Polk County News
2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • January 17, 2018
NEWS IN BRIEF
Dallas chamber welcomes new board
DallaS — The Dallas area Chamber of Commerce welcomes
four new board members on Thursday.
emily mentzer, of the Polk County Itemizer-Observer, Tammy
noon, of S&T Support, maclarin Jones, of Harvest Crossfit, and
Gerard Graveline, of Columbia Bank, were elected to the board
in December and join current members mike Barker, of mid-Val-
ley Ford, laVonne Wilson, rick young, of The Car Doctor, aJ Fos-
coli (ex-officio), of the city of Dallas, and michelle Johnstone
(ex-officio), of the Dallas School District. For more information
on the Dallas area Chamber of Commerce: dallasoregoncham-
ber.org.
Orchestra offers free concert Monday
mOnmOuTH — The Willamette Valley new Horizons Orches-
tra will offer a free concert to the community on monday at 7
p.m. at the Smith recital Hall at Western Oregon university.
The Willamette Valley new Horizons Orchestra is a communi-
ty orchestra made up of volunteer players from our area. re-
hearsals are held on monday evenings at the monmouth Senior
Center and are open to players of all levels. There are no audi-
tions or tryouts. For more information, contact Paul Doellinger
at 503-838-4884. monday’s performance will feature selections
from various well-known and popular operas.
GaIl OBerST/for the Itemizer-Observer
Michael Cairns, of Independence, talks to Sen. Ron Wyden at a town hall meeting Saturday.
Wyden encourages residents to ‘step up’
By Gail Oberst
For The Itemizer-Observer
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MONMOUTH — “What
can I do?” a young woman
asked Oregon’s U.S. Sen. Ron
Wyden at his Saturday Town
Hall at Western Oregon Uni-
versity in Monmouth. This
town hall, the 864th of his
22-year senatorial career,
drew nearly 100 people,
many of whom asked about
his work on national matters
that impact Polk County res-
idents.
Communicate your wish-
es to your leaders, Wyden
suggested. Phone calls, let-
ters, marches and rallies —
all of these make a differ-
ence.
“Our constitution, the
rule of law thrives on ac-
tivism. Come forward. Step
up,” he said.
Western’s President Rex
Fuller hosted Wyden’s visit,
and Independence Mayor
John McArdle moderated
questions from about 15 peo-
ple during the two-hour event.
In addition to civil engage-
ment, Wyden also answered
questions on these topics:
• Collusion with the Rus-
sians to impact U.S. elec-
tions — As one of 15
members of the bi-partisan
Intelligence
Committee,
which oversees federal intel-
ligence agencies and bu-
reaus, Wyden referred to
Trump’s
pre-presidential
business dealings in Russia
and said: “Follow the money.
On my watch, this investiga-
tion is not going to be swept
under the rug.” He also sug-
gested that Oregon’s vote-by-
mail would resolve foreign
interference by creating a
paper trail unavailable in
electronic voting booths.
• Taxes, federal employees
and Social Security — “Enti-
tlements,” Wyden suggested,
is not a good word for bene-
fits that workers have earned.
The budget deficit should not
use funds from those ac-
counts to pay off the budget
deficit. A link on Wyden’s
w e b p a g e ,
http://www.wyden.senate.go
v, gives residents a place to
share their opinions about
the Republican tax plan.
• Offshore drilling —
Wyden called Trump’s pro-
Visit
our
website
posal to expand offshore
drilling an “… ideological
trophy for the oil industry.”
Furthermore, he pointed
out, the proposed plan
would include nearly every
state with a coastline, ex-
cept for Florida, home of
Trump’s winter home, Mar-
a-Lago. The plan’s 47 pro-
posed lease sites do not
include any in Oregon, but
could in the future. Oregon’s
Gov. Kate Brown has re-
quested that Oregon’s coast
be exempted from all oil
drilling.
• Bridges and roads — A
plan to rebuild American in-
frastructure should have
been Trump’s first move as
president, Wyden said. In-
stead, the Republicans pro-
pose to spend $1.5 trillion on
a tax cut that goes mainly to
the wealthy. Now, his admin-
istration is suggesting that
bridge and road improve-
ments be parsed out to pri-
vate companies who would
then charge per use. Wyden
called these “Trump Tolls.”
• Republicans vs. Democ-
rats — The Oregon way,
Wyden said, has always been
collaborative. Mark Hatfield,
Tom McCall, and Vera Katz
were political leaders who
reached across the aisle.
“That was the way we did it,
Wyden said. “It’s harder now
than I’ve ever seen.” Despite
venom, cooperation contin-
ues on bills of interest to both
sides, including the Chil-
dren’s Health Insurance Pro-
gram,
which
provides
coverage for more than
80,000 children and pregnant
women in Oregon; the “fix for
fire” legislation, which would
support fire prevention
measures in Oregon and
other states, and net neutral-
ity.
He said there is also bi-
partisan support to resolve
immigration issues, includ-
ing continuing residency
status for so-called “Dream-
ers,” children brought ille-
gally by parents or relatives
the U.S., and in some cases,
have known no other home.
Recent presidential tweets
and insulting comments
don’t help, Wyden said.
“That’s not what our country
is about.”
To contact Wyden, visit or
write his Salem office at 707
13th St. Suite 285, 97301; call
503-589-4555, or visit his
webpage.
Stew & Biscuits Lunch
Friday, Jan. 19, 11am-1pm
$ 00 per person
7 • Bowl of Stew
• Biscuit • Beverage
Dallas United Methodist Church
565 SE LaCreole Dr, Dallas
For information 503-623-8442
Supports Projects of Dallas Naomi Chapter #22, Order of Eastern Star
www.polkio.com