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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 10, 2016)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 2016 FRIDAY EXCHANGE Forgetting forestry party, and were very welcom- ing to our eager and excited 6, 5, and two 3-year-olds. The view from the restaurant high- lights the activity on the river, which kept both young and old intrigued. And of course, the gelatos and sorbets were great. Thanks to the Blacks for keep- ing the family in mind while developing a business. NANCY MAGATHAN Astoria oday I want to talk about forestry. In the last few years it has been noted that a large decrease has happened. Not only in the industry, but with peoples’ interest as well. This is saddening, because Oregon’s second biggest export is wood products, right next to machines. I feel part of the decrease in interest has to do with mis- information, and people not being taught about the indus- try. This industry is hard work, but a necessity. The workers in the industry need some replace- ments. Many of the workers are now in their 50s and 60s. Who will replace them? People need to be informed about the industry, like through the forestry program at Knappa High School. We won’t lose the industry, but there may be a major decrease in production rates. TABITHA ADAMS Astoria T Shop downtown I Unfair review ad Mouth. I am really unhappy with the Mouth of the Columbia’s review of the new restaurant, Life In The Slow Lane (“Astoria restaurant puts the cart before the horse,” Coast Weekend, June 2). After the paper’s long, interesting stories on the Blacks’ struggles to build a cool new eating place, the Mouth ran a very hurtful article. They had barely had time to get started before that Mouth person slammed them. The Mouth should have waited at least a year to learn B ince Astoria was founded in the 1800s, it has suffered everything from ires to eco- nomic downturns. In the past decade, there have been multi- ple new businesses opening up around town. To name a few of the most prominent ones, also my personal favorites, are the Astoria Sunday Market, The Bowpicker, Frite & Scoop, Astoria Coffee House & Bis- tro, Doe and Arrow and Cargo. The Sunday Market has always had a high popular- ity and success rate with not only the community and peo- ple who live in this area, but also is a large tourist attrac- tion. The Sunday Market offers everything from amazing local food, baked goods, homemade soaps, woodcarving and some of the best salsa. Frite & Scoop is also near the top of my list when it comes to must-visit places in Astoria. They offer a wonderful selec- tion of homemade, creative ice cream and sorbet lavors as well as french fries and various choices for dipping sauce. Frite & Scoop is a great place to go if you are in town with your fam- ily on a hot summer day. It’s the perfect refreshing treat. Lastly, one of my must- visit shops is Cargo. Cargo is located across the street from Astoria Coffee House (which has amazing hot chocolate). Cargo has all sorts of knick- knacks ranging from jewelry, books, party decorations, silly cards and even clothing. Overall, Astoria has an endless variety of restaurants, shops and attractions. You may have lived in Astoria your entire life and think you know it like the back of your hand, but I guarantee if you spend an afternoon downtown you will encounter some of the most amazing little shops and places you never even knew existed. KYLEE WINLUND Astoria S Defend trees wish to draw your attention to a letter written by Roger Dorband to Sen. Bernie Sand- ers in the current issue of Hip- ish. Why Bernie Sanders? Because he appears to be the only candidate running for a major ofice in this state who just might care that the citizens of Oregon have a state forest in the future. Why this letter? Because Mr. Dorband lays out the facts surrounding the current prac- tices of the people in charge of our state forests. Also, he sup- plies solutions to the inancial crisis in the state that do not include the clearcut of our state forests. More than 2,000 peo- ple in the Nehalem Water- shed approached the Ore- gon Department of Forestry in January asking them to spare the old-growth section of the Homesteader Forest on the Nehalem watershed. Our requests fell on deaf ears. If you would like to see what the forestry department did, go to the North Coast Forest Coa- lition website. If you have a weak stomach, don’t go. I refuse to believe our state Legislature cannot generate the funds necessary to run our counties. I have a great deal of conidence in the human mind, and I am willing to help ind ways to fund our state that does not include clearcutting our state forests. We need to make noise. Liqueied natural gas (LNG) went down to defeat in Astoria and Warrenton because Ore- gon citizens refused to accept LNG polluting our waters and land. The developer who somehow bought Arcadia State Park East withdrew his plans to develop this land. Why? Because citizens of Clatsop and Tillamook coun- ties refused to accept our state parks being used for a housing development. In short, they made noise. We all use wood, and I am not against the harvesting of our trees. I am against clear- cutting what is left of our old- growth and second-growth for- ests. I am also for developers, just not development of our state parks. The state parks and the state forests are mine, as well as every citizen of Oregon, and it is time we start defend- ing our trees. It can be done. If you stand with me on this issue, I would like to hear from you. We need to mobilize all of us: children, adults and visitors. If you plan to visit our state to enjoy our pristine beauty, much of which relates to trees, feel free to take a stand in defense of trees. LOUISE CHRISTIANSON Nehalem 5A ‘Do we need to build it at all?’ really appreciated the open house at the Astoria Library showing the six choices proposed for upgrading the library. I liked the exhibits and the abil- ity to offer feedback. As a longtime resident of Astoria, I remember when the library was built, so I really looked forward for a chance to study the proposed plans. It was quite educational, and it ended up changing my choice. First, I looked at the Metz Library Renovation Requirements Poster, which recommends a library of 18,133 square feet. I liked it a lot, but felt that some of the dedicated areas could be slightly downsized. Then I started looking at the options presented. Option A, building into the basement and utilizing the existing building, would provide 17,430 square feet, only 703 square feet short of what was recommended by the Metz study. Option B, building out into the park- ing lot, would provide for a library I the ropes. I doubt very many eateries can survive that cruel a story. DICK DARBY Astoria Trump truths e aren’t liars, most of us. However, most of us have known someone who con- sistently, pathologically, told lies, embellished the truth, and used put-downs to make them- selves appear more important, knowledgeable or successful. They’re called braggarts. Then there are others, who tell lies to get folks to do something that beneits them, or to give them money. These are called frauds and swindlers. Donald Trump is all three; he has proved that time and again. The braggart. Trump brags about how handsome he is; he brags about his sexual prowess; he brags about how success- ful he is. He uses put-downs regularly — remember “Lit- tle Marko,” or “Lyin’ Ted” or, for Carly Fiorina, “Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that?” He insinuated that Megyn Kelly of Fox News was menstruating when she asked him a question he didn’t like. The fraud. According to PolitiFact.com, only 2 per- cent of the claims he has made during his campaign have been true. Only 2 percent. Six per- cent were mostly true, 15 per- cent were half true, another 15 percent were mostly false, 43 percent were completely false, and 18 percent were “pants on ire” outright lies. How do you compare to a score like that? The swindler. And now we have Trump University, touted to make people more success- ful so they can become billion- aires like himself. In fact, the folks who signed up with his bogus university were bilked out of thousands of dollars, and received little more than fancy how-to manuals. He is currently defending himself in court against some of his for- mer students and blaming his problems on the judge, who is of Hispanic heritage. Failing businesses: Trump University; Trump Steaks; W space of 23,930 square feet, which gen- erates 5,797 square feet of space beyond the requirements of the Metz study. Option C, building into the Merwyn, would generate 26,715 square feet for library space, more than 8,582 square feet recommended by the Metz study. Option D, demolishing the Merwyn and building into that space, would gen- erate library space of 22,475 square feet, again more than requested by 4,342 square feet. Options E and F would give the library the ideal building, but building on Heritage Square in a space I think should be left as open space. The question that jumped out to me was, given the costs of construction of $300 to $400 per square foot, why are we planning on building a much larger building for the library than rec- ommended by the Metz Study? While it might be nice to have all that extra space, I really don’t think Astoria can afford it. I asked the project manager, Trump Water; Trump Wine; Trump Magazine. And, how many bankruptcies? This billionaire, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, who never worked a day for wages in his life, claims he will bring back to working Amer- icans jobs outsourced over- seas. Really? When asked why he is outsourcing his signature Trump-brand apparel to China he answered, “It’s very hard to have anything made in this country.” ROD DAWSON Seaside Rail change was involved with a local passenger rail study in the late 1980s and into the 1990s. It became an incredibly frus- trating process. One needs to fully understand that nearly all of the rail lines are privately owned, and system operators are extremely risk adverse. In addition, passenger rail disrupts their business model and inter- feres with freight trafic, where real money is to be made. In the minds of the rail industry, to minimize risk, all equipment must meet the stan- dards of freight rail. This means heavy-duty locomotives and heavily reinforced cars. One way to look at this is if the Ore- gon Department of Transpor- tation banned all passenger cars from the highways, and insisted everyone drive freight- liners. This would minimize the risk of accident, as everyone is driving the same vehicle. When we drive our cars on the highway we take risks, but at the same time accommodate other trafic. This is not how freight rail works. They own the playing ield and determine who the players are. This is politically and regulatory rein- forced by the Federal Railway Administration. Efforts to penetrate this in the past have been stopped cold. Even the rail equipment manufacturers are in this loop. They don’t want those “unsafe” and possibly lower-cost passen- ger rail cars from European rail systems on the U.S. rail system, which raises the cost of buying equipment and sends the oper- I and he said you don’t have to build all of it out. I question, “Do we need to build it at all?” I don’t think Astoria should build a much larger building than is rec- ommended by the Ruth Metz Associ- ates Library Renovation Study, espe- cially one with extra costs for space not needed. Originally I went into the meeting favoring Option B, expanding into the library parking lot, but came out favor- ing Option A, itting into the existing building, using the basement. I would be open to a little expansion into the parking area, if needed, for utilities and entrances but it looks to me the cheapest and most practical solution for Astoria is to rebuild the existing library as it is. Thanks to the city of Astoria and the Astoria Library for providing the spreadsheet with all of the data for all of the various options. PAXTON HOAG Astoria ating costs through the ceiling. Recently I traveled from Exeter to London, then the fol- lowing day London to Paris on the Eurostar. I have even taken a train from London to Dub- lin. How? Take the train from London to Wales, get off, walk a few feet and catch the ferry. This was a stunning trip. What if we had a modest rail connection between Port- land and Astoria? It would also be an absolutely stunning trip, and end up as a huge economic shot in the arm for our area. If ocean and river cruise ship pas- sengers could ly into PDX, take the MAX to a connect- ing platform to for the “AST Line,” it would make passen- ger transfers far easier, and fur- ther anchor the cruise ship trade to our area. What if a school group in Gresham wanted a day trip to the coast? Catch the MAX to the AST Line platform and have nice day out. I have been on similar trips many times. We can do it here, but it takes a huge change in policy and culture. Here is a warning: One does not need a focus group, vision- ing session, a self-serving com- mittee process or hiring a car- petbagger consultant to work this out. It takes vision, stamina and leadership. JIM SANTEE Astoria Safe rails he safe and reliable trans- port of America’s energy resources is vital to our econ- omy. It’s important to note that North America’s rail network moves 99.99 percent of hazard- ous materials, including crude oil, without incident, accord- ing to the Association of Amer- ican Railroads (“This accident won’t be the last,” The Daily Astorian, June 7). A 2015 Department of Energy report found no data showing a correlation between the properties of crude oil and the likelihood or severity of a ire in train incidents. Further, multiple studies by regulators and industry show crude oil from the Bakken region, which is often transported by rail, T does not present greater than normal transportation risks for lammable liquids. Recognizing that the vast majority of train derailments are caused by broken tracks and human error, the oil and natu- ral gas industry is working with the railroads and regulators to implement a comprehensive approach that emphasizes pre- vention, as well as mitigation and response. To promote effective response efforts, the oil and natural gas industry, in part- nership with the railroads and the Transportation Commu- nity Awareness and Emergency Response organization, has created an awareness program to assist irst responders and emergency management pro- fessionals prepare for potential incidents involving trains car- rying crude oil. Further, the oil and natu- ral gas industry voluntarily adopted new standards for state-of-the-art rail tank cars in 2011 — surpassing federal requirements — that now make up the majority of the leet. To realize the full bene- its of America’s energy abun- dance, we must have the ability to transport energy to fami- lies and businesses that need it. America’s railroad and oil and natural gas industries are working closely with regula- tors to achieve our goal of zero incidents. ROBIN RORICK Group director, Midstream and Industry Operations American Petroleum Institute Washington, D.C. Thanks, Slow Lane ife in The Slow Lane: Home of the River Dog restaurant provided the per- fect spot for our 6-year-old’s birthday party. This is truly a child-friendly place, open for children to move around and explore an old-fashioned car and watch cartoons from days past. The menu of fries and hot dogs hit the spot for our relaxed family get-together. The owners, Donna and Tracy Black, set the tone with extra decor for a birthday L Ways to greatness e won’t pay for eternity if you are “feeling the Bern,” according to Thomas Friedman (“Politicians and the lies that matter,” The Daily Astorian, June 2). Here is the truth. The con- servatives want you to think that a Bernie Sanders adminis- tration will make you pay taxes for eternity, but history (and I lived the history) points out that it’s not true. History has been kind to many of the Boomers. I paid $90 a quarter at Cal State University, Los Angeles in the early 1970s. That’s because the top federal tax rates were at 50 percent for earned income, 70 percent for unearned income and 32 percent for capital gains. Education was subsidized — then came Reagan. The conservatives’ goal is to starve government by cutting taxes for the wealthy and businesses so we can’t afford to have a functioning democratic society. This has almost been accom- plished. That’s why there is so much anger. How will a Bernie admin- istration or a socialistic admin- istration accomplish the great ideas? It’s easy: 1. Raise the ceiling on Social Security so the wealthy pay more into the program. No tax increase on everyone, just the wealthy. 2. Charge a .025 fee on high- speed stock transactions to pay for college. No tax increase. 3. Medicare for all is paid for by paying a tax instead of a pre- mium. What’s the difference? We already pay into Medicare, so we keep on making the pay- ment and voila, Medicare for all. No tax increase. 4. Break up the banks and large corporations by activat- ing the Sherman Antitrust Act. 5. Bring back Glass-Stea- gall Act. So, these are the ways we can make America great again … more equality. PAMELA JACOBSON Arch Cape W
