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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 23, 2015)
A4 Opinion wallowa.com September 23, 2015 Wallowa County Chieftain Opt-out provision at SBHC not a myth A small furor has erupted over Enterprise School District plans to place a student health center in an empty Enterprise classroom space, a reaction that school RI¿FLDOVDQGWKHPHGLFDOFOLQLF involved apparently didn’t EDITORIAL fully anticipate. That’s unfortunate, because The voice of the Chieftain now unhealthy levels of fear and distrust are driving the public discourse. If the health center’s partnering organizations don’t allay these soon, a project they conceived mainly to serve kids who aren’t receiving needed care could be swept away in a wave of patron emotion. We don’t mean to imply here that the plans shouldn’t receive a thorough public airing. All thoughtfully raised issues should be carefully addressed and resolved before deciding whether to proceed. Certain points of contention are less reasonable than others, though, and it appears there’s a real danger this project could fall victim to the spreading popularity of opposing all things government-funded, especially if they’re related to health care. 7KHFRQWURYHUV\DWKDQGLVQ¶WGLI¿FXOWWRXQGHUVWDQG A number of parents, fearing their kids could gain access to birth control and other services without the parents’ knowledge, have inveighed against the school-based health center (SBHC). They view the center as an infringement on parental control. In response, the school district and Winding :DWHUV0HGLFDO&OLQLFWKHQRQSUR¿WWKDWZRXOGRSHUDWH the SBHC, are assuring parents there will be an “opt-out” provision allowing families to deny their own juvenile members access to the SBHC. Promising this measure’s availability might have easily resolved the parental control concern but for one crippling circumstance — an absence of trust. Among at least a few of WKH6%+&¶VRSSRQHQWVWKHFRJLWDWLYHWUDLQWRQRQFRQ¿GHQFH runs something like this: The school district and clinic may or may not be utterly sincere about furnishing the non- participation alternative, but because this center receives VWDWHKHDOWKFDUHIXQGLQJORFDORI¿FLDOVZRQ¶WEHWKHWUXH decision-makers. They therefore won’t be able to deliver on any such promise. No doubt undergirded by the profound antipathy already cultivated toward Obamacare — of which the SBHC is not a product — local families can too readily conceive of mandates and penalties that tie everyone’s hands against HYHUSXOOLQJDZD\OHWDORQHIDVKLRQLQJWKHRIIHULQJWR¿WRXU community’s choices. Citizens would do well to bear in mind, however, that this local center isn’t a state or federal requirement, and accepting grant money for it in one year doesn’t lock DQ\RQHLQWRNHHSLQJWKHWKLQJUXQQLQJLQGH¿QLWHO\6RLW ZRXOGVHHPWKHEXFNLQGHHGVWRSVZLWKVFKRRORI¿FLDOVLI patrons’ desired opt-out path inexplicably disappears. And in any unacceptable scenario, patrons could use the ballot box to change the district board and pull the plug on the center, if that’s what they really wanted. If they were very acutely miffed, they could start a recall against sitting board members to expedite the targeted change. The point here is that local folks, not the state, wield ultimate authority in this matter, and we shouldn’t wildly exaggerate the strength of any strings that are attached to grant funds for an SBHC. It might also lend us some comfort to remember the years before Obamacare, when the administration of President George W. Bush sought to expand the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Though launched during the Clinton \HDUV&+,3¿WZHOOZLWK%XVK¶VHVSRXVHGSKLORVRSK\RI compassionate conservatism. With a safeguard for voluntary parental control assured, we believe establishing the SBHC could also prove to be a compassionate choice. —RCR USPS No. 665-100 P.O. Box 338 • Enterprise, OR 97828 Of¿ce 29 1W First St., Enterprise, Ore. Phone -2-7 • Fax -2-392 Wallowa County¶s 1ewspaper Since 88 Enterprise, Oregon M EMBER O REGON N EWSPAPER P UBLISHERS A SSOCIATION P UBLISHER E DITOR R EPORTER R EPORTER N EWSROOM ASSISTANT A D S ALES CONSULTANT G RAPHIC D ESIGNER O FFICE MANAGER Marissa Williams, marissa@bmeagle.com Rob Ruth, editor@wallowa.com Stephen Tool, stool@wallowa.com Kathleen Ellyn, kellyn@wallowa.com Elliott Seyler, eseyler@wallowa.com Brooke Pace, bpace@wallowa.com Robby Day, rday@wallowa.com Cheryl Jenkins, cjenkins@wallowa.com P UBLISHED EVERY W EDNESDAY BY : EO Media Group 3HULRGLFDO3RVWDJH3DLGDW(QWHUSULVHDQGDGGLWLRQDOPDLOLQJRI¿FHV Subscription rates (includes online access) Wallowa County Out-of-County 1 Year $40.00 $57.00 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery See the Wallowa County Chieftain on the Internet www.wallowa.com facebook.com/Wallowa | twitter.com/wcchieftain POSTMASTER — Send address changes to Wallowa County Chieftain P.O. Box 338 Enterprise, OR 97828 Contents copyright © 2015. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Volume 133 Pro golf tourney a true treat A few weeks ago, I attended a profes- VLRQDO JROI WRXUQDPHQW IRU WKH ¿UVW WLPH My adventure began on a Thursday morn- ing, when I noticed while watching televi- sion that Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, just 20 miles west of Portland, was hosting the ¿QDOUHJXODUVHDVRQHYHQWRIWKH:HE&RP Tour, beginning that very day. So I did a quick check on ticket prices for spectators — which were a bargain at $25 for the en- tire tournament — and got my daughter, Briana’s permission to sleep on her couch for a few nights. By the next morning, I was heading off to Portland in my trusty old Camry. One of my reasons for wanting to at- tend the tournament, in addition to the chance to visit with my daughter, was the opportunity to watch one of my favorite JROIHUV-DVRQ$OOUHG,¿UVWKHDUGRI$OOUHG when he was just 13, after a buddy of mine played in the same group with him at Oak Knoll Golf Course in Ashland, where Ja- son grew up. My friend told me that this kid was already an amazing golfer with a great short game and even better manners. At that time, our family lived in nearby Talent, so I made a point of following Allred’s standout career as a junior golfer, and later when he was at Pepperdine and eventually on various pro tours. 2Q WKH ¿UVW GD\ RI WKH 3RUWODQG:LQ- Co Foods Open, Allred had shot 1 under par while playing in the afternoon, so I knew that on Friday, he would be play- ing in the morning, and that his chances of making the cut were dicey. When I ar- rived at Pumpkin Ridge at about 2:00 on Friday afternoon, I was relieved to learn that Allred had posted 1 under again that POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY John McColgan morning, which meant that he would get to play on the weekend by the skin of his teeth. That was good news for both of us. On Friday afternoon, I got the lay of the land, literally, by walking the beauti- ful course that is carved carefully out of forest and wetlands. I learned that I could go anywhere I wanted so long as I stayed behind the ropes and observed proper golf etiquette whenever players were making a shot anywhere nearby. The modest-sized gallery was so respectful that I sometimes felt like I was in church. After enjoying a good visit with Bri- ana on Friday evening, I headed back to the course early Saturday morning amidst strong winds and occasional showers. I made the decision to follow Allred’s threesome throughout the round, where I tagged along with about a dozen other fans of his, most of whom turned out to be his family and friends. I re-introduced my- self to his mom, Peggy, whom I had met many years before when she was subbing at a school where I was student-teaching in Ashland. Peggy graciously introduced me to her husband, Gene, who is an E.R. doctor, and to Jason’s lovely wife, Kim- berly, and to a few of Jason’s friends. For the rest of the day, our little entourage mingled contentedly, sometimes chatting quietly, but always mindful of the golf that was unfolding. The blustery condi- tions proved challenging, and Jason shot 3 over par with a score that was not atypical UHODWLYHWRWKHUHVWRIWKH¿HOG+DYLQJWKH chance to meet and socialize with Jason’s family and friends that day was a great treat for me. On Sunday, I chose to sample the rest of the tournament rather than following just Allred’s group. I set my camp chair EHKLQG WKH ¿UVW JUHHQ ZDWFKHG D IHZ groups come through, and then repeated the process for each hole in succession. By the time I had reached the 18th hole, the last groups were just a few holes away. I was delighted when I learned that Allred KDG¿QLVKHGZLWKDVROLG¿QDOURXQGRI under, and I was on hand at the 18th green when Dicky Pride, a 46-year-old journey- man who had not won a tournament in more than two decades, notched his sec- ond professional victory. I also watched as the top 25 money-earners on the Web. Com Tour were awarded their highly cov- eted PGA Tour cards for 2016. Many casual observers might mis- takenly assume that most pro golfers are multi-millionaires, when in fact the vast majority of pros are just grinding every week to earn a living. A guy like Jason Allred, who comes from a strong family, and who, along with Kimberly, is provid- ing for their three young kids, is a pleasure to root for. And supporting a tournament that raised more than 1.1 million dollars for local charities gave me additional sat- isfaction. With the bonus of getting to visit with my daughter each evening — what an idyllic way to spend a weekend! John McColgan writes from his home in Joseph. GUEST COMMENTARY Joint wolf experiment good early step If anyone knows the impact of wolves on the livestock industry it’s Dave Dashiell. Last year the rancher lost 300 sheep to the Huckleberry Pack in Northeast Wash- ington’s Stevens County. Although other Washington ranchers have lost livestock to wolves, no rancher has reported more losses or received more attention than Dashiell. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife approved shooting up to four wolves in the pack last year. The agency shot one, but stopped hunting when the sheep moved out of the pack’s territory. Ranchers were outraged. Environmen- talists were outraged that even one wolf was killed. But Dashiell pressed on. He entered into an agreement with WDFW that included a whole list of preventive measures he would WDNH WR SURWHFW KLV ÀRFN (DUOLHU WKLV \HDU Dashiell lost 26 sheep in an attack that also left wounded a 92-pound sheep dog, one of ¿YHJXDUGLQJWKHÀRFN Justin Hedrick, president of the Stevens County Cattlemen’s Association, said at the time that the attack on the dog illustrates what happens “when you don’t kill the of- fending pack that needs to be killed.” Where to write Washington, D.C. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D — 516 +DUW 6HQDWH 2I¿FH %XLOGLQJ :DVKLQJ- ton D.C. 20510. Phone: 202-224-5244. E-mail: wayne_kinney@wyden.senate. gov Web site: http://wyden.senate.gov Fax: 202-228-2717. U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D — 313 +DUW 6HQDWH 2I¿FH %XLOGLQJ :DVKLQJ- Nonetheless, Dashiell was forced off grazing lands in Stevens County by con- tinuing wolf activity. He has kept his sheep on pastures near the Tri-Cities and spends $10,000 a month on hay. So no one could blame Dashiell for taking a hard line on the subject of wolves and the environmentalists who advocate for them. But last week Dashiell came to a tenta- tive agreement with conservationists that could put him back on grazing land. We see that as a valuable step forward. Dashiell is a member of the WDFW wolf advisory panel. The advisory group’s environmentalists tentatively agreed to publicly support Dashiell’s return to graze in wolf country. Dashiell said he will wel- come their involvement in putting together a plan to protect his sheep with non-lethal measures. Environmentalists involved in the deal say they want to show they can work with ranchers. “That’s pretty gutsy of them. I don’t know what kind of blowback they’re going to get,” Dashiell said. “I don’t know what kind of blowback I’m going to get.” ton D.C. 20510. Phone: 202-224-3753. E-mail: senator@merkley.senate.gov. Fax: 202-228-3997. 2UHJRQ RI¿FHV LQFOXGH 2QH :RUOG Trade Center, 121 S.W. Salmon St., Suite 1250, Portland, OR 97204; and 310 S.E. Second St., Suite 105, Pendleton, OR 97801. Phone: 503-326-3386; 541-278- 1129. Fax: 503-326-2990. There are extremists on both sides. Some ranchers would like to see all of the wolves eliminated. Some environmentalists would like to see ranchers pushed off public range- land and to assume losses on private land as the cost of doing business in wolf country. If it comes to fruition, the collaboration could answer two questions central to the issue. Can ranchers and environmentalists work together to ensure both livestock and wolves survive on the range? Can non-le- thal measures alone protect livestock while keeping ranching economically viable? We’re not sure which is the more vexing question. If the measures deployed adequately protect the sheep and are viable, every- one wins. If they don’t, then everyone will know. 'H¿QLWLYHMXGJPHQWVFDQ¶WEHPDGHRQ just one experiment. But what happens after the results are known will tell us a lot about whether real cooperation is possible. From the Capital Press, a sister publica- tion to the Wallowa County Chieftain. The Capital Press is based in Salem. U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R — (Sec- ond District) 1404 Longworth Build- ing, Washington D.C. 20515. Phone: 202-225-6730. No direct e-mail be- cause of spam. Web site: www.walden. house.gov Fax: 202-225-5774. Med- IRUG RI¿FH 1RUWK &HQWUDO 6XLWH 112, Medford, OR 97501. Phone: 541- 776-4646. Fax: 541-779-0204.