A4
V IEWPOINT
Hood River News,
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
O ur readers write
JOE PETSHOW
Publisher/President,
Eagle Newspapers, Inc.
CHELSEA MARR
General Manager
JODY THOMPSON
Advertising Manager
DICK NAFSINGER
Publisher, Emeritus (1933-2011)
TOM LANCTOT
Past President,
Eagle Newspapers, Inc.
KIRBY NEUMANN-REA
Editor
TONY METHVIN
Columbia Gorge Press Manager
DAVID MARVIN
Production Manager
Subscription $42 per year in Hood River trade area. $68 outside trade area.
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
ASSOCIATION
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OREGON NEWSPAPER
PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
recycled paper.
Official Newspaper, City of Hood River and Hood River County
Published Every Wednesday & Saturday by Hood River News,
P.O. Box 390, Hood River, Oregon 97031 • (541) 386-1234 • FAX 386-6796
Member of the Associated Press
The ’15 for 15’
This challenge helps our grads
T
he concept is a simple one:
“The 15 for 15 Challenge” is on, thanks to
the folks behind Project Graduation 2015.
If you’re not familiar with it, the program is
also known as “graduation party,” where par-
ents and other volunteers, including some teachers,
coordinate a safe party for the graduates who will get
their diplomas June 5.
Hood River Elks donates the building and kids
gather for games, food, music and dancing, casino,
and plenty more.
But it takes organization and it takes donations, of
gifts as well as prizes.
Enter “15 for 15,” as in $15 for the Class of 2015.
Organizers hope to see many residents make a do-
nation of $15 or more, to create the most-memorable
event possible, that the Class of 2015 might celebrate
in style.
It’s a small amount that can help in a big way.
Where do you get that $15? Here’s some tips:
■ Skip the lattes or margaritas a couple times on
your summer vacation;
■ Go with chicken or burgers instead of steak for
those first summer barbecues;
■ Buy the souvenir t-shirt ($17) instead of the hood-
ie ($32) on your beach trip;
■ This summer, water your lawn in the morning or
not as often — it’s something we should do for conser-
vation purposes, and you’ll see your water bill go
down at the same time.
Project Graduation is one of those long-standing
traditions that distinguishes this community. Each
year, one set of parents pulls off a great party and
passes the knowledge and operations savvy to the next
set of organizers. Each year from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
after the graduation ceremony (itself always a rich
and poignant event), more than 200 young people have
a safe place to hang out and party in a safe manner
with their friends before they go their own ways.
“15 for 15” is a challenge worth accepting. Please
support Project Graduation by sending your dona-
tions to 1767 12th St., No. 178, Hood River, OR 97031.
If you have ideas or wish to make in-kind gifts,
contact Melissa DelCarpine of the committee at del-
carpineautomotive@gmail.com.
The students more or less know what to expect, but
surprises are always in store, and all it takes is one
idea or unique gift to create a major memory for
young people as they conclude their educational expe-
rience in Hood River County Schools.
Vote Kopecky
Please vote for Becky Kopecky for
Position 6 for the Columbia Gorge
Community College Board of Direc-
tors. She will get my vote. I’ve known
Becky in the days when I was a volun-
teer at the Providence Hood River
Memorial Hospital for 15 years down
there. Becky is a passionate person
and caring person, with lots of expe-
rience and is a dedicated, smart,
thoughtful person as a director of
Nursing at the Providence hospital.
Becky makes an ideal candidate so
please vote for her.
Pam Smiley
Hood River
America
in decline
I truly believe there are four things
driving the United States into becom-
ing a second class nation. Those four
things are: the banking industry, Wall
Street, the regressive Supreme Court
majority and a Congress too bought
and unwilling to do anything about
the course this nation is on. Deregu-
lation of banking brought us one cat-
astrophic economic disaster and is
determined to do it again. “Too Big to
Fail” should be become “Too Big to
Exist.” Big banks should be broken
up just as Ma Bell was years ago.
Usury laws need to be reinstated. No
part of the banking industry should
be should be allowed to charge inter-
est rates that used to put people in
jail.
Wall Street is the world’s biggest
casino and, as with all casinos, things
are rigged for the house. Too much
value is given to its ups and downs by
our elected officials. The average citi-
zen has little or no investment in the
trading market except when their re-
tirement programs are trashed by
stupid, greedy practices on Wall
Street. Too much trust is given to the
Market as a guiding factor in the lives
of 95 percent of Americans.
The Supreme Court majority has
abandoned our constitution of the
people, by the people and for the peo-
ple. They are acting as though our
forefathers wrote a constitution of
the corporatist, by the corporatist, for
the corporatist. Their decisions have
killed the American Dream that says
if you work hard and play fair, you
can better your position in life. No
corporation has ever registered to
vote, no dollar bill has ever cast a bal-
lot yet the conservative majority has
granted humanity to both.
Too many of our elected officials
are so bought and paid for by big busi-
ness and big money they dare not
write laws to reign in the rampant
greed of their contributing employ-
ers. Self-regulation of capitalism is
an oxymoron. Government regula-
tions need to be reinstated to give an
even playing field for the average U. S.
citizen. If things don’t change, there
is no hope for the middle class and
low income families are just out of
luck.
Gary Fields
Hood River
Taglines
“I’m not a crook.” — Richard Nixon
“Read my lips: no new taxes.” —
George Bush
“We still seek no wider war.”— Lyn-
don Johnson
“I’m not a cheater.” — Tom Brady
Jerry Giarraputo
Hood River
HRCSD
budget clarity
For Joe O’Neill (May 16 letters) and
anyone else interested in the HRCSD
budget, I am providing some factual
data. Note that school board budget
meetings were announced more than
a month in advance, included public
comment opportunity, and a great
place to learn all you could want to
know and more.
The district also presented multiple
“listening sessions” for public input.
As reported by the Open Books Pro-
ject, HRCSD ranks above the Oregon
average for percentage of dollars
spent in teaching and student re-
sources and below the state average
for percentage of dollars spent on the
“Central Office,” and below for per-
centage spent on “Principal’s Office”
(HRCSD’s leading performance is
even more pronounced when viewed
on a district by district basis).
Note that our state is in the bottom
ranks of percentage spend on K-12
compared to other states, but HRCSD
outpaces our State in graduation
rates.
Each line item of the more than 65-
page HRCSD budget has a reference
number. For example, the $3.8M for
care/upkeep of buildings (required
12-months / year) is line item 2542 on
summary Page C-8.
The details of that same line item
2542 are then provided in the detail
section Page C-40. The budget organi-
zation along with many details were
explained at the public budget meet-
ings, but I am happy to provide this
info here as well.
School board meetings are open to
the public, and generally every other
Wednesday evening (see HRCSD
website). Joe or anyone interested
should stop by, ask your questions,
and it may take a few days, but you
will receive factual answers. While
you’re there, maybe you’ll be lucky
enough to see a presentation from
the AVID kids, or the Debate Team,
or even the Battle of the Books team
(just a few of the long list of HRCSD
winners that include “support staff ”
the May 16 letter questioned).
Rich Truax
HRCSD Budget Committee
Member
Hood River
‘Review
every aspect’
Approval by the Water Resources
Department of the proposed cross
transfer of water rights between the
City of Cascade Locks and the Ore-
gon Department of Fish and Wildlife
will benefit the community and en-
hance Oxbow hatchery fish produc-
tion. Approval is an important step
in our evaluation of Nestlé Waters’
proposed bottling plant, but much
remains to be done before any final
agreement is reached. City and Port
of Cascade Locks officials must
carefully review every aspect of the
project to ensure it will benefit the
people of Cascade Locks.
Gordon Zimmerman
City Administrator
Cascade Locks
Flags Lowered
Cpl. Ben Lee Brown
G
overnor Kate Brown ordered all flags at pub-
lic institutions be flown at half-staff from
sunrise to sunset on May 18, 2015, in honor
of an Oregon soldier killed during the Kore-
an War whose remains were only recently
identified.
The remains of Cpl. Ben Lee Brown, an Oregon sol-
dier killed in Korea in 1951, were laid to rest on Mon-
day at the Roseburg National Cemetery with full mili-
tary honors. Cpl. Brown was killed in action just
seven days after the 17-year-old Southern Oregonian
was deployed, in one of the bloodiest battles of the
Korean War.
Cpl. Brown’s remains were returned to the United
States in 1993, along with hundreds of other soldiers’
remains, and since that time, scientists have been
working to match DNA from the remains of thou-
sands of service members with that of their families.
ANOTHER VOICE
Partnerships focus on ensuring
youth are safe and successful
By MATT ENGLISH
for their students, support and com-
ver the last two and a half municate with staff, and ensure
their child is attending school regu-
years, I have had the dis-
larly.
tinct honor of being part
Raising kids and parenting is
of a group of dedicated
tough; fortunately, through KFT
community volunteers
and several partner agencies, there
and partners focusing on one com-
mon goal, the well being of the chil- is help. Parenting classes such as
the Incredible Years offered
dren in our community. In that
through the Next Door, Inc.,
time, an incredible amount
provide tools to parents to
of work has been done and
assist their children in
milestones achieved.
school. The program cur-
Through funding provided
riculum is directly tied to
Casey Family Programs and
the benefits of education
a series of grants, the Keep-
and give parents skills to
ing Families Together (KFT)
help kids achieve in school.
initiative has focused their
One of the goals of KFT is to
attention on several areas
Matt English make parent education a
that have the most substan-
community norm. As a re-
tial impact on the success of
youth in our community. Addition- sult, these classes are offered to all
of the community and are available
ally, some common sense, easily
to anyone regardless of education,
achievable practices and resources
that parents can implement and ac- skill or socioeconomic status. The
programs also address identified
cess, have been identified.
A parent’s involvement with their risk factors that can be detrimental
child’s education will promote their to success such as, early and persis-
tent behavior problems, family
success both in school and later in
life. Activities such as volunteering management, and family conflict.
Keeping Families Together has
in the classroom and participating
committed to providing access to
in school events, as well as meet-
programs in a myriad of ways to in-
ings, can have a markable impact.
clude bringing services to parents
One of the keys to success and a
through home visiting programs
topic that has garnered a lot of at-
such as the Home Visiting Connec-
tention by KFT is attendance. Par-
tion. Accessed through the Hood
ents should set high expectations
O
River County Health Department
and serving families with children
0 to 21 years old, the Home Visiting
Connection can start assisting par-
ents from the time their children
are born. The program offered a
large array of free services such as
car seat information, playgroups
and parenting classes, referrals to
other local services, food resources,
and education services for children
five and under.
A struggle we have to endure lo-
cally is the fact we don’t have access
to, or the volume of, local services
that a larger metropolitan area has.
Recently, stakeholders, including
myself, participated in a survey to
help identify areas of need, re-
sources and things that are work-
ing. One of my strong beliefs that
was echoed by all of those who par-
ticipated was that agencies do a
phenomenal job of working togeth-
er and solving problems in Hood
River County. There are a multitude
of agencies working together to
support parents and children. It is
humbling to see the continued work
of community partners to help
guarantee the success of the young
people in our community and I am
proud to be a part of it.
■
Matt English of Hood River is
Sheriff of Hood River County.