4A |
WEDNESDAY EDITION
CHANTELLE MEYER , EDITOR
| AUGUST 14, 2021
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
| 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)
Know the Facts about Western Lane Ambulance
(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.)
Florence, I understand it is not an
easy task. It’s a learning experience
in how the government works and it
is imperative that an elected official
understands the process.
Then, on July 28, there was anoth-
In March, when I read the Siu- er Guest Viewpoint from the same
slaw News Guest Viewpoint by L. three men, but with a new title,
Farnsworth, RJ Pilcher and J.
Guest Viewpoint
Marks, “Ambulance District is
at a Financial Crossroads,” I was
By Clara Kuhn
baffled at the information they
Member of the Florence
were quoting and had lots of
doubts over the accuracy of most
Community and Taxpayer
of the article.
I also was highly concerned that “Only in Florence Do You Pay…,”
an elected board member of the but the same theme! This was also
Western Lane Ambulance District accompanied by yet another full-
(WLAD) Board of Directors (1 page ad.
of 5), felt the need to give a Guest
Now I’m concerned, enough that
Viewpoint and additionally pur- I dissect the viewpoint, make a list
chase a full-page ad to further high- of questions, call WLAD and ask the
best way for me to get my questions
light his opinion.
Over the next many weeks, there answered. I was offered to come to
were a few Letters to the Editor, the Administration Office of WLAD
agreeing and disagreeing — and on Highway 101 and meet with
then I saw on my ballot Mr. Farn- Chief Michael Schick, Operations
sworth was not seeking reelection. Chief Matt House and Office Man-
Our ambulance service has al- ager Dina McClure; which I gladly
ways been the best of the best and accepted.
All of my questions were an-
I have no reason to believe any-
thing has changed. Having been an swered, including the additional
elected official in the 1990s here in ones prompted by my visit. I did not
feel rushed or an inconvenience in
the day of these professionals.
Through our meeting, I discov-
ered so many inaccuracies in the
previous Guest Viewpoints.
Western Lane Ambulance District
has proved itself over the years, by its
high standards of training, certifica-
tions and professionalism. The
district has always and continues
to be leading edge on care in the
field. The district continues to
partner with PeaceHealth Peace
Harbor to give us, its taxpayers,
the best possible care.
I for one, do not want to see that
high level of care diminish, and my
hope is that you do not either.
I would encourage anyone that
wants accurate information to call
541-997-9614 and ask for Chief
Schick.
Thursday afternoon, I received a
text from 458-219-6598 titled “3X
STOP paying three times for an am-
bulance ride” and directing me to a
site to sign a petition. This is begin-
ning to follow a pattern of someone
looking to benefit from the disman-
tling of WLAD.
Now more than ever, if you have
questions or concerns, please get ac-
curate information.
USPS# 497-660
Copyright 2021 © Siuslaw News
Siuslaw News
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LETTERS
(Editor’s Note: Viewpoint
submissions on these and
other topics are always wel-
come as part of our goal to
encourage community dis-
cussion and exchange of per-
spectives.)
Require Masks
Why is it impossible to
mandate that an individual
must be vaccinated against
COVID-19 and in some ar-
eas to also wear a mask?
It might sound radical,
but those who refuse to do
so should be fined and not
have the ability to enter any
establishment where people
go to shop, eat, exercise or
go for entertainment.
In many states there are
laws that protect an indi-
vidual and others. They are
DUI, which is punishable by
fines and in some cases loss
of license, while other states
have fines for using a mobile
device while driving. These
are to protect oneself and
others.
In other states it is man-
datory that one wears a
seatbelt and fines can be ad-
ministered. This is only to
protect oneself and not the
public. Hell, there are some
areas where jay-walkers can
be fined, but not those who
refuse to be vaccinated.
I now understand that
some companies like Kaiser
Permanente are now requir-
ing all 218,000 employees —
21,000 doctors and 59,000
nurses — to be vaccinated
or lose their employment.
Others will follow.
— Win Jolley
Florence
Vote ‘For the People’
The freedom to vote is a
cornerstone of our democ-
racy. Creating unnecessary
barriers to exercise this free-
dom is wrong.
Right now, a minori-
ty of the Senate is silenc-
ing American voters, even
though a majority want the
voter protections in the For
the People Act. Protections
include easy access to the
ballot, freedom to vote no
matter our race or geogra-
phy, for politicians to earn
our votes instead of ma-
nipulating them through
gerrymandering, and for
our elected officials to be
accountable to us instead of
whichever donors can line
their pockets.
We know what is wrong
and the For the People Act
can help fix it by providing
national standards for feder-
al elections.
However, in order for it
to pass when the Senate re-
turns from recess, the fili-
buster must be eliminated.
Oregon’s U.S. Sen. Jeff
Merkley has always been a
chief opponent of the fili-
buster and his message is
loud and clear right now —
in order to protect our free-
dom to vote the filibuster
must go.
Enough is enough. With
the freedom to vote under
attack and a simple solution
available, the Senate must
pass the For the People Act
now!
— Beverly Sherrill
Florence
Flying a Flag for Law
Enforcement
It has been so very hard
for people to admit during
the last few years that they
support our law enforce-
ment officers with all that
has happened.
I am very much a staunch
supporter of them and al-
ways will be no matter what
happens. We have to re-
member that there are bad
apples in every profession
and they have to be taken
care of like all other prob-
lems.
That being said, 20 years
ago this Sept. 11 will be the
anniversary of the Twin
Towers and Pentagon at-
tacks by terrorists and all
of the first responders who
died in those attacks.
Next month, we should
show our pride in our in our
law enforcement officers,
not be berating the fact that
someone is flying a flag that
many have been flying for
months or even years sup-
porting those officers.
When I drove a pickup, I
too flew a black flag with a
blue line supporting the law
enforcement officers. When
I have a pickup again I will
again fly that flag, along
with a red, white and blue
American flag.
— Dianna Allison
Florence
Tax the ‘Jolley’
Wealthy
Mr. Jolley, in regard to
“Taxes Could Put Thou-
sands Back to Work” (July
31), in 75 percent of the
world, you would be consid-
ered wealthy and living in
decadent opulence.
How loud will you cry if
you receive a bigger tax bill
under this administration?
You can always cut that
check for more.
I believe the IRS should
know you are ready, willing
and able to pay a higher rate
for the enrichment of social
causes.
— Martin Cable
Dunes City
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letters must be signed.
The newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publish-
er and editor, reserves the right to reject any letter that
doesn’t follow the above criteria.
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