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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 22, 1985)
2— SANOY (O f*.) POST Thor«.. Aug. 22. 1985 (Sac. I) The Sandy Post Editorial & Opinion Sandy Elementary deserves yes vote Voters in the Sandy Elem entary District will be considering a $2,296,162 levy on Sept. 17. Voter approval of the levy would assure the smooth operation of the d istrict’s schools. The total budget would increase $100,750 over the 1984-T school year. That is an increase of 1 6/10 percent, which we feel is reasonable. The levy request is up $181,000, or 8*6 percent, over last year due to a decline in outside sources of revenue, but we think it is fair to judge the board of directors and adm inistration by look ing a t the overall picture. In March, the budget com m ittee approved a slightly larger ievy request by a 9-1 vote. The board of directors then reduced the levy amount after voters rejected the original document in May, 822-349. Despite the property tax burden, we don’t think the brunt of voters’ ire should fall with the school district — the cause of the problem is an unbalanced tax structure. According to Oregon D epartm ent of Education figures, the cost of educating students in the Sandy Elem entary D istrict in 1983-84 was well below county- and state-wide averages. The hands-on work — when board m em bers and budget com m ittee m em bers have an opportunity to go through the budget item by item — is perform ed in the w inter and spring. The effective use of resourses is the ongoing responsibility of board m em bers, whom we elect. With these controls in place, voters should either express confidence in the board or turn out to elect replacem ents. We have enough confidence in the board of directors to support its levy request. Although a failure at the polls would not result in a crisis situation — it appears there would be enough money to operate until a November election could be held — voters would be wise to allow the district to get back to the business of operating schools. Letter to the editor Board, officers make soccer league work I am w riting this letter for two reasons The first one is I would like to thank the Sandy Post’s Pat O'Halloran for taking some great ac tion pictures of the kids playing, and having fun, in the Sandy Cascade Soccer Club. We have almost 400 children involved in the club this year, and there is never a dull mo ment on the soccer fields at Kelso and Cedar Ridge schools. Second, and most important of all, I would like to publicly thank the peo ple who have worked so very hard to make this club the success it is. This year’s board members have put a lot of their home life aside to donate many hours to the club. We have been meeting once a month since February, and our meetings are long and demanding Not only do we attend board meetings, but work hundreds of hours out of our homes. We all volunteer our time, and our only rewards are knowing that we are do ing it for the kids. I have had truly remarkable people working with me this year, and they deserve a lot of appreciation and gratitude. While parents, grandparents, friends and relatives are watching their children enjoying soccer, I hope they w ill remember the following people are the ones who made it happen. Also, a m illion thanks to our 30 coaches who also donate their time, and skills. Also, thanks to the people who volunteer to referee games for us. Without these caring people there would be no club. The board members for this year are: Gary Head, vice chairman of judicial af flare; Dave Fleming, vice chairman of scheduling and competition; Cathy Langley, secretary; M arty Wolff, senior reg istra r; Dave Lythgoe, Welches registrar; Mary Ann Burke, member at large; Penny Volker, coach coordinator; Jan Thompson, uniforms and equipment; and Scott Winchester, field maintenance. Ginny Rada President/treasurer Cascade Soccer Club voter * e /a x/ô ç THE SCHOOL LEVY ELECTION &KM E Personally speaking Don’t laugh; Wyoming is a nice place Less than two weeks from now friends and teachers alike at Sandy High w ill be asking each other, “ So, what did you do over the summer?” I w ill respond w ith an a nsw er something like this: “ Well, I spent some tim e in Wyom ing.” "Wyoming! What’s in Wyoming?” Western Oregonians are a little too spoiled with a ll the conifer trees, not to mention the Mt. Hood National Forest. In reality, Wyoming offers a whole lot more than just Yellowstone Park. True, Wyoming does have its share of jack rabbits and sagebrush, but that is a worn-out stereotype A 12-hour drive on 1-80 through Wyom ing hardly provides a realistic idea of what the state really has to offer (never mind that the government in s ta lle d the M X m is s ile near Cheyenne). Just last month (July) I spent a weekend out on the prairie (60 miles north of Laram ie) with m y grand parents and was astounded by the variety of wildlife. Here is a condens ed version of the critters seen: Antelope, badger, ra ttle s n a k e , weasel, pelican, golden eagle, falcon, hawk (several kinds), prairie dog, fines of a hole. It was simply too overloaded with blubber to keep the momentum up. However, the animal had no intention of hunkering down and freezing like a browbeaten pup py. It revealed claws the size of a black bear's (astounding considering badgers weigh o n ly 20-30 pounds) and a set of teeth ready to rip open flesh at the right moment. The badger charged several times, mostly bluff ing, but we took no chances One swipe of the monstrous claw would have quickly put an end to the Wyom ing vacation We left in peace and he left in peace by DAVID SCOTT marmot, great horned owl, bunny rabbit, jack rabbit, lark, humm ingbird, deer, water snake, gopher, turkey vulture, m allard duck and last but not least — the homed toad Out of all the animals, the badger made the biggest impression on me Dad spotted him waddling away from the gravel road near Wheatland Reservoir As we jmped out of the Blazer, the beast increased its speed but could not find the friendly con Commentary Social security celebrated 50 years of providing benefits to our nation's seniors last week. Today, more than 36 m illion Americans, one out of every six, relies on Social Security and Medicare for income and health benefits One quarter of the federal budget is dedicated to helping older and disabled Americans who receive these benefits. As you might imagine, a program this large has its share of problems We've all heard the stories about dead people receiving benefits, disabled people being summarily removed from the rolls, and checks “ getting lost in the m ail.’’ Despite the best intentions of those who work for the Social Security Ad ministration, errors do occur While most are solved by a call to the local Social Security office by the person affected, some require additional at tention to correct. That’s where members of Congress often lend a hand In addition to our lawmaking responsibilities, a large portion of our time is dedicated to helping people cope with the laws and programs already on the books If you are one of these unfortunate people who needs special help with a federal program, such as Social Security, or if you know someone else who could use a hand, please w rite or call my Salem office You can call 399-5756 in the Salem area, or toll free from anywhere in the state, 1-00-452-7889. to get assistance Often problems are solv ed with just a phone call or a letter from me to the appropriate agency. Take, for example, the woman from Molalla who contacted me She was h a v in g d if fic u lty g e ttin g Medicare to pay for an ambulance bill Despite her attempts, nothing seemed to work My office in Salem contacted Medicare and asked that they recheck their records Sure enough, the spotted an e rror and paid the woman's claim Often just a note from a con gressman to an agency w ill help speed along the decision process in an agency. Obviously, I can't, and don’t, promise to solve every pro blem But 1 do promise to do my best to make sure each person is given fa ir and prompt consideration by the federal agency involved. Helping Oregonians work out d if ficulties with federal problems is a rew arding p a rt of representing Oregonians in Congress. If you need information, or help solving a pro blem, send a letter to me at P .0 Box 13089, Salem, Ore., 97309 I look forward to hearing from you. One of the more tranquil events in cluded a trip to Shark Tooth Ridge, a name given by my grandfather Scott The bluff is comprised of much more than the common sandstone and scat tered flint. Fossilized shark teeth, no longer than the size of a human thumbnail, lay on the outer surface All that was needed to spot them was a sharp eye and patience. After an hour or so, I had collected more than 150 of the minute fossils. Considering that each one dated back to 350 m illion years ago, I was fa irly pleas ed. It was hard to believe I was stan ding on land that was once covered MO OME- HERE REAIXV imRSTAMPí- AUU iFiE^E MUMPERS/ Congressmen can help cut through red tape by U.S. REP. DENNY SMITH Scott Newton, editor Kimberly Nelson, advertising representative © • /)(/# - AND« S M K -/o » M óáU * by an inland sea Horned toads also made up part of Shark Tooth Ridge They darted quickly about the weeds and sand stone in lizard fashion but were shaped very d ifferen tly from a classic four-legged reptile Instead of a thin snake-like body, the tiny creatures all looked &at. somewhat akin to a desert toad In all, I counted seven horned toads, three of them babies. The evening darkness crept up quickly with the departure of the wind. We then discussed the day’s adventures, accompanied with a hot cup of tea, of course By this time the moon had risen up through the clouds, so round and yellow, like a banana cream pie Nothing else re mained to do but listen to the night's sound effects. Occasionally a coyote would yelp into the crisp a ir or maybe one would even hear the distressed cry of a young rabbit Somehow, the storm that killed 12 people in Cheyenne missed us that night, and we left the next morning, naive to current events but in touch with the Wyoming nature
