ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
WYATT HAUPT JR.
News Editor
JADE McDOWELL
Hermiston Editor
THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Draft a
wish list
for your
Oregon
legislators
T
oday we’d like you to draft a multi-
million-dollar wish list and send it
off to your Oregon state senator and
state representative.
Each of Oregon’s 30 senators can spend
$4 million in federal funding — almost as
they please. And each of the 60 members of
the House has command of $2 million.
Who knows better than you where it
should be spent? Or at least, they should
listen to your suggestions and thank you
for them.
The total $240 million comes courtesy
of the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
This deal for spreading around the money
was struck to keep Democrats and Repub-
licans in the Oregon Legislature focused
on passing legislation, not fighting. All the
lists submitted may well be rounded up
into what they call a Christmas tree bill,
so everybody’s goodies are rolled into one.
That way the bill will surely pass.
Now you could be a penny pincher and
tell your Oregon legislators not to spend
a penny. You have to know, though, other
legislators won’t let the money sit around.
They will spend it. Might as well take local
control of the money. The overall state
budget is in good shape. The early session
pandemic financial fretting melted away
with the spring, because the total Oregon
is expected to get from the federal rescue
plan is some $2.6 billion.
One-time spending of $4 million or
$2 million can’t fix affordable housing in
Umatilla County.
It can’t fix wildfire risk in the Blue
Mountains. It won’t build enough child
care centers or preschools to eliminate
the shortage. It won’t {span}fix the criti-
cal groundwater shortage in the Columbia
Basin{/span}.
There are a lot of things it won’t do;
some targeted dollars, though, can change
lives.
It perhaps makes sense not to spend it
on hiring people for new jobs or to start up
new programs. How do you pay for them
next year? That said, it might make sense
to spend it on a pilot program if there’s a
good idea that needs testing out.
There’s such a big need for so many
things it’s not going to be easy to divvy
up a few million. Are some needs more
acute right now? Would it help to spend
some more to encourage more people to
get vaccinated? Is there a program in the
schools that could make a real difference
for students who lost learning because of
the pandemic? Could something be done
to help keep businesses operating? Is there
anything needed for public safety training?
Affordable housing, fighting child abuse,
homelessness and so many more ideas that
we have not mentioned also are deserving.
It’s not going to be so easy for legislators
to pick. You may have a good idea that your
legislator never thought of. You may have
a good idea that your legislator is on the
fence about. Let them know.
If you are not sure who your legislator is,
you can enter your address at this website:
oregonlegislature.gov/FindYourLegisla-
tor/leg-districts.html and it will tell you.
Click on their name and their email address
should pop up. Then plan your wish list.
Why voting to join Idaho is the right choice
MIKE
MCCARTER
OTHER VIEWS
his May, voters in five counties of
Eastern Oregon will be deciding
whether to entrust the future of
their children and their communities to
the governance of an enlarged Idaho or
to the unhinged politicians of Salem.
The Idaho legislature is controlled by
representatives from rural districts, who
govern according to the concerns and
priorities of rural counties.
The ruling party in the Oregon
House doesn’t have a single representa-
tive from Eastern Oregon or any rural
district. Since the ruling party doesn’t
consult the other party, Eastern Oregon
is completely ignored.
Long after Kate Brown is out of
office, her replacements will continue
to act on the priorities and values of
Northwestern Oregon because that area
has 79% of Oregon’s voters. This is why
Oregon hasn’t elected a Republican
T
governor in 38 years, and Democrats
have a super-majority in both houses of
the Oregon Legislature.
You might be a Democrat, but most
Eastern Oregon Democrats don’t want
Eastern Oregon to be ruled by the kind
of Portland politicians who won’t or
can’t stand up to the relentless advance-
ment of radical leftist proposals. They
don’t understand how we make a living.
Their decisions damage industries like
timber, mining, trucking and farming.
“The ruling party in Salem has a
vision of the future that does not include
people like me or the rural culture of my
community, friends, and family,” said
former Speaker of the Oregon House
of Representatives Mark Simmons of
Union County. “It is time to part ways
with them by every legal means avail-
able to us.”
Voting patterns prove that Eastern,
Central and Southern Oregon do not
belong in Oregon. It’s bigger than poli-
tics — it’s our culture. These areas gave
two votes to Trump for every Hillary or
Biden vote, just like Idaho.
Our counties would be better off as
parts of Idaho. Oregon schools rank
37th in the nation. Idaho’s schools rank
23rd, according to U.S. News. Idaho is
the state with the eighth smallest tax
burden, and Oregon ranks 33rd, accord-
ing to taxfoundation.org. Idaho has a
much lower cost of living. In March, the
U.S. government ranking of 50 states
on unemployment rate showed Idaho
ranked fifth and Oregon 31st.
Idaho is not a sanctuary state, nor
does it give driver’s licenses to illegal
aliens. Taxpayers there aren’t forced to
pay for abortions.
Rural Oregon is in an abusive rela-
tionship with Willamette Valley. Their
leaders refuse to protect citizens from
rioters, arsonists, criminals and illegal
aliens, but they infringe on your right to
defend your family with firearms. The
public school curriculum teaches the
next generation to hate Americans and
Americanism.
It’s time to end this abusive relation-
ship.
———
Mike McCarter of La Pine is a veteran
and a former president of the Oregon
Agribusiness Council and Oregon Asso-
ciation of Nurserymen.
YOUR VIEWS
Support public safety
with Measure 30-148
I’m writing in support of Measure
30-148 to fund critical equipment, vehi-
cles, and facilities in Umatilla County
Fire District No. 1. These will keep fire-
fighters and emergency medical tech-
nicians safe in line of duty and ensure
their ability to respond when an emer-
gency arises.
Nothing is more important than
safety when it comes to the men and
women who risk their lives to protect
their community. Having modern
equipment and vehicles at the ready
ensures these first responders can
perform at their best.
Because western Umatilla County
is growing so quickly, the call volume
increases every year. This bond will
keep a high level of service and allow
UCFD1 to plan for the future.
Please join me in supporting this
bond and the men and women of
Umatilla County Fire District No. 1.
Terry Rowan
Hermiston
Gregg shows up for
Pendleton every day
I write to show my wholehearted
support for Patrick Gregg in the
upcoming election for the Pendleton
School Board Position 7.
I have had the opportunity to get to
know Patrick professionally over the
last few years and have been able to
see firsthand his ability to analyze and
navigate tough situations. His work
ethic and his dedication to the city of
Pendleton are unparalleled. Patrick
shows up for Pendleton every day.
Patrick has three beautiful children
LETTERS DEADLINE FOR MAY 18 ELECTIONS
The East Oregonian does not run endorsements of more than 400 words.
The East Oregonian will institute a deadline for letters to the editor, so we can be fair
with all the letters we receive and allow for responses before Election Day, if necessary.
We run local letters of endorsement on a first-come, first-served basis. Please submit
your endorsement letters to the editor by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 7. You can email them
to editor@eastoregonian.com, or mail them to East Oregonian, c/o Andrew Cutler, 211
S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton, OR 97801.
We will publish our last letters on Saturday, May 15. Any letters received after the dead-
line will not run. Election Day is May 18.
with his wife, Jill, who are attending, or
soon will be attending, school in Pend-
leton. Patrick has always expressed
his passion about the importance of
education. With all three of his chil-
dren soon attending school, I believe it
is in his nature as a person to do what is
most important, not only for the future
education of his children, but for the
Pendleton School District as a whole.
I trust that Patrick will make
informed and well thought-out deci-
sions for the Pendleton School District,
and I trust that Patrick will make deci-
sions that directly benefit the educa-
tion of our children, create a safe and
diverse educational setting, and to
support and protect the livelihoods of
our teachers.
If elected to the Pendleton School
Board Position 7, I have no doubt in
my mind Patrick will fill the position
remarkably.
Eva Smith
Pendleton
Support first responders
who keep us safe
When there’s a fire, a wreck, a medi-
cal emergency, a hazardous spill, or any
number of other potentially disastrous
situations, local firefighters and EMTs
are usually the first ones on the scene.
They often put their own health and
safety on the line to help others.
Measure 30-148 is the west end
community’s chance to give back to our
first responders, now and for the next 20
years. The bond package includes new
protective equipment, radio systems,
vehicles, and other tools that protect
firefighters and EMTs.
It also includes upgrades to current
vehicle exhaust systems to reduce the
cancer risk. Protecting these valiant first
responders now, and in the long run, is
crucial. They responded to 5,000 emer-
gencies last year. If my math is correct,
they grabbed their gear and rolled out
in response to more than 13 alarms per
day!
For around $4 a month, the average
property owner in Umatilla County
Fire District #1 can make a vital invest-
ment in the safety of our firefighting
and medical first responders. As a rural
resident, where time and distance are
especially critical, that makes a lot of
sense to me.
Join me in voting yes on Measure
30-148.
Cathy Stolz
Hermiston