THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
Teen pregnancy
s someone who grew up
in rural Douglas County
when the teen pregnancy rate
was at an all-time high in
mid-1990s, I really appreci-
ate your article on teen preg-
nancy (“Teen pregnancy: An
urban-rural divide,” The Daily
Astorian, Feb. 23) and op-ed
on contraception (“Rural com-
munities should ensure contra-
ceptive care,” The Daily Asto-
rian, Feb. 27).
In my graduating class of
what should have been 21 stu-
dents, six of my girlfriends
were mothers by graduation,
one already pregnant with a
second child. Now in their
late 30s, most of them are
already grandmothers, with
grown children who now have
babies.
As the balanced article
shares, there are many joys
of motherhood, but any acci-
dental pregnancy can be more
stressful than joyful. No one
wants to feel as though they
can’t control their life, or take
on of the challenge of raising
a child without both parents
committed and the extended
family in full support. There
is a reason they say “it takes a
village to raise a child.”
One of the things that I
love about Astoria and the
North Coast is that it does feel
like a lot of small villages. For
the sake of both our current
youth and future generations,
I think we need to prioritize
further reducing the teen preg-
nancy rate.
Growing up with such a
high pregnancy rate, I know
that none of my girlfriends
had contraceptives avail-
able, and few probably really
understood the risks of their
behavior. Several got pregnant
after their first sexual encoun-
ter. Thankfully, my sister, who
was date raped, didn’t get
pregnant.
I felt like the very fortu-
nate one to have learned vicar-
iously, and graduated still a
virgin. I even set the goal of
earning my master’s degree
before starting a family, and
was overjoyed to announce at
my graduation that I was start-
ing a family, at age 28.
I would love for our com-
munity to view preventing
teen pregnancy and providing
contraception as more than
a social service, but also an
economic development strat-
egy that gives all our youth
the chance to reach their full
potential. It will take our
whole village, but we will all
benefit.
DARCY ROSE CRONIN
Astoria
A
Statue is tribute
n response to the let-
ter “Racist effigy” (The
Daily Astorian, Feb. 24):
Why do people move to Clat-
sop County from another state
(however many years ago)
and want to remove or change
what we have come to know
and love, such as the Warren-
ton warrior statue? I am so
pleased he has found a new
home at E. Harbor Street and
W. Main Ave.
Never in my 65 years (born
and raised in Astoria) have I
thought of that statue as any-
thing but a tribute to a strong
high school ball team. Nor
have I thought in a derogatory
way of any Native American.
To call Warrenton racist
for supporting the warrior is
absurd. It’s a statue, a piece of
art, a sculpture — it shouldn’t
have to resemble any tribe.
Our kids made it. They were
proud of it, and they should
be.
Perhaps the people
opposed to it need a safe room
and some cocoa.
The effort put into that
“racist effigy” letter should be
directed where it’s important:
Our drug problems, our veter-
ans, our homeless.
PATTI MURRAY
Coquille
I
No hometown
n repsonse to the letter
“Promote sea lions” (The
Daily Astorian, Feb. 17) since
when is Sea Lion Defense
Brigade a hometown? The
rules for letters to the editor
clearly state that an address
must be provided and all other
letters include one. Why does
this one not? Could it be that
the writer resides in Portland?
Why did The Daily Astorian
print a letter not including
the town? Many questions.
I
Citizen activism works
here was a positive example of citizen
activism in Clatsop County last week.
The Daily Astorian covered the events at
the Clatsop Care Health District (CCHD)
very well in its Monday edition (“Clatsop
Care hires private management firm”).
A group of us, who are concerned
about the management problems which
have led to staff turnover and empty
beds in district facilities, got together
and did our homework on the situation.
We attended a CCHD Board meeting on
a Tuesday, at which the board was con-
sidering a contract to turn over the day-
to-day operations of the facilities to a pri-
vate management consulting company.
The board was courteous and welcoming
to our comments.
On the following Friday, the board met
again to consider a revised contract and
to explain issues and events in response
to our comments. Again, they welcomed
public comment. The board should be
applauded for its openness and amenabil-
ity to adopt changes suggested by citizen
T
Does the writer really think
the sea lions are good for
the fish? She probably does
not live near the sea lions, so
she cannot smell them or lis-
ten to them barking 24 hours
per day. The town residents
do not need sea lions residing
on the port boat docks. Tour-
ism should not be had at the
expense of residents.
ERIC OLSON
Astoria
Support for Spence
strong candidate! Frank
Spence’s declaration of
candidacy for the Port Com-
mission is a definite plus for
Clatsop County (“Spence
runs for Port seat,” The Daily
Astorian, Feb. 23). I have
worked with Frank for sev-
eral years and know him
to be capable and a steady-
ing influence on organiza-
tional leadership. Among his
multiple local activities, as
president of Exploring New
Concepts of Retirement Edu-
cation (ENCORE), he is wise
and level-headed, prompt and
decisive. His years of expe-
rience in executive posi-
tions in the public realm are
what the Port Commission
urgently needs. Our citizens
will be well served with Frank
Spence at the rudder.
ERHARD W. GROSS
Astoria
A
Uninformed
The recent article on Clat-
sop Care Center gives a good
look at some of the difficul-
ties facing the Clatsop Care
Health District (“We need to
preserve services for seniors,”
The Daily Astorian, Feb. 23).
Unfortunately, the editorial is
uninformed.
The comment that the
decrease in residents at the
Care Center (from 70 to 24)
is a “warning sign” is mis-
leading. The real issue, which
we on the board have been
addressing, is: What is the
right number of residents and
the right mix of services at the
Care Center that will meet the
district’s needs now, and into
the near future? That number
has not been 70 for years, and
probably lies between 30 and
40 beds.
The editor advised us to
“incubate” additional services
for our seniors. In fact, since
1999, in addition to operating
the Care Center, the district
has opened Clatsop Retire-
ment Village, an in-home care
service, and the Memory Care
Facility — increasing care
options, and more than dou-
bling the number of people
served by the district.
We were told to study
a “smart model” that had
“strong outside partnerships.”
Exactly. The current pro-
posal to contract with a com-
pany experienced in long-
term care does not farm out
management functions, but
instead creates a strong part-
nership that will bring addi-
tional resources and skills to
the district.
The Health District Board
works in near total obscurity.
If a Daily Astorian reporter
had attended just a few of our
meetings these last two years,
the editor’s confusion about
what the district is doing, and
has done, could have been
resolved.
We encourage all to attend
input and to the speed with which they
responded to requests for information.
The CCHD Board now understands
that there are many people in the commu-
nity who value this wonderful resource.
We support their efforts to provide valued
services to us, especially to our older and
health challenged neighbors. We encour-
aged the board to: focus on the quality of
care for all clients; maintain good pay-
ing jobs and vendors in our community;
and pay greater attention to the long-term
financial viability of the district’s pro-
grams. The board now knows that the
performance of the management consul-
tant will be carefully watched. Their goal
should be to provide temporary “turn-
around” expertise, which will return to
a community-based management model,
where managers are part of our commu-
nity, have children in our schools, and
meet us on the street.
Citizen involvement works.
PAMELA WEV
Astoria
our meetings. Check out the
district’s website, www.clat-
sopcare.org. Board meeting
dates, agendas and minutes
can be found there. The more
known about what we do, the
better we can work for all. We
can’t promise dramatic meet-
ings that are attractive above
the fold, but you will see a
board acting diligently, and
with the best interests of our
community in mind.
ROY LITTLE
Astoria
Justice for all
am writing in response
to an article in The Daily
Astorian, “End of transgen-
der bathroom rule gets conser-
vative praise” (Feb. 23). Jeff
Sessions, our new attorney
general, is rolling back protec-
tions of transgender children
who wish to use the bathroom
— in which they feel the most
comfortable and the safest —
in public schools.
Although as the U.S. attor-
ney general, he has a duty to
enforce federal law and to
protect minority children, he
rejects doing so, based on the
principle that it is best left to
the states to decide. On the
other hand, Sessions is threat-
ening to interfere with state
laws legalizing marijuana by
enforcing federal law?
As a former sympathizer
for the Ku Klux Klan, it is lit-
tle wonder that Sessions has a
problem with the feds interfer-
ing in public schools, particu-
larly with regard to protecting
the civil rights of minorities
— who are the most vulnera-
ble and easily targeted. Only
26.5 percent of eligible voters
voted for Hillary Clinton, and
26.3 percent of eligible vot-
ers voted for Trump. We are
all minorities. It is time we
heal our divisions, and join
together against being robbed
by the rich, and enslaved by
those who manipulate and
enslave us.
Let’s pause. Take a deep
breath. Think? “Indivisible,
with liberty and justice for
all” — isn’t that our ideal?
Who are we, not to think first
of the other person’s needs,
before our selfish ends? What
have we allowed ourselves to
become, when any of one of
us should praise the cause of
any misfortune and sorrow for
any of “our” children?
DANI WILLIAMS
Astoria
I
ridership than our passengers.
Our trolley caters to mom,
dad and their kids. Chances
are they can afford the $1 each
fare, or even the $2 all day
fare. Our trolley is success-
ful because it doesn’t com-
pete with San Francisco cable
cars, or Disneyland, but is
for folks who are just getting
by, and looking for an inex-
pensive hour or two of fun.
That is what makes our trolley
successful.
Every year, in spring and
fall, the trolley offers free
rides to school children and
other nonprofit groups. The
trolley is available for charter
at $100 an hour outside nor-
mal operating hours.
As to partnerships with
local civic groups, tell us
which ones have a deep
enough pocket to provide
funds, and which ones are
willing. Businesses participate
by buying advertisements on
the trolley, and at the waiting
shelters, and that has been a
good source (solicited by vol-
unteers) of income, although
limited.
The trolley gets no money
from the city. The city owns
the railroad track the trolley
runs on, but because of benign
neglect for years, the city has
more track work that must be
done in the near future. The
track is safe for trolley oper-
ations. Because the city is
strapped for funds, the trol-
ley has contributed to the city
to help track repair. The trol-
ley and the city work together
to address issues which can be
coordinated.
The trolley is 103 years
old, not 93, and is in good
shape for its age, thanks to a
cadre of volunteers devoted
to keep the trolley looking
and running well. Other orga-
nizations in other cities have
contacted trolley volunteers
here to ask how to get started,
because they want to emu-
late our success as trolley
operators.
The late Ken Lockett (the
Trolley Guy) warned that the
trolley would be forced to
change into something that
would fail. I hope he was
wrong, but after reading the
editorial of Feb. 21, it appears
failure is foretold, at least by
this newspaper.
I have been a trolley volun-
teer since 2003, and I am still
going to hold out for the $1
fare because it’s proper.
RUSS THOMPSON
Astoria
Affairs of state
argely as a result of the
efforts of a much-ma-
ligned free press, we under-
stand the following to be true
facts:
• Vladimir Putin has led
Russia aggressively against
democratic aspirations and
efforts in Chechnya, Geor-
gia, Crimea, Ukraine, Syria
and elsewhere, as well as in
his own country, contrary to
American interests and values.
• Under Putin’s leadership,
Russia has repeated violated
its treaties and diplomatic
agreements with the U.S.
• Putin is one of the
wealthiest individuals in the
world today, largely as a result
of his “relations” with the
Russian government-owned
oil company, Rosneft.
• The largest business
transaction in world his-
tory was the 2011 agreement
between Rosneft and Exx-
on-Mobil for the development
L
5A
and marketing of Russia’s oil
reserves, publicly announced
to be worth one-half trillion
dollars.
• Performance of that
agreement has been largely
prevented to date by the
American-led sanctions
against Russia for its inva-
sions of Crimea and Ukraine.
• The head of Exxon-Mo-
bil who negotiated that agree-
ment has just become the U.S.
Secretary of State, and has
publicly spoken against these
sanctions both in the U.S. and
in visits to Russia.
• Numerous key members
of the new administration,
including the president, have
refused or failed to disclose
publicly their current busi-
ness interests, including any
involving either Exxon-Mobil
or Russian government-owned
entities.
• The Russian government
actively interfered in the U.S.
presidential election with the
express purpose of aiding the
Trump campaign.
• Representatives of the
Trump campaign were in con-
tact with representatives of the
Russian government during
the election campaign, while
such interference was under
way.
• The president’s recent-
ly-resigned National Secu-
rity Advisor discussed new
American sanctions (adopted
because of such interfer-
ence) with the Russian gov-
ernment prior to any author-
ity to conduct or be involved
in American foreign policy,
and the administration was
fully informed (although the
vice president may not have
been informed) at the time the
administration’s authorized
press spokesperson publicly
denied it.
It has been reported that
large financial incentives were
offered to associates of the
president himself to arrange
lifting American sanctions
against Russia.
Under our Constitution,
Congress must be impelled
to question whether the cur-
rent administration is “put-
ting America first” or sell-
ing America out. Follow the
money.
DANIEL J. and
KATHRYN D. SEIFER
Arch Cape
Trolley’s success
am very surprised and dis-
appointed that The Daily
Astorian would wish to
intrude into the successful
operation of the Astoria River-
front Trolley. The article that
was published Feb. 16, “Off
track: City, trolley face tough
decisions over premier attrac-
tion,” misidentified the city
of Astoria as being responsi-
ble for trolley maintenance,
among other errors elsewhere.
People were identified incor-
rectly, as well.
Now the newspaper has
apparently determined the
Riverfront Trolley should be
more expensive to our riders
(“Trolley fare too much of a
bargain,” The Daily Astorian,
Feb. 21). To equate the Riv-
erfront Trolley with the San
Francisco cable cars is laugh-
able. San Francisco cable cars
cater to an entirely different
I
Be in the know
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