THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020
Baker City, Oregon
4A
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EDITORIAL
Trump
misses
a chance
The gap between reasonable optimism and a reckless
disregard for reality isn’t always as wide as the differ-
ence in those terms might suggest.
And it’s inherently more narrow when the person
speaking is the president of the United States, whose
words carry more weight than almost anybody else’s.
President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 infection
afforded him a unique chance to give Americans a
measured perspective about the pandemic that has so
dramatically affected our society over the past 7 months,
and seems certain to continue to do well into 2021.
The president didn’t make as much out of that oppor-
tunity as he could have.
His positivity — a word that has perhaps forever been
tainted by its association with COVID-19 testing — is
not completely unwarranted.
“Don’t let it dominate,” Trump said in a video message
Monday. “Don’t let it take over your lives.”
This is good advice.
One of the insidious aspects of this virus is its power
to frighten people to the point that, even though they are
perfectly healthy and taking all appropriate precautions
to stay that way, they are no longer able to enjoy even
the simple pleasures of everyday life. This is terribly sad.
And it’s a symptom of a mental health crisis that for
some people could linger long after the virus has been
controlled.
The president’s statements about the quality of
America’s medical care is also justified.
Although critics have pointed out that Trump’s level
of care is considerably higher than for the vast major-
ity of Americans — hardly a revelation, of course — the
implication that the president’s apparently mild bout
with the virus is an anomaly because he was treated by
top doctors is not supported by statistics.
In fact, most Americans in Trump’s age range — he’s
74 — who have contracted COVID-19 survived. Ac-
cording to the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
tion, the death rate among the approximately 404,000
Americans from age 65 to 74 who have tested positive
for the virus is 7.9%. That’s comparable to data from the
Oregon Health Authority. The state agency uses a differ-
ent age range — 70 to 79 — for which the death rate is
8.6%.
The virus is considerably more dangerous for the old-
est Americans, to be sure. The fatality rate for ages 75 to
84 is 17.4%, according to the CDC, and 22% for ages 80
and older in Oregon.
But for people younger than 60 the risk is lower —
and for people younger than 40 it’s vastly so.
Nationwide, people 49 or younger account for 84.9% of
the COVID-19 cases, but 5% of the deaths.
In Oregon that age group has 70.8% of the total cases
and 3.5% of the fatalities.
The bottom line is that, as with Trump, most people
who contract COVID-19 survive.
But rather than temper the positive aspects with a so-
ber assessment of the negative side of the ledger, Trump,
as is his wont, indulged in his customary braggadocio.
That negative side is a long and depressing list, one
that the president, whose infl uence is immense, has
a responsibility to acknowledge. His “you’re going to
beat it” boast rings especially hollow for the family and
friends of the more than 200,000 Americans the virus
has killed.
The president would have done his country a valu-
able service had he, after expressing his gratitude to the
doctors who treated him, emphasized that COVID-19
continues to pose a deadly threat to some Americans.
Rather than stand outside the White House and stuff
his face mask into his suit jacket pocket, he could have
left it on and urged people to keep taking simple but
effective precautions.
Most people infected with this virus will indeed “beat
it.” But the president’s message should have been that
it’s infinitely better not to have to fight it at all.
— Jayson Jacoby, Baker City Herald editor
Vote Yes on Measure 110 to
expand addiction treatment
By Heidi Hug
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my
20-plus years of helping people with
drug addiction, it’s that when someone
is ready for treatment, it’s so important
they can access it right then, on-de-
mand, the moment they decide they’re
ready for help. Unfortunately in Oregon,
too often there isn’t treatment available.
They are put on a wait list for weeks,
or even months. Sometimes people die
while waiting for that treatment spot to
open.
As a drug and alcohol counselor, it’s
hard for me to tell someone in crisis
that they have to wait for a spot. They’re
already hanging on by a thread, and it’s
heart-wrenching when I have little to
nothing to offer them.
This isn’t something unique to my ex-
perience working in Eastern Oregon; it’s
a common scenario for any drug coun-
selor in Oregon. One in 10 Oregonians
is addicted to drugs, yet our state ranks
nearly last in access to basic drug treat-
ment. It’s hard to not see the connection
between the lack of available care, and
the fact that one to two Oregonians dies
every day from drug overdoses.
This November, we have a chance to
address this crisis and save lives by vot-
ing Yes on Measure 110.
Measure 110 will greatly expand ac-
cess to drug treatment and recovery ser-
vices throughout the state, using funds
from Oregon’s existing marijuana tax.
Measure 110 will make treatment avail-
able on-demand so that when someone
reaches out for help, the hand of recov-
ery will be reaching back. As part of
this shift to a health-based approach to
addiction, Measure 110 will also remove
criminal penalties for low-level drug
possession. That means, should Measure
110 become law, when someone needs
help for their addiction, they’ll be offered
treatment instead of being sent to jail for
possession of a small amount of drugs.
If Oregon’s current punishment-fi rst
system worked, Oregon would not be in
the midst of an addiction crisis. Treat-
ment — not punishment — is what
people need to get well, and Measure
110 makes that possible. I should know.
Thanks to the miracle of recovery,
my life looks a lot different than it did
decades ago. My husband and I used
drugs together for nearly a decade. At
one point DHS stepped in and removed
our children from the home. Thank-
fully, I was able to get into treatment,
which saved my life. My husband and I
have been clean now for 25 years. After
getting into recovery, I began working in
the professional treatment and recovery
fi eld, fi rst in a day care center located in
the same treatment facility where I got
help, and eventually I became a certifi ed
drug counselor. I have my family back.
My grandchildren have never seen “the
old us,” and recovery is a cornerstone of
my life.
I have experienced the living hell of
addiction, and I know that treatment is
instrumental in helping people recover.
As a drug counselor, I work to share
my experience, strength and hope, and
connect people with the services they
need to get well. We’re blessed in Baker
County to have treatment options, but
they’re still not enough. We’re under-
staffed, and can’t help everyone who
comes to us for support. I’m passionate
about Measure 110 because I know that
it will save lives, and make vital, life-
saving services more available to more
people in our community.
It’s time for a more humane, effec-
tive approach to drug addiction. I want
others who struggle with addiction to
receive the gift of recovery that I have
been so blessed to experience every day,
one day at a time. Vote Yes on Measure
110.
kids are they? The tech and resources
to teach a child at home seems to have
been in place for decades. Situations
certainly vary, depending on geogra-
phy and circumstances, but they are
“your” children, seems like protecting
them, our teachers and our citizens
is way more important than prema-
turely opening things up, just as cases
of COVID-19 skyrocket throughout
the U.S.
Lastly I want to tell everyone
how incredible the “Haunted Studio
Tour” is at Churchill! They have put
together a scary, family friendly expe-
rience that will dazzle, frighten and
blow your mind! Suffi ce it to say “An
unprecedented presentation and a true
work of art!!”
Mike Meyer
Baker City
Is the public getting real
story about the president?
accuracy of all statements in letters to
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Heidi Hug of Baker City is a certifi ed
alcohol and drug counselor II, a certifi ed
recovery mentor and a qualifi ed mental
health associate I.
Your views
President contracts
COVID-19? How shocking
I am so, so surprised at our prez con-
tracting the virus! I mean wow! Just
look at the way he was so concerned
for all of our health and on top of the
whole situation! Well sometimes life
just isn’t fair ... On a different note
I am reading, and getting a huge
disgruntled vibe, about our schools not
opening up classrooms soon enough
for some “face to face” time with the
kids? I fi nd this a bit disconcerting.
Please excuse my “retired” opinion but
I sense some selfi shness in this way
of thinking. I believe that as a society
we have become so used to the “school
year” that a disruption in “some-
one else” watching our children has
become unacceptable in many parents
mind. I understand jobs ... but whose
Letters to the editor
• We welcome letters on any issue of
public interest. Customer complaints
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printed.
• The Baker City Herald will not
knowingly print false or misleading
claims. However, we cannot verify the
A couple of things come to mind
tonight regarding the news. First and
foremost is that the president was
rushed to the hospital after spend-
ing 2-3 nights in the White House
under medical care. He has access
to medical treatment that the public
does not have. The attending doctor
is a medical man but is a Navy man
also. He is under the direction of his
Commander in Chief, the president, so
we will only be hearing what President
Trump wants us to hear. This virus is
a killer so I fi nd it diffi cult to believe
the president is improved after only
2-3 days of medical treatment. What do
YOU think?
Iva Mace
Baker City
Mail: To the Editor, Baker City Herald,
P.O. Box 807, Baker City, OR 97814
Email: news@bakercityherald.com
CONTACT YOUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS
President Donald Trump: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania
Ave., Washington, D.C. 20500; 202-456-1414; fax 202-456-2461; to
send comments, go to www.whitehouse.gov/contact.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley: D.C. offi ce: 313 Hart Senate Offi ce
Building, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-3753;
fax 202-228-3997. Portland offi ce: One World Trade Center, 121
S.W. Salmon St. Suite 1250, Portland, OR 97204; 503-326-3386;
fax 503-326-2900. Baker City offi ce, 1705 Main St., Suite 504, 541-
278-1129; merkley.senate.gov.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden: D.C. offi ce: 221 Dirksen Senate Offi ce
Building, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-5244; fax 202-228-2717.
La Grande offi ce: 105 Fir St., No. 210, La Grande, OR 97850; 541-
962-7691; fax, 541-963-0885; wyden.senate.gov.
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (2nd District): D.C. offi ce: 2182
Rayburn Offi ce Building, Washington, D.C., 20515, 202-225-6730;
fax 202-225-5774. La Grande offi ce: 1211 Washington Ave., La
Grande, OR 97850; 541-624-2400, fax, 541-624-2402; walden.house.
gov.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown: 254 State Capitol, Salem, OR
97310; 503-378-3111; www.governor.oregon.gov.