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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 24, 2020)
A5 THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Develop a plan Beware the fl im-fl am man e “Developer wants live-work units below Astoria condos” (The Astorian, Sept 17): Ted Forcum sub- mitted a confusing and poorly thought-out proposal to the Astoria Planning Commission, which turned it down. Now he has gained the attention of The Astorian, with a one-sided recitation of his appeal to the Astoria City Council. If the developer were to spend similar time work- ing with the owners at Cannery Loft to develop a plan that owners could understand and support, it is my opin- ion that that would be very much welcomed by our condo community. LESLIE MOREHEAD Astoria I R Reprise wrote this letter to The Astorian back in September 2016. I feel the same way today: If The Donald is successful in buying the presidency, heaven help the U.S., and much of the world. Running a nation is about the people. Yes, this includes the 99% who aren’t among the wealthy. This includes: the disadvantaged, all the way up to the extremely advantaged; both genders as equals; religious freedom, as well as the freedom to not be religious; sex- ual freedom; quality education and health care for every- one; decent housing and decent jobs; rebuilding this nation’s infrastructure; and yes, our military and national defense systems. Being president is a tough job. The president needs to be rational, responsible, strong, considerate, reasonable, able to work with all political parties and other world leaders, and always thinking about how his or her actions will affect the future of our nation. Which of the above does The Donald display today, and in his past? His past and his present will be his (and our) future, if he is successful in buying the presidency. Think folks, before you vote. If you fact-check on the various things he says, most of his speeches aren’t fac- tual. His speeches aren’t realistic or truthful. Don’t be fooled by his power, money, or ego. Think before you vote. Being president of our nation isn’t a reality show. He or she won’t get retakes when he or she makes a blunder. Our nation’s future and place in the world is on the line with the outcome of this election. Again, think before you vote. KAREN ELDER Astoria I At what cost? he public works questionnaire arrived without any details on what, when, where or how much for this Resiliency P roject. This is hardly a localized concern for those living in the areas the county wants to develop. By defi nition, a road is development. Taxpayers are going to be asked to fund it, should it go forward. Look at the maps. Local geography makes this scheme ridiculous. Whatever you call it, they will not improve traf- fi c by buying and paving logging roads between already choked U.S. Highway 30 and the intersection of Wahanna Road in Seaside. We may be asked to move other public facilities out of tsunami zones. Look at the $99 million bond levy for the new Seaside school. It is now over budget. The gated logging roads the county wants to buy, upgrade and maintain have been around since steam trains logged this county. First responders have gate keys. Recently upgraded Lewis and Clark Road is a redundant route from Astoria to Seaside. Locating public works at the county-owned North Coast Business Park makes sense. It is over 100 acres, close to populated areas for disaster assistance and is close to other similar entities such as the Oregon Department of Trans- portation, Pacifi c Power, Medix and our county sheriff’s offi ce. Buying a total of over 80 acres at two sites to replace seven seems a bit extreme. Answer your questionnaire carefully. LINDA BRIM Astoria T Needs to be done ecent comments regarding the relocation of the Clat- sop County Public Works Department concern me, because it doesn’t appear there exists an understanding of the functions they perform. Road maintenance (including downed tree and snow removal), small bridge maintenance, signage and signal- ing, storm-related issues, mutual support of communities, as well as a host of other tasks, are performed by p ublic w orks. They are essential for day-to-day life and business. Returning to normal operations in a post disaster event will be critical. One only has to look at various hurri- cane-related events in the South, as well as earthquakes in recent history, to understand their signifi cance. It also needs to be mentioned that they supply fueling for fi rst responders. We live very close to the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Like the San Andreas F ault to our south, it’s only a mat- ter of time until our local zone ruptures. Yes, it costs money to be prepared for an emergency. Public w orks has a mandate to be prepared. Relocation of their facili- ties is a basic step to save lives and property. It needs to be done. RICHARD McINTOSH Astoria R Mind matters ach of our lives is like a ship. If we look out over the stern and recall our past, we can choose to recall all our happy memories, or we can choose to recall all our negative memories. The choice is up to each one of us. Mind matters. If we look out over the bow of the ship to our future, the same is true. We can choose to look forward to all of the adventure and happy times ahead, or choose to pre- dict all our fears and doubts and negation. The choice is up to each one of us. Mind matters. It’s really no mystery, for as a man thinketh, so is he. Let us all make our minds matter positively for a victori- ous future. JIM BERNARD Warrenton E n 60 years of living mostly here in Astoria, I have wit- nessed a fl ip from when a person’s word was dependable to no one trusting anyone. A person had to have honor and integrity or they were labeled a “fl im-fl am man.” This not-so-dumb “leader” of our nation is using the best public relations program on earth to persuade any and all that even having a democratic thought is wrong. The show is making all who would watch have tun- nel vision, while behind the curtain millions of taxpay- ers’ money is being used to fi nd loopholes in many laws to which he and his other, very rich white friends, can change to make more money. Mostly off of people who scrape to get by in the fi rst place — American citizens. As a veteran, I am personally embarrassed to call myself an American. Our nation’s government has gone from the most powerful in the world to the most dysfunctional reality television show ever thought of. Can we please at least get back to “red and blue,” argu- ing about the best move forward for our nation? Vote! TROY HASKELL Astoria Church and state he role of government is to unite the country, not divide it. Right? I’ve been reading Jacob Soboroff’s recently published book, “Separated.” Mr. Soboroff describes and quotes Jeff Sessions, the Trump administration’s fi rst attorney general, who evoked the Apostle Paul (Romans 13) to try to justify separating children from their parents. It bothered me when Attorney General Sessions did this. It worries me more now, and I think it should cause all of us to stop and think about what is happening in our country. I believe the use or abuse of religion in order to achieve a political agenda is dangerous, and smacks of possible reli- gious persecution. The Founding Fathers knew this when they set up separation of church and state. See the First Amendment to the Constitution — freedom of religion. Allow me to now be crystal clear regarding what I think about this. If I was 90% sure I’d vote for Joe Biden for pres- ident before, I’m 100% sure now. CARL DOMINEY Astoria T ing of our community, and that every social determinant of health — housing, food, education, employment, etc. — is equally important. There is no competitive feel, even among organizations serving the same needs. I’ve heard, and often used the phrase, “it takes a village,” and for me, CHART is where the villagers come together and make what feels impossible possible. Thanks to all who have been a part of CHART, and I look forward to continued collaboration in our village. ALLISON WHISENHUNT Warrenton Caesar ulius Caesar lived from 100 B.C. to 44 B.C. Many people believe that the decline of the Roman Empire as a republic began when Julius Caesar said, “the die is cast,” and crossed the Rubicon River into Italy with one legion in 49 B.C. It was an illegal act, and amounted to a declaration of war against his own state. It is estimated in the nine to 10 years that Caesar spent in Gaul (France) that one million Gauls were killed, and one million enslaved. History would record Caesar as one of the world’s greatest generals. One of the reasons that Caesar went to Gaul was to avoid prosecution from people who did not like him in the Sen- ate. The tradition was that offi ce holders could not be pros- ecuted while in offi ce. However, once leaving a protected offi ce, a person could be prosecuted and put on trial by the Roman Senate. Roman history did not like kings. Caesar became dicta- tor for life in 44 B.C. and was assassinated by some mem- bers of the Roman Senate in 44 B.C. TERRY J. SMITH Warrenton J Consult a PROFESSIONAL Our chance want to remind voters that contrary to fake advertis- ing, Joe Biden is not a socialist but a centrist, a moderate Democrat who is best qualifi ed to heal the division and vio- lence that President Donald Trump continues to incite. Biden will begin his fi rst term by bringing economic recovery and modify the tax cut for the rich that never paid for itself as promoted. The extremely large budget defi cits during the Trump administration were augmented by the coronavirus economic stimulus spending. There is a reason that Russia’s violent leader Vladimir Putin wants Trump to continue as U.S. president — Trump has done more for Russia than any U.S. president: Weakening NATO; withdrawing U.S. troops from north- ern Syria to allow the Turks to slaughter our allies the Kurds, who helped defeat ISIS, and driving the Kurds into an alliance with Russia; ignoring the bounty that Russia offered the Taliban on U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan; and sowing division within the U.S. Whenever President Trump yells “fake news!” I know that he has been caught again in either incompetence or fraud. After a while, even his supporters should understand that in his mental state, Trump can’t tell any difference between truth and lies. Nov. 3 is our chance to send Trump to a mental institu- tion, prison, or to Russia. DAVID FITCH Astoria I Best choice ebbie Boothe-Schmidt is the best choice to be our rep- resentative for House District 32. Debbie has been a small business owner and a union member and leader for the last two decades. She knows what it is like to run a business during the coronavirus crisis, and to make payroll in tough times to support employees who are counting on her. As a president of her union, she has fought for better pay and benefi ts for her members. Debbie truly understands labor issues from both sides of the table, and she knows how to listen, negotiate and solve problems. Debbie raised her two daughters as a single mom here on the North Coast, so she understands how important the issues of a living wage, health care, education and afford- able housing are to raising a family. Debbie understands that we have to protect our natural resources, our water, our air, our land and our forests from the changes in climate that are at our doorstep. As this is being written, the devastating wildfi res are just another sign that we must take climate action now, and Debbie is com- mitted to this. We are in unprecedented times of division in our state and our country, and we need someone who knows how to collabo- rate and who will work to unify the diverse needs of our district. Debbie is the right person for this job. Join me in voting for Boothe-Schmidt for House District 32. ERIC HALPERIN Seaside D LEO FINZI Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15.6” Intel ntel Pentium 1TB Hard Drive Windows 10 $499 99 Mon-Fri 10-6, Sat/Sun Closed 77 11th Street, Suite H Astoria, OR • 503-325-2300 AstoriasBest.com How to copy sections of web pages or other documents for use in a new document Open your source document/web page & your other application (e.g. Word) Click the beginning of the section you and want to use, then hold down click the end of the section you want to use. and type the letter “C” Hold down Click on a blank section of your destination document and hold down and type the letter “V” Q: How does sensitive toothpaste work? A: Imagine one of your teeth - it has two main sections: the crown above the gum line and the root below. JEFFREY M. LEINASSAR DMD, FAGD L E I NA S S A R DENTAL EXCELLENCE 503/325-0310 1414 MARINE DRIVE, ASTORIA www.smileastoria.com People with sensitive teeth experience pain when their teeth are exposed to something hot, cold or when pressure is applied. The layer of enamel may be thinner and the gum line may have receded, exposing more dentin. Therefore, the recession makes teeth more sensitive. Sensitive toothpaste works by blocking the tubules in the dentine with a chemical called strontium chloride. Repeated use builds up a strong barrier by plugging the tubules more and more, leading to less-sensitive teeth. Q: Do I need a referral to come see you? ASTORIA A: Typically no, but we CHIROPRACTIC Alicia M. Smith, DC Owner 503-325-3311 2935 Marine Drive Astoria, Oregon are more than happy to check when you come in. Give us a call and take advantage of our free initial consult! Celebrate s the Community Health Advocacy and Resource Team (CHART) celebrates its 10-year anniversary, I’ve been refl ecting on the impact I’ve seen from this great collabora- tive group. As a social worker, CHART has been instrumental in my professional life to stay informed of the resources available in our community, and to form partnerships with other com- munity agencies to fi nd new ways to support the health and well-being of our county. As a mother raising two children in this community, I have personally been impacted from the inspiration I feel as I experience conversations among people who truly care about making this great county even better. On the surface, CHART may look like any other import- ant community collaborative meeting; however, the true greatness of CHART is the collective wisdom and ideas that are generated through intentional collaboration activities that focus on the entire community, rather than on any one por- tion of our population. CHART fosters an environment that reminds us all that there are so many factors impacting the health and well-be- Q: What is the best A way to get results from my limited advertising dollar? Lisa Cadonau Advertising Representative 503-325-3211 www.dailyastorian.com 949 Exchange St., Astoria, OR A: The combination of a print and online audience is recession proof. We have an excellent print and online special for this time of year. Give your sales representative a call today to hear more about it!
