A4 BAKER CITY HERALD • SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2022
BAKER CITY
Opinion
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Baker City, Oregon
EDITORIAL
Curbing car-
animal collisions
M
ost people who have spent much
time driving Oregon’s highways
have felt that twinge of fear when
they see a deer or elk standing on the road’s
fringe.
And some have felt something more tan-
gible.
Th e unpleasant crunch when metal or
plastic collides with fl esh and bone.
Th ese episodes are costly in multiple ways.
Th e animals rarely survive. Occasionally,
the driver doesn’t either.
And according to a recent report, the aver-
age cost, including repairs, when a car hits a
mule deer is $9,086.
Th ese incidents aren’t exactly rare, either.
Th e Oregon Department of Transportation
recorded almost 31,000 collisions between
vehicles and wildlife (deer being the most
frequent species) from 2017 to 2021.
Reducing that toll is the goal of a coalition
that includes hunters, anglers, Tribal rep-
resentatives and members of conservation
groups. Th ey are promoting a bill in the Ore-
gon Legislature that would allocate $7 million
to build fences, underpasses and other struc-
tures that have been proven, in Oregon and
elsewhere, to cut the number of collisions.
Th e bill introduced by Rep. Ken Helm,
a Democrat from Washington County, has
attracted bipartisan sponsorship, including
from Reps. Mark Owens, R-Crane, and
Bobby Levy, R-Echo. Th e Legislature should
pass the bill — House Bill 4130-01 — before
concluding the short 2022 session next month.
Although the $7 million would help the
state start addressing sections of highways
where collisions are more common — in-
cluding Interstate 84 near Meacham, which
is along a popular elk migration route — the
legislation might be more valuable as a lever-
age for federal dollars.
Th e federal infrastructure bill, passed by
Congress in November, includes $350 mil-
lion in competitive grants over fi ve years to
address car-wildlife collisions.
Proponents note that despite the proven
benefi ts of fencing and underpasses — struc-
tures installed in 2012 along U.S. Highway 97
near Bend cut collisions by 86% over seven
years — Oregon has only about fi ve such
structures, compared with 50 in Utah and
more than 30 in Washington.
Passing Helm’s bill would be a substantive
start to putting Oregon on the road toward
addressing this recurring problem.
— Jayson Jacoby, Baker City Herald editor
YOUR VIEWS
Many reasons why we support River
Democracy Act
was but 2 miles, as printed in the February
2, 2022, Baker City Herald.
We need long-range thinking to protect
Like many of our Northeast Oregon
the natural systems on which all life de-
friends and neighbors, we support the
pends. Two years ago local citizens, busi-
River Democracy Act proposed by Senators nesses, and organizations answered the
Wyden and Merkley. We offer here a few of call for nominations, did their homework,
our reasons:
and made their recommendations, since
Meaningful action addressing life-threat- reduced to protecting just 4% of Oregon’s
ening climate change is overdue. Our wa-
waterways. The River Democracy Act rep-
terways pay a heavy price for our drive to
resents local knowledge and expertise in
squeeze every last penny from natural re-
managing local resources for a sustain-
sources. Centuries of destructive practices able future.
have damaged every ecosystem on earth
Thank you, Senator. Now is the time to
and threaten planetary life itself.
pass the bill. Our kids, grandkids, and fu-
Our full speed ahead enterprise de-
ture generations will thank you, too.
stroys plant and animal species at mass
Mike Higgins
extinction rates, canceling them from our
Mike Beaty
intricate web of life. In light of climate
Halfway
change and biodiversity collapse, destruc-
tive “business as usual” practices are worse Radical ideas neither needed, nor
than senseless. We know better. Passing
wanted here
the River Democracy Act is a modest, yet
important, step towards protecting and re-
In regards to Mr. Dielman’s letter on
storing our natural world.
Feb. 15 in the Baker City Herald, I want
The River Democracy Act does not “lock to say thank you for what you have shared
up” our public lands. They remain as acces- about the people who are calling them-
sible as ever. Wild and Scenic designation
selves Baker Co. United. I am especially
allows restoration of these waterways and
glad you shared the email you received
protects them from future degradation.
from Jake Brown as it is pretty self explain-
Senator Wyden and his staff have carefully ing of some of the radical thoughts of that
listened to stakeholders and specifically ad- member at least.
I have gone onto the Baker County
dressed their concerns in the bill.
Maps abound: A statewide map depicting United website and read and listened to
all of the proposed stream reaches is found speeches by members of the “Constitu-
at tinyurl.com/rdamap. The River Democ- tional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Posse”
which is the organization Baker County
racy Act itself forms an atlas, its stream
names and geographic details easily found United group wants our county to be a part
on any map or GPS device. Acquiring our- of. Here is a list of things I heard or read on
selves a detailed map of Killamacue Creek, their website that I find disturbing.
1. Get rid of election fraud.
we find its reach length is indeed 4 miles,
2. Get rid of Wall Street “we can take it
contrary to a public official’s complaint it
over with guns with fixed bayonets.”
3. Get rid of satanic pedophiles in the
government.
4. Sheriffs can take over America one
county and one state at a time.
5. Get rid of the federal government.
6. Rebel against any government man-
dates.
7. Abolish the IRS.
Anyone with use of a computer can go
to their website and see or hear what I
have listed.
I would also refer and remind people of
Mark Bogart’s letter to the editor on Jan.
20 which really explains the U.S. Constitu-
tion and why Baker County United’s radical
ideas are not needed and for the most part
are not wanted in Baker County.
Cheryl Craig
Haines
Customer gratified by employee’s
returning of wallet
On the evening of February 16, I was
in Papa Murphy’s when unknowingly, I
dropped my wallet. At about 8:45 p.m.,
our doorbell rang and it was Jesse Mal-
donado, an employee and senior at Baker
High School, who delivered it to my
house! This is especially noteworthy since
I live about 12 miles from town. I’ve al-
ways appreciated the fact that Papa Mur-
phy’s provides employment opportunities
for many high school students. In an era
when it seems we hear so much negativity,
it is refreshing when we encounter young
people like Jesse with such a high level of
integrity, strong work ethic, and profes-
sionalism. Thank you!
Gina Perkins
Baker County
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. office: 313 Hart Senate Office
Building, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-
3753; fax 202-228-3997. Portland office: One World Trade
Center, 121 S.W. Salmon St. Suite 1250, Portland, OR 97204;
503-326-3386; fax 503-326-2900. Baker City office, 1705
Main St., Suite 504, 541-278-1129; merkley.senate.gov.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden: D.C. office: 221 Dirksen Senate
Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-5244;
fax 202-228-2717. La Grande office: 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. office: 1239
Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C.,
20515, 202-225-6730; fax 202-225-5774. Medford office:
14 N. Central Avenue Suite 112, Medford, OR 97850;
Phone: 541-776-4646; fax: 541-779-0204; Ontario office:
2430 S.W. Fourth Ave., No. 2, Ontario, OR 97914; Phone:
541-709-2040. bentz.house.gov.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown: 254 State Capitol, Salem, OR
97310; 503-378-3111; www.governor.oregon.gov.
Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read: oregon.treasurer@
ost.state.or.us; 350 Winter St. NE, Suite 100, Salem OR
97301-3896; 503-378-4000.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen F. Rosenblum: Justice
Building, Salem, OR 97301-4096; 503-378-4400.
Oregon Legislature: Legislative documents and
information are available online at www.leg.state.or.us.
COLUMN
Fearing for the future of childhood vaccination
V
accines have been much in the
news the past couple years but
I fear this ubiquitous publicity
bodes ill for the future of vaccination,
the monumental medical achievement
that has spared so many children from
illness and death over the past century.
COVID-19 vaccines, of course, have
dominated headlines since the spring
of 2020.
And since last summer the fo-
cus has widened to include not just
COVID-19 vaccines, but also man-
dates, some imposed by government
and some by private businesses, that
certain people be inoculated.
But my concern is for vaccines in
general.
I worry that the debate over
COVID-19 vaccines and mandates,
a debate driven largely by political
beliefs rather than by scientific real-
ity, will spread more widely and af-
fect the other vital inoculations that
have largely been insulated from anti-
science hysteria.
Specifically, I’m troubled by the
prospect that the frequently hyper-
bolic societal conversation during the
pandemic might erode, even slightly,
our well-found confidence in the ef-
fectiveness and safety of the vaccines
that protect most of us from dis-
eases which once sickened so many
children and killed, or permanently
harmed, some of them.
This would be an irrational reaction,
to be sure.
But rationality has been a conspic-
uous victim during our 2-year ordeal
since COVID-19 arrived.
A bill introduced in the Wisconsin
legislature would prohibit schools and
universities from excluding students
due to their vaccination status — and
it’s not limited to COVID-19 vaccines.
Although the bill wouldn’t repeal
existing laws in that state requiring
students to be vaccinated for diseases
such as polio, measles and mumps,
it’s not clear how the bill, if it becomes
law, would conflict with those exist-
ing vaccine requirements.
A bill in Georgia would ban the
state from requiring proof of vaccina-
tion “as a condition of providing any
service or access to any facility.”
Its sponsors say the bill isn’t de-
signed to curtail vaccine require-
ments for students, but it seems likely
that if the bill became law, some peo-
ple, for whom the combination of
“vaccine” and “mandate” has become
symbolic of tyranny, would claim that
it applies to schools.
In one sense, I’m not surprised that
there is considerable opposition to
COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Many of the people subject to these
mandates — in Oregon that includes
health care workers and school staff —
are relatively young and healthy people
Jayson
Jacoby
for whom COVID-19 does not pose a
grave risk.
Moreover, COVID-19 vaccines have
not accomplished what we’ve come to
expect from vaccines — which is to
all but eradicate the disease for which
they were created.
During both the delta variant surge
last summer, and even more so with
this winter’s omicron wave, which is
rapidly receding, the virus has infected
quite a lot of vaccinated people.
But it hasn’t killed nearly as many.
In Oregon, breakthrough infec-
tions have accounted for fewer than
30% of COVID-19-related deaths in
every month (the highest rate, 29.6%,
was in January 2022; rates for other
months, dating to the onset of the
delta variant in June 2021, range from
12.9% to 27.3%).
The facts are beyond dispute —
people who are vaccinated are con-
siderably less likely to die, or even
require treatment in a hospital, due
to COVID-19 than people who ar-
en’t vaccinated.
Unfortunately, some people cite
breakthrough infection rates as proof
that the vaccines don’t work.
This is plain wrong.
Unless you happen to believe that
living is not preferable to dying or
spending a few weeks with machines
breathing for you.
There are multiple reasons why
COVID-19 vaccines haven’t prevented
infection — as distinct from severe
illness and death — nearly as well as
most of the other inoculations that are
widely given. Most of those reasons in-
volve complex matters of virology and
immunology that neither I, nor almost
everyone else who comments on the
subject, understands well.
But none of those reasons can even
begin to refute the indisputable, and
overwhelmingly positive, effect that
childhood vaccinations have had
against a host of other diseases.
And all those lives have been
saved in part because those inocula-
tions, despite overly lenient exemp-
tions for students in many states, in-
cluding Oregon, are administered to
the vast majority of children.
Yet despite the glaring difference
between our experience thus far with
COVID-19 vaccines, and the miracu-
lous benefits that childhood vaccina-
tion has conveyed on our country, it
seems to me that no small number of
people are eager to conflate the two.
The legislation in Wisconsin and
Georgia is an example of this mis-
guided movement, one that would
be easy to dismiss as the product of
sloppy thinking and mindless politi-
cal allegiances if it weren’t so poten-
tially pernicious.
As we’ve seen over the past dozen
or so years with regional outbreaks
of measles and whooping cough, ep-
isodes largely confined to enclaves
of people who eschew vaccines, the
nearly complete protection afforded
by childhood vaccination can be
eroded when a relatively minuscule
number of people subscribe to fan-
tasy rather than reality.
This is a terrible trend regardless
of its cause.
But it seems to me especially in-
sidious if the long list of vaccines
available to us, which have been
largely apolitical (and appropriately,
since their benefits accrue equally
across the partisan spectrum) were
to become collateral damage in the
battle over COVID-19 vaccines.
Like all cases of guilt by association,
this one is inherently unfair. Vaccines
that have transformed debilitating
and sometimes deadly infections such
as polio, measles and diphtheria into
historical artifacts rather than acute
health threats ought never to be com-
pared with COVID-19 vaccines, which
like every aspect of the pandemic have
been a tool of cynical propagandists.
Jayson Jacoby is editor of the
Baker City Herald.