The BulleTin • SaTurday, May 22, 2021 A7
Lawmakers mixed on delaying paid family leave
DEAR ABBY
Write to Dear Abby online at dearabby.com
or by mail at P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Dear Abby: I had a horri-
ble childhood with a mean
mother who berated and
took her issues out on me. I
had an older brother who en-
joyed making fun of me and
embarrassed me in front of
others to get his kicks. He still
never misses an opportunity
to pull a “gotcha.”
I was raised at a time when
child abuse was considered
making a kid tough. What
it did to me was break me
down emotionally. Does
PTSD ever go away, or do I
have to live with it to the end?
— Just Getting By in New York
Dear Just Getting By: I’m
sorry for the abuse to which
you were subjected. PTSD
does not go away on its own,
and you do not have to “live
with it.” Distance yourself as
much as possible from your
bully brother. You can find
the help you need by asking
your physician or insurance
company to refer you to a li-
censed psychotherapist who
specializes in patients with
PTSD. You won’t be the first
person to do “couch time”
after an abusive childhood.
Trust me on that.
Dear Abby: My father-in-
law has spent every Friday
night with my husband and
me for two years, ever since
my mother-in-law passed
away. My husband spends ev-
ery Tuesday evening with him
at his house. My sister-in-law
is building a room onto her
house for him to live in (he
is selling his house). My hus-
band and sister-in-law call
him two or three times a day.
Abby, my father-in-law
is healthy and still drives.
BY CHRIS LEHMAN
The Oregonian
He never pays for any food
— my husband and sister-
in-law buy all his food. He’s
a wealthy man, but stingy. I
think my husband and his sis-
ter are obsessed. What do you
think? I’m so tired of this. I
don’t want him staying at my
house. I need privacy! Help!
— Over It Now in Tennessee
Dear Over It: Your hus-
band and his sister appear to
be devoted to their father. Ei-
ther that, or they may antic-
ipate a big payday once their
wealthy parent expires. More
than privacy, you may need
a break. Arrange to spend
some of those Fridays with
friends, and perhaps his pres-
ence will be less onerous.
Dear Abby: We welcomed
new neighbors and allowed
them to use our garbage can
until they got one, and gave
them a bottle of wine and a
housewarming card. We also
offered to let them use our
downstairs bathroom until
the contractor finished theirs.
No one else on the block did
anything for them. Nothing.
They then invited a neigh-
bor and his wife over for
drinks and didn’t invite us.
My husband says I shouldn’t
be offended by this. I would
have had the neighbors who
had welcomed me over first.
What do you think?
— Snubbed in the South
Dear Snubbed: I think you
and your husband are more
than neighborly. I also think
you are blessed with com-
mon sense, something your
new neighbors may lack. My
advice is to let this unfortu-
nate incident slide without
holding a grudge.
YOUR HOROSCOPE
By Georgia Nicols
Oregon lawmakers were of
two minds Thursday on a re-
quest from the state’s Employ-
ment Department to delay
paid family and medical leave
for Oregon workers.
At a hearing in the House
Rules Committee on a bill that
would postpone the initial roll-
out of the program, agency
officials said getting things
started on time is, at this point,
“not achievable.”
Under the original law, em-
ployers had been scheduled to
start paying into the program
in January 2022, and workers
had been set to potentially re-
ceive benefits in January 2023.
Under House Bill 3398, those
COVID-19
Continued from A1
Across Deschutes County,
COVID-19 is waning, and
60.5% of the U.S. population 18
and older have been vaccinated,
according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
But in Central Oregon, the vi-
rus is still ferocious, spreading
among the younger, unvacci-
nated population, said Maree.
The hospital estimates that
there are about 100,000 people
in Central Oregon who are not
vaccinated yet.
“That’s quite a large pool,”
Johnson said. “You add to that,
the relaxed mask policy and
the slide in our behavior, and
we’ll end up with more people
in the hospital.”
Nearly all, 97%, of the
hospitalized patients with
COVID-19 since March at St.
Charles were not vaccinated,
Relief
Continued from A1
Stars show the kind of day you’ll have
DYNAMIC | POSITIVE | AVERAGE | SO-SO | DIFFICULT
MOON ALERT: There are no restrictions to shopping or important deci-
sions today. The Moon is in Libra.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR SATURDAY, MAY 22, 2021: You are
versatile, charismatic, intellectually fascinating and convincing. You have
many interests. You are also creative and organized, as well as hard-working
and methodical. Nevertheless, you’re an entertaining, carefree communica-
tor! In your year ahead, line your ducks up in a row, because it will be wise to
prepare for some kind of change. Why? Because change will happen.
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Tread carefully today, because there’s an element of confusion in your
communications with others. You might be misunderstood or you might
misunderstand someone else. You also might spend time daydreaming. To-
night: Confused communications continue!
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
You are the financial genius of the zodiac, which is why you need to be
careful today. In your financial dealings with others, you might be misrep-
resented or certain facts could be misrepresented to you. Someone might
deceive you. Tonight: Double-check financial dealings. Count your change.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
Today Mercury is in your sign at odds with fuzzy Neptune, which
means communications are loosey-goosey. They might be loosey-goosey
because of a general confusion. However, they also might be loosey-goosey
because someone is lying or trying to deceive you. (Would I kid you?) To-
night: This same confusion continues.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
Something going on behind the scenes is murky today. For starters, if
you think something fishy is going on, it is. However, you might be reluctant
to confront someone or you might want to hide something to avoid a con-
frontation. Tonight: Look for a boat hole. Hide!
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
You like to admire your friends, which is why you often overlook their
faults. (“I have the best friends!”) Today be wary of idealizing someone or
putting them up on a pedestal. This does you no good, nor them. Be suspi-
cious about misleading situations. Tonight: Take everything with a grain of
salt.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
This is a tricky day when talking to bosses, people in authority or the
police, because some people will be fast and loose with the truth. You might
hold back information in order to avoid a confrontation. It’s best not to hide
anything today, cuz you’ll be found out. Tonight: It’s hard to trust the words
of everyone. Be careful.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
If you are talking about religious or mystical ideas today, you might get
carried away. Many people are deluded today because Mercury is at odds
with Neptune. Do your best to stay in the real world of toothpaste, cars and
sliced bread. Tonight: Avoid controversial subjects. Too much confusion!
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Be careful when discussing insurance issues, inheritances, taxes or
debt, because misinformation is rampant today. People will misunderstand
or even deceive each other. You might overlook an important detail. Tonight:
Do not sign important papers. Do not make important business decisions.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Honesty is important today. Be gentle with a friend or partner if you
think they’re trying to weasel out of telling you something they don’t want
to. Let them off the hook. Tonight: Someone dear to you might be afraid to
come clean. (It happens.)
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Be clear in your communications about your job or anything to do with
your health, because today a lot of communications are confused or mis-
leading. Do not be a victim of misrepresentation! Double-check your facts.
Tonight: Health-related issues or something to do with a pet is confusing.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
People are reluctant to tell the truth today if they think it’s going to get
them in trouble. Don’t corner your kids or a lover — cut them some slack to-
day. Be compassionate. Tonight: Social events are confusing and misleading.
Caution!
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
A family conversation might be circular and misleading today, espe-
cially if someone doesn’t want to come clean about something. (“OK, OK,
I ate the last piece!”) If your family discussions are important, be discrimi-
nating. Make sure everything is on the level. Tonight: Family discussions are
shaky at best.
There was a similar divide
between respondents from the
Portland area and non-Willa-
mette Valley residents.
There were also some dif-
ferences among age groups
— younger respondents were
more likely to support in-
creased funding for low-in-
come and nonwhite students
— but the gap wasn’t as large.
The majority of all age groups
answered “yes,” as well as both
white and nonwhite respon-
dents.
The split between urban/ru-
ral and young/old respondents
was even more pronounced
when asked which educational
programs should be prioritized
when spending COVID-19 re-
lief dollars.
Overall, the most popular
choice among the 14 options
was mental health counseling
— 62% of all respondents listed
it as one of their top three pri-
orities.
However, there is an ex-
treme divide between younger
and older respondents: 82%
of those ages 18-29 had men-
tal health counseling as a top-
three priority, compared to
only 38% of those age 65 and
older.
Younger respondents also
had a much stronger desire for
funding for mentoring and tu-
toring.
Meanwhile, older respon-
dents’ most popular priority,
with 51% putting it in their
top three, was increased fund-
ing toward vocational and job
training. Only 17% of 18-29
year olds agreed.
Both urban and rural Ore-
gonians showed strong support
for increased funding for men-
tal health counseling. Those
two groups’ largest gap came in
support for vocational and job
training: That’s something 41%
of rural residents had in their
top three priorities, compared
to only 27% of urban residents.
The survey also included
open-ended questions about
how school districts should
spend COVID-19 relief dol-
lars. The responses varied
wildly, even among Central
Oregonians.
Many said that school staff,
particularly those with lower
paychecks, should get salary
bumps.
“Raise the salaries of teach-
ers but not administration,”
said an unnamed Democrat
resident of urban Deschutes
County.
Others didn’t love the idea of
dates would be pushed back to
January 2023, and September
2023, respectively.
“We frankly don’t think that
we can implement it under the
current statutory timelines,”
said David Gerstenfeld, the
Employment Department’s
acting director.
The dates on which em-
ployers and workers would
begin paying into a paid leave
fund and the date when work-
ers could begin collecting the
benefits were contained in the
2019 legislation that created
the program.
Gerstenfeld called those
dates “aggressive,” but he said
the pandemic, and the huge
amount of unexpected work
that created for his agency,
made them impossible to at-
tain.
That explanation made
sense to Rep. Paul Holvey,
D-Eugene.
“No one could have ex-
pected the pandemic,” he said.
“I appreciate that they want the
time to get it right. If we start
this program up and rush it, I
think it would be catastrophic
if there were mistakes, for both
employers and employees.”
But other lawmakers won-
dered why the agency waited
so long to request a delay. The
bill that would do so was intro-
duced May 4, more than three
months into the legislative ses-
sion.
“You don’t get a year behind
on a project overnight,” said
Rep. Marty Wilde, D-Eugene.
“Will they not just be back in
a year or two, asking for more
time?”
Wilde said he’s drafting an
amendment to move over-
sight of the program to another
agency.
House GOP leader Rep.
Christine Drazan of Canby
told Gerstenfeld that she recog-
nizes that the Employment
Department has faced “ex-
traordinary pressure” over the
past 14 months due to the pan-
demic.
“But we’ve been in session
for months and months,” she
said. “It sounds like you’ve
known this entire time that
these timelines were not real-
istic.”
said Lisa Goodman, St. Charles
Health System spokeswoman.
“What we see here is differ-
ent from what we’re seeing in
the rest of the nation,” Good-
man said. “We’re not out of the
woods yet.”
With the lowering of the
risk level, Deschutes County
restaurants and bars, gyms and
churches can have up to 50%
capacity indoors and indoor
full-contact sports are allowed,
according to state health guide-
lines. Retails stores can have up
to 75% occupancy indoors.
“Our census numbers are
climbing steeply,” Johnson said.
“There are all these things. We
are recovering; it won’t take
much to send us back in risk.”
Almost 1 in 5 patients are
ending up in the intensive care
unit of the hospital, Johnson
said. In fact, the number of
patients with COVID-19 that
are needing a ventilator now
is about as high as it was when
the state began experiencing a
surge in December and Janu-
ary, he said.
Compounding the rise in
hospitalization is the feeling
among residents that the end is
in sight. Face-covering restric-
tions were relaxed last week for
those fully vaccinated and with
the lower risk category, more
people can gather indoors.
The rise in cases, is not un-
expected, said Dr. Richard
Fawcett, Deschutes County
Health Services health officer.
“As more people get vac-
cinated, we are hopeful that
cases and subsequent hospi-
talizations will stabilize and
decrease,” Fawcett said. “High
case rates and hospitalization
rates are concerning and an
important reminder of the
need to vaccinate our com-
munity. We encourage anyone
who hasn’t been vaccinated to
find a convenient location.”
The best defense is to get
vaccinated, said Maree. To find
a vaccine in Deschutes County,
go to deschutes.org/health/
page/covid-19-vaccine.
In Central Oregon, the peo-
ple who are getting COVID-19
are coming in sicker and
younger, but staying a shorter
amount of time, according to
St. Charles Health System.
“Every month we see the peo-
ple who come into the emer-
gency department sick with
COVID-19, the average age is
still decreasing down to an aver-
age age of 46 now,” said Maree.
“Initially, COVID-19 affected
our congregant care settings
and older population. Now
we’re seeing it spreading rapidly
among the community mem-
bers, particularly the unvacci-
nated, younger population.”
Oregon Values and Beliefs Center
The Oregon Values and Beliefs Center is committed to the highest
level of public opinion research. To obtain that, the non-profit is build-
ing the largest online research panel of Oregonians in history to en-
sure that all voices are represented in discussions of public policy in a
valid and statistically reliable way.
Selected panelists earn points for their participation, which can be re-
deemed for cash or donated to a charity. To learn more, visit oregon-
vbc.org.
schools getting any COVID-19
relief funds.
“The schools have gotten ex-
cessive funding and they don’t
do anything to provide for the
teachers they just add more
schools,” wrote Melissa Aspell,
a suburban Deschutes County
resident and member of the In-
dependent Party.
The nonprofit spoke with
918 Oregon residents ages 18
and up, and those surveyed
came from various back-
grounds.
There was a mix of wealthy
and poor; high school diplo-
mas and graduate degrees;
Democrats, Republicans, Inde-
pendents.
However, there were a few
demographics that were more
heavily represented.
Three-quarters of respon-
dents said they did not have
school-age children in their
households. More than 90% of
respondents identified as white
or Caucasian, and only about
75% of Oregon is solely white,
according to the U.S. Census.
And 72% of respondents
either lived in the Portland
metro area or Willamette Val-
ley. However, that might be
e
Reporter: 541-633-2117,
sroig@bendbulletin.com
proportionate — the tri-county
Portland area alone accounts
for nearly 45% of Oregon’s
population.
Deschutes County and Cen-
tral Oregon were lumped in
with the rest of the state out-
side the Valley in this survey.
So outside of some anecdotal
answers to open-ended ques-
tions, the survey doesn’t offer
many specifics on how Cen-
tral Oregon feels about these
issues, compared to Eastern or
Southern Oregon.
e
Reporter: 541-617-7854,
jhogan@bendbulletin.com