Wednesday, August 11, 2021
A4
OPINION
VOICE of the CHIEFTAIN
Schools’
compliance
is the proper
move
I
t’s one thing to mandate
masks.
It’s an entirely different
matter when fines are being doled
out for noncompliance.
Yet that is the exact route the state
of Oregon has taken.
On July 29, Gov. Kate Brown
required that all K-12 schools are
required to have pupils within their
walls wear masks this fall.
That news itself was tough
enough to swallow.
Then, the Oregon Health Author-
ity took it a step further.
Beginning Aug. 12 — that’s
tomorrow — schools that do not
comply with the new mask mandate
can face a fine of up to $500 per
day, per incident.
It sounds all too much like the
mandate in the Affordable Care Act
that required a citizen to sign up for
health insurance or face a fine.
This makes the decision for local
school boards who want to advocate
for local control that much more dif-
ficult — comply, or face a fine.
All three local school districts
have agreed to comply, though, and
it’s the right move to make.
Though, from a financial stand-
point, they almost have to. Just one
incident a day could cost a school
between $2,000-$2,500 per week.
That is $8,000-$10,000 each month.
Strictly as an example, Enterprise
and Wallowa are both set to have
around 150 school days this year. If
they were found to be in violation
each day, even just once daily, that
could amount to more than $75,000
in fines.
Love them or hate them, masks
are a good idea in the school set-
ting for now with cases creep-
ing up again. No, students have not
been getting sick from coronavi-
rus at nearly the rate as adults or
the elderly, but some recent reports
seem to indicate the delta variant —
the most prominent one in the U.S.
currently — is having a more severe
impact on the younger population.
But it is not a good idea to, in
this instance, strip away the local
authority that was just given to the
counties. And then to go a step fur-
ther and say you’re going to fine
dissenters?
It feels like that crosses a line.
Everyone is tired of the rules.
Tired of the masks. Tired of corona-
virus. Tired of the hospitalizations.
Tired of all the politicization of this
18-month mess of mayhem.
But these smaller districts can’t
stand to lose $75,000 or more in
fines, either.
As much as this publication
would like the control to stay local
— and believes that is the correct
move — this is an instance where,
at least for now, it is best for the dis-
tricts of Wallowa County to comply
with the rules and mask students and
staff.
LETTERS to the EDITOR
Public money should be
spent in a sensible manner
I am writing in response to Boyd
McAvoy’s letter, “Money for proposed
road would be better spent improving
Wallowa Lake Dam.” Mr. McAvoy is
right that public money should be spent
in a sensible manner, which is why I was
proud to see the Legislature reauthorize
$14 million for the Wallowa Lake Dam
refurbishment during the 2021 session. It
was a long time coming and so is a sec-
ond emergency evacuation route for the
south end of Wallowa Lake.
This issue has been discussed for
many years, but the recent fire events
have shown the seriousness of having
solid evacuation plans and infrastructure.
Ensuring an alternative evacuation route
for the south end of Wallowa Lake could
save lives and help expedite evacuations
during an emergency.
I understand the concerns of Lake
Shore Drive residents and property
owners about traffic on their road if it
becomes accessible from both directions.
That is why I think this proposed right of
way should be used only in emergencies
with access determined by the Wallowa
County Sheriff’s Office.
Like with the dam, I know that a com-
promise and plan can be made that will
yield a strong benefit to the community.
Evan Bryan
Joseph
Politics is a way to discuss
country needs
Many people these days tend to think
that the word “politics” is a dirty word
and that it is OK to cast aspersions on
anyone’s ideas that may be different.
Actually, the word “politics” in my dic-
tionaries means the science or activi-
CONTACT your REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. PRESIDENT
Joe Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
U.S. SENATORS
Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande office: 541-962-7691
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
Bobby Levy, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-376
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.BobbyLevy@state.or.us
EDITORIALS: Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the Wallowa County Chief-
tain editorial board. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express
the opinions of the authors and not necessarily that of the Wallowa County
Chieftain.
LETTERS: The Wallowa County Chieftain welcomes original letters of 400 words
or less on public issues and public policies for publication in the newspaper and
on our website. The newspaper reserves the right to withhold letters that ad-
USPS No. 665-100
P.O. Box 338 • Enterprise, OR 97828
Office: 209 NW First St., Enterprise, Ore.
Phone: 541-426-4567 • Fax: 541-426-3921
Contents copyright © 2021. All rights reserved.
Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton office: 541-278-1129
Cliff Bentz
1239 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
Medford office: 541-776-4646
REPRESENTATIVES
GOVERNOR
SENATOR
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-423
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us
dress concerns about individual services and products or letters that infringe on
the rights of private citizens. Letters must be signed by the author and include
the city of residence and a daytime phone number. The phone number will not
be published.
Unsigned or anonymous letters will not be published.
SEND LETTERS TO: editor@wallowa.com, or via mail to Wallowa County Chief-
tain, 209 NW 1st St. Enterprise, OR 97828
Wallowa County’s Newspaper Since 1884
Periodical Postage Paid at Enterprise and additional mailing offices
Member Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association
Subscription rates (includes online access)
Annually
Monthly (autopay)
Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery
Published every Wednesday by: EO Media Group
VOLUME 134
ties of government. It is a way of dis-
cussing or conducting policies regarding
government.
Now, in the USA, a government of the
people, by the people, and for the peo-
ple, it is the duty of every citizen to be
involved in discussion regarding our gov-
ernment. Thus, to be loyal citizens, we
ought all to be engaged in discussing the
kind of country we want to live in.
That brings up what we mean by dis-
cussion. Discussion is the process of shar-
ing one’s ideas with others and listening
in turn to their ideas. Discussion is not
arguing or debating. It is definitely not
using labels or pejorative terms to show
disdain for someone else’s ideas.
In other words, politics is a way to dis-
cuss respectfully with each other about
what is needed for our country. Politics
is only a dirty word when made so by the
speaker.
Evelyn Swart
Joseph
General manager, Jennifer Cooney, jcooney@wallowa.com
Editor, Ronald Bond, rbond@wallowa.com
Reporter, Bill Bradshaw, bbradshaw@wallowa.com
Advertising Assistant, Cheryl Jenkins, cjenkins@wallowa.com
Designer, Martha Allen, mallen@eomediagroup.com
• • •
To submit news tips and press releases, call 541-426-4567
or email editor@wallowa.com
See the Wallowa County
Chieftain on the Internet
Wallowa.com
facebook.com/Wallowa
twitter.com/wcchieftain
1 Year
$51.00
$4.25
POSTMASTER:
Send address changes to
Wallowa County Chieftain
P.O. Box 338
Enterprise, OR 97828