A4 BAKER CITY HERALD • TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2022
Opinion
BAKER CITY
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news@bakercityherald.com
Baker City, Oregon
EDITORIAL
Pump your
own idea
out of gas
C
alifornia may have its Silicon Valley
and Hollywood. Ohio gets all those
new high-paying computer chip man-
ufacturing jobs for Intel. Washington state
may have no income tax. But here in Oregon
we don’t have to pump our own gas.
Those aren’t fair comparisons. We are not
of a mind to be fair, hearing that once again
a bill to let Oregonians pump their own gas
is dead.
We get it if you don’t want to pump your
own. Most of us do these days in Baker
County and other rural counties with smaller
populations. If you appreciate the bond Or-
egon has with the only other no self-service
state, New Jersey, so be it. If you worry about
people who would find pumping their own
difficult, if you worry about safety, if you
want another opportunity for jobs in Oregon,
those are all real concerns.
But remember the bill as it was written,
House Bill 4151, would not have removed
the requirement to have attendants ready to
pump gas. It would have made it optional for
people who want to pump their own gas.
Is that so bad? We don’t think so.
The undoing of HB 4151 was the need for
some $543,000 for the Oregon Fire Marshal
to regulate consumer pumping. Time became
too short to come up with that in this session.
We think the fire marshal may need even
more money, if we understand the concerns.
The worries about people pumping their own
transfer to people plugging in their own elec-
tric cars, right? Especially those higher volt-
age charging ports.
In the 2023 Legislature shouldn’t there be a
bill to require Oregonians to be assisted with
a paid professional when plugging in their
electric vehicles?
We can’t claim it as our idea. It would,
though, create jobs. It would be very help-
ful for whom such effort can be difficult. It
would be safer. And just because Oregon
would be the only state to make this require-
ment, shouldn’t be a reason to stop us. Maybe
New Jersey would join in.
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the
Baker City Herald. Columns, letters and
cartoons on this page express the opinions of
the authors and not necessarily that of the
Baker City Herald.
YOUR VIEWS
We have an obligation to come to the save Ukraine, say “enough is enough” and Homeless problem rolls down our
do what we must do to help them? Just last street ... to stay
aid of Ukraine
Editor’s note: The writer’s late husband was
a Ukrainian immigrant.
“To whom much is given, much is ex-
pected.” Luke: 12:48
We here in the United States have been
richly blessed for centuries now; at least
most of us have. Exceptions can be noted.
As such, it is reasonable to conclude that
we owe the world a lot. The freedoms that
were nurtured and rooted here on our soil
have taken seed across the globe and be-
come the yardstick for successful democ-
racies already established and some still
struggling throughout the “civilized” world.
Our duty to promote and protect other
like nations goes without saying. It is not
for us to just take ours and ignore the rest.
We must now pay it forward in every con-
ceivable way. Ukraine is just such an ex-
ample.
We have watched in horror over the last
two weeks as brave Ukrainians stood tall
and strong against the great bear of Rus-
sia. They have given the world a refresher
course in what it means to truly be patri-
otic; to love one’s country; to rise to the
challenge, to be brave, to live with honor, to
take up arms against their invaders, and so
far, they have proven to be a united force to
contend with.
This country, America, as well as our
NATO allies have proceeded with extreme
caution with our as yet limited aid to this
peaceful country of Ukraine for fear of Pu-
tin’s threats to spark WWIII, a nuclear war
that no one would win. Putin will find a
way to escalate no matter what the rest of
the world does. You can believe that.
Ukraine has not only pleaded with
western powers for more help and sup-
port against this Goliath, but have proven
themselves over and over again to be wor-
thy of NATO support by virtue of their
shared ideals and steadfast resistance to
Putin’s evils. How much more must they
take before our country, the only dem-
ocratic country on the planet capable of
delivering the lifesaving support that will
week, Biden announced another sanction;
this time against all imports of Russian oil,
gas and coal.
These sanctions are causing the Rus-
sian people some real pain and it will get
worse over time. But sanctions alone are
not enough. Zelenskyy has asked over and
over and over again for planes and other air
support so that they at least have an equal
chance in the air. I, for one say, to hell with
what Putin says, let’s go kick some a__! We
cannot prevent a nuclear war by kowtow-
ing to this monster! He has shown that al-
ready. Let’s get ’er done!
Whether or not we want to admit this,
WWIII has already started. It started the
first day that Russia shot a missile into
Ukraine. Our total involvement in this sav-
age attack is not a matter of “if,” it is a mat-
ter of “when.”
I remember the stories my parents and
grandparents told of surviving WWII and
even WWI right here in America. The food
stamps; the gas rationing, the metal recy-
cling; Rosie the riveter; the draft! I know
they never wanted their children or grand-
children to ever have to go through what
they went through. But you know what?
Here we are. It’s coming just as sure as the
sun will rise in the east. We will be in this
up to our eyeballs.
It is my sincerest hope and prayer that
we really don’t get into another world war,
but the handwriting is on the wall. This is
not a time to be burying our heads in the
sand and pretend like it’s not our prob-
lem. As the strongest military force in the
free world, we are obliged by that gift to
pay it forward to the millions of refugees,
the volunteer soldiers, those everyday de-
cent folks fighting for their very homes and
step up to the plate and go all-in to defend
Ukraine in their hour of need. They are not
just fighting for Ukraine, but are fighting
for democracy everywhere. If they lose, we
all lose. Most assuredly, Putin will not stop
at Ukraine.
Cindy Birko
Baker City
Outside of our home it sits. Docked on our
street like some broken-down ship from a
Mel Brook’s space farce. A giant old RV with
a tarp flapping over it. We no longer see the
sunrise. It has been blocked by the Meth Star.
The Meth Star rolled in one night un-
der the cover of darkness, its sudden arrival
marked only by a low growl from our dog.
We watched it for a while competing with
the morning sun, growing more concerned,
convinced that the RV had inhabitants.
Then the screaming began ...
So following a brief debate, we called dis-
patch and reported the intergalactic-sized
vehicle. Thinking no big deal, this isn’t
Portland, the police will give these guys a
nudge and they’ll move on within 72 hours.
Right? Wrong!
Because what our friendly code enforce-
ment officer told me was not at all what I,
or you, might expect. I was told there was
nothing legally that could be done about the
Meth Star — because people are living in it.
Sorry, our hands are tied — the homeless
now trump the homeowner!
So we contacted our town council and
two members were kind enough to respond
and let us know that the police chief is cur-
rently working on a plan to address the
homeless problem and give law enforcement
a bit more control. Yet it has been over a
month now and the wait for something to
get codified continues ...
So this is why I am writing to all of you.
We don’t have lots of money — so yeah, we
bought a house that may not be in the nicest
part of town. But we pay our taxes (quite a
bit of taxes actually). Yet our only return on
our tax dollars seems to be having to scoop a
human poop out of our driveway!
Laugh or cringe if you want, but if you live
in Baker, it may behoove you to contact your
local town council and try to get to the bot-
tom of what is being done and when? Oth-
erwise, the Meth Star 2 will be coming soon
to a curb near you!
E. Kelley
Baker City
OTHER VIEWS
How about a gas and groceries tax rebate?
Editorial from The Los Angeles
Times:
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s
promise of a gas tax rebate during
his State of the State speech Tuesday
night seems intended to show voters
ahead of midterm elections that he
and other Democratic lawmakers are
doing something to help Californians
with rising prices at the pump.
But why focus solely on gas prices
and help for motorists? Price hikes
are making practically everything
more expensive, from a gallon of gas-
oline to a gallon of milk, and people
clearly need relief from that financial
strain. Newsom’s administration has
provided few details beyond his plan
to submit a proposal to “put money
back in the pockets of Californians,
to address rising gas prices.” How-
ever, some of the specifics his aides
shared are concerning.
Dee Dee Myers, Newsom’s se-
nior adviser, told reporters the re-
bate would probably total billions of
dollars, occur as soon as this spring
and be limited to people who have
a car. That carless residents may be
excluded is worrisome and raises
serious questions about equity for
low-income families that are among
those hurting the most from infla-
tion.
Prices in the Los Angeles area rose
7.5% between January 2021 and Jan-
uary 2022, the largest increase since
1982. Gas prices jumped nearly 40%
over that period, but the cost of gro-
ceries, child care, clothing, natural
gas and electricity all shot up dra-
matically too. The problem isn’t just
at the gas pump; it’s everywhere you
look, including the grocery store,
your utility bill and shopping for a
used car.
A tax rebate is a good idea, but
must be applied broadly so that it
helps all Californians who are strug-
gling. Call it the gas and groceries re-
bate, and everyone should be able to
get behind it.
Newsom has already proposed sus-
pending a scheduled increase in the
state’s gas tax — a bad idea that will
save motorists only a few cents a gal-
lon at the pump but cost half a billion
dollars in transportation funding. His
framing of this new proposed rebate
around spiking gas prices is, like that
proposal, a political calculation.
State Senate President Pro Tem
Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and As-
sembly Speaker Anthony Rendon
(D-Lakewood) said in a joint state-
ment that the Legislature would “seek
tax relief from the General Fund” to
avoid taking funding for roads and
schools, rather than focusing on a
“small cut to the gas tax that might
not get passed on to consumers.”
California has such a massive bud-
get surplus that under the state’s con-
stitutional limit on spending, known
as the Gann limit, a tax rebate may be
required anyway. Last year the state
worked around that restriction by
sending millions of stimulus checks
to Californians with annual incomes
of $75,000 or less to help them cope
with the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s understandable that Newsom
and other politicians, including those
in swing districts where rising gas
prices are a political liability, want
something concrete to point to and
spin to their political advantage. But
that should not skew their priorities
or distract from the need to extend
relief to all Californians who need it.
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.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown: 254 State Capitol, Salem, OR 97310; 503-378-3111; www.
governor.oregon.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.
Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read: oregon.treasurer@ost.state.or.us; 350 Winter
St. NE, Suite 100, Salem OR 97301-3896; 503-378-4000.
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.
Oregon Legislature: Legislative documents and information are available online at
www.leg.state.or.us.
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 Attorney General Ellen F. Rosenblum: Justice Building, Salem, OR 97301-
4096; 503-378-4400.
State Sen. Lynn Findley (R-Ontario): Salem office: 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 office: 900 Court St. N.E., H-475, Salem,
OR 97301; 503-986-1460. Email: Rep.MarkOwens@oregonlegislature.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 Jason Spriet, Kerry McQuisten, Shane Alderson,
Joanna Dixon, Johnny Waggoner Sr. and Dean Guyer.
Baker City administration: 541-523-6541. Jonathan Cannon, city manager; Ty
Duby, police chief; Sean Lee, fire chief; Michelle Owen, public works director.
Baker County Commission: Baker County Courthouse 1995 3rd St., Baker City, OR
97814; 541-523-8200. Meets the first 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 Durflinger, county treasurer; Stefanie
Kirby, county clerk; Kerry Savage, county assessor.
Baker School District: 2090 4th Street, Baker City, OR 97814; 541-524-2260; fax 541-
524-2564. Superintendent: Mark Witty. Board meets the third Tuesday of the month
at 6 p.m. Council Chambers, Baker City Hall,1655 First St.; Chris Hawkins, Andrew
Bryan, Travis Cook, Jessica Dougherty, Julie Huntington.