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Editorial & Opinion
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SANDY. OREGON. THURSDAY. OCTOBER 6, 1983
Tragedy provides lesson
A 24-year-old local man was
recently sentenced to spend one
year at the Multnomah County
corrections facility.
A five-year suspended sentence
for crim inally negligent homicide
was the charge in Multnomah
County district court.
He can petition for a work
release after 90 days, and he must
begin paying a $1,000 fine at a rate
of $40 a month to begin 60 days
after release from custody. In ad
dition he must pay $400 toward his
court-appointed attorney
The sentence, handed down last
week, was for an accident that oc
curred Nov. 14,1962 in Troutdale.
Laryn Slifer, who was 21, died in
that accident. Ronald Shane, now
33, was left without the use of one
eye. Both were from Portland.
About two hours after the acci
dent this Sandy resident had a
blood alcohol count of .16, accor
ding to records on file with the
district attorney’s office. The
legal lim it for D U II is .10.
According to Charles B all,
deputy district attorney, the
sentencing was about what he ex
pected. “ What do you do with peo
ple when they come in and present
themselves as your next door
neighbor?”
He was a first-tim e offender
with a good record (and insurance
coverage). Reportedly he was
traveling too fast on a comer pro
ne to accidents. But, of course, his
most serious offense was that he’d
been drinking and driving.
Some would argue that a person
who drinks, and then drives and
kills another person, should face a
more severe sentence. Though the
point is valid, one also has to
wonder what benefit would be
served by placing an otherwise
p ro d u c tiv e c itls e n In w ith
criminals who are definitely a
detriment to society.
The problem is social and not
easily dealt with. Considering the
status of mass transit, an inexpen
sive trip home after an evening of
overindulgence at a tavern or at
someone rise’s home is out of the
question. Most people socialize at
places too far from home to walk
after an evening out.
One solution, of course, is not to
indulge, but it is a fact of life that
on occasion even m o d erate
drinkers will tip one too many.
I t ’s not a problem to be taken
lightly. “ At any one tim e it seems
like we have four to six (of these
cases) pending,” said Ball.
A fte r p a yin g an a cc id e n t
reconstruction expert $900 to
$1,400, in addition to the numerous
other expenses, it makes trying
the cases alone “ grossly signifi
cant and very expensive.”
That doesn’t take into account
the human element — the pain felt
by the fam ily when the life of a
young person is taken.
The legal and human conse
quences of driving home after a
night out should be of prim ary
concern before a first sip is taken.
Letters to the editor
Salem scene:
highway plan
Taxes, history collide
by JACK Z IM M E R M A N
U w c l i l f d Oregon Industrie«
After watching the 82nd Legislative
Assembly struggle with tax problems for
the better part of a year, a growing
number of Oregonians are asking how we
got into such a mess in the first place
Everyone realizes tax problems aren't
new and that previous assemblies have
struggled with sim ilar dilemmas. And as
far as the present problem is concerned,
the list of reasons is as long as you'd like to
make it.
Some blame the whole mess on property
taxes Some say government's too big.
Others ca rp about teachers, public
employees, unions, inflation, unemploy
m ent and the recession, too much
dependence on the income tax and stagfla
tion
There are those around who believe na
tional economic policy is the villain and
others who figure steadily rising popula
tion during the sixties and seventies pro
pelled us into the fix we re in Still others
blam e lack of aggressive economic
development policy and overdependence
on the forest products industry
Historians tell us all such conjecture is
off base Those things might have
something to do with conditions today. But
the initial reason for the predicament goes
back to early February in 1841.
That 's when our troubles really began
Of course, there were events leading up
to this significant singular incident that
propelled us into our present perplexity
They started in eastern Tennessee with the
birth of an infant boy. named Ewing
Young That was about the beginning of
the 19th century and though he obtained lit
tle schooling, historians tell us he parlayed
h » natural abilities into a position of con
siderable wealth
It is assumed he was among those who
opened the Sante Fe T rail and spent some
time in Taos (New Mexico), becoming a
friend of Kit Carson in the process In 1828
he lead a party across the Mohave Desert
into California and established a fur
trapping enterprise along the San Joaquin
River
Prospering but restless. Young was in
spired by Oregon promoter Hall Jackson
Kelley and trekked northward with the
Kelley party to Fort Vancouver in 1834.
Although technically a territory of the
United States. Oregon at the tim e was
pretty much dominated by the Hudson's
Bay Company and its chief factor. Dr.
John McLoughlin
One of the ways McLoughlin m aintained'
control of the few settlers in the area was
to prohibit private ownership of livestock
that would have enabled fam ilies to
achieve a degree of independence Kelly
and Young brought considerable hones
and mules with them from California,
which McLoughlin figured must have been
stolen At least he branded the party as a
bunch of hone thieves and denied its
members the shelter of his fort.
Kelley, whose health failed at that point,
gave up the ghost, accepted help from
McLoughlin to go back East and never
returned to the land he dreamed of
developing
Young, healthier and meaner, stuck
around and got even. Some stories say he
got McLoughlin to ease sanctions against
him by agreeing not to furnish homemade
booze to Indians in the area He then
organized a business that brought 600 bead
of cattle into the region, sold most to set
tlers and in the process exonerated himself
in the eyes of his pioneer peers.
A recognized leader. Young went on to
erect one of Oregon's first sawmills and by
1840 had become a prosperous and
respected farm er.
It was Ewing Young's death the follow
ing year that really got those early Orego
nians moving toward establishment of a
provisional government
At Young's funeral it became apparent
there was a need to probate his estate
because no qualifying heirs could be found
One is said to have stepped forward but he
was not of all-white descent and one of this
state's more colorful historians relates the
young man abruptly disappeared from the
pages of history
So a probate judge was appointed and
the first step was taken toward a govern
ment and the necessity of taxes to sustain
it.
Records show taxes were voluntary until
1845 - netting 881.50 in 1843 and soared to
several times that amount in 1844. an in
crease that prompted Oregon's first tax
revolt.
Although voluntary, taxes in 1844 were
described as one-eighth of one percent ad
valorem on merchandise brought in for
sale, improvements on town lots, mills,
pleasure carriages, clocks, watches,
horses, mules, cattle and hogs — plus a
poll tax of 50 cents for all male citizens
over 21.
Legendary Joe Meek, sheriff at the time,
had to contend with the likes of Joseph
Gale, who was guilding the seagoing sail
ing ship Star of Oregon near what is now
Swan Island.
When Gale scanned the assessment roll
and discovered his combined taxes came
to 81.14, he scribbled next to his name:
"D arn my sole if I pay.”
Despite that response from one of the
wealthiest of Portland's then-scant popula
tion of IS souls and the so-called tax
strikers of the Clatsop district, Sheriff
Meek delivered 8408.18 to the provisional
government, only 872.98 short of his goal.
The tax act of 1844 has been described as
the link between no government and real
government
It all started because Ewing Young died
when he did and left an estate someone had
to account for Perhaps the subsequent tax
act should hove borne his name. Nothing
else of significance does.
But maybe that's the way he would have
liked it.
There are two phrases
one learns the true mean
ing of when residing in the
Mt. Hood area for ten years
an d m o re . T h e y a r e
"Enough is enough" and
"There is no justice "
What I am referring to
most currently is the abor
tive revised prelim inary
six ye ar highway plan
dated August 1983, which if
adopted leaves us in the
ashcan again.
In the original six year
plan adopted in 1982 the ex
tension of the widening of
Highway 28 from Wildwood
1.9 m ile s up th ro u g h
Welches Road was pro
jected and funded for 1988
with all verbal indications
from Hie highway depart
ment and Salem that most
probably it actually would
be under construction in
1985 along with the much
n eed e d re s t sto p to
a lle v ia te the excessive
bathroom usage placing a
demand on an alread y
over taxed sewage system
The
n ew
p ro p o s a l
eliminates the rest stop
totally so I would suggest
the restaurant owners put
the “ hooey-pot" man on a
monthly retainer so that
the present systems don't
break down completely.
Enough is enough definite
ly a p p lie s to s e p tic
systems
The short but necessary
extension has been put off
until 1989 with an asterisk
statement of " It is uncer
tain that state funds will be
adequate to match federal
funds for projects after
fiscal year 1988 " It doesn't
take Webster's Dictionary
and a Ph D. to realize that
we have just gotten the
shaft.
For a highway project
that was started in the ea r
ly 1970s and extended to the
east of Brightwood, I would
say this sounds like the
longest lunch hour in
history When do they come
back to work? The fact that
we still are killing innocent
people on a very regular
basis seems not to enter in
to the state priority system
an d one m o re tim e
W a s h in g to n
an d
Multnomah counties have
pulled the golden rings and
run away with our funding.
Since M t. Hood and its
recreational facilities are
the single most important
tourist and local citizen a t
traction In the whole state,
one wonders how we are
supposed to carry the title
and crown and still keep
our highway users alive to
enjoy the offerings
In
every walk of life if you are
the best and the most you
get the priority, but our
State Highway Department
obviously works in reverse
The more the mountain
recreation areas improve
and have more to offer the
public, the lower our priori
ty gets. The state spends
m illio n s of t a x p a y e r
dollars to promote the state
as a contemporary recrea
tion area and all we can of
fer is a highway which bot
tlenecks three times within
approximately a ten mile
span which really ought to
have a sign posted "P ro
ceed at your own risk.”
Just how long does the
State Highway Department
think the citizens of Oregon
are going to stand still for
this dangerous situation
They act like Highway 28 is
a side road instead of the
fifth most heavily traveled
in the state, summer and
winter. Maybe instead of a
rest stop, we ought to re
quest a real "rest stop,"
n a m e ly ,
a c e m e te r y
because we fulfill both the
supply and demand
Adrienne Shields
Rhododendron
Cats again
Regarding the cat con
troversy, may I insert my
opinion? Regardless of
whether or not you like cats
or dogs or birds and squir
rels, each of us is entitled to
our opinion However, if I
enjoy feeding the birds,
chipmunks and squirrels
and the natural animals in
this beautiful area, 1 do re
sent someone else’s cats or
dogs interfering with my
personal territory You can
have all the cats and dogs
you want as long as they
are on your property and
their yip piifi Jnd howling
is also kept within the con
fines of your own property
I f I enjoy pesce end har
mony and the beauty sur
rounding us, that is also my
right
Nan Slenning
Sandy
Amazed
Being a person who
belongs to this community
that has avoided so many
pitfalls, it amazes me that
our city officials could find
the tim e to bother with a
small thing as garage sale
signs or any sign for that
m atter that is to advertise
wares sold out of one's
home, is none of the city's
business
I am shocked that a
garage sale sign needs city
employes to worry if it is
professional or not How
nice of you to rent them for
those of us who are not
talented enough to print
"garage sale or for sale ” I
am curious as to who paid
to h a v e th e s e signs
painted?
It sounds to me like we
are going to need less peo
ple on the design review
board and pinning commis
sion and more people on the
police d ep artm en t and
highway department That
way we will have enough
people to enforce this law
I know for a fact that the
highway department does
not
w o rk
w ee ken d s
Unless, of course it snows,
then they are too busy
knocking down m ail boxes
and blocking driveways to
be picking up garage sale
signs
This leaves it to our
understaffed police depart
ment to do the job on week
ends With skiers speeding
up and down the highway
and drunk drivers going
back and forth, the police
departm ent should have
plenty of time for this small
task I know, I live on the
highway.
Let's not forget the fact
that there are some people
who have to have these
signs in order to eat or help
pay their property tax.
I am speaking from ex
perience. I had my sign
taken and I also had it
returned by the Sandy
highway department who
at first denied taking it.
It was the Oregon State
Highway Department that
got them to bring back my
sign At the tim e I did not
even know about your petty
law then
I would also like to say
that there are some of us
who like garage sales and
we don’t care how profes
sional the sign looks. It is a
great way to meet people
and get a few bargains
It is a pity that our com
munity has become so pet
ty as to dictate to people
how often and just where
and how we can sell our
goods.
After all, we are just try
ing to make ends meet and
pay our taxes so that city
officials can sit around and
decide what is professional
and what is not.
Karen Russell
Sandy
E d it o r 's
s e ts :
The
garage ilgns are loaned,
not rented, by Ike city of
Mandy and the 85 fee to a
deposit, which to returned
upon return of the sign.
Poster
Is this slogan of Nikolai
Lenin ringing in our ears
today? "W e w ill conquer
you from witW n."
Lenin went on to say, " It
is our duty to inculcate in
the minds of all nations, the
theories of international
friendship, pacifism and
disarmament, encouraging
resistance to m ilitary ap
propriations and training,
at the same tim e however,
never for one moment
relaxing our efforts in the
upbuilding of our m ilitary
establishment ”
In turn we heard Nikita
Krushchev tell America,
"Whether you like it or not.
time is on our side We will
bury you."
There is a poster hanging
in our county libraries
from C lackam as Com
m u n ity C o llege w hich
reads: "Understanding the
Soviets, a Path to Peace.”
This will be a series of lec
tu re s
s p o n s o red
by
C la c k a m a s C o m m u n ity
College and a fed eral
grant Have we become so
apathetic that we can't see
what's coming over this
land of ours?
Senator Hatfield showed
little concern over this
when we notified his office,
and Representative Denny
Smith said he would "keep
a close eye" on this series
of lectures
Where are our Patrick
Henrys who say, "G ive me
liberty or give me death.”
Our biggest enemy right
now is not fear, it is
apathy I
"L et George do it,” is the
motto of too many people in
America today We agree
with Edmund Burke who
once wrote, "T h e only
thing necessary (or the
triumph of evil is for good
men to do nothing.”
Aaron Ballou
Sandy
The Derby
Young people are In the
news often these days. Un
fortunately, all too fre
quently. these news items
concern themselves with
the ills of the action of some
members of the younger
generation
However, it is encourag
ing to re co g n ize th at
goodness s till p revails
among the young and that
these fu tu re civic and
business leaders indeed are
tnvloving themselves In
programs and activities in
preparation for their future
responsibilities.
One such activity Is the
Sandy Soap Box Derby, a
part of an American tradi
tian dating back more than
40 years Over those tour
decades, our nation and our
nation's people have been
part of massive changes in
society, in economy, in our
total patterns of living.
Young boys and girls,
too. yearn to know what
m akes som ething tick.
They have ideas — and
good ideas — about design
>n< to make something
work b etter B asically,
these are principles behind
the Soap Box Derby pro
grams
In
b a s e m e n ts
and
garages, and in backyards
around our com m unity,
youngsters have been spen
ding months putting their
ideas to work
In a sense, the builders
are winners long before
their racers are put to the
test on the track They are
w in n ers because they
made a decision to become
involved in a worthwhile
educational program and
they have had the deter
mination to stick to that
project. They have learned
many things along the way
c o n c e rn in g
te c h n ic a l
aspects of derby racers.
M o st
im p o r t a n t ly ,
however, they have learn
ed that good things don't
come easily. They have
learned to establish a goal
and to w ork h a rd at
meeting that objective.
These a re am ong the
v a lu a b le leaaona the Soap
Box Darby provides con
testants.
Congratulations to all the
"winners" of the 1988 San
dy Soap Box Darby race,
and good luck to the par
ticipants who are about to
undertake their Soap Box
Derby car construction fof
the 1984 race season
B arry Frets
Darby Director
f