OREGON
Thursday, June 24, 2021
East Oregonian
A9
‘People are
frustrated’
Rural Oregonians who want
to move border say they ‘no
longer recognize’ their state
By DOUGLAS PERRY
The Oregonian
PORTLAND — Thousands of
people in Eastern and Southern
Oregon want to leave the state — so
long as they don’t have to pack up
and go anywhere.
In May, fi ve rural counties —
Baker, Grant, Lake, Malheur and
Sherman — voted to study moving
the border so they would become
part of neighboring Idaho. They
joined Jeff erson and Union counties,
both of which voted in November
to look into switching to the Gem
State.
The reasons for this unlikely
secession movement, laughed off
by political observers a year ago but
now being given grudging respect,
are not as straightforward as they
might appear at fi rst glance.
Rural Oregonians, who tend to be
politically conservative, unquestion-
ably feel ill-treated by the state’s city
dwellers, who skew to the political
left and whose numbers now mean
perennial Democratic majorities in
the Oregon Legislature.
“The majority party constantly
wants its ideals imposed on rural
areas, and the people in those rural
areas have had it,” former Oregon
Senate Minority Leader Herman
Baertschiger Jr. said. “They want
to leave.”
Baertschiger, a Republican who
is now a Josephine County commis-
sioner, added:
“When I was in the Legislature,
I was always jumping up and down
about the urban-rural divide. It’s two
very diff erent lifestyles, two diff er-
ent ways of life.”
For those Oregonians looking
to Republican-dominated Idaho as
their ideological promised land, a
famous saying from the late Presi-
dent Ronald Reagan resonates: “The
nine most terrifying words in the
English language are: ‘I’m from the
government, and I’m here to help.’”
They believe less government
regulation means more personal
freedom. They say there should be
greater economic opportunity and
fewer handouts.
Democrats in the Legislature
“have no idea the values we have out
here, the work ethic,” said Sandie
Gilson, who runs a title company in
Grant County with her husband.
“We take care of ourselves and
our neighbors,” she said. “I’ll always
jump in to help someone whose
house has burned down, but I’m
reluctant to help people who won’t
help themselves.”
The culture war that blares on
cable news channels every night,
and the extreme partisanship that
feeds it, certainly plays a major
role in the border-moving votes. It
drives perceptions of the violence
and vandalism that have accompa-
nied Portland protests during the
past year. It encourages political
maneuvers like Baertschiger lead-
ing fellow Republican senators in
fl eeing Salem to derail ambitious
Democratic legislative goals, such
as a limit on greenhouse-gas emis-
sions.
But the longing for Idaho among
some Oregonians is also fueled by
bigger-picture factors. There’s a
nostalgia for the kind of rural life
that’s gone for good or getting more
precarious, thanks to the globalized
high-tech economy, evolving mores
and even persistent drought in the
region.
Gilson, who grew up in Lake
County and once worked in the
timber industry, was a young single
mother in the 1990s when federal
protections for the spotted owl
became a fl ashpoint in what already
was a contentious fi ght over how
Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin, File
La Pine resident Mike McCarter is leading the Move Oregon’s Border eff ort that aims to transfer rural Oregon
counties to Idaho. Without this eff ort, he says, “We could get something like what happened in Burns a few years
ago with Ammon Bundy. We don’t want the guns to come out. That’s not good for anybody.”
Oregon’s old-growth forests should
be managed.
Since then, she said, “Oregon
has changed into something we no
longer recognize.”
Last year she knocked on doors
to get the border-moving initiative
on the ballot in Grant County.
“Idaho is more into using natural
resources to enhance employment,”
she said. “That’s what Oregon used
to do.”
The goal of Move
Oregon’s Border
Even with the success of the
Dave Killen/The Oregonian, File
nonbinding votes so far — and with Former Sen. Herman E. Baertschiger, a Republican, says “the majority
the ballot measure in the works for party constantly wants its ideals imposed on rural areas.”
more counties — the possibility of
any part of Oregon joining Idaho that vent, we could get something keep plugging away.
remains remote. The initiatives do like what happened in Burns a few
“Our goal is to send a message to
no more than show voters’ resolve years ago with Ammon Bundy,” Salem,” said Jackson County resi-
on the issue. A border adjustment McCarter added, referring to when dent and Greater Idaho supporter
would require the agreement of both armed anti-government militants David Reece. “But in the long run,
state legislatures and ultimately occupied the Malheur National if that doesn’t work, if nothing
Congress.
Wildlife Refuge. “We don’t want the changes — and I don’t think it will
But Michael McCarter, a La Pine guns to come out. That’s not good — you have to be ready.”
resident who launched the citizens’ for anybody.”
Gilson, for her part, said she’d
group Move Oregon’s Border for a
Not that he sees Move Oregon’s love to see the border-shifting move-
Greater Idaho, believes it’s a worth- Border as merely a peaceful means ment make Salem more responsive
while undertaking regardless of of expressing dissatisfaction with an to rural Oregon, though she’s not
what the fi nal result ends up being. entrenched status quo. McCarter, optimistic that will happen.
“Everything is always better
“People are frustrated,” said the an Air Force veteran and fi rearms
retired agricultural nurseryman, trainer, believes a border adjustment when a compromise is made,” she
who’s the chief petitioner for the can actually happen, if the political said, adding that she remembers
initiative drives. “If we can vent stars align. “It’s a long shot, but long Oregon as a middle-of-the-road
some of that pressure with people shots come in,” he said.
Republican state for years. “But
voting on this, that gives me a good
Others involved in the effort there is no compromise in Oregon
feeling.
have the same attitude, insisting right now. There hasn’t been for a
“I’m afraid that if we don’t have that anything is possible if they long time.”
EASTERN OREGON
marketplace
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333 E. Main St.
We accept:
Pendleton, OR 97801 Hermiston, OR 97838
See www.easternoregonmarketplace.com for classified ads from all over Eastern Oregon
EAST OREGONIAN • HERMISTON HERALD • BLUE MOUNTAIN EAGLE • WALLOWA COUNTY CHIEFTAIN
157 Events
354 Auction Sales
360 Garage Sales
502 Real Estate
OPEN NOW:
Black Cat Fireworks
11am-dusk. Shop early! Sup-
plies limited. 1875 N 1st St.,
Hermiston. In front of Suds
Yer Duds.
AUCTION!
Thursday 6/24
80824 Kik Lane, Hermiston
Due to the heat, the
auction will start at 6:30pm.
Preview at 5:30pm
Multi-family sale: Furniture,
home decor, too much to list!
Fri 8am-12pm & Sat 8-11am
1429 SE 18th Street, Pendle-
ton.
204 Automobiles
Some of the items for the
auction are: Two vintage ra-
dio consoles with turntable,
Fenton and Bauer glassware,
Old radio and TV tubes, Fur-
niture and misc collectibles,
lots of vintage cameras, fish-
ing poles and archery gear.
How Much is your Home Worth?
Call Matt Vogler, The Weekend
and After Hours Agent, for a free
Market Analysis. 541.377.9470.
More Listings needed to meet
current buyer demand!
Matt Vogler
John J. Howard & Assoc.
(541) 377-9470
541-377-6855
A phone call Away! Help to find
the home for you with access to
all possible homes on your list.
Please call with your questions
for the answers to help you into
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305 SW Court Ave., Pendleton
TURN HERE
REALTY & TRAVEL
WRECKING YARD
We pay $200 and up
We buy All Cars and Trucks.
Damaged, Non-Running,
Unwanted.
509-370-1091/876-8777
UPSE AUTO
CLASSIFIEDS
You can
find your
dream home
For pictures, visit our Face-
book page under Ford’s Auc-
tion. We accept cash, check,
and credit cards. 10% buyer’s
premium in place. All items
are as is. Contact us for con-
signments and estate sales.
Ford Bonney: 541-561-5798
Colby Alexander: 541-314-
3153
AUCTION!
Sunday 6/27
80824 Kik Lane, Hermiston
Due to the heat, the
auction will start at 6:30pm.
Preview at 5:30pm
Some of the items for the
auction are: 12 vintage al-
lis chalmers tractors, 9N w
loader, Gibson groundhog,
Lincoln tractors in various
stages of repair. 3pt attach-
ments, spring tooth sickle
bar mower and old fashioned
implements, old tractor parts,
and Diesel 8k forklift.
Check out our
Real Estate Listings
in the Classifieds
For pictures, visit our Face-
book page under Ford’s Auc-
tion. We accept cash, check,
and credit cards. 10% buyer’s
premium in place. All items
are as is. Contact us for con-
signments and estate sales.
Ford Bonney: 541-561-5798
Colby Alexander: 541-314-
3153
CLASSIFIEDS HAVE IT!
Call for your classified ad today! 800-962-2819
Huge living estate sale: 1543 SW
41st St., Pendleton. Thursday,
June 24 4-7pm; Friday & Satur-
day, 8am-4pm; Saturday, start-
ing at 2pm, 50% off; Sunday,
10am-2pm 75% off. Household
furniture, 100s of new Hallmark
Exclusive ornaments, Hallmark
Harry Potter collectibles, many
wood and metal shelving units,
antiques, collectibles, much
more.
GET A JOB...
check out the employment
Classifieds today!
Huge Yard Sale
Honda self-propelled mower,
B&D weed whacker, golf clubs
with cart, croquet/ bocce set,
100 LP’s with player/ AM/ FM
unit & speakers, HP printer
with refill inks, rotisserie/ broil-
er oven, kitchen items, linens,
12 Seyei china 7 pc place set-
tings with serving dishes, much,
much more.
2600 SW Goodwin Ave #34
Pendleton.
Friday & Saturday
June 25 & 26
8am - 12pm
ESTATE SALE &
Smoked BBQ Vendor!
H OUSE , O UTBUILDINGS ,
1 A CRE Y ARD /F ARM
ANTIQUES
Inside & Outside
and so much more!!
8:01 AM - 4:01 PM
F RIDAY , June 25
S ATURDAY , June 26
S UNDAY , June 27
CASH & CARDS Accepted!
ROOM FOR RENT
in shared house. $450/mo
Call 541-969-3981 or 541-612-
2805
651 Help Wanted
Wilbur-Ellis,
a stable Agriculture company
is looking for a Local Class-A
CDL driver at our Boardman
branch. HazMat, Tanker and
Doubles endorsements a
plus. Wilbur-Ellis provides a
competitive hourly wage and
comprehensive benefits pack-
age. Apply online at
WiblurEllis.com/careers.
504 Homes for Sale
HOMES SELL FAST IN CLASSIFIEDS!
Prices are up! Now may be the
time to gain some equity and
move up to a larger home. Call
Matt Vogler for a free Market
Analysis.
Matt Vogler
John J. Howard & Assoc.
(541) 377-9470
Reach the buyer
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for with a low cost,
effective
classified ad.
Current MLS listings include
several 3 and 4 bedroom, 2
bath homes for sale in popu-
lar locations. Call Matt Vogler,
“The Weekend and After Hours
Agent” for addresses and pric-
ing.
Matt Vogler
John J. Howard & Assoc.
541.377.9470
604 Apartments
by Brenda Payton
42397 Old Wingville Rd.,
Baker City, OR.
616 Rooms &
Roommates
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
2 Bdrm Duplex
SW Perkins Ave, near hospital.
Range, refrigerator, dishwasher,
w/d hookups, central heat/ac.
W/S/G paid
No pets, No smoking
Small private yard
Off street parking
$750/mo + deposit
(541)276-7732 .
651 Help Wanted
Athena-Weston School
District is seeking a Full Time
Custodian. Competitive wage
and benefits. Open Until Filled.
For more info and ways to ap-
ply contact:
Athena-Weston School
District #29RJ
375 South Fifth St
Athena, OR 97813
541-566-3551
Athena-Weston School District #29RJ
is an EOE
OFFICE NURSE, RN OR MA
Harrison Family Medicine
32-40 hours/wk. Start date mid
August. Health insurance and
401(k) benefits. Job includes
direct patient care, assisting in
office procedures, phone triage,
and calling patients.
Please send resume to following
fax or email.
Fax: 541-215-1567
mcontor@harrisonmedicine.
com
Something for everyone in the Classifieds