Image provided by: Friends of the Sandy Public Library; Sandy, OR
About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (April 23, 1987)
,, 2 SANDV (O >* ) POST Thur* > • /• - w • April 23 1987 S»< I The Sandy Post Scott N e w to n , e d ito r K im b e rly N e lson , a d v e rtis in g re p re s e n ta tiv e Editorial & Opinion Bashings are fun, but not productive “ Board bashing” may give people a sense of satisfaction, a feeling that they are getting even with “ the government, but in fact it is an unproductive exercise. People in Sandy have been in rare form more than a couple of times the past few years. The target is always a group of un paid, dedicated board or city council members. One classic board bashing was held in August 1982 when the Sandy High School board was faced with the prospect of delineating programs to “ A” and ” B” ballots. One of the sug gestions to come out of that meeting was that volunteers could work as bus drivers. The largest “ board basher” was probably the November 1985 meeting of the Sandy Elementary District board. Voters had just closed the schools and the board had to determine a dollar amount to put on the emergency levy request. One of the suggestions to come out of that meeting was that volunteers could fix the schools’ roofs. It is amazing that there are such simple solutions to school funding problems. Some board members rise to the occasion during board bashings. During a meeting in the summer of 1984, people who live along Bluff Hoad faced the prospect of increased taxes through a local improvement district to improve the road. Dick Harrison, city councilor, changed the direction of the council with his now infamous quote. To vote against the pro ject, backed by $450,000 in federal funds, would be to vote for potholes on Bluff Road, he said. Some board members actually seemed to get a kick out of board bashings. Much of the work done by governmental bodies is tedious, while board bashings have a carnival air. But the work of boards, councils and budget committees is important and for that reason citizens should participate when decisions affect them. Compared to other board bashings, Monday night's ( ity Council meeting was a mere tremor — the topic of discussion was A-frame signs. But one Sandy businessman’s inference that the Sandy City Council is anti-business was unfair. Four of the City Council members have extensive business experience. Two of them have businesses outside the city limits, but to assert that they are not concerned with the Sandy business climate is a fallacy; their livelihoods are tied to it. Two of the City Council members are employed by local school districts. To infer that those members don’t care about the business climate is also unfair, expecially since those two in particular have put in thousands of hours working for the ci ty ’s benefit. Interestingly enough, most board members have extremely thick skin. The best way to contribute to public discussions is to do ex actly what good board members do — prepare for the meeting. Paid officials w ill take the time to explain the history of im portant, upcoming issues. The same reading material that is available to board members is also available to the public. (The exception, of course, is in matters of personnel, or of legal significance.) While board bashing is fun. it is the voice of common sense that usually carries the day. It is heartening enough to make a person believe in the democratic process. Tax reconnection is revenue neutral by GOV NEIL GOLDSCHMIDT Special for The Post Now that April 15th has come ami gone, I'm pleased to be able to share some good news with you about your taxes Recently the House Revenue Committee, under the chairmanship of Rep Carl Hosticka of Eugene, unanimously passed a measure that changes Oregon's income tax sy stem to conform to the new federal income tax code For the sake of simplicity alone, it's good public policy But m ore im p o r ta n tly , the measure does not create any new tax windfall for the state Reconnecting the federal and State tax codes without any changes in the tax rates would result in an extra $150 million in revenue this year or $300 million for the biennium Both during and after the campaign. 1 said that this money should go back to taxpayers rather than be used to increase state revenue As a major part of the 60-Day Agenda. I asked legislative leaders to agree that any reconnection be revenue-neutral We promised we would not have our hand in tax payers’ pockets, and the Revenue Committee kept that promise Under this measure, the money w ill be returned to taxpay ers through lower tax rates To achieve revenue neutral status, the upper tax rate of 10 percent was dropped to «95 percent This will send a positive message to business as well as to individuals Corporate rates also drop, from the current 7.5 percent to a rate of 6 6 percent The impact on corporate rates is also t revenue-neutral Some 654.000 Oregonians will pay slightly less state taxes under the measure, while only 242,000 would pay slightly more Most taxpayers earning under $40,000 per family would pay less, and taxpay ers in the $40,000 to $50,000 bracket would be equally split The measure is up for a vote in the House and then moves on to the Senate One principle of the Oregon Com eback is that the government should make do with what it has That's why the reconnect is revenue-neutral But government should also get what it is due So while I ’m on the subject of taxes, I want to bring you up to date on our revenue enforcement plan It's estimated that at least $25 million is slipping through the state government's fingers because it laeks the tools to effectively enforce our tax laws An OSU study in the early 1980s indicated that perhaps 20 percent of taxpayers are cheating, and the number is growing That's why we have proposed legislation to turn that trend around I have asked the legislature to beef up our enforcement capabilities anil give delinquent taxpayers a chance to pay back taxes and interest without penalty The result will be an estimated $30 million in additional revenue due to the state government The Senate recently passed this "carrot and stick" approach to revenue enforcement by a wide margin, and the House is expected to give it prompt attention Gar trips improve with a^e magazines and puzzle books and a sack of lemon drops Hubby and I get about 30 miles to a lemon drop I ,ast week we took a road trip to Nevada We sailed across the desert south of Burns at speeds we were ashamed to admit No children in the back seat with eyes glued to the speedometer Over the years we have learned to calibrate our bathroom stops No more hunting for a bush in the middle of a desert Never say never, they say 1 can remember it as if it was yesterday The car limping into the driveway. The doors flying open Kids and debris spilling out onto the gravel. D irty clothes Gum-glued comic books. Stinky shoes and stale Coke cups avalanching out of the back seat " I will never." I said then, "go on an automobile trip again If we can't afford to fly, we’ll just stay home " There were good reasons for that kind of parental pronouncement Like the time No Two Kid, who maintained a steadfast silence up to the age of 2, climbed into the back seat and for the next 1,000 miles yell ed every word he knew into his father's ear Or when No. One Kid lost her baby tooth in the back seat before she had a chance to redeem it with the Tooth Fairy Or the hundred times 1 threw myself over the front seat to separate the snarling, biting pair and drew a line down the middle of the back seat to create a demilitarized zone Sharon Nesbtt the kids got big enough to be good company on automobile trips, they didn't want to go with us anymore. So, tentatively at first. Hubby and 1 struck out alone on a road trip. What a revelation. It turned out that it was not the drive that drove us crazy, but the kids The backseat, once a jumbled mass of funny papers, hamburger wrappers and crayons, is now a roll ing closet It is also stocked with We fill the miles with long silences or punctuate them with discussions of roadside restaurants that serve the best hash browns I read Hubby the Sunday funnies as we roll along He complains when I do that at home; in the car it us OK We gaze out the window at hills purpled in sage brush or meadows carpeted in green and say dumb things like "oooh" and "ahhhh And no kid in the back seat says, " I don't see what's so great about that." And we take our collection of tapes everything from Strauss to Sinatra and hum and tap our way down the freeway. No one in the back seat holds his hands over his ears and groans. The other good part about travel ing without kids is taking naps, though it works better if both parties don't nap at the same time We take turns tipping the seat back and snooz ing without guilt And we read bumper stickers and complain about people who feel it us necessary to let everyone know that they i heart I their Schnauzers. Or we laugh at the fellow whose bumper sticker warns: "Caution, I drive nak ed." And no one in the back seat says, "What's so funny about that ’ " When we get home, of course, the stuff spills out of the back seat Fun ny papers and tourist brochures glued together with lemon drops Pens and papers and stmUy shoes But it is our mess and we w ill clean it up gladly, already planning the next trip We call the kids and tell them we are home, what we did and how much we liked our trip and we get the distinct impression that they are glad they didn't go. And so are we. Letters to the editor Stiltue presents wrong image I am writing about the planned erection of a bronze statue of a ser viceman carrying an M-16 1 am con cerned by the image such a statue would present, especially as a memorial to those who have died in the service of their country. The romantic and sentimental no tion of the innocent, solitary ser viceman, charging off into unknown danger to protect us, is a laudable one However, it is a narrow, inac curate representation I find it d if ficult to connect such an image with the real pain and suffering of people who were literally blasted apart by the violence of war It is a hypnotic offering to the imagined glories of battle, an old image, one of limited scope that leads to the unthinking perpetuation of war To be honestly representative, a memorial sculpture would have to portray disfigured, contorted, dead bodies - for that is what the memorial exists for, those who died An homage to death, not life Such a sculpture would have the advantage of discouraging participa tion in this demoralizing activity war - without first realizing what the result of this involvement might be The idea would undoubtedly be rejected by any City Council in the United States as unpatriotic and of dubious esthetics. 1 doubt that Sandy would want to present this image as its own. But what of the planned statue’’ Is this the image the city wants to greet people with’’ Does this best represent the hopes and aspirations of the peo ple of Sandy’ To honor correctly those who died, an effort should be taken to insure a m e m o ria l a p p ro p ria te to the sacrifice involved This may include a garden or perhaps a sculpture sym bolizing the hope for the end of war More in the spirit of peace (The United Nations has a statue of swords being beaten into plowshares I'm sure that Sandy would opt for a creative solution ) I am not questioning the sincerity of the VFW or any other group Hav ing served in Vietnam myself, I understand the desire to pay tribute to those who died However, 1 would hope the Sandy City Council could take the farsighted view and stand on its integrity to choose or allow an im age more suitable to the con sciousness of 1987 ' Ix’t us not waste th»‘ lives of those that have died le t us instead insure that none shall follow blindly, un thinking in pursuit of glories unfulfill ed.” Peace Joseph Cotter Eagle Creek Self-fulfilling prophesy fenred I have a son who is a senior and a daughter who is a junior at Sandy High I sat down with them and asked them to seriously consider how many teachers they have had that they would rate as poor, good, and excep tional My daughter rated one teacher as poor, four as exceptional, and the rest as good My son rated two as poor, five as exceptional and the rest as good. The exceptional teachers were distinguished by their ability to com municate knowledge, to inspire, to maintain order, and by their per sonal dedication 1 think Sandy High is blessed with many fine teachers I went to a private high school and could only think of two teachers that I would consider exceptional My wife and I feel that our children have got ten a good education at Sandy I don't know why there is so much bad- mouthing" of the schools in the San dy area Our experience with Sandy High doesn't correlate with the opinions of those who say the school is no good The district has lost a number of good teachers, and I am told that others are actively seeking employment elsewhere. I do know that selling a home in this district is tough, due to our reputation of not supporting the schools Constructive criticism) is essential, but hateful condemnation is destructive The bad-mouthers'' have persuaded some to believe the myth that Sandy schools are no good I fear that a "self-fulfilling pro phesy" is in the works and may result in the school sy stem becoming second rate, in time It's hard to im agine what could be gained by that' P S Hopefully the AEA will use the same formula everyone else uses to compare Sandy to other districts Thanks, Connie Whitlock, for expos ing their "e rro r." Bill Kruger Boring by Aduni krtift B i ib c i l t S WHAT A A ü N C t-P W A N T S TC k t AD (Î KNOvJ 2) C Z V -Ì2 A R 9 f f “ A T /SHt O f ÎH É TO n IC-HP _____ X - z C 1 r V V .W- 1 y LJ 1 ¡pLii) n I 39 Tng k’l e wjpc h Or THfc fJea.T H- avjst g £
