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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2018
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
JIM VAN NOSTRAND
Editor
Founded in 1873
JEREMY FELDMAN
Circulation Manager
DEBRA BLOOM
Business Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN
Production Manager
CARL EARL
Systems Manager
OUR VIEW
Worth a dime
W
hile there are plenty of things
that divide Oregonians, there
are three pillars that unite us.
We speak, of course, of no sales tax,
no self-pumping at gas stations and the
Bottle Bill.
They’re so ingrained in our unique
Oregonian culture that it seems fun-
damentally wrong when we’re visit-
ing another state and see that extra line
at the bottom of a receipt adding to our
purchase total, or pull into a gas station
and wait a beat before realizing we’re
going to have to climb out and work
the machine ourselves. Perhaps the
most egregious is when we see friends
who don’t know any better toss a soda
can into the garbage, or drive down the
highways of other states and see alumi-
num, plastic and glass littered alongside
the road.
A sales tax would undoubtedly stabi-
lize this state’s unpredictable economic
cycles and give us a good case for low-
ering the income tax rate. Self-serve
gas has proven to be non-apocalyptic in
much of rural Oregon. But our famous
Bottle Bill, which set up the country’s
first beverage recycling deposit system
in 1971, should be enshrined as one of
our state’s greatest achievements.
Nine other states have followed in
our footsteps since 1971, creating an
incentive to recycle one-use containers
rather than pitching them in a trash can,
gutter or wildlife habitat.
The Oregon Beverage Recycling
Cooperative redeemed 1.3 billion con-
tainers in 2017 alone, according to Peter
Spendlow of the Oregon Department
of Environmental Quality. An increase
from 5 cent deposits to 10 cents in April
2017 has helped increase redemption
numbers. The redemption rate was 59
percent in January through March of
2017, then 82 percent in April through
December.
The return rate for non-Bottle Bill
states is about 28 percent, according to
the online Bottle Bill Resource Guide.
Distributors, who receive the initial
deposit and pay it back at the end of the
cycle, came out ahead at $25 million
in unreturned containers. But the big
win is that the incentive of a dime did
what it was supposed to and got us back
E.J. Harris/East Oregonian
Cubes of crushed cans stand on a pallet in the back of a BottleDrop facility.
into the habit of returning our cans and
bottles.
Overall, Americans are sloppy recy-
clers. We’re not alone in that trait, but
we’re bad at sorting before we drop
off and, because of the mess we leave,
much of the world’s refuse is no longer
accepted at processing centers in China.
That’s bad for the world, as material
that can be reused is instead piling up in
landfills.
Bottles and cans are unique in that
they are easily sorted, and a targeted
campaign provides a greater return on
investment than other materials.
As a bonus, the deposits have also
become an effective fundraising mecha-
nism for nonprofits.
So whether you return your cans and
bottles yourself, donate them to a char-
ity or give them to a neighbor kid look-
ing to make a few bucks, the daily effect
of the bottle bill is what you don’t see
— litter and waste in our state.
office of the president through careless words,
lies and a bully pulpit mentality. While ignor-
ing the plank in his own eye, he berates and
calls those who do not believe him losers;
there sure are a bunch of us.
I’m ashamed and sickened by the division
and bigotry that has been emboldened by the
president. I do not look at the flag the same as
I have in the past, this five-time draft dodger
has denigrated the flag to represent his white
minority. He has brought much more shame
on the flag than those he calls names in the
National Football League.
I have no pity for a man who has brought
this negative attention on himself since com-
ing down the escalator in June 2015 with his
disparaging words. Mr. President, you can
pave the streets in gold, give me a seven-fig-
ure pension and a job for everyone, but you
don’t understand: It’s not a great America
without respect and dignity for all people.
Some say I should shut up and cook, but
I will never apologize for what is good and
righteous.
PAUL FLUES II
Astoria
against brainwashing when going into com-
bat in the Asian theater.
Some techniques are “big lies/little lies”
(Hitler), “good guy/bad guy,” and “tell the
people they are being attacked, denounce
those who object as unpatriotic, and you can
take the country to war” (Hitler’s right-hand
man, Hermann Goering).
Look up propaganda on the internet. Look
at Russia’s historic and prolific use of pro-
paganda. Now, in the U.S., there are 13-plus
initial Russian indictments, six guilty pleas,
two imprisonments and two ongoing trials.
Plus, there is the bipartisan statement
by the Senate Intelligence Committee,
released July 3, that the studies by the FBI,
NSA, military intelligence and the Jus-
tice Department are solid, and conclusive
that Russia interfered in the 2016 election
to help get Trump elected. It is too late to
honestly/honorably choose to continue to
believe the “big lies” that Trump and Putin
are trying to pull off.
Americans do not want to live in a total-
itarian America. The present moral decay
reminds me of Nazi Germany: the state pro-
paganda, the manic speech of propaganda,
the mass of people who choose to accept the
state propaganda, the denial, lies, divisive
hate, visceral cruelty, and attempts to dehu-
manize groups. These lead to the ultimate
chaos and destruction of a nation.
MONICA TAYLOR
Astoria
LETTERS
Restaurant reviewer
should get different job
e are very upset over the destructive
review someone wrote about Gallet-
ti’s in Long Beach (“The Mouth: Galletti’s
Spaghetti House misses some Italian pillars,”
Coast Weekend, Aug. 2).
Firstly, it is a spaghetti house, not a fine
restaurant.
Secondly, we eat there several times a
month and the place is packed, and we think
the food is delicious.
Thirdly, people almost always ask for a
box to take some food home because there is
so much food.
Fourth, there is a good menu. There are
many choices and specials.
Fifth, there is a good wine selection.
If it is as bad as your reviewer says, why is
there so often a waiting line? Why do I hear
people raving about the food?
We are really upset this person could not
write a balanced review. I think you might
review your writer’s judgment. This is a small
town, a small restaurant family run and we
think it is great — so do a lot of other people.
I have lost confidence in that section of
the paper. I wonder who wrote the article. I
am sad to think many people will not even
try Galletti’s now because of that article, and
it’s their loss. If I didn’t know better, I would
avoid it, thinking your reporter knew what he/
she was talking about.
But he/she is “out to lunch” and should
get a different job. Sorry to be so harsh, but it
needs to be said.
BILL and JANET CLARK
Long Beach, Washington
W
Time to accentuate the
positive side of things
here is a lot of unpleasantness going
around, and without a concentrated effort
on our part it will grow.
1) “Helmet” John (Wedell): Such a nice
man — yet some people seem to think that his
cluttered lifestyle is not what they want to see.
Put your relative in this picture. Would you
have them treated so badly?
John is a gentle man who lives in a world
we know little about. He doesn’t beg you for
money, he doesn’t yell at you on the street. I
am glad to see John back, and he deserves our
compassion.
2) Stacked rocks along the riverfront:
Someone seems to see these as a danger and
intentionally destroys them. They bring me
joy, and I like the calmness and joyful use
someone has seen with plain river rock. It is
all in the perception.
3) Astoria Co-op: The concerns voiced
about the building of the new Astoria Co-op
totally baffle me. Here is a local group work-
ing hard to better our community with an
alternative to the big box stores when it comes
to food shopping. The Astoria Co-op staff
have addressed how the issue(s) will be han-
dled, and some are still not satisfied.
The Astoria Co-op is locally owned and
T
operated. The monies stay in our commu-
nity. The alternative would be less desir-
able. The Astoria Co-op is a win-win for our
community.
Perhaps it is time to accentuate the
positive.
CINDY PEAKE
Astoria
Mueller, Americans will
arrive at truth
aybe I can agree with President Don-
ald Trump — this is a “witch hunt.” If
Mr. Putin is the “Wicked Witch of the East,”
I wonder if Mr. Mueller might identify the
“Wicked Witch of the West.”
I have faith that Mr. Mueller and my
American friends will arrive at, and believe,
the truth.
DAVID SKARRA
Hammond
M
Need respect and
dignity for all people
t’s now past day 555 in the Trump White
House, and over 4,200 lies and mistruths
have been attributed to this man. I learned at
an early age that a liar thinks you’re dumb
enough to believe their words.
Trump’s disciples are being deceived by
the man they worship hook, line and sinker.
He continually lowers the standard of the
I
Don’t believe the
propaganda
xamine the propaganda. Be familiar with
propaganda/advertisement techniques.
The military taught recruits to recognize the
elements of propaganda to strengthen them
E
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