4 A
❘
SATURDAY EDITION
❘ SEPTEMBER 23, 2017
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
own, with fewer and fewer
businesses providing health-
care.
And because of two
words — natural disaster —
involving the movement of
earth, wind, fire and water.
Enter congressional
debates on healthcare, and
the latest Senate version, the
Cassidy-Graham Plan. Its
proponents say it is non-par-
tisan.
Non-partisan groups such
as the Center on Budget and
Policy Priorities say other-
wise, and are in turn accused
of being partisan. Even at
best under the plan, fewer
people will be insured, those
with pre-existing conditions
can be denied coverage, and
out of pocket costs will not
be capped.
I do not consider my own
point of view more impor-
tant than anyone else’s, nor
my own interests above any-
one else’s.
But I do have my own
experience with the
Affordable Care Act:
Having a job that didn’t
provide health insurance
(independent postal contrac-
tor);
Being able to get insur-
W ESLEY V OTH
For the Siuslaw News
T
the Virgin Islands, Puerto
Rico, Florida and parts of
the Texas gulf have been
altered irrevocably by hurri-
canes. It has been nice to see
the many examples of peo-
ple caring for each other; a
reminder that we need each
other.
It’s also a reminder that
there are things that can be
done to alleviate suffering,
to fix infrastructure that peo-
ple depend on, even to learn
from disaster impacts on
how to prepare for fires and
storms of the future.
To be reminded of what is
truly important.
Storms and fires on the
magnitude of what we have
seen this year demonstrate,
with their massive disrup-
tions to economic life, just
how much we need national
health insurance; it truly is a
national issue.
Leaving it to the states is
not a good solution because
people move.
Leaving it to employers
doesn’t work because people
change jobs, or lose them
through no fault of their
ance despite a heart condi-
tion that resulted in hospital-
ization that otherwise would
have cost us our house;
Having a heart condition
that, without health insur-
ance, would have meant
medication too expensive to
afford — and that otherwise
would have meant the loss
of my job.
For me, the ACA did what
it said it would do. And
there were fewer uninsured
people than ever before.
People like me.
I think I can now speak
about the Affordable Care
Act in a non-partisan man-
ner because I have reached
Medicare age, and it does
not apply to me — except
that, of course, Medicare is a
form of national healthcare
where I can’t be denied
because of a pre-existing
condition.
Medication can still cost a
small fortune, but that’s a
different story.
I think I can say, I wish
Medicare for all.
Is it partisan to say I wish
for everyone these benefits I
have myself?
LETTERS
C ONSEQUENCES OF BAD
FEDERAL DECISIONS
Recently, our forests were burning up.
Thanks to the Bureau of Land
Management and U.S. Forest Service
closing forests to logging, the trees are
now too close together with undergrowth.
Pine cones and broken limbs are on the
ground.
With the closing of the forests to log-
ging, the jobs there, as well as in the lum-
ber and paper mills, were lost, forcing
people to take any jobs they could in order
to survive.
Our community has had to raise money
for backpacks so that students could carry
food home to eat for the weekend.
Meanwhile, Food Share has a hard time
keeping up with the demands.
Since this situation was caused by fed-
eral agency decisions, what do members
of our congressional delegation plan to do
about it?
— Elmina Peterson
Florence
W HAT ‘M AKING A MERICA
GREAT AGAIN ’ DOESN ’ T MEAN
In my opinion, “Making America Great
Again” doesn’t mean allowing a planet
that has sustained us to become inhos-
pitable due to pollution, overconsump-
tion, increased reliance on fossil fuels and
the prioritization of oil indistry profits; it
means having the foresight to invest in
clean, safe alternative energy, as well as
the regulations needed to keep our planet
healthy.
Making America great again doesn’t
mean targeting people of color, women, a
particular religion or the LBGQT commu-
nity because they are different; it means
embracing our diversity and ensuring
equal rights for all people.
Making America great again doesn’t
mean the best healthcare and higher edu-
cation for the wealthy while burdening
middle- and lower-income families with
student debt or bankrupcy; it means equal
access to healthcare and education for
everyone.
Making America great again doesn’t
mean relying on “alternative facts” to
demonize science and the press; it means
welcoming those who hold truth to power
with fact-based information.
Making America great again doesn’t
mean wealthy corporations owning candi-
dates and promoting voter suppression; it
means making it easier for all Americans
to have a voice with their vote and pre-
serving the basis of our democracy.
Lastly, making America great again
doesn’t mean turning away whole groups
of immigrants based on the actions of a
relative few extremists; it means accept-
NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Opinion
VIEW FROM UPRIVER
What does it mean to be non-partisan?
he first fall rain has
come with fall itself,
bringing the salmon
to the Mapleton area, and
perhaps bringing enough
moisture to reduce fire dan-
ger to the region. Yesterday I
walked further up my end of
North Fork Siuslaw Road
than I have since the smoky
air quality alerts and saw the
scar of what looked like a
small cigarette-caused fire.
That was a close one.
As I write this, Interstate
84 is still closed and places
iconic to my childhood, like
Eagle Creek and Multnomah
Falls and the area up Devil’s
Creek from Breitenbush
where my grandfather built a
cabin the year I was born,
have been severely impacted
by fire — and now with the
rains are highly susceptible
to landslides.
Fires in Montana have
been severe, as well as other
places in the western states;
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
ing newcomers to be a part of our contin-
uing immigrant history.
“Give us your tired, your poor, your
huddled masses yearning to breathe free
... I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
Please, let’s make America great again.
—Julie MacFarlane
Florence
I NVEST IN OUR FUTURE BY
INVESTING IN OUR CHILDREN
I believe the main reason that taxpayers
should help pay for the health and well-
being (physical, nutritional and emotion-
al) of all school children is that all chil-
dren are our future.
Today’s children will be looking after
all of us in our old age, whether you per-
sonally brought them into the world or
not. They are our future doctors, nurses,
caregivers, nursing home administrators,
housekeepers and a myriad of other serv-
ice related jobs too numerous to mention.
I applaud those parents who are fortu-
nate enough to be able to pay for daycare,
food, school supplies and clothing for
their children. I was lucky enough to be
able to provide these things for my chil-
dren, too.
But many parents living in poverty are
not so fortunate. To assume that those
parents are irresponsible by having chil-
dren they “can’t pay for” is a misguided
assumption.
Catastrophic medical bills or loss of a
job can send families into bankruptcy.
Unexpected weather events can leave a
family homeless and without possessions
or a job (through no fault of their own) as
evidenced by recent wildfires, hurricanes
and earthquakes.
Single mothers and fathers end up sin-
gle for a variety of reasons. Many of those
reasons are not their choice. Spouses die
at young ages and spouses leave. None of
these adults are irresponsible.
Life happens.
So, I gladly pay my taxes to guarantee
happy, healthy, educated children and to
keep them safe.
It is an investment in your future and
mine.
—Marybeth Marenco
Florence
W HAT IS FAIR AND JUST ?
I appreciated Jared Anderson’s worthy
series on DACA in the Siuslaw News
(Sept. 13 and 16). I hope it will help to
turn down the heat in the local immigra-
tion debate.
His reporting offered no easy answers
like blanket amnesty or deportation. I am
suggesting two more gray areas to consid-
er along with those he uncovered.
1. U.S. citizens break laws every day,
and governments at all levels ignore it.
Exceeding the speed limit by 5 mph is
routine but not routinely cited.
But driving aggressively 30 mph over
the limit and recklessly endangering oth-
ers is and should be prosecuted.
In both cases, people are breaking the
law, but common sense tells us ticketing
otherwise lawful drivers traveling a few
miles over the limit is not worth our con-
cern or expense.
This discretionary power is vested in
our rule-enforcers, from police to judges.
It’s also where equity in the law comes
into play.
Is it fair? Is it just?
These and other concerns are driving
Oregon and Lane County, and other
states, counties and cities across the coun-
try, to question the fairness of letter-of-
the-law enforcement of immigration law;
this in no way contradicts our decision to
continue to honor and enforce federal
warrants for deporting foreign felons.
As in the case with speeding, we look
for equity and justice in law enforcement.
2. American citizens have played a role
in making immigration what it is. Since
the 1940s, we’ve paid for food harvested
by immigrants — many of them undocu-
mented — and for their caretaking of
everything from front lawns and toddlers
to the elderly.
We’ve effectively endorsed immigra-
tion as it is today through our pocket-
books, buying more affordable goods and
services because of cheap labor. Non-citi-
zens may use public services. That’s part
of the cost of maintaining a work force in
the same way low-wage workers at
Walmart have to tap public services to get
by (leading to another discussion about
corporate responsibility).
Can American citizens in good con-
science benefit from cheap labor but not
look out for their well-being?
Would that be fair and just?
—Ann Lathrop, Ph.D.
Florence
The First
Amendment
C
ongress shall make no law
respecting an establishment 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.
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L ETTERS
TO THE
P OLICY
E DITOR
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Send letters to:
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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