Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 2021)
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021 Baker City, Oregon 4A Write a letter news@bakercityherald.com EDITORIAL Counties should set vaccine priorities Oregon Gov. Kate Brown should give counties fl ex- ibility in how they administer COVID-19 vaccines. For Baker County, that means allowing the county to make older residents a priority for the limited supply of doses, along with teachers and other school employees. The state’s current vaccination guidelines — which Nancy Staten, director of the county’s health depart- ment, said the county must follow — do not refl ect the situation in Baker County, or the relative danger the virus poses to older residents. Brown announced last week a signifi cant change in the state’s vaccination priorities. Previously, the plan was to offer vaccine doses to two groups starting Jan. 23 — Oregonians 65 and older, and education workers. The governor said that proposal was based on a pledge from the federal government that it would in- crease states’ weekly allocations of vaccine doses. State offi cials were anticipating about 128,000 additional doses this week, said Jonathan Modie, a spokesman for the Oregon Health Authority. That number was an estimate based on “public messages” from federal offi cials, who didn’t give the state a specifi c number of doses to expect, Modie said. Regardless, the additional doses aren’t coming this week, Brown said. As a result, she announced a scaled back vaccina- tion schedule. Education workers will remain the top priority, with inoculations starting Jan. 25, while older residents will have to wait. Vaccinations for people 80 and older will start Feb. 8, Brown said, followed by people 75 and older on Feb. 15, those 70 and older on Feb. 22, and ages 65 and older starting March 1. It’s reasonable to make school employees a high priority for vaccinations. Those workers have made it possible for Baker School District students from kin- dergarten to sixth grade to return to in-person classes, full-time, since Oct. 14. And they teach and work with Baker Middle School and Baker High School students, who have attended in-person classes one day per week since Nov. 9. But the evidence shows that the school district’s precautions have prevented the virus from spreading. The handful of cases among students and staff were tied to events outside school. Inoculating teachers looks to be a necessary com- ponent for resuming in-person classes in Portland and some other urban school districts. But that’s just not the case in the Baker School District, which has proved that it can have in-person classes without exposing teachers or students to a higher risk of infec- tion compared with the situation outside schools. What is beyond dispute, both here and statewide, is that COVID-19 is dramatically more dangerous for people 60 and older. In Oregon, 91% of the 1,800 COVID-19-related deaths were people 60 or older. Yet that age group accounts for just 18% of the COVID-19 cases. The fi ve Baker County residents whose deaths are related to COVID-19 infection were ages 82, 83, 85, 90 and 95. The governor should allow Baker County health offi cials to offer vaccinations to residents older than 65 so long as doses are available, even as the county also tries to vaccinate teachers and other school employees. Given how heavy a toll the virus has taken on older residents, both in Baker County and elsewhere in Or- egon, the state should not force that group to wait for more than two weeks, in the case of those 80 and older, and more than a month, for those between 65 and 70, to have a chance to receive what could be a lifesaving inoculation. — Jayson Jacoby, Baker City Herald editor Biden’s daunting challenges By Gromer Jeffers Jr. When Joe Biden was inaugurated Wednesday, Jan. 20, as the 46th presi- dent of the United States, he faced a nation torn by deep political and social divisions, and a coronavirus pandemic that has killed almost 400,000 Ameri- cans and hurt the economy. Biden’s challenges are more daunt- ing than those faced by any president since Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had to lead the nation through the Great Depression. In 2009, Biden was sworn in as vice president under President Barack Obama, and the new administration had to steady a country racked by an economic crisis. But that doesn’t com- pare with America today, where the coronavirus pandemic is claiming lives, tearing at the economy and leaving many Americans without jobs. And Biden is following one of the most controversial presidents in his- tory. The country is only two weeks removed from an insurrection, where marauders stormed the U.S. Capitol looking to do harm to lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence. As Biden takes the reins of govern- ment, he’ll also have to deal with the vestiges of Donald Trump’s term, including a second impeachment trial in the Senate. “My fellow Americans, the deci- sions we make in the next few weeks and months will determine whether we thrive in a way that benefi ts all Americans, or whether we stay stuck in a place where those at the top do great while economic growth for most everyone else is just a spectator sport — where America’s prospects dim, not brighten,” Biden said in unveil- ing his pandemic rescue plan. “They will determine whether we reassert American leadership and outcompete our competitors in the global economy or whether we watch them catch up and pass us by.” Here are three things that Biden must tackle during the early days of his administration. Get control of the pandemic The last year of Trump’s administra- Your views I support our new Congressman, Cliff Bentz I am writing in support of Congressman Cliff Bentz. I have known him for many years. He is a decent, honest, hard-working person who has successfully represented our District in Oregon for many years and will continue to do so as our representative in Congress. He has my total support. In response to the letters from Mr. Meis, Mr. Reindl and Mr. Cimon, I must fall back on my Southern heritage. Anyone from the South will know what this truly means, “Bless their hearts.” Brenda Holly Baker City tion was marred by the emergence of COVID-19. Thanks in part to Operation Warp Speed, there are now vaccines avail- able to help bring the pandemic under control. But the distribution of the vac- cines in many states has been trouble- some, and more Americans are dying of COVID-19 than at any point of the pandemic. Biden’s fi rst job is to fi x problems with the distribution of the vaccine. The sooner Americans are inoculated, the sooner the economic and employ- ment outlook will improve. So much of the current vaccina- tion plan relies on state offi cials who aren’t qualifi ed to run such a massive program. It would be nice to develop public-private partnerships to speed the process because private industry is much better at supply chain manage- ment and other logistical issues. Biden has proposed a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue plan that, among other things, would provide an ad- ditional $1,400 in direct payments to most Americans, raise the minimum wage to $15, provide a $400 per-week unemployment benefi t through Sep- tember and produce $350 billion in state and local government aid. The new president must also make sure that the nation is ready to respond to future pandemics, and along the way bolster the need to trust science and logic. Restore the nation’s reputation around the world It’s diffi cult for American leaders to preach the virtues of the nation’s democracy when it appears so fl awed to the rest of the world. Biden must make sure America is leading the way on the issues facing the world, including the economy, cli- mate change, trade, human rights and combating terrorism. That means not only getting our house in order, but developing consis- tent policies. Trump’s move to reevaluate some trade agreements and the details of other alliances were necessary to make sure such contracts were in the best interest of the American people. But there are other areas of foreign policy measures that Biden will have to tackle, including foreign interference in our elections and keeping a proper check on Russia. Biden also will have to assess our lingering presence in Afghanistan and Iraq and stay vigilant in the fi ght against terror, both abroad and at home. The new president also is expected to work with European allies on a uni- fi ed China policy. Healing a divided nation The most obvious and toughest chal- lenge facing Biden is bringing together a fractured nation. Nearly half the country didn’t vote for Biden. Worse, there’s a nasty divide between Democratic and Republican voters that’s unhealthy and counter- productive. Biden campaigned on healing the nation, and he’ll have to use the rela- tionships he’s developed in his more than 40 years in politics to remind folks that we have more in common than what separates us. It won’t be easy. Trump’s Senate impeachment trial will make it diffi cult for Biden to ap- peal to Trump voters. And if Trump becomes a martyr, the country could remain hopelessly divided for years. In politics, a divide is not prob- lematic when there’s an avenue for compromise. If the promise of Biden’s presidency is realized, he’ll be able to work across party lines to break gridlock, even if it’s only for the most important issues facing the nation. Biden has already set an example by appointing a diverse Cabinet. He must strive to show Americans that diversity is not a threat to anyone, but an asset for a great future. Once he takes offi ce, Biden should always look ahead and not get trapped in revisiting Trump’s fractious term. Gromer Jeffers Jr. is a political writer for The Dallas Morning News. CONTACT YOUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS 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. Cliff Bentz (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. Baker City Hall: 1655 First Street, P.O. Box 650, Baker City, OR 97814; 541-523-6541; fax 541-524-2049. City Council meets the second and fourth Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers. Councilors Lynette Perry, Jason Spriet, Kerry McQuisten, Shane Alderson, Joanna Dixon, Heather Sells and Johnny Waggoner Sr. Baker City administration: 541-523- 6541. Jonathan Cannon, city manager; Ray Duman, police chief; Sean Lee, fi re chief; Michelle Owen, public works director. Baker County Commission: Baker County Courthouse 1995 3rd St., Baker City, OR 97814; 541-523-8200. Meets the fi rst and third Wednesdays at 9 a.m.; Bill Harvey (chair), Mark Bennett, Bruce Nichols. Baker County departments: 541- 523-8200. Travis Ash, sheriff; Noodle Perkins, roadmaster; Greg Baxter, district attorney; Alice Durfl inger, county treasurer; Stefanie Kirby, county clerk; Kerry Savage, county assessor.
