THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016
Don’t tout it
I
n Lyra Fontaine’s “Everyday
People” article Aug. 22 in
The Daily Astorian, she intro-
duces us to a newcomer touter
of the tourist industry, Mr.
Kevan Ridgway (“From look-
ing backward to making things
happen”). Here is another pro-
moter of destinations who has
rooted around and found the
truffle of Cannon Beach.
What this master of mar-
keting doesn’t understand is
that most old-time residents
of Cannon Beach feel that the
beauty of the beach has been
lost in translation. Now it’s
the bounty of the boutique.
The so-called “village” is now
beyond the saturation point
with businesses that appeal to
people who are clueless about
our endless opportunities for
“free” recreation.
Mr. Ridgway says, “We
need a solid brand that we can
all get behind.” I think pro-
moting Cannon Beach as the
one place left where nothing
happens is the best marketing
brand we could have.
Mr. Ridgway also says,
“One of the other key princi-
ples is we won’t do anything
for tourism that isn’t good for
our residents.” What will be
good for the residents of Can-
non Beach, I proffer, is to mar-
ket Cannon Beach with silence.
Overselling “the village” will
kill it.
REX AMOS
Cannon Beach
Positive impact
W
hen Drew Herzig and
Charlie Schweigert folk-
danced into town, they brought
much fresh air with them. In
the short time they have been
here, they have accomplished
many remarkable things for
Astoria.
Drew and Charlie got the
warming center up and run-
ning, they started the Asto-
ria Open Studio Tour and
they helped create the Lower
Columbia Diversity Project.
Charlie founded the Consort of
all Sorts. Drew was elected to
the Astoria City Council.
Both of them have been
involved with many more proj-
ects than I have named. They
have made such a positive dif-
ference to this town. They are
going to be sorely missed. I
am hoping that these wonder-
ful projects will continue after
they leave.
SYLVIA DAVIS
Astoria
More bad planning
T
hat was an interesting let-
ter by Larry Ziak about the
streets of Astoria (“Bad plan-
ning,” The Daily Astorian,
Aug. 26). It must be conta-
gious, because we have a simi-
lar situation here in Seaside.
A 10-block area (North
Holladay Drive) was supposed
to be completed in six months.
For many reasons, includ-
ing poor planning, it’s still not
complete — and when it is,
we’re going to be blessed with
concrete lampposts in the mid-
dle of the sidewalk. The side-
walk is 6 feet wide but only 42
inches will be usable. We have
lost so many parking places
that it’s ridiculous. It’s not
three or four posts, but 19 or 20
that are involved.
I’m sure it’s legal — just
like the First Avenue Bridge,
that causes one to drive out
onto First Avenue so you
can see oncoming traffic; or
the Broadway and highway
mix-up, that causes one to
sit for up to 10 minutes when
making a left-hand turn to head
south; or the lack of a turn lane
between Safeway and the “Y.”
Are we saving money by
not hiring project engineers
from outside of the area?
BOB COOK
Seaside
Immigration truth
I
t is frustrating to read let-
ters to the editor that either
demonstrate a complete lack of
factual knowledge on the topic
being discussed, or are inten-
tionally spreading disinforma-
tion and lies. A case in point is
Jim Elvin’s letter, “Lax laws”
(The Daily Astorian, Aug. 19).
It opens with, “Obama’s idea
of ignoring our immigration
laws and encouraging those
who break them ...” What?
Here is a reality check
for Mr. Elvin: The Obama
administration has deported
more people than any previ-
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
ous administration, ever. It is
true that in 2015 the number
of deportations dropped sig-
nificantly. However, they still
outpaced all but one year of
the Bush administration, where
it was essentially a tie, and
remain on track to do the same
again in 2016.
The reduced deportations
were because of huge pres-
sure from both sides of the
aisle. The reasons were two-
fold. Some business leaders
complained to their represen-
tatives because they were find-
ing it tough to staff their busi-
nesses, thanks to the previous
six years of aggressive enforce-
ment by Immigration and Cus-
toms Enforcement (ICE).
But what really prompted
the blowback was when ICE
began aggressively enforcing
existing employment laws and
investigating, fining and incar-
cerating business people who
knowingly hire illegals. That,
apparently, crossed the line.
Why do so many businesses
hire illegals? The answer is
simple (if not particularly
moral): They can pay them
far less, and they don’t have
to worry about worker protec-
tions or workplace safety and
health regulations.
With aggressive enforce-
ment of the already existing
laws regarding hiring illegals,
two things will happen. First,
the illegal immigration prob-
lem will significantly dimin-
ish. If there aren’t any jobs, the
vast majority of illegals will
not come here. Second, wages
will rise, workers will be
treated better and job sites will
be safer because legal residents
have recourse to the law, while
an illegal will remain silent and
suffer what they must out of
fear of deportation.
Plenty of businesses thrive
without hiring illegals. But
they complain it is hard to
compete against those who
do. So they blame the illegal
immigrants, who are not the
problem. The overwhelming
majority of them are just sim-
ple hard-working people try-
ing to make a better life for
themselves and their families.
In reality, the problem is the
scofflaw business owners who
knowingly hire illegals to cut
their costs.
The right wing noise
machine has grown accus-
tomed to having its fearful fol-
lowing accept any lie it tells,
so the lies keep getting bigger,
and farther from the truth. But
when someone from 100 miles
away tries to spread these lies
and disinformation in my
neighborhood, I’m going to
speak up.
BILL GRAFFIUS
Gearhart
A fair question
I
t seems that we are living in
the final days of the Repub-
lican Party as a viable national
voice. Over the last twenty-odd
years we have witnessed the
dissolution of that party as a
spokesman for, and a provider
of reasonable answers to the
challenges that have faced us.
They instead have consis-
tently responded with criticism
of all Democratic efforts, while
offering nothing to remedy
legitimate concerns. They have
unfailingly produced lackluster
candidates and tepid solutions
when in power, and almost
nothing of consequence when
in the minority.
Now, on the cusp of new
presidency and a reordering of
the Congressional rolls, they
present us with Donald Trump,
the least likely and most unlike-
able of all possibilities, and we
are obliged to ask, “Is this the
best they can do?”
It is a fair question, and
one that should worry us all.
What it demonstrates to me is
that they are in tragic disarray,
and can find no cause or can-
didate worthy of their efforts.
Because democracy is best
served by vigorous debate over
the issues that confront it, and
the initiatives that grow out of
those efforts, it is essential that
these conversations take place
and that they be attended to by
both parties. It’s not enough
to be against something or
someone.
In the present climate
the Grand Old Party has lit-
tle of merit to offer except to
defame the opposition candi-
date (anywhere from clothing
style to Benghazi), while leav-
ing the true concerns (jobs, the
economy, education, Isis) for
another day or year. This won’t
do. We need the Republicans
5A
Support TPP
D
to be something, or stand for
something, so we can know all
sides of an issue, or cause, or
candidate.
Presidential campaigns are
most important because they
are the method whereby we
set our national agenda for the
next four years and beyond. If
these concerns are not deemed
worthy of their attention, we
wind up with what becomes a
one party system, and that is
not a healthy situation.
The country needs a seri-
ously involved opposition
party. We don’t have one now.
JACK GUYOT
Astoria
No thanks, GMOs
have no hesitation in voting for
Hillary in the upcoming elec-
tion. She has the respect of our
friends around the world. She
has kept her dignity when she
has been attacked. I believe she
has proved that she can grace-
fully but effectively deal with
conflict and adversaries.
The “baby” in question
would be the Supreme Court.
Without a doubt, the next presi-
dent is going to be appointing a
judge to that branch of the gov-
ernment. I want Hillary Clin-
ton to be the one making that
appointment.
Please fellow Bernie sup-
porters, join me in voting for
Hillary Clinton.
PHYLLIS COOK
Astoria
H
Kudos
ow did we reach the point
where the food indus-
try can plunk down a bowl of
chemical stew and we will just
eat it, having as our only assur-
ance that it has not been proven
to be harmful? I do not need
proof that we should not be
eating antifreeze, herbicide and
pesticide. I do not need proof
that ingredients that sound like
paint additives are not food.
All of these are in prepared
food. Yet we eat it! Because
… Why? Because “they”
wouldn’t knowingly sell us
food that was harmful, espe-
cially to babies and children?
The tobacco industry long
thrived on that kind of logic,
and knowingly killed millions
of people. I watched a tobacco
industry spokesman say he
would encourage his own son
to smoke, even while their
own secret documents even-
tually proved that they knew
tobacco was both addictive and
deadly. People in these posi-
tions are paid to have no con-
science. They will say what-
ever needs to be said to keep
selling product.
I do not need proof that
we should not be eating foods
that are genetically modified
to withstand doses of herbi-
cide and pesticide that com-
peting crops cannot. Yet your
paper said there is no proof that
GMOs are bad for us, entirely
missing the point (“GMOs are
not the villain or panacea some
believed,” The Daily Astorian,
May 19).
We’re just trying to end
hunger, agribusiness cyni-
cally responds. How can any-
one be against that. And we’ll
do it, making our crops imper-
vious to massive doses of can-
cer-causing chemicals that just
coincidentally will make it
impossible to grow any crop
unless you buy it from us. We
will have a monopoly on food
and it will be laden with toxic
chemicals; but, hey, its a small
price to pay, right?
How did we become so
gullible?
RODNEY MERRILL
Astoria
Vote for Hillary
B
ack in the olden days when
I was in school, I had a
wonderful teacher named Jesse
Pflueger. Dr. Pflueger taught
philosophy, ethics and logic.
One of his favorite sayings is
one I will carry to the grave.
He would reason his way
to a conclusion, then poke
holes in the reasoning he used
in reaching that apparent fact,
but remind us that there was
some truth in the conclusion.
He would then lean forward,
wag his finger at the class and
very emphatically demand,
“but let’s not throw the baby
out with the bathwater.”
In the primary election I
voted for Bernie Sanders, and
I will always be grateful to him
for pulling Hillary Clinton fur-
ther left. That said, however, I
I
was glad to read the recent
feature article in The Daily
Astorian, “Land of the Giants:
The Nature Conservancy leads
restoration of old-growth
stands in Washington state”
(Aug. 23), about the Ellsworth
Creek Forest, owned and man-
aged by The Nature Conser-
vancy (TNC). The writer gave
us a recent update of forest
management objectives and
activities on the forest. How-
ever, I was surprised and dis-
appointed that no mention was
made of the contributions made
by earlier forest managers Bill
Lecture and Kyle Smith.
Back in about 2008, when
The Nature Conservancy
decided they needed to hire a
professional forester to plan
and direct activities, they hired
Bill Lecture, a local forester
with 30 years experience in the
field. Over the next four or five
years, under his leadership, a
management plan was insti-
tuted, high quality roads were
constructed, old roads were
vacated and decommissioned
and many overstocked stands
were thinned, with the objec-
tive of moving these overly
dense forests into a more “nat-
ural” condition. The forest
also began to make money for
TNC, as the timber produced
by thinning operations brought
forest products companies to
the table with their funds.
After the first couple of
years under his management,
Bill hired a young forester,
Kyle Smith, to handle much of
the field forestry work and day
to day supervision of activities.
Once Bill retired, Kyle then
became the staff forester for
the Ellsworth and carried on
the work initiated by Bill. Kyle
now works for TNC in its Port-
land office.
So, kudos to current for-
ester, Dave Ryan, who is doing
a good job, I’m sure. But, he is
standing on the shoulders of
the professional foresters who
went before him, and not so
long ago that they should not
be mentioned and given credit.
TOM SCOGGINS
Astoria
espite the political rhetoric,
the facts about trade still
stand: The Trans-Pacific Part-
nership (TPP) trade agreement
will take time, cost and com-
plexity out of trade, especially
for small and medium sized
businesses, while stimulating
much needed economic growth
here in Northwestern Oregon.
As a business leader in our
community, I write on behalf
of the 708 UPS employees here
in Congresswoman Suzanne
Bonamici’s district to express
support for TPP and to encour-
age Rep. Bonamici to also sup-
port it. As the November elec-
tions grow closer, the TPP
— and trade in general — has
become a hot topic among can-
didates at all levels, and in the
media.
My business knows first-
hand how trade impacts jobs
and our community. For exam-
ple, we estimate that every 22
packages that cross a border
supports one job in the UPS
package operation, making
trade critical to the future of
UPS and our employees in Ore-
gon’s 1st Congressional District
and the 3,601 UPSers in Ore-
gon. Additionally, our export
volume has increased by 20
percent on average to countries
with which the U.S. has imple-
mented free trade agreements.
TPP will eliminate 18,000
tariffs on made-in-America
goods, and remove barriers that
disproportionately affect small
businesses looking to grow glob-
ally. The agreement will also
expedite customs procedures
and remove red tape by requir-
ing fewer paper documents and
requiring adoption of electronic
pre-clearance processes.
The bottom line is that
when it is easier to trade, more
trade happens. And more trade
means more jobs at UPS, and
for our customers.
I urge Congresswoman
Bonamici and her colleagues
in the House and Senate to
approve TPP during this ses-
sion of Congress. Our busi-
nesses and workers already
face competition around the
world, including in fast-grow-
ing Asia-Pacific countries.
Delay is not in the interest of
the U.S. or our economy.
JESSE WYCHULES
Lake Oswego