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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 2017)
4 A ❘ WEDNESDAY EDITION ❘ SEPTEMBER 2, 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. USPS# 497-660 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. 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 James Rand Jenna Bartlett Ned Hickson Erik Chalhoub Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry 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 classifiedad,sThursday 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 subscrip- tion,$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 L ETTERS Texans are reminder of who we can be in footwear while boarding Air Force One to Texas — every- day Houstonians have made it clear that they will not only rise above the floodwaters, they are rising above the poor example being set by those elected to represent them. I lived in Dallas, Texas, between 1985 and 1990, and can tell you there is no small amount of pride among those who have the privilege of call- ing themselves a Texan. That pride resonates from everyone, regardless of age, race, whether their boots are pol- ished or dusty, Justin Ropers or Tony Lamas. And while opportunism has already been taking place on both sides of the political divide — from partisan postur- ing over a lack of support from Texas Republicans for the 2013 Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill, to the First Lady’s choice to espouse their loyalty or con- tempt for any group or affilia- tion; and they aren’t being asked for proof of citizenship, to denounce white supremacy or give their stance on climate change as prerequisites for being saved. From the Editor’s Desk N ED H ICKSON As politicians and special interest groups wrangle over whether or not Harvey is a har- binger of things to come, Texans are launching bass boats, canoes and jet skis to answer the call of local offi- cials in a grassroots response to the catastrophe. Those being plucked from trees, windows and overturned vehicles aren’t being rescued because they are Democrats or Republicans; they don’t have Whether their necks are red, brown, black or white, wearing a blue collar or white collar, Texans are coming together for a higher purpose, demonstrat- ing how quickly our divisions lose meaning when we are faced with a shared crisis — and the need to know we can count on each other as individ- uals within a community rather than splintering into bickering factions. As Democratic and Republican leaders seem more focused on pointing fingers and posturing for political gain than they are on rolling up their sleeves legislatively to provide assistance, they could take a lesson from those who are truly on the front lines, demonstrating what happens when you strive to be your best for one another rather than your worst. Sadly, it seems to take a catastrophe like Hurricane Harvey for us to glimpse who we could — and should — be as a nation, and to realize how our divisions aren’t nearly as important as the things that unite us when it really comes down to it. It’s a lesson brought to us from deep in the heart of Texas. Write Siuslaw News editor Ned Hickson at nhickson@thesiuslaw news.com LETTERS H OW CAN WE HELP ? As I watch with the rest of the nation in shock and horror at the devistation in Houston, I am wondering why I am not seeing anyone in Lane County collecting blankets, bedding, shoes, clothes, water, etc., for the victims? I am blood type O, Rh negative, which I hear is being requested. But how do I donate for that cause? My husband and I are offering to drive whatever we can collect to Eugene for flight to Texas (where is that expensive U of O plane?) I know the Red Cross is asking for financial donations but that won’t replace a piece of cardboard under a child’s head with a pillow. How can we help? —Phyllis Holmes Florence L IBERAL EXTREMISM DESTROYING OUR FABRIC In the recent letter to the Editor, “Florence is Better Than This,” (Aug. 30), I found it interesting how letter writer Nancy Rickard managed to blame President Trump for the actions of an obvi- ously bigoted, ignorant individual in Florence. I feel this attitude that “it’s someone else’s fault” has become a core principle held by many liberals (aka “Progressives”). Just witness the ever-increasing number of socialist positions espoused by liberal Democrats. A good example is the ongoing healthcare debate. Let’s say there’s some- one in their 60s who smoked for 40-plus years, knowing full well that they were slowly destroying their health. Why, then, should taxpayers contribute to help that individual receive expensive medical treatment for lung cancer or emphysema that comes as a result? Another blatantly socialist position has been promoted by Bernie Sanders, Jerry Brown and Andrew Cuomo, which is that post-secondary education should be free for all young people who graduate from high school. How nice of them to try and confiscate even more money from the taxpayers who didn’t even bring these children into the world — all so they can attend college. I sincerely believe that liberal extrem- ism, such as the anti-Trump sentiment conveyed by Ms. Rickard in her letter, is slowly destroying the social fabric of our nation. From my perspective, liberal extremism is more dangerous to our country than uncontrolled immigration, white suprema- cy or Islamic terrorism. If I were president, I would issue an executive order declaring liberal extrem- ism a mental disorder, the treatment for which would qualify for medical coverage as part of a national healthcare plan. — Stephen Johnson Florence S HELTER NEEDS CHANGES The Oregon Coast Humane Society, in its paid ad (Aug. 23) says “No audit was conducted for several years.” What it doesn’t say is, it hasn’t had an audit since 2005, and the most recent audit (2015) was a Qualified audit — not the desired Unqualified audit. The difference is that a Qualified opin- ion is a statement issued after an audit is done by a professional auditor that sug- gests the information provided was limited in scope and/or the company being audited has not maintained GAAP accounting principles. The paid ad also says that the “OCHS has been providing spay/neuter assis- tance.” What it doesn’t say is that since February of this year, they had only 1 spay/neuter clinic day, presumably because the program hasn’t been able to find a veterinarian to work with it. In addition, the paid ad says the “OCHS recently welcomed new board members.” It doesn’t explain the carousel of board members who have come and gone since the beginning of the year, including the mother of the shelter manager. As of late August, its “new website” listed 8 board members, 5 of whom have left between late last year and July. There were/are too many cases in which animals have been there for 6, 8 and 10 years. My wife and I have been involved with this shelter since 2005 as volunteers. We have put in a combined 3,700 hours since November 2014. We met with the board president and vice president in January of this year to express our concerns about mismanagement and volunteer treatment. We found out in May that these board members did not share this information with the other board members. The terms of the president, vice presi- dent and treasurer were set to expire on June 30. During the open annual member- ship meeting held June 24, there was to be a vote to renew the terms. Instead, the board voted to delay the vote to a closed meeting held June 29. At that meeting, two board members resigned. This reduced the board count to four, which was short of the minimum five- member board required by the OCHS by- laws. Dedicated animal lovers and animal behaviorists with legal and accounting experience have organized as a group. We hope to change the shelter’s reputation to attract veterinarians to come back into the fold, and we want to be an all-inclusive organization instead of a closed, secretive, authoritarian one. —Robert Salvatore, CPA Yachats See MORE LETTERS 5B TO THE P OLICY E DITOR The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor as part of a community discussion 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 anonymous letters or poetry, or letters from outside our readership area will only be published at the discression of the editor. P OLITICAL /E LECTION L ETTERS : Election-related letters must address pertinent or timely issues of interest to our readers at-large. Letters must 1) Not be a part of letter-writing campaigns on behalf of (or by) candidates; 2) Ensure any information about a candidate is accu- rate, fair and not from second-hand knowledge or hearsay; and 3) explain the reasons to support candidates based on personal experience and per- spective rather than partisanship and campaign- style rhetoric. Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the editor column to outline their views and plat- forms or to ask for votes; this constitutes paid polit- ical advertising. As with all letters and advertising content, the newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publisher, general manager and editor, reserves the right to reject any letter that doesn’t follow the above crite- ria. Send letters to: nhickson@thesiuslawnews.com WHERE TO WRITE 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, Ore. 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 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 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 FAX: 503-986-1080 Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@ state.or.us State Rep. Caddy McKeown ( Dist. 9 ) 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1409 Email: rep.caddymckeown @state.or.us 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
