THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015
Big money speaks
picked up a copy of The
Oregonian a few days ago.
My attention was drawn to
Steve Duin’s column titled “A
chance to tackle big money in
Oregon politics.” Big Money
is here in our Oregon legisla-
ture, and it is not good. It is
like a cancer that is spreading
unseen throughout our state
government.
He goes on to mention that
on April 21, Sen. Elizabeth
Steiner Hayward (D-Beaver-
ton) will testify in favor of
allowing Oregon voters to
consider contribution limits.
She thinks that American pol-
itics have been taken out of the
hands of the average Ameri-
can voter, the average citizen.
Really? Well this senator has
taken a bill that she sponsored
that was totally rejected by the
average Oregon citizen, and
secretly stuck it into a bill in
the Education Committee.
Early this year she intro-
duced SB 442 that would
remove the philosophical ex-
emption to vaccines. This bill
was withdrawn March 11,
because of an overwhelming
negative response by Oregon
voters. A cosponsor of the
bill, Sen. Alan Bates declared
“the people have spoken, and
they (senators) listened, (but
not Sen. Steiner Hayward).
Sen. Bates said they would not
bring up the bill in the foresee-
able future.”
The foreseeable future
passed quickly, and Sen. Stein-
er Hayward has, at the last
minute, submitted this bill into
the Senate Education Commit-
tee. SB 895 and 895-2. This
bill favors the vaccine industry,
requires lots of bookkeeping
for schools, requires schools
to publish their exemption rate
online and on report cards, and
states that if you want an ex-
emption you have to get one
from a physician, a physician’s
assistant or a nurse practi-
tioner. She eliminates naturo-
paths and the online video you
can watch for information on
vaccines and sign off on it to
get an exemption.
A word about the “exemp-
tion rate.” It only counts two
things: 1. If a child has had
all their vaccines on schedule,
they are counted as vaccinat-
ed. 2. If a child has had all but
one of the required vaccines or
less, the child is counted as ex-
empt, or unvaccinated.
So the exemption rate
doesn’t tell anything about the
real vaccination rate of Oregon
children. It turns out, accord-
ing to Sen. Bates, a physician,
that Oregon children are vacci-
nated in numbers that put them
in a high compliance rate. It is
just that parents want to choose
when and what vaccine when
vaccinating their children, in-
stead of using the Centers for
Disease Control schedule.
The publicity for Big Phar-
ma invented the “Anti-Vaxx-
er,” the mythical parents who
put us all in danger because
they don’t vaccinate their chil-
dren. The popular media, in-
cluding The Oregonian, will
continue to push the idea of
these mythical parents. They
hope this idea will urge you
into bullying others to increase
vaccine rates. Big Money is
speaking. Are you listening?
DIXIE GAINER
Nehalem
I
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
Gillnetters appreciate community support
ear Clatsop County voters: I would
like to thank you all for showing
your support in helping the Columbia
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jobs for a little while longer. I am a
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River gillnet vessel. We, as a commu-
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KDYHDIHZPRUH\HDUVRI¿VKLQJEHIRUH
they try to shut us down again.
We all know that the gillnetters
provide hundreds of jobs for this com-
munity and this county, from dock
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political action committees —
devote millions in lobbying
and campaign funds to Repub-
lican politicians and political
candidates willing to gut Social
Security and Medicare through
privatization schemes; to dis-
enfranchise African American,
Latino, elderly, young and dis-
abled voters through voter-ID
bills sponsored by the conser-
vative American Legislative
Exchange Council’s Voter ID
Bill being passed by Repub-
lican-controlled state legisla-
tures throughout the country;
and to support passage of the
XL Pipeline that will greatly
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and gas holdings in Canada.
Additionally, the Koch
brothers fund suspect research
reports and books from think
tanks and hand-picked faculty
members at universities en-
dowed by the Koch Brothers
directly and indirectly. These
disinformation campaigns in-
clude donations to support uni-
versity professors who deny
climate change.
Certainly Koch Industries
supports our local economy
through production of toilet
paper at Wauna. And Koch
Industries have every right —
especially since the recent Cit-
izens United Supreme Court
decision — to lobby an end to
Social Security and Medicare,
fund anti-union politicians,
generate Koch-friendly disin-
formation, buy endowed pro-
fessorships, and protect their
climate-changing
activities
worldwide.
But residents in Clatsop
County also deserve to be
more fully informed about the
ownership of an important lo-
cal manufacturing plant being
ballyhooed by their local daily
newspaper.
JOSEPH BERNT
Cannon Beach
A long-term risk
recent local editorial re-
garding Monsanto Cor-
poration’s disconnect with the
American public mentioned
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ganism (GMO) critics “have
failed to produce any docu-
mented hazards for people
who consume them ... biotech-
nology provides the best pros-
pect for feeding the world’s
growing population with crops
engineered to resist drought
and disease” (“Monsanto is
sorry, but decades late,” The
Daily Astorian, April 2).
The substantial risk of
GMOs is not in consumption,
but in producing a compla-
cency in humanity that bio-
technology solves everything:
i.e. GMOs prevent famine,
feed the world and people
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cult fundamental changes.
Name mill owners
Thirty-plus years ago the
n Tuesday, April 14, The Green Revolution saved In-
Daily Astorian devoted dia from a great famine. The
136 column inches of space to biotech then was petrochem-
a feature on the evolution and ical fertilizer, hybrid seed,
ownership of the Wauna paper and pesticides. We now know
mill, now owned by Georgia more about the risk of some
pesticides (the International
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Nowhere in the lengthy Agency for Research on Can-
article, however, did reporter cer (IARC) report concludes
Mike Williams mention who glyphosate, aka Roundup, a
RZQV WKH *HRUJLD 3DFL¿F SD- probable cause of cancer).
per mill, information likely of The downside of nitrogen
interest to local environmen- fertilizers and improved seed
talists, progressive Democrats, is that while they produce
and opponents of moving oil greater yields, plants demand
and gas by rail, barge, or pipe- greater water input. Aquifers
line through Clatsop County or around the world continue to
be depleted faster than they
the Columbia River.
,Q *HRUJLD 3DFL¿F can be replenished.
In Punjab province, Indian
was purchased for $21 billion
by Koch Industries, the second farmers must dig wells that
largest privately held company used to produce enough water
at 100 feet to over 500 feet.
in the U.S.
Koch Industries, with The cost of wells and technol-
annual revenues in 2013 of ogy often exceeds monetary
$115 billion, is controlled by returns; 270,000 Indian farm-
the controversial, politically ers have committed suicide
conservative Koch brothers, since 1995. India avoided
Charles and David Koch, who famine then, but they didn’t
own about 90 percent of their stabilize their population.
GMOs may be another
giant multinational company.
Together the Koch Brothers Green Revolution, improving
every year — through their pri- yields and saving the world
vate fortunes, foundations, and from immediate famine, but
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the net builders — even Englund Ma-
rine would lose a lot, if not most, be-
cause we the gillnetters buy hundreds
of thousands of dollars of equipment.
We are very happy that this communi-
ty came together and voted to keep us
here in the Columbia River main stem
¿VKHU\
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HUPDQZRXOGGH¿QLWHO\SOXPPHWDQG
lose hundreds of jobs and hundreds
of community members if you all
it may also be the Pied Pip-
er — if humanity ignores its
human reproductive responsi-
bility and continues to exceed
the innate carrying capacity of
earth’s resources.
DAVID FITCH
Astoria
Art changes lives
ongratulations to the Clat-
sop Community College
Foundation for their recent suc-
cess with the Arts and Experi-
ence Dinner and Auction.
As a local artist I receive
annual invitations to donate
art for this event. These letters
promote the dinner auction as
“a gathering place for art col-
lectors” and stress, “donation
of original work ensures the
success of this event.” The re-
sults of this year’s dinner and
auction certainly bear witness
to these statements. Art is an es-
sential component of commu-
nity and learning, and should
have a high priority in our com-
munity college.
While I have donated in the
past, I have declined doing so
for the last few years. With each
letter I become more and more
dismayed by the apparent dis-
connect between the apprecia-
tive words for the arts listed in
the invitations, and what I see
KDSSHQLQJ WR WKH VWDI¿QJ DQG
scheduling in the art depart-
ment itself. One might think
there was a plan to eliminate
the art department altogether.
Studies have shown that art
instruction increases the stu-
dent’s capacity to learn across
the board, not just in art, but
also in seemingly unrelated
subjects, including the medi-
cal and maritime sciences. Art
also provides graduates with
the creative problem solving
and observational skills that
employers are looking for in
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to the creation of artists. Artists
are the keepers and recorders
of our community experience.
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place in the community and our
actions within the community.
In short, the arts should be seen
as containing and embracing all
aspects of our college instead of
being a kind of side diversion.
Art is much more than a
mere leisure time activity meant
to relieve the stress caused by
more “important” pursuits; it
supports, inspires and enables
all else to go on. I ask every-
one with similar thoughts to
HPDLO WKH RI¿FH RI SUHVLGHQW
Lawrence Galizio, pschulte@
clatsopcc.edu, and make your
support of the arts program at
CCC known.
Art makes a difference — it
changes lives.
RHONDA GRUDENIC
Astoria
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Autopsy protocol
his letter is written in re-
sponse to a letter by Dani
Williams published April 24
questioning autopsy policy in a
recent death (“Do an autopsy,”
The Daily Astorian). While we
cannot, for legal and privacy
reasons, get into the details of
that particular case, we would
like to take this time to explain
how the system works in our
state, and particularly in our
county.
All citizens who die either
unattended by a physician or
under any sort of suspicious
circumstances undergo a com-
plete and thorough post-mor-
tem physical exam. The exam
is done locally by a medi-
cal doctor who is the district
medical examiner. If further
FODUL¿FDWLRQLVQHHGHGRUXQH[-
pected injuries are noted, then
an autopsy is requested to the
state medical examiner. All
autopsies are done in Portland,
E\RQHRIWKH¿YHIRUHQVLFSD-
thologists in the state medical
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Autopsies are considered
on a case by case basis, and are
not automatic, even if request-
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had not acted as quickly as you did
WR WKH SUREOHP RI EDQLVKLQJ XV ¿VK-
erman from the Columbia River. We
thank you for your support, and the
hard work you do in decision-mak-
ing to keep this great community and
this great state alive and helping us be
able to feed our families with this line
of work that we so proudly love and
cherish. Thank you once again, Clat-
sop County voters.
DEVIN ROBERTS
Astoria
ed. Please know that all Clat-
sop County deaths are treated
equally regardless of the back
story, and there is no discrim-
ination in determining which
cases are referred for autopsy,
regardless of that person’s eth-
nicity, lifestyle, or other issues.
The families are informed
RIWKHSK\VLFDOH[DP¿QGLQJV
and the reasons for the deter-
mination of whether an autop-
sy will be completed, or the
reasons it is not.
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things are done in the state, and
any further questions about the
system can be referred to ei-
ther of us below.
JOSHUA MARQUIS
Clatsop County District
Attorney
JOANN GIULIANI, M.D.
District Medical Examiner
Deposit needs work
few months ago, the War-
renton City Commission-
ers voted to enact, and passed
a new $100 utility deposit (for
garbage, water, sewer, recy-
cling) to be paid by all new util-
ity customers, due to the high
rate of nonpays they were expe-
riencing when people moved.
In speaking with many
Warrenton residents, they are
not aware that any time they
move from one Warrenton res-
idence to another within the
city limits of Warrenton, they
are considered a new account,
no matter how long they have
lived in Warrenton, or that they
have always paid their bills on
time or use auto-pay.
Since Warrenton does not
A
use Social Security numbers
to track customers — like NW
1DWXUDO3DFL¿F3RZHU&HQWX-
ryLink, etc., does — they give
you a new account number and
your old account, along with
your payment history, does not
follow you.
The $100 is collected when
you want to start service at your
new location, and the money is
kept for as long as you live in
that residence, no matter how
many months or years, interest
free. In other words, you get
penalized whether you pay or
bill on time or not. Maybe this
idea needs a little work?
DIANA TALARSKY
Warrenton
Help the helpers
work as a home-based care
provider in Hammond. In
talking with my co-workers, I
know that none of us are in this
career for the money — we do
this job because we want to
serve others. Caring for others
is a job we love, but we work
for low wages, and without a
retirement plan, making it next
to impossible to save for the
future and retire some day.
There is no way my
co-workers can retire on the
salary they’re getting. It’s a
no-win situation all around,
and it’s not fair to people who
work so hard. It certainly
shouldn’t be what we get af-
ter year and years taking care
of others. We deserve to retire
someday, too. There will come
a time when we can no longer
work, and then what will we
have to rely on?
I
5A
We need help. Legislative
leaders in Salem are currently
considering Senate Bill 615 and
House Bill 2960, bills that would
create the Oregon Retirement
Savings Plan and give every Or-
egonian a straightforward option
to save the money they earn and
plan for the future. It costs em-
ployers practically nothing, and
it’s what we all deserve after a
lifetime of hard work.
SYLVIA STEPHENS
Hammond
Brim questions
am writing about the recent
editorial, “Healthier airport
makes for a stronger local so-
ciety” (The Daily Astorian,
April 13). While we agree,
what was confounding to us is
why the seriousness of the bar
pilot injury, a Brim Aviation
fatality, the proposed $220,000
Federal Aviation Administra-
WLRQ ¿QH DJDLQVW %XUO %ULP
and his current FAA investiga-
tion of the illegal training tow-
er, have not been given more
investigation?
Is the almighty dollar rul-
ing? Is the Port of Astoria
so desperate for money that
death and destruction of lives
are negated? Why would the
¿[HGEDVHRSHUDWRUSURFHVVEH
deemed so unnecessary that
an open-bid process does not
even take place? Why would
DQDYLDWLRQRXW¿WZLWKVXFKD
history, even be deemed wor-
thy? Is it perhaps a, “it hasn’t
happened here yet? Or to me
or my family?” One must pon-
der. We received an email from
a paralegal who wrote,” if I
did these things with my car, I
would be behind bars.”
It is hard for us to under-
stand why the editorial seemed
to mention Brim Aviation as
a productive member of the
Port, without substantiating all
of the facts.
Hopefully, another tragedy
will not happen, or be neces-
sary, before people are no longer
afraid (or unwilling) to speak the
truth. If money or friendships
over-rule safety and common
sense, no matter what the Port
does, it will not succeed — and
that would be a shame.
LINDA LEWIS
Ashland
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Living with Alzheimer’s:
For Caregivers – Late Stage
Saturday, May 16 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Clatsop Community College
Columbia Hall, Room 219
1651 Lexington Ave., Astoria, OR 97103
In the late stage of Alzheimer’s disease, caregiving typically
involves new ways of connecting and interacting with the person
with the disease. Join the Alzheimer's Association Oregon Chapter
for this class to hear from caregivers and professionals about
resources, monitoring care and providing meaningful connection
for individuals with late-stage Alzheimer’s and their families.
This class is free, but registration is required.
To register, call 800-272-3900.
Offered in collaboration with:
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