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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 23, 2015)
Polk County Voices Polk County Itemizer-Observer • September 23, 2015 4A EDITORIALS How to Contact Officials Are you ready for disaster? GOVERNOR Gov. Kate Brown (Dem.) 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-378-4582 Email: via website, http://governor.oregon.gov/ — STATE LEGISLATORS Sen. Arnie Roblan (District 5, Democrat) S-417 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1705 sen.arnieroblan@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/roblan It’s not too late, but don’t delay The time to get ready is now. We may not know when the Cascadia subduction zone off the Pacific Northwest Coast will go, but we know when it does, it won’t be pretty. Federal, state and local officials are taking the threat se- riously and playing catch up to prepare for it. Residents liv- ing in the areas that will be most affected by earthquake, including the Willamette Valley, should do the same. If you need extra motivation to prepare for a threat that doesn’t have a specific due date, consider this: in 10,000 years of history, the “really big one” has occurred on average every 243 years. The last quake of that magnitude was in 1700 — 315 years ago. In a sense, we are existing on borrowed time as the fault line has remained calm. This isn’t to frighten you, but inspire you to think about your family, your home and to make a plan. What should be a terrifying thought is realizing you don’t know where your loved ones are after the quake, if they are OK and how you can get to them. Add to that the fact that if you are able to find your family, you only have what is on hand at your home to sustain you through what could be an extended crisis. Help will not be on the way for most people. Without supplies, the reality is you will prob- ably be evacuated to an unknown location, possibly out of state. Remember Katrina? Local officials and those who have already begun preparing urge you not to think of it as gathering every- thing you need at once, but thoughtfully planning for what would work best for your family. There are plenty of resources available to help you pre- pare. The American Red Cross and www.ready.gov are good places to start. But it really begins with a conversation. Talk your family, make planning a priority. When and if the time comes, you will be glad you did. PUBLIC AGENDA Public Agenda is a listing of upcoming meetings for gov- ernmental and nongovernmental agencies in Polk County. To submit a meeting, send it at least two weeks before the actual meeting date to the Itemizer-Observer via fax (503- 623-2395) or email (ionews@polkio.com). — WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23 • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. MONDAY, SEPT. 28 • Independence Library Board — 4 p.m., Independence Public Library, 175 Monmouth St., Independence. 503-838-1811. TUESDAY, SEPT. 29 • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. • Monmouth and Independence joint city council meet- ing — 7 p.m., Polk County Fire District No. 1 Station 90, 1800 Monmouth St., Independence, on the border of the two cities. 503-838-1212 or 503-838-0722. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 30 • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Sanders shows he is progressive We believe President Barack Obama has been a very good president, consid- ering the catastrophic mess he inherited from the Ch- eney-Bush administration. Among many problems, Harvard University’s Kennedy School has esti- mated that the Iraq and Afghanistan wars will ulti- mately cost we taxpayers $4 trillion to $6 trillion. Regret- tably, the “Tea Publicon” Party shows no inclination to pay this debt. It is true that Obama Care is not good enough. It should be single-payer (Medicare E for everyone who is a legal U.S. citizen). Taking the profits out of health care would create many economic ben- efits. Employers would not have to pay for expensive health insurance. Of course, there is no “free lunch.” All participants would be required to make some payments, like we cur- rently on Medicare do now. Bernie Sanders is one of our current progressive leaders who believes in this system. Walden and Betty Joura Dallas Commissioners out of touch with public As a tenured public ser- vant to those with disabili- ties in Polk County, a home owner/taxpayer, and moth- er of three, it’s my intent to raise concerns regarding is- sues created as a result of an out of touch county com- mission. I hope that more civic engagement and sup- port for public service work- ers will result due to my outreach. My concerns, which mir- ror the concerns of the ma- jority of my coworkers, are as follows: Recent changes created by the Affordable Care Act have adversely impacted Polk County public service workers. Under the condi- tions required by Obama Care, which increased peo- ple who qualify for Medi- caid by one-third of its pre- vious level, county workers have greater obligations to see more clients and in- creased workload associated with each client. These workload increases have come with additions to county funding from the state. The county’s budget increased by almost 19 per- cent this year — the mental health budget alone of $10.9 million last year changed to a little over $14 million dur- ing this fiscal year. While finances and work- load have increased, Polk County commissioners run operations with little input/concern for the inter- est of the public. In previous years, these caseworkers took cuts to staffing and minimal wage adjustments; far lower than many county law enforce- ment employees, with the intent of saving jobs and en- suring enough social servic- es were available to those in need. Currently, commissioners plan to deal with the addi- tion in work requirements and caseload by providing inexperienced temporary workers and increased man- agement. Their plan also in- cludes providing the highest percentage raises to levy- funded law enforcement positions. The county’s lead- ership is prepared to force requirements on its social service providers over ob- jections, which include sig- nificantly increased work- load requirements and lower wages. Join me in a civic awak- ening to deal with our coun- ty’s mismanagement of its resources. Prairie Oak Dallas Thanks to all who got in spirit of walk Last Friday night in Inde- pendence there was a Ghost Walk. The very best part of the Ghost Walk is the people. Friends and neighbors lead groups, tell stories, and open their buildings. Every- one gets into, if you will, the “spirit” of the evening. The walkers come from near and far for a little shiv- er and a lot of fun. You all give substance to the evening with your will- ingness to entertain anec- dotal history and suspend belief (or not!) to talk about the more spectral side of In- dependence. I learn right away when something spooky happens. Friday night in front of the Pink House Café, a photo was taken showing a large person-sized orb standing next to a walker. Maybe spirits like the stories, too? I am in awe of the people who help with this event every year, continue to enjoy their roles or open their businesses. It takes over 50 volunteers to put on a good Ghost Walk for our hundreds of guests. Thank you to everyone who participated. Sen. Jackie Winters (District 10, Republican) S-301 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1710 sen.jackiewinters@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/winters Sen. Brian Boquist (District 12, Republican) S-305 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1712 sen.brianboquist@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/boquist Rep. David Gomberg (District 10, Democrat) H-471 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1410 rep.davidgomberg@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/gomberg Rep. Paul Evans (District 20, Democrat) H-281 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1420 rep.paulevans@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/evans Rep. Mike Nearman (District 23, Republican) H-378 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1423 rep.mikenearman@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/nearman — U.S. CONGRESS Sen. Ron Wyden (Dem.) 221 Dirksen SOB Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-5244 Fax: 202-228-2717 Salem office: 707 13th St. SE, Suite 285, Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-589-4555 Email: via website, www.wyden.senate.gov Marilyn Morton Independence WANT TO WRITE A LETTER? Letters to the editor are lim- ited to 300 words. Longer letters will be edited. Election-related letters of all types are limited to 100 words. Writers are limited to one elec- tion-related letter per election season. Election letters from writers outside of Polk County are not accepted. Each writer is restricted to one letter per 30-day period. Letters that are libelous, ob- scene or in bad taste will not be printed. Attacks by name on businesses or individuals will not be printed. Letters to the editor that are obvious promotions for a busi- ness, products or services will not be printed. The Itemizer-Observer does not guarantee the accuracy of facts presented by letter writers; dissenters are welcome to re- spond. Letter writers who dis- agree with other published letter writers should maintain a civil discourse and address the subject, not the author. Letters, like all editorial mate- rial submitted to the newspaper, are edited for length, grammar and content. Letters must include the au- thor’s name, address and tele- phone number. This includes letters submitted via the I-O’s website. Names and cities of res- idence are published; street ad- dresses and telephone numbers are used for verification pur- poses only. Letters must be submitted from individuals, not organiza- tions, and must be original sub- missions to the I-O, not copies of letters sent to other media. Letters of thanks to busi- nesses, individuals and organi- zations are limited to 10 names. The deadline for letters to the editor is 10 a.m. Monday. Let- ters submitted may not be re- tractable after this deadline. — Reach us at: Mail: Editor, Polk County Itemizer-Observer, P.O. Box 108, Dallas, OR 97338. Fax: 503-623-2395. Email: ionews@polkio.com. Office: 147 SE Court St., Dallas. Sen. Jeff Merkley (Dem.) 313 Hart SOB Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-3753 Fax: 202-228-3997 Salem office: 495 State St. SE, Suite 330, Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-362-8102 Email: via website, www.merkley.senate.gov Rep. Kurt Schrader (Dem.) 108 Cannon HOB Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: 202-225-5711 Fax: 202-225-5699 Salem office: 544 Ferry St. SE, Suite 2, Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-588-9100 Fax: 503-588-5517 Email: via website, www.schrader.house.gov — POLK COUNTY Board of Commissioners 850 Main St. Dallas, OR 97338 Phone: 503-623-8173 www.co.polk.or.us — CITIES Dallas 187 SE Court St. Dallas, OR 97338 503-623-2338 www.ci.dallas.or.us Falls City 299 Mill St. Falls City, OR 97344 503-787-3631 www.fallscityoregon.gov Independence 555 S. Main St. Independence, OR 97351 503-838-1212 www.ci.independence.or.us Monmouth 151 W. Main St. Monmouth, OR 97361 503-838-0722 www.ci.monmouth.or.us HOW TO REACH US Vol. 140, No. 38 (USPS) - 437-380) The official newspaper of Polk County • Serving Polk County families since 1875 Winner of 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 General Excellence Awards from the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association Periodicals postage paid at Dallas, OR, Independence, OR and Monmouth, OR. Published weekly at 147 SE Court Street Dallas, Oregon 97338 Phone: 503-623-2373 Fax: 503-623-2395 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Polk County — One Year $27 Other Oregon Counties — One Year $33 Outside of Oregon — One Year $38 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Polk County Itemizer-Observer, P.O. Box 108, Dallas, Oregon 97338 The Polk County Itemizer-Observer assumes no financial responsibility for errors in adver- tisements. It will, however, reprint without charge for the portion of an advertisement which is in error if the Itemizer-Observer is at fault. 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