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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (July 5, 2017)
4 A ❘ WEDNESDAY EDITION ❘ JULY 5, 2017 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 NED HICKSON , EDITOR Opinion ❘ 541-902-3520 ❘ NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM The First Amendment C ongress shall make no law respecting an estab- lishment of religion or prohibiting the free exer- cise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. From dune to shining sea, Oregon beaches are yours I have to admit, people are always impressed when I tell them I’m part-owner of approximately 363 miles of oceanfront property in Oregon that stretches from the Columbia River to the California border. Naturally, they question my claim once they see the 2001 Honda I drive. And as you might imagine, they are less impressed once I explain how I own this proper- ty with more than 4 million other Oregonians, all of whom have unlimited and equal access to the same beachfront timeshare — which we all received as an inheritance from past Oregon Governor Tom McCall. The truth is, even those who don’t live in Oregon received the same “inheritance” when it comes to the Oregon coast, which remains public domain “from the first dune to the sea” along the entire 363-mile or so expanse thanks to the Oregon “Beach Bill.” The bill, officially signed by McCall as HB 1600 and 1601 in 1967, celebrates it’s 50th anniversary tomorrow. And while I may not be an actual oceanfront land baron, the fact that I or anyone can walk onto any beach along the Oregon coast, at any time, without seeking permission or being obstructed by no “tres- passing” signs, is almost as good. As I’ve mentioned before (usually in a quiet whisper), I spent my early years growing up in California before mov- ing here as a teenager in 1980. As a kid, I was keenly aware that certain areas of beach were restricted because they were privately owned. Fences, property markers and signs warning of potential prosecu- tion for violators served as reminders that a line of privi- lege could be drawn in the sand. During one sunny afternoon as an 8-year-old on Manhattan Beach, my carefree play in the surf unknowingly carried me When our family arrived in Oregon several years later and discovered there were no pri- vately owned beaches any- where along the coast, I knew it was something special. Though McCall is credited with signing the official legis- From the Editor’s Desk N ED H ICKSON over one of those lines and deposited me on someone’s private beach. From the deck of their three-story beach home I could hear someone yelling obscenities at me, ordering me to “get my _ss off their beach before I got shot.” Though I shrugged it off with the help of friends, the notion that someone would threaten to shoot me for drift- ing across an arbitrary line on a shore fed by the same surf shared by everyone seemed wrong even to an 8-year-old. lation in 1967, the notion of keeping our beaches free from privatization began as far back as 1913, when then-governor Oswald West and the Oregon legislature established the state’s ocean beaches as a pub- lic highway. The crafty move kept developers at bay for more than 50 years as Oregonians took ownership of — and no small amount of pride in — enjoying their beautiful coastline. It wasn’t until 1966 that the highway designation was challenged by William Hay, owner of the Surfsand Motel in Cannon Beach, Ore., who placed large driftwood logs to block off a section of the dry sand in front of his property. In addition, he set up tables with umbrellas and marked the area with private property signs. That’s when it was discov- ered that the highway designa- tion established by West was- n’t specific enough and could be interpreted as only includ- ing the “wet-sand” portion of the state’s beaches as a public highway. At the time, accord- ing to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, that meant that 112 of the 362 miles of beach property could be considered privately owned. In response, The State Highway Commission, along with McCall and the Oregon legislature, introduced HB 1600 and HB 1601, which Associated Press reporter Matt Kramer thrust into the public commentary with stories about Oregon’s “Beach Bill.” Kramer’s articles appeared in newspapers throughout Oregon, prompting beachgo- ers around the state to get involved, raising awareness and turning up the political heat in the legislature — where Republican and Democratic leaders joined McCall in negotiating the bill. As a result, McCall signed the Beach Bill on June 6, 1967 — assuring that no lines would ever be drawn again in the sand along Oregon’s beaches. I hope you’ll take time to enjoy them during the months and years ahead. Because thanks to West, McCall and the Oregonians who came before us, it’s more than an opportunity to enjoy our coast’s natural beauty; it’s your right. Write Siuslaw News editor Ned Hickson at nhickson@thesiuslaw news.com or P.O. Box 10, Florence, Ore. 97439. LETTERS M AKE YOUR VOICES HEARD I am writing in response to Martin Cable’s letter “Toxic Rhetoric Leads to Real Violence” (June 28.) While I do not always agree with Mr. Hickson, I find him fair and balanced. I am quite conservative and have had no trouble getting letters published. Friends offer congratulations, yet never write. Rather than attack Mr. Hickson for the let- ters published, write to counter erroneous let- ters and convince your conservative friends to make their voices heard. Get involved. Learn the facts. Take the editor to task on specifics. For example, in the article “Carjacking Shatters Quiet Afternoon on North Fork (June 28), the description “a weapon similar to an M-16 assault rifle” was used. Similar how? The writer is very likely unable to pick an M-16 from an AR-15, FN-15, MR556A1, AP4, HBAR, AR-10, 15L — any of dozens of other semi-autos and probably not even a sin- gle shot .22 with a pistol grip. It is shoddy journalism to slant an article with biased terms. Editor, please endeavor to emulate the late Abe Rosenthal of the NYT. His epitaph is: “He kept the paper straight” and he was uncompromising in defense of high standards and called for fairness, objectivity and good taste free of editorial comment, causes, polit- ical agendas, innuendo and unattributed pejo- rative quotations. — Ian Eales Florence L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR P OLICY The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor as part of a community discus- sion of issues on the local, state and national level. Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or typed letters must be signed. All letters need to include full name, address and phone number; only name and city will be printed. Letters should be limited to about 300 words. Letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Libelous, argumentative and anony- mous letters or poetry, or letters from out- side our readership area will not be pub- lished. Send letters to: nhickson@thesiuslawnews.com USPS# 497-660 L ATEST REPEAL OF ACA BREAKS PRESIDENT ’ S PROMISE Prior to Affordible Care Act, the Medicare Trust Fund was expected to run short of money by 2016. However, due to the ACA’s 0.9 percent tax on individuals earning more than $200,000 (or more than $250,000 for those filing jointly), and its reduced payments to hospitals and private insurers under Medicare Advantage, solvency of the Trust Fund, which is used to reimburse hospitals for treatment provided to seniors, was pro- jected to remain solvent until 2028. Repealing ACA opens the door to a $117 billion loss in revenue over the next 10 years and accelerates by at least four years, to 2024, when the Trust Fund would not be able to pay out full benefits. The latest proposed replacement of the ACA, the American Health Care Act, has no replacement funding provision. This threat to medicare solvency and the benefits to the 55 million Medicare enrollees has been lost in the more immediate concern Oregon Group Publisher (541) 265 8571 Publisher, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Consulting Editor (831) 761-7353 Email: echalhoub@register-pajaronian.com Marketing Director, ext. 326 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor Press Manager DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Friday 5 p.m. Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Thursday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Thursday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Wednesday 5 p.m. Soundings, Tuesday 5 p.m. NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In Lane County — 1-year subscription, $71; 10-weeks subscription, $18; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription, $94; 10-weeks subscription, $24; Out of State — 1-year subscription, $120; Out of United States — 1-year subscription, $200; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $65. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: www.TheSiuslawNews.com WHERE TO WRITE Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry —Arnold Buchman Florence H EALTHCARE BILL IS A TAX CUT FOR WEALTHY The United States Senate has taken a recess for a week. When it returns, members will again take up the Senate version of health care, the Better Care Reconciliation Act, or BCRA. I am one of the 22 million (roughly the population of Florida) who will lose Medicaid if the bill passes in its current form. This bill has only between 12 to 27 percent approval rating from voters. Make no mistake, this is not a “healthcare” bill; it is a “tax cut” bill. The Tax Policy Center estimates that those who benefit the most from this tax cut are the wealthiest Americans (44.6 percent tax break to the top 1 percent). Low and middle income Americans will see a much smaller tax cut (7.2 to 8.8 percent). With the loss of Medicaid, there will be an estimated 26,500 excess deaths over the next 10 years associated with BCRA. Many peo- ple will lose their doctors’ visits and prescrip- tion drug coverage, and will be unable to afford nursing homes and assisted living facilities without Medicaid. Medicare only covers 100 days in a nursing home. Rural hospitals, like Peace Harbor, will lose funding, which could have a devis- tating impact on services. In short, people will die due to this bill. Though I did not vote for President Trump, he is the president and represents all Americans — not just those who voted for him. The BCRA hurts many on Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security regardless of who we voted for. President Trump promised he would not touch Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security. He promised “something better” than the Affordable Care Act. BCRA is not better; it is far, far worse. The President needs to stand up for the “forgotten” Americans he promised to repre- sent. He told us what a great negotiator he would be, but refuses to reach out to Democrats or unify rather than divide. It’s time for the president to govern and fulfill the promises he made. — Marybeth Marenco Florence Copyright 2017 © Siuslaw News Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon. A member of the National Newspaper Association and Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. Periodicals postage paid at Florence, Ore. Postmaster, send address changes to: Siuslaw News, P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439; phone 541-997-3441; fax 541-997-7979. All press releases may be sent to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com. James Rand Jenna Bartlett Ned Hickson Erik Chalhoub about adverse affects of spending cuts to Medicaid. But, as pointed out by Sen. Wyden, the latest repeal “breaks a clear Trump prom- ise not to harm Medicare…” In addition to AHCA’s many other harmful provisions, it gives a tax break to the wealthy and steals directly from Medicare’s coffers.” Coupled with the demographic reality of millions of Americans age 55-64 approaching Medicare eligibility, a weakened Medicare Trust arguably will be financially unsustain- able. It’s an argument that smooths the way for Medicare privatization either through expansion of private-insurer-run Medicare Advantage or a voucher-type program — alternative that have long been the goal of small-government “entitlement hawks.” One possible alternative is increasing the efficiency of health care delivery. Unfortunately, repeal of ACA cuts off its funding for research and development of cost-saving best practices and administrative procedures, an important ACA focus. Repair and retain ACA? Raise taxes? Reduce the role of Medicare in providing health care for the elderly and the poor? As Andrew Slavitt, the former administra- tor of CMS warns, “This is a big issue for Medicare beneficiaries and particularly any- one who is not a Medicare beneficiary today but plans to be one sometime in the future.” Pres. Donald Trump The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 FAX: 202-456-2461 TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213 www.whitehouse.gov Gov. Kate Brown 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. Salem, OR 97301-4047 Governor’s Citizens’ Rep. Message Line 503-378-4582 www.oregon.gov/gov U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden 221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-5244 541-431-0229 www.wyden.senate.gov FAX: 503-986-1080 Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley 313 Hart Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997 541-465-6750 www.merkley.senate.gov State Rep. Caddy McKeown ( Dist. 9 ) 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1409 Email: rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio ( 4 th Dist.) 2134 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6416 541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732 www.defazio.house.gov State Sen. Arnie Roblan ( Dist. 5 ) 900 Court St. NE - S-417 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1705 West Lane County Commissioner Jay Bozievich 125 E. Eighth St. Eugene, OR 97401 541-682-4203 FAX: 541-682-4616 Email: Jay.Bozievich@co.lane.or.us
