PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, AUGUST 28, 2015 KeizerOpinion KEIZERTIMES.COM The west is on fi re The smoke that hung over west- ern Oregon last week was just a small taste of what residents of east- ern Oregon and central Washington have been living with for weeks now. The Grant County fi res near John Day and Prairie City have destroyed more than 30 homes and many other structures such as barns. The fi res in the north central Washing- ton includes the Omak fi re, now the largest wildfi re to ever hit that state. Tragically, three fi refi ghters near Lake Chelan lost their lives when their vehicle went over an embank- ment in an effort to escape fl ames that suddenly surrounded them. Wildfi res are unpredictable, never more so as when weather condi- tions whip fl ames into all directions. Gusty winds and high temperatures have fueled some fi res to greatly in- crease in size. Fire fi ghting resources have been stretched to the limit. Oregon National Guard personnel joined the fi re fi ghting effort after getting trained for the hard work. Crews from as far away as Australia and New Zealand are joining the hundreds of men and women who have been on the front lines for weeks. Those in the John Day area who escaped the fl ames with little more than the clothes on their back dis- covered their homes had burnt to the ground. The people who live in rural areas look out for each other. The relief effort to house and feed those who lost everything is an ex- ercise in selfl essness and community spirit. Friends opened their homes to strangers, the business commu- nity rallied to donate food and other necessities. By nature of the area, there are a lot of animals, domestic and farm. Horses and other ranch animals were un-paddocked and allowed to fl ee the fl ames. Those who could grab their dogs and cats were met by volunteers in town who offered pet food, crates and kennels and toys. The wildfi res can’t be any less stress- ful for the animals than the humans. There are raw opinions about the response of the Forest Service and others to the fi res when they were still supposedly containable. But as an editorial in Blue Mountain Eagle said, the time for fi ngerpointing and blame is far off in the future. The only thing to concentrate on when fi res are decimating the forests and ranchlands of the west is for the safety of the residenrts and the fi re- fi ghters. Each year brings bigger and big- ger wildfi res. Some blame it on poor forest management, others blame it on climate change and El Nino that brings drought to an already-dry re- gion. Fires caused by lightening is one way nature clears out forests and rangeland. But with more people living out in the wilds we should build and live responsibly where such disasters are becoming the norm. —LAZ Medical providers prescribe books for young children By JULIANNE BROCK, checking off boxes during the exam. FNP-C They realize we want their child to Regular medical checkups ensure succeed in all areas. children stay healthy during their The program encourages families early development, plus receive to read together 20 minutes a day— proper vaccinations. and afterward ask kids As a certifi ed family to express what they’ve nurse practitioner at learned. Willamette Health The Marion-Polk Partners Family Medicine County Medical Society clinic in Keizer, I use that provided funding for opportunity to talk to the program’s fi rst year, parents and kids about a which covered the cost of likely unexpected topic— buying 2,000 books. the importance of reading. We have so much Reading every day is as opportunity to expand important for children as the program. Our main brushing their teeth. Early limitation is that families literacy in kids leads to need to come to the clinic future success in life. to be exposed to it. That’s Developing early where the Community literacy is also important Health Education Center for Marion County. An (CHEC) at Salem Julianne Brock October 2014 study Hospital comes in. found: Promoting early Fifty-nine percent of the students literacy falls directly in line with in Salem-Keizer Public Schools were Salem Health’s mission to support living in poverty. (A strong correlation the community. CHEC staffers are exists between poverty and literacy.) exploring possible story times for Nineteen percent of the students kids, along with fun themed events spoke English as a second language. like puppet shows. Studies show that achieving Plans are also forming to serve literacy by third grade is an important children in Polk County. The new benchmark. It also indicates how school-based Central Health and well they will do in high school. Wellness Center in Independence A team effort strives to tackle that could become an outlet to encourage challenge in different ways. early literacy. Willamette Health Partners It is a privilege for me to see recently made a commitment to children at such a critical time of promote the Reach Out and Read their young lives—now with the program at its six family medicine added opportunity of sharing the clinics. The successful national joy of reading. program discovered a strong link Meanwhile, medical providers between building vocabulary and gain a different focus by promoting introducing books to children from early literacy. We become part of a ages six months through fi ve years. greater cause knowing these kids Children receive an age- will become part of society—and appropriate book during their we want them to succeed. (Julianne Brock, FNP-C, is a checkup, while parents go home with certifi ed family nurse practitioner handouts that stress the importance of reading to their child every day. with Willamette Health Partners Family Medicine clinic in Keizer.) Kids love getting the books and parents appreciate that we’re not just guest column Keizertimes Wheatland Publishing Corp. • 142 Chemawa Road N. • Keizer, Oregon 97303 phone: 503.390.1051 • web: www.keizertimes.com • email: kt@keizertimes.com SUBSCRIPTIONS NEWS EDITOR One year: $25 in Marion County, $33 outside Marion County, $45 outside Oregon Craig Murphy editor@keizertimes.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Eric A. Howald news@keizertimes.com PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY Publication No: USPS 679-430 ADVERTISING Paula Moseley POSTMASTER advertising@keizertimes.com Send address changes to: PRODUCTION MANAGER Andrew Jackson graphics@keizertimes.com LEGAL NOTICES Keizertimes Circulation 142 Chemawa Road N. Keizer, OR 97303 legals@keizertimes.com EDITOR & PUBLISHER Lyndon Zaitz publisher@keizertimes.com BUSINESS MANAGER Laurie Painter billing@keizertimes.com Periodical postage paid at Salem, Oregon RECEPTION Lori Beyeler OFFICE INTERN Allie Kehret facebook.com/keizertimes twitter.com/keizertimes All sides need to make Bottle Bill work We Oregonians are told that a ma- jority of us support the doubling of the state’s deposit on bottles and cans. Why do we want it? So more of us will be motivated to return the emp- ties, one Salem resident was reported to have said. But what prompted her to say she wants a bigger charge for the purchase of bottles and cans? The answer for a fi ve cent raise has its origin with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. The commis- sion tells us that fewer bottle and can purchasers are returning their emp- ties, resulting in a decline of redemp- tion rates. The decline has apparently been underway for some time with return rates as recent as last year and the year before, or 2014 compared with 2013, dropping three percent. Oregon residents welcomed the Bottle Bill in 1971 and presum- ably still support it—if the poll that determined this view is valid. It was sold to Oregonians from day one as an anti-litter bill. It appeared to work very well for quite some time as the nickel return on a deposit was worth the effort to return the empty container. Those in favor of an in- crease from 5 to 10 cents argue that the increase will motivate returns when a nickel doesn’t encourage re- turns well enough. Meanwhile, it should be a whole lot easier to return the empty con- tainers as Salem has currently estab- lished two BottleDrop redemption centers. These redemption centers are located on south Commercial Street and on Lancaster Drive. Of course grocery stores and supermarkets of- fer redemption sites where bottles and cans are placed into counting machines that issue a receipt for re- demption at each store’s cashier sta- tions. Back when returning bottles and cans was quick and easy—among the items in one’s shopping cart—the return of bottles and cans could be completed at cashier stations. Now the stores that sell bottles and cans of pop, beer et- cetera send their custom- ers to a small, crowded room or outside into the weather. Inside or out, the areas are most common- ly pinched in size, sticky-fl oor dirty, full of shopping carts that are stacked to the top and overfl owing with bot- tles and cans along with those wait- ing with two to three more heaping shopping carts deep full of bottles and cans. These conditions totally discour- age most people except those who are presumably so cash-strapped they will endure the wait and horrid con- ditions to realize the receipt slip— after an hour or more wait—for a mere few dollars in reward. If the state is really serious about motivat- ing people who live in the state to return bottles and cans they will have to open and maintain many more BottleDrop redemption centers. For example, there are about 37,000 resi- dents in Keizer without one Bottle- Drop Redemption Center. Then there is the problem of those who throw their bottles and cans whenever they fi nish with them and apparently could care less what becomes of public areas in our cities, towns, forest lands, and beach- es. If you hadn’t noticed, there are an abundance of places all over Oregon that have become garbage dumps. If it’s not discarded bottles and cans it is used needles, empty styrofoam con- tainers of all kinds and sizes, sandwich wrappers, used diapers, dog drop- pings, food waste, cigarette butts, and, among an almost limitless list of oth- ers like water (of which some can be returned), wine and whisky bottles from a huge portion of the popula- tion that doesn’t give one hoot how bad the place looks, how many chil- gene h. mcintyre dren are exposed to danger and how much vermin it all attracts. Those responsible walk away from their garbage after not making the small- est of effort to fi nd a trash container or take their used items home with them. Oregon was not a litter land just a few years ago. Why it has become one would most likely fi ll a whole encyclopedia full of reasons. Adding fi ve cents to the refund may help to lower the piles of litter but it will take a major reform in what’s be- come a throw away society to make anything like a signifi cant difference. Elementary school teachers can talk to their students about picking up after themselves but if their parents set an example by being slobs ev- erywhere, then efforts in schools are probably for little or no results. Here’s the bottom line: What be- gan as a great idea put into practice by dedicated Oregon leaders more than 40 years ago has been allowed bastardization by grocery stores and supermarkets that want the profi t from sales of beverages but are not willing to be responsible citizens, sending those seeking redemption to “snake pits” where they are discour- aged from taking their empty bottles back unless they’re economic cir- cumstances are desperate. Those grocers seeking profi t without participation have made a good thing into an ugly thing while the current crop of offi ce-holders in Salem let them get away with what’s become of the Bottle Bill circa 2015, that is, it’s broken. No fi ve cent in- crease is going to turn a corner on what’s become an abomination. Such reform will happen when gro- cers behave responsibly and do their share again and most Oregonians once more embrace the mindset that prevailed in practice throughout Or- egon in the early 1970s. (Gene McIntyre’s column appears weekly in the Keizertimes.) Citizen legislature still the best system The way the Oregon Legislature was originally designed, it was supposed to be a citizen legislature— meaning that the representatives had other professions and came together for a few months every other year to approve a budget for the state. Then they went back to their regular lives. Now that we have yearly sessions, it can make it diffi cult to hold down a job and be a legislator. I know I have run into many of you at my “summer job,” as the voice of the Volcanoes. The legislature will get back together at the end of September for three days of meetings, and in the interim I’ve been doing my best to report back to you, my constituents, on what happened during the 2015 session. For example, I spoke to members of the Keizer Chamber of Commerce about the effect of the session on our business community. Business owners are often so busy keeping their doors open that they can’t keep track of laws that are made that will impact them. I think it was an eye-opening speech for some of them. I was very interested and concerned with what was going on in our neighboring city in House District 25. While a proud resident of Keizer, I do represent Newberg, too, and wanted to show support while the town was in an upheaval with their city manager and chief of police being put on leave. I’ll be hosting a town hall there in a from the capitol By BILL POST few weeks as well. I have been invited to speak at a couple important rallies this summer and have welcomed every opportunity to be involved in our community. I was very pleased with a constituent letter we sent out this summer as the response was fantastic. In the past few weeks I’ve had multiple people tell me they have never heard from their state representative before, and even though they may be in a different political party than I am, they appreciate being kept in the loop. I may have my opinions and beliefs, but I work for you, the residents of House District 25, and I want you to feel like you can contact me at any time and share your thoughts about what is happening in our community and in our state. (Bill Post represents House District 25. He can be reached at 503-986- 1425 or via email at rep.billpost@ state.or.us.)