A4 BAKER CITY HERALD • TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2022
BAKER CITY
Opinion
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Baker City, Oregon
EDITORIAL
Voters can sound
off on why a train
quiet zone is wise
T
he balance of power in the Baker City
Council has tipped against the plan to es-
tablish a railroad quiet zone in the city, at
least temporarily.
This is a pity.
But it’s also an opportunity for city voters to flip
that balance back, to state with their ballots this fall
that there is no legitimate reason not to pursue a
quiet zone.
On Jan. 25 of this year, the City Council voted
4-3 to apply with the Federal Railroad Adminis-
tration for a quiet zone designation. The agency
has approved more than 900 of those in the past
15 years or so, including 13 in Oregon. Quiet
zones aren’t completely quiet — train engineers
can sound their blaring whistles at their discre-
tion, such as if they see a person or vehicle on the
tracks. But otherwise they wouldn’t sound the
whistle as they approach each public crossing, as
is the case now, even though in almost every situa-
tion there is no danger.
But several weeks later, Heather Sells, who cast
one of the four votes in favor of the quiet zone, re-
signed from the Council because she was moving
out of the city limits and was no longer eligible.
On April 12 Sells’ successor, Kenyon Damschen,
appointed by councilors in late March, joined
Mayor Kerry McQuisten and Councilors Johnny
Waggoner Sr. and Joanna Dixon to pass Dixon’s
motion to have city staff prepare a measure for the
Nov. 8, 2022, election asking voters whether or not
they support a quiet zone.
There is, of course, nothing inherently wrong
about taking a matter of public interest to voters.
But there is also a reason we elect people — in-
cluding city councilors — to represent us and to
make decisions on our behalf. Indeed, we entrust
city councilors to decide on many matters more
consequential than train whistles — spending sev-
eral million dollars from property taxes and water
and sewer bills each year, for instance.
In the case of train whistles, the four councilors
who voted to pursue a quiet zone made the logi-
cal choice, and one that, based on a considerable
amount of evidence, would benefit Baker City.
Train whistles, obviously, are a safety measure, to
warn people that a fast-moving mass of hundreds
of tons is approaching.
Yet based on expansive studies by the Govern-
ment Accountability Office in 2011 and 2013,
which surveyed 562 quiet zones across the nation,
there is no “statistically significant difference” in
the number of accidents at train crossings before
and after quiet zones were established.
This is not a coincidence. To qualify for a quiet
zone, a city must make physical upgrades to each
crossing, such as concrete medians that make
it much more difficult for a vehicle to get to the
tracks when a train is passing.
Those improvements in Baker City won’t cost the
city budget anything. A private group has offered
to raise the estimated $150,000 needed, and in less
than three months since the Council’s Jan. 25 vote,
the group has collected commitments for nearly
half the amount.
It remains to be seen whether the Council’s vote
last week to override that decision, and put the is-
sue on the ballot, will hamstring the fundraising ef-
forts while it’s uncertain, over the next six months,
whether the city will proceed with its application.
That, too, would be a pity.
To be optimistic, that’s also a period when vot-
ers can contemplate the realities and, ideally, rec-
ognize that Baker City would be better off if train
whistles are blown only when they could possibly
be beneficial.
Because right now, almost every one of those
noises serves no tangible purpose.
— Jayson Jacoby, Baker City Herald editor
YOUR VIEWS
Lots of questions about city
ambulance service issue
As I follow the articles reporting on
the concerns for the Baker City ambu-
lance service elimination and the Baker
City Fire Department staff reduction
outcomes, I have some questions and
requests:
1. Who or what City department pro-
cesses the actual billing for each indi-
vidual ambulance transport request?
2. What is the basic ambulance fee
for transport to St. Alphonsus/BC-ER
Dept. from a city home address vs.
from a county home address?
3. What is the actual payment pay-
back to the actual billing dept. via
Medicare, Medicaid, and private medi-
gap coverage?
4. It has been stated that “Medicare
or Medicaid federal programs” only pay
20% of what the city totally bills! My
Medicare Part B coverage is 80% of the
Medicare approved amount after my
Part B personal deductible is paid first
by me, then my secondary medigap cov-
erage will pay the remaining 20% of the
Medicare approved amount. So: what
is the actual ambulance basic service
fee amount for transportation only? Of
course, there will be additional charges
for individual emergent requirements
added to the basic service/transport fee.
5. Knowing that Medicaid coverage re-
quirements differ in billing requirements
to my knowledge; I am curious as to that
actual billing process.
6. I find myself wondering why this
serious situation has erupted after sev-
eral years of the same process for bud-
geting/billing has been followed. Maybe
it is time for a sample budget and audit
statement to be provided for the affected
taxpayer citizen to fully grasp the entire
situational conflict between the two gov-
ernmental agencies; causing the consid-
erable concerns for the city and county
safety services with impending loss of the
ambulance service and the 50% decrease
in the Fire Department staffing by Sep-
tember 30, 2022. This is not acceptable.
Cheryl Gushman
Baker City
COLUMN
In the U.S., every day is Tax Day
BY PRESTON BRASHERS
The deadline for filing federal income
taxes is later than usual this year. Tax Day
has been pushed back to April 18 to avoid
coinciding with the District of Columbia’s
Emancipation Day holiday.
However, Americans don’t just pay taxes
one day out of the year. Taxes are a part
of our everyday lives, whether we’re con-
scious of it or not. Many politicians pre-
fer that we don’t notice how much we’re
taxed. And, so, taxes are often buried in
the cost of products or subtly taken from
our paychecks.
The largest and most recognized U.S.
tax is the personal income tax. It’s the rea-
son for Tax Day. Federal tax rates on per-
sonal income range from 10% to 37%.
Forty-one states layer on additional in-
come taxes. In places like New York City,
the top combined federal, state and local
income tax rate exceeds 50%.
For young adults entering the job mar-
ket, the first tax they may notice is the
payroll tax. Looking at their pay stubs,
they are often shocked to see 6.2% was
taken out for Social Security and 1.45%
for Medicare.
What they may not realize, though, is
that their employers also paid that same
amount in Social Security and Medicare
taxes. Since that’s part of the cost of hiring
someone, that amount is also built into the
paycheck — in the form of lower wages.
Effectively, the federal government takes
a 15.3% cut of most workers’ wages just to
fund entitlements, double what shows up
on their pay stubs.
When workers go to spend that pay-
check, they may have to pay a sales tax of
9% or more, depending on the state. And
while states’ general sales taxes are usually
visible, other taxes are better camouflaged.
At the gas pump, for example, we’ll pay
combined state and federal gasoline taxes
of about 31 cents per gallon in most states.
In California, it’s about 67 cents per gallon.
When buying diesel in California, taxes
will cost drivers 93 cents per gallon, in ad-
dition to the state’s 9.25% sales tax. Even if
you don’t buy diesel, those taxes will still
take a bite out of your wallet; they increase
the price of most consumer products be-
cause they are transported by diesel trucks.
Federal taxes also drive up the cost of
vehicles themselves with, for example, a
25% tariff on imported steel and a 10 per-
cent tariff on imported aluminum. Amer-
icans paid about $87 billion in tariffs on
imported products in 2021.
How about renters? Many don’t realize
they’re paying property taxes, since the
landlords write those checks. But those
checks are funded by the rent. Moreover,
property taxes reduce the supply of hous-
ing on the rental market, thereby leading
to higher rents.
After paying all these taxes, some folks
may still have some savings to invest. Sup-
pose you buy stock in a U.S. corporation.
The company will put those funds to use,
and whatever profit it earns will face cor-
porate taxes at a 21% federal rate and a 5%
rate in a typical state.
But for the government, why tax
something once, when it can tax it two or
three times?
After taxing corporate profits — not to
mention the wages that went into the in-
vestment — the government will take a cut
of the same profits when they’re distrib-
uted to shareholders. When the corpora-
tion pays a dividend, the shareholder may
be subject to an additional 15% or 20%
federal tax, not to mention state capital
gains taxes, which typically add about 5%.
Ultimately, these taxes don’t just hit in-
vestors, though. Corporate taxes notori-
ously drive down workers’ real wages.
Maybe the most damaging hidden tax
in the government’s arsenal, though, is
inflation.
Compared to the same time last year,
consumer prices are up 8.5%.
Between the Federal Reserve, Congress
and the White House, the government’s
strategy for the last two years has been to
print money and dump it into the econ-
omy. Spending with reckless abandon, the
federal government has racked up more
than $6 trillion of new debt in that time.
The Federal Reserve holds most of that
new debt. After flooding the economy
with dollars, little wonder that each dollar
is worth less.
Inflation hits everyone and everything.
Food prices are up 8.8% from last year,
new vehicles 12.5%, electricity and gas
utilities 13.5%, used vehicles 35.3%, and
gasoline 48%.
Whether it’s funded by taxes or deficits,
American workers — past and present —
ultimately pay a steep price for unbridled
government spending. And we’re paying
it every day. Elected officials at all levels
should be more prudent with taxpayer
dollars. They should also be more hon-
est and should stop pretending spending
won’t cost us.
Preston Brashers is a senior policy analyst
in The Heritage Foundation’s Hermann
Center for the Federal Budget.
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.
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
in Council Chambers. Councilors Jason Spriet, Kerry
McQuisten, Shane Alderson, Joanna Dixon, Kenyon
Damschen, 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
Baker City Hall: 1655 First Street, P.O. Box 650, Baker
Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. Council Chambers,
Baker City Hall,1655 First St.; Chris Hawkins, Andrew
City, OR 97814; 541-523-6541; fax 541-524-2049. City
Council meets the second and fourth Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Bryan, Travis Cook, Jessica Dougherty, Julie Huntington.