A4 BAKER CITY HERALD • TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2022
Opinion
BAKER CITY
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Baker City, Oregon
EDITORIAL
Taking a step to
curb poaching
T
he news the Oregon Department of Justice
hired a special prosecutor to crack down on
poachers did not roll across social media
or the news wires with a snap, but it is a move that
most hunters should, and do, applaud.
The new slot appears to have been created in re-
sponse to a surge in unsolved illegal killing of deer
and elk.
Jay Hall was hired recently by the justice depart-
ment to be the new assistant attorney general fo-
cused on enforcing anti-poaching laws.
Finding a way to stop poaching was also a prior-
ity, in the past, for lawmakers as the Oregon Legisla-
ture approved money to boost the effort in 2019.
The move to hire a special prosecutor to focus on
anti-poaching initiatives is a good idea. The more
that can be done in this regard, the better.
Poaching is a terrible crime that damages one
of the region’s great attributes. For most law abid-
ing and sensible hunters, poaching is a crime that
wouldn’t even enter into their thinking. Those who
cherish our region’s attributes — including the abil-
ity to go out each season and hunt game — know
that poaching hurts many while helping very few.
Our ability to hunt each year is one of those sac-
rosanct features many of us enjoy yearly and when
someone poaches an animal — whether its deer
or elk — it impacts every one of us who hand over
cash to get a tag.
Legal hunting is one of those intangible elements
to our area that make it such a great place to live,
work and play. When someone breaks the law and
kills game out of season illegally, the entire commu-
nity suffers.
There is no doubt that poaching will be a part of
our western landscape, regardless of how senseless
it is. However, a move like the Department of Jus-
tice to create a position that will put a spotlight on
the crime is good news. The more emphasis we can
put on stopping the crime of poaching, the better
off our unique way of life will be.
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.
OTHER VIEWS
Vaccine makers deserve the profits
Editorial from The Chicago Tribune:
As people abandon masks and gather
in bigger groups, it’s important to re-
member that COVID-19 is still with
us. A new form of the omicron variant
called BA.2 is causing another surge,
though on a much smaller scale than
previous variants. BA.2 is spreading so
fast that it’s expected to be the dominant
form of the disease in Chicago by the end
of this month.
Fortunately, most Americans have
ready access to vaccines that prevent the
worst symptoms. These amazing phar-
maceutical products, created in an in-
credibly short time, have saved millions
of lives worldwide and enabled the coun-
try to get back to business.
If you haven’t yet gotten fully immu-
nized, do so. Now. Stop making excuses,
including the latest one we’ve heard
about how Big Pharma is raking in too
much money.
Considering the companies’ finan-
cial incentives, the theory goes, no one
should trust them. When they say their
vaccines are safe for babies and toddlers,
or that a fourth shot may be needed for
full protection, well, that’s just to put
money in their pockets, right?
Here’s a news flash: It’s OK for people
who market blockbuster new products to
make a lot of money. In fact, it’s crucial,
so those people and their competitors
will keep it up. And that’s why everyone
should be celebrating now that vaccines
have become profitable again, after many
years in the commercial wilderness.
In the 2000s and before, no one was
making money off vaccines — not re-
searchers or manufacturers, or pediatri-
cians giving shots.
Then, as now, the research, develop-
ment, testing and manufacture of vaccines
cost big bucks, and the market was much
smaller than for other pharmaceuticals.
The result was under-investment and high
production costs that led to shortages. As
the number of companies making vaccines
dwindled, federal health organizations
pushed for the government to ensure sup-
plies by taking over production.
Fortunately, the market turned around.
Demand soared in developing countries,
thanks to the World Health Organization,
the Gavi public-private vaccine partner-
ship and other groups devoted to vaccinat-
ing the poor. On the business side, some
new or updated vaccines started making
good money for their companies, such as
Merck’s Gardasil for human papillomavi-
rus.
It’s difficult to calculate profit margins,
as research costs aren’t typically made pub-
lic, but this much is clear: Vaccines are
some of the most cost-effective medical in-
terventions ever.
Fully immunizing a baby saves at least
$10 for every dollar spent, a study pub-
lished in the journal Pediatrics shows, and
another study of vaccination in the U.S.
between 1994 and 2013 estimates a net
savings of almost $300 billion in direct
costs and more than a trillion in societal
costs. That was before COVID-19 exposed
our acute vulnerability to invisible bugs.
We don’t know how much Pfizer, Mod-
erna and BioNTech have saved the world
so far, but the amount surely eclipses their
profits. Yes, these companies have made
tens of billions from their COVID vac-
cines — while at the same time heading off
premature deaths and getting the global
economy moving again.
These same companies should be doing
more to distribute their vaccines in poor
and middle-income countries. Inequality
in vaccine access is making it more dif-
ficult to end the pandemic. Still, a recent
push to increase supply by seizing their
technology and giving it away to local
manufacturers is terribly shortsighted, as it
would deter investment in vaccine devel-
opment at a time of tremendous progress.
The potential exists for new vaccines
that not only prevent diseases but cure
them. Consider the impact if it became
relatively easy to shrink tumors, eliminate
allergies and end addictions, or to stamp
out long-lasting, stubborn infections like
malaria and HIV. Research into new meth-
ods of delivery could make it possible for
many vaccines to be administered all at
once, with no needles required.
Northwestern University recently
announced a new study of nanoparti-
cle-based vaccines that appear to work
more efficiently than traditional formu-
lations. And National Geographic has
been shining a spotlight on “contagious”
vaccines that self-spread among wildlife,
curbing scourges such as rabies and Ebola.
It’s a controversial idea, for sure, but the
research could head off the next pandemic
by stopping animal viruses from jumping
to humans, as the coronavirus is thought
by many to have done.
Vaccines, finally, are on a roll. Let’s make
sure we keep the incentives in place to
bring about future breakthroughs.
COLUMN
Ag overtime bill is a win, not a victory
Before even the first gavel dropped
on the 2022 legislative session, I knew
that one of the most consequential
bills of my legislative career would be
considered.
HB 4002, or the agriculture over-
time bill, was a divisive bill from the
start and presented the Oregon Leg-
islature with two options. One that
would favor one side to the detriment
of the rest of Oregon, especially the
agricultural economy. This is what I
called a win — a win for a select few
at the cost of the rest of us. The other
path included compromise, good-
faith negotiation and a bill that would
generate support from both parties.
This is what I called a victory — a
victory for all of Oregon.
I worked hard to get a victory, not
just a win on agriculture overtime.
But the final result was a win — a win
for Willamette Valley liberal special
interests who donate money to the
majority Democrat’s campaign funds.
It will make these groups feel good
about themselves, but it won’t make
Oregonians better off. HB 4002 will
result in higher prices at the grocery
store for working families, hours and
pay capped for agricultural workers,
and ultimately the shuttering of small
family farms that fill my district.
Agriculture is a unique industry.
During harvest seasons, it requires
long hours to reap all the crops be-
fore frost or rains come. In ranching,
there is even more nuance.
The bottom line is that farmers and
ranchers don’t set their own prices,
they have to take whatever price the
markets are offering. The Demo-
crats advanced an argument about ag
overtime that essentially stated that
Sen. Bill
Hansell
a bushel of wheat harvested in the
41st hour is worth 50% more than
one harvested at the 5th hour. Any-
one who has grown up around farms
knows that that is not true. And re-
quiring farmers to pay their workers
as such will soon result in a dwin-
dling number of family farms to even
employ these workers.
HB 4002 leveled all these unique
distinctions in agriculture and man-
dated a one-size-fits-all “solution”
that is really no solution at all. The
“olive branches” that Democrats ex-
tended, the agricultural community
never asked for. One example: Under
this new overtime pay mandate, fam-
ily farms will now be able to apply
for tax credits to ease the burden of
the new overtime pay mandate. Now
taxpayers will be subsidizing this
new program. Farmers and ranchers
never asked for that, but the majority
decided that is what would be best
for them.
I worked hard to come to a com-
promise. Simple adjustments for
seasonality, flexible scheduling, and
recognizing the difference between
the kinds of agriculture would have
helped. But the majority party re-
jected all these and charged ahead
with what seemed to be a predeter-
mined outcome, driven by their spe-
cial interest groups.
I know how much Oregon’s farm-
ers and ranchers care about their
employees and their families. HB
4002 will now force those farmers
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.
Editor’s Note
Do you have a point you’d like to
make or an issue you feel strongly
about? Submit a letter to the editor
or a guest column.
and ranchers to make difficult deci-
sions about how much they can af-
ford their employees to work. I grew
up on these kinds of farms and I am
afraid that under this policy, less and
less of those farms will be around in
the future.
Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena,
is in his 10th year representing
the seven counties that make up
Senate District 29.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown: 254 State Capitol, Salem, OR 97310;
503-378-3111; www.governor.oregon.gov.
Councilors Jason Spriet, Kerry McQuisten, Shane Alderson, Joanna
Dixon, Johnny Waggoner Sr. and Dean Guyer.
Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read: oregon.treasurer@ost.
state.or.us; 350 Winter St. NE, Suite 100, Salem OR 97301-3896;
503-378-4000.
Baker City administration: 541-523-6541. Jonathan Cannon, city
manager; Ty Duby, police chief; Sean Lee, fire chief; Michelle Owen,
public works director.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen F. Rosenblum: Justice Building,
Salem, OR 97301-4096; 503-378-4400.
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.
Oregon Legislature: Legislative documents and information are
available online at www.leg.state.or.us.
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.
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.
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P.O. Box 807, Baker City, OR 97814
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