te
law s
Therefore, they notified each of
the 19 teachers These 19 teachers
were those who had been hired
during the past three yers and
were classed as probationary
under the law The only reason
for these persons not having their
contracts renewed is lack of
monies from the state level for
our high school
We know that with the passing
of our special levy for the 1962-83
school year these teachers will be
asked to continue teaching next
year
Correction
A column April IS by Scott
Newton ("Local sports color wows
home folks") states: "And, 31 high
school teachers worked They gave
up a day of their time for the
benefit of the kids ."
The teachers did volunteer to
work They were, however, paid
for their time