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THE ASTORIAN • TuESdAy, JANuARy 25, 2022
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
DERRICK DePLEDGE
Editor
Founded in 1873
SHANNON ARLINT
Circulation Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN
Production Manager
CARL EARL
Systems Manager
GUEST COLUMN
Putting The Oregon Way back into politics
O
regonians waste too much time
arguing.
That is today’s topic:
COVID-19. But before we get to the
coronavirus, let’s look back to a gun
control bill passed by the 2021 Legis-
lature. Bear with me; these issues have
similarities.
Almost every Oregonian agrees that
firearms should be stored safely and
securely. No one wants
an accidental shooting.
No one wants a mass
shooting.
Almost everyone rec-
ognizes that most Ore-
gon deaths involving
firearms are suicides.
DICK
Almost everyone sees
HUGHES
that the rise in homi-
cides and other gun vio-
lence has shaken the Portland area and
other parts of Oregon.
These common understandings
should lead to collaborative solutions.
So far, Oregon has wasted that
opportunity. The Legislature passed
Senate Bill 554, which includes a man-
date for safe storage of firearms. Yet
gun storage is not comparable to many
government regulations in which com-
pliance can be readily observed, such
as seat belt use. It generally won’t be
known until after the fact, that a loaded
gun was left unsecured.
That mandate in SB 554 did accom-
plish two things. It supported advocates’
belief that they were addressing gun
violence. It reinforced opponents’ belief
that the eventual goal was to take away
their guns.
Imagine what could have happened
if all sides of the gun debate instead had
come together with intensive dedica-
tion to suicide prevention and voluntary
safe storage of guns. They could have
plowed common ground, being more
effective in the long run, instead of stay-
ing entrenched far afield.
Which brings us to education and
influence: People listen to folks whom
they trust. When a neighbor talks about
the quick-access pistol safe he’s bought,
you’re more likely to think about getting
one. When a colleague is unafraid to
discuss her family struggles with men-
tal health, the conversation can reduce
the stigma and plant the seed for others
to seek needed help. When friends say
you’re going through a rough time and
Gillian Flaccus/AP Photo
Mask mandates during the coronavirus pandemic have caused divisions.
suggest they temporarily hang onto your
firearms, you may be willing to swallow
your pride and accept their help.
Which brings us back to COVID-19:
We seem to be at an impasse — a politi-
cal and social divide.
Though the majority of Oregonians
have been vaccinated and many wear
masks despite the inconvenience, others
do not. And the state won’t come close
to meeting Gov. Kate Brown’s goal
of administering a million COVID-19
booster shots by February.
Where can we find common ground
— not because of a governor’s goal but
to meet Oregonians’ physical, educa-
tional and financial health?
A place to start: everyday
conversations.
If you politely explain why you’re
vaccinated or not, instead of trying to
convince the other guy that he’s wrong
because you’re right, you’re setting the
example. Rather than being addicted to
rage, you’re contributing to what was
called The Oregon Way — collabora-
tively working toward acceptable, albeit
imperfect, solutions.
On the other hand, if you’re some-
one who constantly puts down the other
side, instead of actually listening to the
whys of their decision, I humbly suggest
you’re part of the problem.
For this year’s political candidates,
for the 2022 Oregon Legislature that
convenes in February, and for every-
one worried about our state’s future, this
becomes an overarching question for
many issues, not just the pandemic: For
the good of our state, how do we con-
tribute to The Oregon Way instead of
ideological wins and losses?
One start could be a unified local or
statewide campaign – involving groups
often at odds – in support of front-line
workers: Don’t take it out on them if the
restaurant is short-staffed, the store runs
out of goods or the retailer requires or
doesn’t require face coverings.
Nothing is gained by taking out frus-
trations on front-line workers. Instead,
look to old and new examples of small
steps and political changes.
• Former state Rep. Bill Post,
R-Keizer, and Rep. Dan Rayfield,
D-Corvallis, were far apart on the polit-
ical spectrum. Yet as legislative new-
comers, they had great fun collabo-
rating on episodes of their “Behind
the Scenes” video show about the
Legislature.
Post now is a political consultant
in Nevada but handling some Oregon
campaigns. Rayfield is the Democrats’
choice for House speaker, succeeding
Tina Kotek, who resigned to focus on
her run for governor.
• In his first town hall of the year — a
virtual one for Marion County residents
— U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden announced
the Bringing People Together initia-
tive. Throughout the year, he will high-
light examples of Oregonians work-
ing together in the spirit of The Oregon
Way. Wyden invited people to send
examples. He illustrated his initiative by
mentioning bipartisan issues he worked
on, such as saving a timber mill in John
Day.
• Rep. Marty Wilde, D-Eugene,
devoted his constituent newsletter
last week to good work being done
by Republican colleagues. Among his
examples, Rep. Mark Owens, of Crane,
is introducing legislation to trim the
governor’s emergency powers and
return some control to county commis-
sioners, although the bill goes further
than Wilde would like.
Rep. Jami Cate, of Lebanon, has pro-
posed what Wilde called “a thought-
ful bill” that would create a ballot mea-
sure to give the Legislature the ability to
impeach statewide elected officials —
governor, secretary of state, state trea-
surer, attorney general and Bureau of
Labor and Industries commissioner.
Rep. Anna Scharf, of Amity, has a
bill to exempt pharmacies from Ore-
gon’s controversial Commercial Activ-
ities Tax, an idea that Wilde is not yet
supporting but merits discussion.
Wilde is co-sponsoring a bill by Rep.
Duane Stark, of Grants Pass, to ensure
patients are not charged when involun-
tarily diverted to a hospital outside their
insurance network.
“I was pleased to see that last week’s
legislative days brought an unusual
number of bipartisan requests for bill
co-sponsorship,” Wilde wrote. “In addi-
tion to signing on to those I think are
good policy, I’ve also been advocat-
ing to my caucus to change our proce-
dures to include more outreach across
the aisle.”
dick Hughes has been covering the
Oregon political scene since 1976.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Appreciated
I
would like to commend the city of Can-
non Beach for their response to the tsu-
nami advisory on Jan. 15.
I had seen the news before I left for my
early beach dog walk, so knew that I was
in the safe timeline. As I finished, before
8 a.m., I saw the Cannon Beach police, fire
and rescue, plus city vehicles, staging at
many access points.
Later, as the sirens started sounding,
I saw that I had text messages clearly
explaining what was happening, since I
had signed up for city and county alerts.
No one in my mostly full-time resi-
dent neighborhood, or the nearby RV park,
made any movement out of the area, lead-
ing me to think that they were informed as
to why the sirens were going off.
Thank you to the Cannon Beach police,
fire and rescue, city workers and the emer-
gency preparedness team, which includes
many, many volunteers. The work done
before and during this tsunami event is
very appreciated.
VIRGINIA WRIGHT
Cannon Beach
Some thoughts
I
was a tuberculosis nurse in my previous
career and provided services to patients
that were homeless and lived in downtown
shelters.
I have observed much. I have some
thoughts about a mental health housing pro-
gram in downtown Astoria.
Supportive housing means more than a
dedicated building with services. The design
of the facility, staffing patterns and program
values combine to create a program that helps
people succeed. Keep in mind that these res-
idents live with challenges that would seem
overwhelming to the average person.
In order to increase their opportunities
for success, residents in supportive housing
require consistent access to supportive ser-
vices. At minimum, the following should be
required for the safety of the residents, staff,
citizens and visitors.
• State-licensed mental health and sub-
stance use disorder treatment.
• On-site health care services.
• Daily meals and weekly outings to food
banks.
• Case management and payee services.
Case management staff need to be present 24
hours a day to handle urgent situations.
• Daily medication monitoring.
• Supervised community activities and
programs.
It is uninformed to move forward with this
project without assessing this proposed men-
tal health program. I am disappointed that
objection to this project is being spun as one
is against homelessness, low-income resi-
dents or mental health services. I can assure
you, this is not the case.
Proper location of mental health housing
services needs to be discussed and analyzed
for the safety of patients and the community.
Downtown Astoria might not be the best loca-
tion. Informed choices based on data are best.
LAURI KRÄMER SERAFIN
Astoria
‘Can we all get along?’
n May 1, 1992, with Los Angeles in
flames, Rodney King, who had been
badly beaten by police, who were acquit-
ted of wrongdoing, stepped to the micro-
phone and asked, “Can we all get along?”
King’s righteous plea was a call for ending
divisiveness, a call seldom heard today.
So what are we to think of those who
brought the Linn County timber lawsuit,
fomenting divisiveness, as it becomes
likely that they will lose their case in
appellate court?
Linn County Commissioner Roger
Nyquist now says the suit is about the wid-
ening riff between the state and people in
the counties who are losing “a way of life”
in “A billion-dollar battle over more than
timber” (Jan. 11). The plaintiff’s attorney,
John DiLorenzo, goes extraterrestrial with
O
his divisiveness, saying the two sides are
“residing on opposite planets.”
Divisiveness has a familiar ring in the
post-Trump era, and clearly not all county
commissioners or their lawyers are above
it. We can expect that when the appellate
court rules against the plaintiffs, we will
hear some version of the divisive “Big Lie.”
Those who sow the seeds of divisive-
ness need to be reminded that there are
good people everywhere. By getting along,
we become stronger and find more righ-
teous solutions to perceived problems.
The billion dollars, and more, for tim-
ber county services, should be coming
from the fair taxation of the timber indus-
try that initially funded the lawsuit, and
has been fueling the rural-urban divide for
decades.
ROGER DORBAND
Astoria