Saturday, August 27, 2016
Quick takes
Speed-enforcement cameras
absent — for now — in EO
Why do government and people depend
so much on technology? Can’t people do the
work anymore?
— Kevin Linn
I would question the legality of these. You
have the right to face your accuser. If a police
oficer isn’t observing you speeding there is
no witness to the violation. Therefore should
be considered hearsay and thrown out.
— Monique Waine
I may not be able to visit anymore. Won’t
be able to afford the tickets.
— Diana Hayes Henning
Vet receives overdue medals
He got it! Finally! He’s a sweet man! I’ve
known them for a while. This has been such
a long time coming!
— Ashley Haapla
I’m grateful for his service to our country.
Thank you for my freedom sir!
— Jason Bethel
Pendleton’s Carnegie Library
celebrates its centennial
The basement is haunted!
— Marvin Williams
I used to work in this library, in the base-
ment where we would pull a certain amount
of books to send out to rural libraries. It was
a fun, afterschool job!
— Tera Tolar
One of the great lessons of the Twitter age is
that much can be summed up in just a few words.
Here are some of this week’s takes. Tweet yours
@Tim_Trainor or email editor@eastoregonian.
com, and keep them to 140 characters.
East Oregonian
Page 5A
VIEWPOINTS
Why east Umatilla Co. needs redrawn ambulance district
By ELIZABETH MCINTYRE
Friends of the East Umatilla County
Health District
T
he East Umatilla County Health
District wants to serve the citizens
of the east county with professional
ambulance services. The board has decided
to put forward two ballot measures (30-120
and 30-122) to voters for the November
election.
The board believes that passing
these measures, which will call for the
redistricting of the tax area and increased
funding ($1 per $1,000 of assessed value),
is the best approach to providing timely and
professional care for the district’s medical
emergencies for many years to come. Both
ballot measures must pass in order for the
continuation of emergency services in the
area.
History
The East County Health District was
formed in 1988 and was allowed to receive
dollars from what is known as the Athena-
Weston School District boundary. The
EUCHD has the responsibility to provide
service to what is known as ambulance
service area 5. ASA-5 includes a large
portion of the area encompassing the cities
of Athena, Weston, Helix and Adams, as
well as the Tollgate area. That’s a much
larger area than the school district boundary.
For those who live in rural areas where
access to hospitals and clinics are miles
away, and with the increase of aging
populations, better local medical care
allows people to have access to consistent
emergency care.
As a result, people are then able to stay
in their homes longer, enjoy a better quality
of life, and live securely in the knowledge
that competent, compassionate and timely
care is available 24 hours a day, seven days
a week.
Although this enhances livability, it also
Take another look at prisons
By Kenosha (Wisc.) News
T
he U.S. Justice Department announced
Thursday that it would phase out the
use of private prisons because they
don’t provide the same level of correctional
services and don’t save substantially on
costs.
The decision will affect only a small
percentage of the nation’s prisoners —
unless it is a signal of other reforms to come.
If states would also phase out the use of
private prisons, for example, it would affect
a lot more people.
Even that, however, wouldn’t affect
Wisconsin. It (like Oregon) is one of
the minority of states that does not have
privately operated prisons.
Nevertheless, a signal from any level of
government that something about prisons
needs to change is welcome. In our view too
many people are incarcerated, and the costs,
both iscal and social, are unnecessarily high.
A recent report from the U.S. Department
of Education pointed out that Wisconsin,
like most states, had increased state and
local per-capita spending on corrections at
a far higher rate than per-pupil spending on
education over the last 35 years.
Wisconsin spends far more than
neighboring Minnesota on its corrections
system, even though the two states have
similar populations.
Wisconsin also spends more than its other
neighboring states.
The Wisconsin Budget Project reported
that in 2013 Wisconsin’s state and local
spending on corrections amounted to $259
per capita. The comparable numbers for
other states were Michigan $252, Minnesota
$163, Illinois $157 and Iowa $152.
There is also the social cost to consider.
Incarcerating so many people has a bad
effect on families and neighborhoods. This
was brought to light dramatically by Laura
Kaeppeler of Kenosha when she was named
Miss America in 2012. She made mentoring
children of incarcerated parents — a subject
she could discuss from her own experience
— her personal platform.
Right now, there are more than 22,000
people in Wisconsin state prisons, according
to the Department of Corrections, plus
hundreds if not thousands more in county
jails. There are huge costs associated with
incarcerating so many people — direct costs
to taxpayers, but also costs to families and
society.
There are other ways of coping with
crime and criminals, and other states are
using some of them. Minnesota, for example,
has half the number of people incarcerated as
Wisconsin.
The federal government just initiated a
small reform. Let’s hope states follow the
lead.
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. Senators
Governor
Ron Wyden
Kate Brown
Washington ofice:
221 Dirksen Senate Ofice Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande ofice:
541-962-7691
State Senator
Jeff Merkley
Bill Hansell, District 29
Washington ofice:
313 Hart Senate Ofice Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton ofice:
541-278-1129
U.S. Representative
Greg Walden
Washington ofice:
185 Rayburn House Ofice Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
La Grande ofice:
541-624-2400
160 State Capitol
900 Court Street
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
900 Court St. NE, S-423
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us
State Representatives
Greg Barreto, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-38
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.GregBarreto@state.or.us
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us
puts pressure on the local EMS services.
For example, ambulance personnel and
equipment are needed to help on lift assists
and to assess and treat minor injuries that do
not require transport.
The reality
Current levels of stafing do not meet
the needs of a 24/7 service. Additional
ambulance personnel must be hired to
provide needed coverage while a volunteer
force continues to be developed.
Additional money is needed to bring our
services to the level necessary to be truly
considered ambulance providers.
Ambulances must be outitted with
state and/or federally approved equipment.
Upgrading and replacing that equipment
costs money, but is necessary for providing
eficient and appropriate care.
Ambulances must be maintained.
Replacing ambulances are expenses that
must be budgeted for.
The ballot measures
As the board and administrator reviewed
the current boundary lines, they found
overlap in some Umatilla County taxing
areas, while other areas were not covered
by any service at all. With the redistricting
measures, these discrepancies will be
resolved. The board believes in being
transparent and honest and this is the
irst step in communicating with voters
concerning where the services are going
and who is paying for them. The new
district boundaries will improve our areas of
service.
Ballot Measure 30-122 concerns the
dissolution of the current district which by
law has to happen before the reformation
can take place.
Ballot Measure 30-120 will ask voters
to approve the formation of the new district
and change the permanent tax rate from the
current 14 cents per $1,000 assessed value
to $1 per $1,000.
Until the ballot measures pass, the
district will continue to be covered and
mutual aid agreements will continue to stay
in place.
What are the end results?
There is peace of mind in knowing that
quality and eficient care is available only
minutes away. When accidents, illness, and
traumas occur, our families, friends and
communities can be assured that emergency
services appropriate to meet any need, will
respond quickly and with the equipment
needed to save lives. Additionally, all
those who are within the new district will
be paying for essential services that make
our communities stronger, safer and more
livable.
If the ballot measures pass, changes in
the ambulance board become necessary.
A new board of directors will be needed
to lead the health district. These will be
at-large positions, but it is our hope that all
four cities will put forward people to serve.
Money from a levy passed by voters in
2015 will expire in 2020. The current board
feels that it is sensible to use these dollars
in conjunction with the new tax dollars to
ensure the ambulances are ready to roll
when emergencies happen. As expenses
continue to increase, and this is this seen
frequently in healthcare, it is prudent to
continue to use these funds to replace
ambulances.
It is economically prudent for the citizens
of East Umatilla County to redistrict and
raise our permanent tax base. Our region is
a beautiful place to live — let’s continue to
work to make it a prosperous and safe place
to live as well.
What can I do?
When the ballots come in the mail,
please vote yes on ballot measure 30-122
and 30-120.
■
Elizabeth McIntyre is a member of the
Friends of East Umatilla County Health
District/Medic 400.
The Park Service’s
messy birthday bash
By PAUL LARMER
Writers on the Range
or most of us, birthdays are happy
occasions, when friends and family
pay fond attention, lavishing us with
gifts to prove that we are loved and valued.
For one day, our foibles are accepted with a
smile, or at least diplomatically ignored.
The National Park Service’s 100th
birthday this August has been less
joyful. In fact, anyone paying attention
to the news might think that the proud
agency, which oversees 412 units across
more than 80 million acres, has had its
centennial celebration ruined by a series of
uncomfortable revelations.
In January, the Interior Department’s
Ofice of Inspector General released a
report detailing two decades of sexual
harassment by boatmen in the Grand
Canyon’s river district and the failure of
senior oficials to adequately respond.
In March, the agency abolished the river
district and announced that it would
increase sexual harassment training and
conduct an agency-wide survey to ascertain
how widespread the problem is.
Then, in February, Chief Jon Jarvis was
reprimanded by his bosses at Interior for
publishing a book on the parks through a
private company without federal approval.
Meanwhile, the Park Service remains
hobbled by byzantine bureaucratic policies
that have contributed to its struggle to hire
a workforce that relects the nation’s racial
diversity, despite decades of “we’re-on-it”
rhetoric. Today, 83 percent of its 23,000
employees are white, no more racially
diverse than it was a decade ago.
The agency also lacks an adequate
funding base, not only to maintain current
operations, but to address the crumbling,
neglected infrastructure at parks around the
country.
Annual appropriations from Congress,
which make up about 88 percent of its
roughly $3 billion budget, declined 8
percent between 2005 and 2014 after
adjusting for inlation, according to a
December report from the Government
Accountability Ofice.
The funding crisis is so bad that
the agency is considering corporate
sponsorships, a move that has some
worried that “America’s Best Idea” will
end up auctioned off to the highest bidder:
Arches National Park brought to you by
F
McDonalds.
It’s enough bad news that some park
oficials probably wish that they’d planned
a low-key event at some remote park in,
say, South Dakota, rather than the yearlong
media-saturated, Subaru-sponsored
celebration that is keeping the agency in the
public eye.
But I’m glad the Park Service went big
on its centennial, and I’m even glad that its
dirty laundry is getting an airing. After all,
birthdays are more than just celebrations;
they’re also a time for relection and
redirection. The fact that we are having
such deep, passionate discussions about our
national parks and their problems is proof
that they are loved and that they matter.
Besides, there are some bright spots: The
agency continues to lead the way in helping
us understand how climate change effects
ecological systems; over the past ive years,
its new climate response program has
studied climate change impacts on national
parks from Acadia in Maine to American
Samoa in the Paciic.
Director Jarvis has also convened a
panel of independent scientists, who in a
report called Revisiting Leopold, urge the
agency to stop trying to preserve each park
as a “vignette of primitive America” and
“act immediately, boldly and decisively” to
prepare for volatile conditions, including
severe wet seasons and deep droughts. That
is forward thinking all land agencies need
to embrace.
And the Park Service has expanded
its vision beyond protecting gorgeous
landscapes to embracing parks and
monument, some brand new, that spotlight
America’s unique cultural heritage in all its
remarkable, complex and occasionally ugly
glory. Places like Cesar Chavez National
Monument in California’s Central Valley
and the Harriet Tubman Underground
Railroad National Historic Park in
Maryland.
The centennial may not go down in
history as the Park Service’s happiest
birthday celebration ever, but hopefully
it was the most memorable and
transformative one. We can all raise a glass
to that.
■
Paul Larmer is a contributor to Writers
on the Range, the opinion service of
High Country News (hcn.org). He is the
executive Director and publisher of High
Country News in Paonia, Colorado.