4A |
SATURDAY EDITION
| JUNE 12, 2021
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
CHANTELLE MEYER , EDITOR
| 541-902-3520 | CMEYER @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Opinion
The First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting
an establishment of religion or prohibit-
ing the free exercise thereof; or abridg-
ing the freedom of speech, or of the
press, or the right of the people peace-
ably to assemble, and to petition the
Government for a redress of grievances.
“I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” —Thomas Jefferson (1800)
Government not helping with employment challenges
(Editor’s Note: Viewpoint submis-
sions on this and other topics are al-
ways welcome as part of our goal to
encourage community discussion and
exchange of perspectives.)
took root during the New Deal era
that began in the mid 1930s and was
dominant well into the 1970s, erod-
ing at a varying pace since then.
That old culture was centered
around fair wages and working con-
I picked up the May 22 and June 5 ditions. A “social contract’ existed
editions of the Siuslaw News. There between labor and capital, mediated
were 24 “Help Wanted” ads
in each from local restaurants
and fast food outlets. Most ads
By Edward T. Monks
sought help for multiple jobs:
“all positions,” “team mem-
Retired attorney
bers” and “crew members.”
Florence and Eugene
Two local restaurant owners
have told me of the difficulties
they are having finding help because by a government enforcing a mini-
experienced workers are not willing mum wage, 40-hour work week, the
to return to work when those work- right to collectively bargain, etc.
ers are making as much or more
The Great Depression had been
money collecting unemployment met with government-initiated
benefits.
works programs designed to engage
The situation demonstrates how private industry in hiring unem-
national and statewide policies, spe- ployed workers under reasonable
cifically regarding unemployment conditions to build important public
compensation, have significant projects.
downstream consequences, includ-
The Public Works Administration
ing in this little community.
(PWA in the alphabet soup of New
The situation also demonstrates Deal programs) played a significant
changes in the politics around our role in the building of many, many
economic culture that have occurred enduring projects, including the
in recent decades. The old culture Lincoln Tunnel, the Grand Coulee
Guest Viewpoint
Dam and, locally, the Siuslaw River
Bridge. Take a short walk up to the
bridge — still useful and beautiful 85
years after it was opened on March
31, 1936.
Contrast the PWA’s creations
with the governmental response to
the more recent economic calamity
caused by the pandemic. The
government sends out “stim-
ulus” checks and provides un-
employment compensation in
excess of earned compensation
in return for … sitting on the
couch.
The old culture of “let’s work
together to produce something of
great and enduring value” has given
way to a new governmental attitude:
“let’s give ‘em stuff!” The old culture
produced the bridge over Yaquina
Bay and the Coos Bay Bridge. The
new culture produced … better vid-
eo game scores.
The new approach is not healthy
for the larger society or the individ-
ual. It does not encourage people
to be part of something bigger than
themselves. It does not recognize the
inherent dignity in participating in
the larger community. It is the wrong
path to take.
LETTERS
(Editor’s Note: Viewpoint
submissions on these and oth-
er topics are always welcome
as part of our goal to encour-
age community discussion
and exchange of perspectives.)
The Great Florence
Climate Debate
I have been following the
climate debate in Siuslaw
News’ editorials over the last
month.
There seems to be a push
to have the City of Florence
directly involved in the cli-
mate change issue.
Florence is a community
that financially benefits (and
is dependent on) unneces-
sary emissions — tourists
who travel here for pleasure,
dune vehicles, motor boats,
RV travel, camp fires, etc.
For the city to promote tour-
ism — and then claim not
wanting these activities — is
a contradiction that could
hurt our local businesses and
our neighbors’ livelihoods.
Over the years, I noticed
some local wineries (like
Pfeifer) install “green” solar
systems, showcasing them,
encouraging tourism as a
talking point, and also get-
ting an economical payback
for doing so. In some small
towns they put up a working
solar system display to spark
interest (and to attract tour-
ist interest).
I’ll ask this question:
Which would help attract
commerce to our city and
also make people aware of
possible solutions — a city
manifesto regarding climate
change, or increasing our
visual demonstration that
Florence is installing solar
panels, solar-powered sig-
nage, and even small wind
turbines (that are fun to
watch and can even be an art
form)?
Green is marketable and
cool.
I think there is an oppor-
tunity here for both sides, to
reduce emissions and pro-
mote our city on its green ef-
forts. The investments could
be cost neutral over time.
I agree with parts of Jerry
Sanford’s editorial (“Enough
of This Climate Change and
Land Use BS,” June 9). I’m a
great fan of Greta Thunberg,
but I am not a purist that will
give up campfires, a grilled
hamburger or travel. I think
environmental effort is a
personal thing; I do what I
can. I believe it is not some-
thing that can be effectively
forced on people.
I also think that until you
are negatively hit on what
I’ll call “weather change”
(not “climate change,” which
tends to focus on cause, not
effect), people’s opinion will
not be changed. When in-
creased forest fires from ex-
treme weather and drought
destroy a home of someone
you know, or a toxic algae
plume destroys your water
source, maybe then some
opinions may change.
I just think there may be
some common ground to
work on “green” issues that
could benefit both sides of
the debate.
Personally, I’d love to give
up having a red meat ham-
burger once a week — if I
could just find a place in
town that served a good en-
vironmentally safe Falafel.
Right now, I just can’t find
one.
I hope the City of Florence
and all involved will consider
economically viable invest-
ments towards “green.”
— Steve Williams
Florence
Sleuthing for truth
Thomas Fred “Sam” Spayd
has borrowed Humphrey
Bogart’s “Maltese Falcon”
detective character’s “Sam
Spade” name, but I’m afraid
he’s terrible at sleuthing. If
he’d done the simplest of
searches, he would have
discovered that annual hu-
man-generated carbon diox-
ide is a thousand times worse
than Pinatubo and Iceland’s
Eyjafjallajökull.
In his May 29 Letter to the
Editor in the Siuslaw News,
Sam attacked climate change
with an arsenal dense with
inaccuracies, derisively ques-
tioning whether our carbon
problem is indeed the “most
pressing issue of our time.”
I must admit, until Jan.
20, I worried more that U.S.
President Donald Trump
would start a nuke war with
Kim Jong-un and North Ko-
rea. Still, Mike and his wife
Pat have called attention
to global warming for 90
consecutive Fridays outside
Florence City Hall. Mayor
Joe Henry has continued to
claim climate change is sole-
ly “political.”
This past week, The Atlan-
tic magazine published An-
dri Snær Magnason’s, “The
Gods Were Right,” about
Iceland’s Geldingadalir vol-
cano, erupting since March,
and climate denialist my-
thology.
Sam should know this.
We live in Cascadia, a tsu-
nami zone. Inexorable sea
level rise increases tsunami
danger. There were two 5.9
earthquakes on June 4, off
Gold Beach.
Here’s a few more facts:
Trump lost 2020’s elec-
tion by seven million votes.
COVID-19 won’t go away,
“Just like a miracle.” Don’t
drink or inject peroxide,
swallow or insert UV light
tubes. Clearcutting won’t
reduce forest fires. Trump
(30,000 documented lies/
misstatements of fact while
in office), Kevin McCar-
thy, and Mitch McConnell
are perhaps perennially
“truth-challenged.” NASA
scientists could tell Sam, the
moon landing was real.
— Frank Smith
Florence
USPS# 497-660
Copyright 2021 © Siuslaw News
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.
Jenna Bartlett
Chantelle Meyer
Front Office
For Advertising: ext. 318
Publisher, ext. 318
Editor, ext. 313
541-997-3441
For Classifieds: ext. 320
DEADLINES:
Wednesday Issue—General news releases, Monday noon; Classified line
ads, Monday 9 a.m.; Legal Notices and Display Ads, Friday noon.
Saturday Issue—General news releases, Thursday noon; Classified line ads,
Thursday 10 a.m.; Legal Notices and Display Ads, Wednesday 5 p.m.
NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
In Lane County — 1-year subscription, $79; 6-month in-county, $56; 10-
week subscription, $25; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription, $102;
6-month out-of-county, $69; 10-week subscription, $35; Out of State —
1-year subscription, $134; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year sub-
scription, $65.
Mail subscription includes E-Edition.
Website and E-Edition: TheSiuslawNews.com
Siuslaw News
Office:
148 Maple St./PO Box 10
Florence, OR 87439
Office Hours:
Monday to Thursday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. to noon
Letters to the Editor policy
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 in-
clude 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. Publica-
tion of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on
space available and the volume of letters received.
Letters that are anonymous, libelous, argumen-
tative, sarcastic or contain accusations that are un-
sourced or documented will not be published.
Letters containing poetry or from outside the
Siuslaw News readership area will only be pub-
lished at the discretion of the editor.
Political/Election Letters:
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) En-
sure any information about a candidate is accurate,
fair and not from second-hand knowledge or hear-
say; and 3) Explain the reasons to support candi-
dates based on personal experience and perspec-
tive 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 cri-
teria.
Email letters to: cmeyer@thesiuslawnews.com
WHERE TO WRITE
President Joseph Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
TTY/TDD: 202-456-6213
www.whitehouse.gov
900 Court St. NE - S-417
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
Email: Sen.DickAnderson@
oregonlegislature.gov
Oregon Gov.
Kate Brown
State Rep.
Boomer Wright (Dist. 9)
State Sen. Dick
Anderson (Dist. 5)
160 State Capitol 900 Court St.
900 Court St. NE
Salem, Ore. 97301-4047
Salem, OR 97301
Message Line:
503-986-1409
503-378-4582
Email: Rep.BoomerWright@
www.oregon.gov/gov
oregonlegislature.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
Lane County Dist. 1
Commissioner
Jay Bozievich
125 E. Eighth St.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4203
Email: Jay.Bozievich@
co.lane.or.us
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753 | 541-465-6750
Florence City Council
www.merkley.senate.gov
& Mayor Joe Henry
Florence City Hall, 250
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio Highway 101, Florence, 97439
(4th Dist.)
541-997-3437
2134 Rayburn HOB
ci.florence.or.us
Washington, DC 20515
Email comments to Florence
202-225-6416
City Recorder Kelli Weese at
541-269-2609 | 541-465-6732 kelli.weese@ci.florence.or.us
www.defazio.house.gov