THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021
Baker City, Oregon
4A
Write a letter
news@bakercityherald.com
EDITORIAL
Going
bonkers
on taxing
beer, wine
If you brew beer or make wine in Oregon, the past
year has been a challenge.
It could hardly be otherwise, what with bars and
restaurants, the places where many people prefer
to enjoy Oregon-made beverages, being closed or
severely restricted for much of the past 12 months.
Proponents of House Bill 3296, which is under
consideration in the Oregon Legislature, are offering
as a treatment for these economic wounds a hefty
dose of salt.
The bill would boost state taxes on beer by almost
2,700%, and on wine by nearly 1,500%.
Or to put the proposed tax hikes in a perspective
that’s perhaps easier to comprehend than four-digit
percentage boosts, the tax on a 31-gallon barrel of
beer would rise from $2.60 to $72.60. The tax on wine
would increase from 65 cents per gallon to $10 per
gallon.
John Harris, founder and brewmaster for Eclip-
tic Brewing in Portland, branded the proposed tax
increase as both “ludicrous” and “bonkersville.”
Harris obviously has a particular bias.
But his description — including coining a noun not
found in most dictionaries — is hardly inappropriate
given the scale of the proposed tax hikes.
The basic purpose of House Bill 3296 has merit.
The state would use the new tax revenue to
expand its addiction treatment programs, including
building detoxifi cation centers and residential treat-
ment centers.
Proponents, including Mike Marshall, executive
director of Oregon Recovers, which helped write the
bill, also say the tax increase, by boosting the price
of beer and wine, would cut back on underage and
binge drinking.
This claim isn’t compelling, considering that even
more dramatic actions by the government — recall
the failed experiment known as Prohibition — didn’t
exactly result in a drier society.
Using taxes on alcohol to deal with some of the
societal problems that it contributes to is sensible.
But imposing tax increases so exorbitant that they
almost certainly would harm an industry that has
brought economic benefi ts to rural parts of Oregon,
including Baker County, as well as its urban centers,
isn’t justifi ed.
Passing House Bill 3296 would be a Pyrric victory
given that it almost certainly would doom some busi-
nesses. Breweries that don’t brew and wineries that
stop fermenting grapes don’t pay alcohol taxes.
House Bill 3296 can provoke a discussion in the
Legislature about beer and wine taxes and the state’s
role in dealing with alcohol addiction and its associ-
ated problems.
But it doesn’t deserve to become a law.
— Jayson Jacoby, Baker City Herald editor
CONTACT YOUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS
President Joe Biden: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania
Ave., Washington, D.C. 20500; 202-456-1111; to send comments,
go to www.whitehouse.gov.
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.
State Sen. Lynn Findley (R-Ontario): Salem offi ce: 900
Court St. N.E., S-403, Salem, OR 97301; 503-986-1730. Email: Sen.
LynnFindley@oregonlegislature.gov
State Rep. Mark Owens (R-Crane): Salem offi ce: 900 Court
St. N.E., H-475, Salem, OR 97301; 503-986-1460. Email: Rep.
MarkOwens@oregonlegislature.gov
Your views
Cooperation between Baker
brewers is enlightening
In the face of what might be termed
a national cultural divide, I found it
most inspiring to read a story about
enlightened cooperation here at home
(“Bullish on the Beer Business in
Baker,” Baker City Herald, Feb. 23).
According to your article, when
Kevin Multop opens his brewery and
tap house in Baker City this year, he
will be offering us a craft beer product
he loves in a city he loves.
But, at the same time, his North
Seven Brewing will be placed in what
might appear to be direct competition
with our outstanding Barley Brown’s
Tap House. Will there be still more
division?
Not at all. Instead, Tyler Brown has
been “...very gracious and inviting,” ac-
cording to Multop. “He’s been awesome,
he and his team.”
Brown said he “ ... welcomed Multop,
and offered to help him in any way pos-
sible.” And, “I look forward to having
Kevin as another alternative in town.
It’s one more reason for people to stop
in Baker and spend some time.”
I’d say we’re lucky to be given the
lofty perspective of people following
their dreams with a mutually support-
ive attitude for the betterment of all.
To me, this is a win-win vision well
worth taking to heart and spreading
around.
Marshall McComb
Baker City
Baker City should have equal
say in spending lodging taxes
I am pleased that County Commis-
sioners voted unanimously to extend
the Baker County Chamber of Com-
merce and Visitors Bureau’s opera-
tional contract through August, during
the Commission’s Wednesday, March
3rd meeting. This is a positive action,
and keeping the Chamber — which
is funded with Transient Lodging Tax
(TLT) money — where it is, with Shelly
Cutler fi rmly at the helm, is good
management. Cutler has done a great
job, and will continue to serve the com-
munity and visitors well.
Having said that, there are numer-
ous issues with the processes associ-
ated with contract Request for Propos-
als (RFPs), TLT administration, and
committee and board member confl icts
of interests and actions. These require
continuous monitoring, review, and
changes where necessary, as past and
recent events have clearly proven.
Any contract for another entity to
take over Chamber operations that in-
volves potential or realized legal or eth-
ical issues, as well as business confl icts
of interest — one of the issues brought
to light recently — should not be
considered or approved. Cutler voiced
concerns about the future of the Cham-
ber, because she had valid reasons to do
so. The Chamber and Visitors Bureau
needs to remain in its highly visible
and accessible location, with live people
operating it — something you cannot
Letters to the editor
• We welcome letters on any issue of
public interest. Customer complaints
about specifi c businesses will not be
printed.
replace with a machine.
Administration of TLT funds has
caused a major debate recently. At the
very least, the City should have an
equal say in TLT funds administration,
since about three-quarters of the tax
money is collected from guests who
pay that extra fee to city lodging busi-
nesses. To allow the County full control
of TLT fund administration was, and
is poor management — similar to a
minor shareholder taking over control
of a whole company, which makes little
sense. The City/County board that
County Commissioners have proposed
during the March 3rd meeting to pro-
vide oversight to TLT administration
and other concerns is one small step in
the process.
Todd Arriola
Baker City
friends and family in other states to
inform them. Call your senators today
asking them to vote No on the Equality
Act. In Oregon: Senator Wyden 202-
224-5244; Senator Merkley 202-224-
3753. You can also call the U.S. Capitol
switchboard (202) 224-3121, and be
connected with any Senate offi ce.
Please let the White House know your
strong opposition to this bill. https://
www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ The
White House phone number; 202-456-
1111.
John and Susie Busch
Baker City
River Democracy Act could
close access to vital minerals
The Equality Act, just passed by the
U.S. House of Representatives and now
headed to the Senate is far from equal!
It is especially unequal for women
and girls. Boys would be allowed in
girls’ sports, in girls’ locker rooms,
men in women’s shelters, and men in
women’s prisons.
It would force teachers and students
to publicly pretend that a biologi-
cal male is a female. Schools will be
coerced to instruct children to indi-
vidually choose to be a boy or a girl, or
neither, or both, making biological sex
(and science) a relic of the past.
Businesses, ministries and organiza-
tions would be forced to hire people
who have no passion for the business,
beliefs, teachings or mission.
Health professionals, doctors and
counselors would be forced to engage in
gender transition treatments such as
hormone-blocking, cross-sex hormones,
or surgery. Catholic and other faith-
based hospitals would have to do the
same. In many cases taxpayers would
be held accountable for the associated
costs.
It would be a government tool to
deny or threaten accreditation to any
college or university that does not
satisfy the demands as applied to
sexual orientation and gender identity
in dorms, sports, places of privacy, and
even teachings and could threaten the
availability of federal student loans and
grants at certain disfavored schools.
People could be fi ned or lose their
jobs for using the wrong names or pro-
nouns and empower the government to
interfere with how regular Americans
think, speak, act at home, at school, at
work and at play. Any bill promoting
such authoritarianism is a danger to
our nation and our basic freedoms as
contained in the Bill of Rights.
The impact of this legislation is
immense. We must not remain silent
and accept what we know is wrong —
especially when we have the power to
do something about it!
The Equality Act will come up for
a vote in the U.S. Senate soon. Call
These are my comments and warn-
ings on Senators Wyden and Merkley’s
SB 192, the River Democracy Act,
under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
About 40 years ago the Oregon
Department of Geology discovered rare
earth elements in the Columbia River
basalts. The Columbia River basalts
takes in a large portion of Oregon east
of the Cascades Mountains clear into
Idaho.
What are rare earths (REES)?
Almost everyone has a smartphone.
Ask Google, it will tell you there are
17 naturally occurring REES. These
are broken down into heavy and lights,
and it will tell you what they are used
for, all the way from our F-35 fi ghter
planes to your smartphone, windmills,
cars, etc.
Ever since 2010 when Japan seized
one of China’s fi shing boats, China
closed all shipments of REES to Japan.
We miners in the Blue Mountains of
Oregon got curious, so we started hav-
ing some assays done which we have
several reports on our tailings (metal
that is left after the gold is taken out),
and we found REES oxides in all 17
REES in paying quantities, but to
our disappointment we found there is
not one single processing mill in the
U.S. That is why we have to rely on
China for almost 100% of our REES. I
understand there are going to be some
processing mills coming on line in
the near future, that we can send our
concentrates to.
Now under the River Democracy Act,
there will be 4,700 miles of waterways
that are qualifi ed with a one-half-mile
closed on each side of the river. Now a
lot of those acres are in the gold belt of
the Blue Mountains in Eastern Oregon.
Now Senators Wyden and Merkley
knew of these REES, or should have
known before SB 192 as a national
survey was done in 2018 of critical
minerals in conjunction with the USGS
(executive order 13817 and secretarial
order S03359).
Now if Wyden and Merkley are so set
on closing these river corridors off, and
we rely on almost 100% of our REES
coming from China, I would say that
they are close to committing a treason-
ous act.
Ed Hardt
Baker City
• The Baker City Herald will not
knowingly print false or misleading
claims. However, we cannot verify the
accuracy of all statements in letters to
the editor.
• Letters will be edited for brevity,
grammar, taste and legal reasons.
Mail: To the Editor, Baker City Herald,
P.O. Box 807, Baker City, OR 97814
Email: news@bakercityherald.com
The Equality Act, passed by
the House, is far from equal