A4 Opinion Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, May 20, 2015 Rural highways and drivers deserve green light in Salem R ural Oregon rarely PDNHVLWLQWRWKH6DOHP spotlight, but two bills currently being debated on the floor have us front and FHQWHU The first would increase speed limits on select rural highways, including the VWUHWFKRI,QWHUVWDWHIURP 2QWDULRWR7KH'DOOHV7KH second bill would allow for self service gas in counties with less than 40,000 people ²PRVWRI(DVWHUQ2UHJRQ :H¶UHLQIDYRURIERWK Increasing the speed OLPLWWRPSKIURP7KH Dalles to Ontario, as House %LOOZRXOGGRPDNHV JRRGVHQVH,W¶VJRRGIRUWKH Eastern Oregon economy, good for our drivers and good for travelers coming from neighboring states with KLJKHUVSHHGOLPLWV ,WGRHVQ¶WPHDQWKDW everyone has to speed up by 5 mph — but those of us who feel more comfortable GULYLQJLQWKHPLGVFDQ do so without fear of being WLFNHWHG %XWHYHU\RQHNQRZVDV speed goes up, gas mileage JRHVGRZQ And if you are traveling in Grant County and other rural areas, but forget to fill up, it can be a long way to the next VWDWLRQ 6WDWH6HQ7HG)HUULROL R-John Day, is a co-sponsor of a bill to lift the ban on self-service in certain areas, DWFHUWDLQWLPHV+HVD\VLW PDNHVVHQVHIRUWKHUHPRWH reaches of the state, where stations are widely scattered and few, if any, can afford to KDYHZRUNHUVRQVLWHURXQG WKHFORFN ³,I\RX¶UHDWRXULVWJRLQJ LQWRWKHRXWEDFNRIRXUVWDWH ZLWKRXWDIXOOWDQNRIJDV´ KHWROGRUHJRQOLYHFRP ³\RX¶GEHWWHUEHSUHSDUHGWR VOHHSLQ\RXUFDUEHFDXVHLW¶V going to be tough to find a JDVVWDWLRQWKDW¶VRSHQDIWHUD FHUWDLQKRXU´ 6RLWPDNHVVHQVHLQVRPH of our most rural places for self-service to be legal when QRHPSOR\HHVDUHSUHVHQW You heard that right, under this proposal, such stations will still be full service from DPWRSP%XWDIWHU KRXUVZKHQ\RXFDQ¶WZDLW around until the station opens in the morning, you can pump your own so you can JHWRQ\RXUZD\ This is a reasonable step for the rural areas, and also nudges the state toward the SDWKDOUHDG\WDNHQE\DOPRVW DOOWKHRWKHUVWDWHV1HZ Jersey, the only other state with a self-service ban, is ZHLJKLQJDFKDQJHDVZHOO And that might come in handy one of these nights ZKHQ\RX¶UHGULYLQJDORQHO\ stretch of Highway 26 or 395, your gauge dipping GDQJHURXVO\FORVHWRHPSW\ By Bruce Daucsavage 195 N. Canyon Blvd. • John Day, OR 97845 To the Blue Mountain Eagle 541-575-0710 • Fax 541-575-1244 USPS 226-340 John Day, Oregon MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION Marissa Williams, marissa@bmeagle.com Scotta Callister, editor@bmeagle.com Kristina Kreger, kristina@bmeagle.com Cheryl Hoefler, cheryl@bmeagle.com Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com Lindsay Bullock office@bmeagle.com PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY BY: EO Media Group 3HULRGLFDOV3RVWDJH3DLGDW-RKQ'D\DQGDGGLWLRQDOPDLOLQJRI¿FHV SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Grant County Elsewhere in Oregon Continental U.S., Outside Oregon Outside Continental U.S. Banner headlines, above the fold: Supreme Court Overturns PERS &KDQJHV Since the announcement a couple of ZHHNVDJRWKHFKDWWHULQJFODVVLQ2UH- gon has been focused on assessing the GDPDJHIURPWKHSROLWLFDOHDUWKTXDNH What do the billions of unfunded PERS costs mean for the state moving for- ward? 0DQ\ZRQGHULIWKHHDUWKTXDNHKDV VKDNHQWKHWD[SD\HUVHQRXJKWKDWWKH\ are now willing to tax themselves to prevent cuts to important public ser- vices including schools and public safe- W\ DHM Research did some earth- TXDNHGDPDJHDVVHVVPHQWRIRXURZQ to determine where Oregon voters are on PERS and the question of higher WD[HVWRSUHYHQWFXWVWRVHUYLFHV Despite all the hoopla surrounding WKH 6XSUHPH &RXUW¶V GHFLVLRQ QRW DOO YRWHUVKDYHKHDUGDERXWLW$ERXWDWKLUG RI2UHJRQ¶VYRWHUVWROGXVODVWZHHNHQG that they had not heard or read anything related to PERS within the last two ZHHNV:KHQDVNHGWRLGHQWLI\WKHPRVW important issue they want their state JRYHUQPHQW RI¿FLDOV WR GR VRPHWKLQJ DERXWRQO\SHUFHQWPHQWLRQHG3(56 9RWHUV UHJLVWHUHG VLJQL¿FDQW FRQ- FHUQV DERXW WKH VWDWH¶V DELOLW\ WR SD\ for an adequate level of public services VXFK DV HGXFDWLRQ DQG SXEOLF VDIHW\ *RRGQHZVLI\RXWKLQNWKDWWKHFOLPDWH PD\ EH FKDQJLQJ IRU WD[ UHIRUP 7KH magnitude of concern, however, re- mains moderate: Less than one half of 2UHJRQ¶V YRWHUV DUH ³YHU\´ FRQFHUQHG SHUFHQW'HPRFUDWVSHUFHQW5H- SXEOLFDQV SHUFHQW ,QGHSHQGHQWV