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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 24, 2015)
A4 Opinion Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, June 24, 2015 Road tax must be fair for rural drivers, too S tarting July 1, Oregon will begin testing a new twist on KLJKZD\IXQGLQJ±RQHWKDW WD[HVYHKLFOHVEDVHGRQWKHPLOHV they travel rather than the fuel WKH\FRQVXPH $W¿UVWJODQFHWKLVVHHPVD more realistic way to pay for our KLJKZD\V\VWHP,WFRPHVDJDLQVW a backdrop of change, with gas SULFHVUHODWLYHO\ORZ±IRUWKHWLPH EHLQJ±DQGPRUHGULYHUVEX\LQJ hybrid and electric cars that use OHVVJDVDQGWKXVSD\OHVVWD[ Those trends increasingly limit the revenue source for needed UHSDLUVDQGFRQVWUXFWLRQ <HWWKHPLOHDJHWD[DOVRUDLVHV VHULRXVLVVXHV±SDUWLFXODUO\IRU UXUDOUHVLGHQWV±WKDWPXVWEH DGGUHVVHG The basic scheme is to replace IXHOWD[HVSDLGDWWKHSXPSZLWK DÀDWFHQWSHUPLOHFKDUJHIRU XVHRISXEOLFURDGVLQ2UHJRQ Up to 5,000 volunteers will start WHVWLQJWKHFRQFHSWQH[WZHHN using small digital devices to WUDFNWKHLUPLOHDJH&DOLIRUQLD Washington and Indiana all are at earlier stages of considering the FRQFHSW 86GULYHUVHVSHFLDOO\WKRVH ZKRGRQ¶WOLYHLQWKH1RUWKHDVW where there are more toll highways, are pretty spoiled when LWFRPHVWRWUDQVSRUWDWLRQFRVWV *HQHUDOO\RXUJDVROLQHLVWD[HGDW far lower rates than is the case in the rest of the developed world, DQGZHKDYHIHZHUWROOURDGV ,W¶VVDIHWRVD\QRERG\UHOLVKHV KDYLQJWRSD\HLWKHUWD[HVRU WROOVEXWH[SHQVLYHSXEOLF infrastructure like highways and bridges is one of the best H[DPSOHVRIJRYHUQPHQW providing something private citizens need but are unable to DFFRPSOLVKRQRXURZQ Considering the systemic changes underway in oil markets DQGDXWRPRELOHVIXHOWD[HV VLPSO\FDQ¶WNHHSXS2QO\LQ recent years has technology come along that will allow accurate monitoring of actual miles driven, giving a new option for WUDQVSRUWDWLRQIXQGLQJ Civil liberties activists see the monitoring devices as a potential LQWUXVLRQRQSULYDF\2UHJRQ has responded by designing one option that uses global positioning satellite tracking and another option that relies on a simple odometer that counts SDVVLQJPLOHV$Q\UHFRUGVWKDW are collected are supposed to be carefully controlled and then destroyed after they have served WKHLUUHYHQXHSXUSRVH In any event, such privacy worries may be pointless in a nation where smart phones can already be tracked anywhere and cameras watch over many streets DQGKLJKZD\V Owners and dealers of hybrid DQGHOHFWULFFDUVDOVRZRUU\WKH\¶OO ORVHWKHWD[DGYDQWDJHWKH\JDLQHG from buying less gasoline or GLHVHO%XWIDLU¶VIDLU±DVORQJDV they use the roads, they should be KHOSLQJSD\WRPDLQWDLQWKHP Of more concern locally is the impact this could have on rural GULYHUV5HVLGHQWVRIUHPRWHDUHDV OLNH*UDQW&RXQW\PXVWWUDYHO VLJQL¿FDQWPLOHDJHWRWDNHFDUH of business city-dwellers take for granted: grocery shopping, doctor appointments, going to and from WKHRI¿FHDQGPRUH7KH\GRQ¶W KDYHDFKRLFHLQWKDW The new program will provide FUHGLWVZKHQWKHJDVWD[SDLG DWWKHSXPSH[FHHGVWKHURDG WD[RQHZD\WKHVWDWHKRSHVWR HTXDOL]HWKHEXUGHQ6WLOOLWZLOO bear watching to make certain the system plays out fairly, without burdening rural drivers more than WKH\DOUHDG\DUHE\IXHOWD[HV Blue Mountain EAGLE 195 N. Canyon Blvd. • John Day, OR 97845 541-575-0710 • Fax 541-575-1244 Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper USPS 226-340 John Day, Oregon MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION P UBLISHER E DITOR A DMINISTRATIVE A SSISTANT E DITORIAL A SSISTANT C OMMUNITY N EWS S PORTS M ARKETING R EP C USTOMER S ERVICE R EP 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. 1 year $40.00 $48.00 $55.00 $60.00 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery See the Blue Mountain Eagle on the Internet www.MyEagleNews.com POSTMASTER — send address changes to Blue Mountain Eagle 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845-1187 Copyright © 2015 Blue Mountain Eagle All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means — graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping or information storage and retrieval systems — without written permission of the publisher. L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR Climate Kool-Aid? To the Editor: This letter is in response to glob- DO ZDUPLQJ , DJUHH ZLWK WKH JOREDO warming proponents to a point; we have come a long way in controlling SROOXWLRQ2XUSROOXWLRQH[SHUWLVH years ago was leading the charge on SROOXWLQJRXUSODQHW7KDWLVXQWLOWKH Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act, which stopped this insane prac- WLFHRIVSHZLQJQLWURXVR[LGHVXOIXU GLR[LGHDQGRWKHUSROOXWLQJJDVHVWKDW hung over the cities and industrial FHQWHUVOLNHDIRJ But it seems now it is fossil fuel, oil and natural gas that contribute to FDUERQ GLR[LGH JDV :H DV KXPDQV contribute by the air we inhale, re- PRYLQJWKHR[\JHQDQGH[KDOLQJFDU- ERQGLR[LGH7KHWUHHVDQGWKHYHJH- tation love us because they need it to survive and thrive, and they give out R[\JHQ VR WKDW ZH PD\ VXUYLYH DQG WKULYH DOVR $O *RUH¶V WKLQNLQJ RQ global warming could be self-serving because Al owns businesses building JUHHQHQHUJ\HTXLSPHQW 7KH$O *RUHV RI WKH ZRUOG ZDQW us to quit using carbon-polluting oil and natural gas to cut down on the QDVW\ROGFDUERQGLR[LGH%XWHYHQ$O *RUHLVDWDORVVIRUZRUGVZKHQ\RX PHQWLRQWKHYROFDQLF¿UHFKDLQLQWKH 6RXWK 3DFL¿F HUXSWLQJ VHYHUDO KXQ- dred times a year, spewing out tons RIFDUERQGLR[LGH-XVWWKHHUXSWLRQLQ ,FHODQGDORQHZLSHGRXWDOORI$O*R- UH¶V KDUG ZRUN DQG SXW PRUH FDUERQ GLR[LGHLQWKHDLUWKDQZHKDYHVLQFH we started cutting back on carbon GLR[LGH WKDW LVQ¶W HYHQ FRXQWLQJ WKH KXQGUHGVRIHUXSWLRQVD\HDU Not only that, when a forest or HYHQ D JUDVV ¿UH EXUQV LW JLYHV XS to the atmosphere all of the carbon GLR[LGHLWKDVFRQVXPHGLQLWVHQWLUH OLIHWLPH Back when Oregon was just an inland sea, volcanic eruptions, lava ÀRZV DQG PRXQWDLQ EXLOGLQJ ZHUH SUHYDOHQWLQ2UHJRQ6RPXFKVRWKDW WKHFDUERQGLR[LGHOHYHOVZHUHVRKLJK they super-saturated the inland sea ZLWK FDUERQ GLR[LGH 7KLV VXSHUVDW- uration settled to the sea bottom and contributed to the limestone deposits WKDW$VK *URYH LV PLQLQJ WRGD\ WKDW DUHWKRXVDQGVRIIHHWWKLFN I deal with fact, and quit drinking Kool-Aid and believing in fairy sto- ULHVZKHQ,ZDVDNLG Chuck Chase Baker City trail, hiking trail combo has been pro- posed in the Nipple Butte Wildlife DUHD,WKDVEHHQUHSRUWHGWKDWWKLVZDV introduced by a group of mountain bi- F\FOHULGHUV This proposal in the Nipple Butte DUHDLVWRWDOO\RXWRIRUGHU7KH1LS- ple Butte wildlife area is one of the few sanctuaries north of the John Day River where animals can go to get DZD\ IURP WKH GLVWXUEDQFH RI PDQ¶V DFWLYLW\ There are plenty of places for the bicycle rider, horse rider, or hikers to enjoy without opening up intrusion LQWRWKLVDUHD,QWKHSDVW,KDYHSUR- posed that instead of closing some of the minimally used roads, make bike trails, horse trails, and hiking trails RXW RI WKHP :RXOGQ¶W WKDW FUHDWH D win-win situation? Some of the bicy- cle folks have backed out of their ini- tial support of this request after they UHDOL]HGZKDWLWZRXOGGR The Forest Service says that one of the reasons to take roads out of service is to protect wildlife habitat DQGOHVVHQWKHGLVWXUEDQFHRIDQLPDOV :HOOLVQ¶WLWOLNHWDONLQJRXWRIERWK sides of your mouth to say that and then entail some proposal to build trails that are going to be an intrusion into one of those very areas? No, no, a thousand times no! Dean Elliott Canyon City OCA event a hit To the Editor: $UHFHQWHYHQWDWWKH*UDQW&RXQW\ Fairgrounds was the summer quarter- O\PHHWLQJRIWKH2UHJRQ&DWWOHPHQ¶V Association and the Oregon Beef &RXQFLO 1XPHURXV FRPPHQWV PHQ- tioned the quality of the facility and WKHVHUYLFHVDYDLODEOHE\WKHVWDII 7KH 6QDIÀH %LW GLQQHU KRXVH FD- WHUHGVHYHUDOPHDOV7KH)ULGD\OXQFK was a barbecue by the Prairie FFA JURXS Attending from the County Court was Commissioner Boyd Britton, a PHPEHU RI WKH 2&$ DQG WKH *UDQW County Stockgrowers; his attendance ZDV DSSUHFLDWHG 7KH HGLWRU RI WKH Blue Mountain Eagle was present for the session on wolves in Oregon and ZURWH DQ DUWLFOH IRU WKH ORFDO SDSHU Over 100 participants from the mem- bership as well as representatives from several state agencies were in DWWHQGDQFH An issue of concern to all of us is water, and a representative from the A thousand times no! Board of Agriculture gave a good DFFRXQW RI ZKDW LV H[SHFWHG RI ODQG To the Editor: RZQHUV Recently the Forest Service came The local Les Schwab Tire Center IRUWKZLWKWKH0DJRQH/DNHSURMHFW was generous in sponsorship of the In reading over the projected work, OXQFKHRQ RQ 7KXUVGD\ 2WKHU VSRQ- \RXZLOO¿QGWKDWDELF\FOHWUDLOKRUVH sors were listed in the agenda for the PHHWLQJ7KHRYHUDOOHYHQWZDVDOVRD boon to the county economy as sever- DOPRWHOVZHUHERRNHGIXOO Sharon Livingston Long Creek Secede or succumb To the Editor: Rural Oregonians in general and east Oregonians in particular are growing increasingly dismayed by WKHPDQQHULQZKLFK2UHJRQ¶VOHJLV- lature and urban dwellers have mar- ginalized their valued, demonized their lifestyle, villainized their re- source-based livelihoods and classi- ¿HG WKHP DV VHFRQGFODVV FLWL]HQV DW EHVW$OOWKHZKLOH2UHJRQ¶VPRVWIHU- tile and well watered farm ground has urban sprawl, gangs, illegal aliens, homeless camps, and touchy feely politics that add little or no value to UXUDOOLIHVW\OHV 2UHJRQ¶VUXUDOUHVLGHQWVFDUYHRXW a resource-based living on marginal farm ground and the leftovers of Or- HJRQ¶V HFRQRPLF JURZWK LQIUDVWUXF- WXUHDQGWHFKLQQRYDWLRQ The Portland metro area is home WRSHUFHQWRI2UHJRQ¶VYRWHUVDQG FRYHUVDPHUHVTXDUHPLOHV RI WKH VWDWH¶V VTXDUH PLOHV ± OHVV WKDQ SHUFHQW RI LWV ODQG PDVV )LYHRI2UHJRQ¶VFRXQWLHVFRQWURO SHUFHQW RI 2UHJRQ¶V OHJLVODWLYH DFWLYLW\1RQHDUHUXUDO1RQHDUHHDVW RIWKH&DVFDGHV1RQHDUHRXWVLGHWKH :LOODPHWWH9DOOH\ It would appear to a rural resident or outside observer that most of Or- HJRQ¶VXUEDQLWHVYLHZUXUDOUHVLGHQWV as nothing more than third-world in- habitants occupying their weekend DQGYDFDWLRQSOD\JURXQGV 6LQFH2UHJRQ¶VXUEDQGZHOO- ers have elected a group of individ- uals that represent an aristocracy of political power; switching their role in GHPRFUDF\IURPVHUYDQWWRORUG7KHVH people have disenfranchised and sub- jugated the people outside Portland or WKH:LOODPHWWH9DOOH\7KH\HQDFWODZV ZLWKOLWWOHRUQRGHEDWH7KH\VD\WKH\ ZLOO ¿[ DGPLWWHGO\ ÀDZHG ODZV DIWHU they are enacted; this is backward leg- LVODWLYHSURFHGXUHGHVLJQHGWRH[FOXGH and silence opposition, often with mon- H\IURP(DVW&RDVWSRZHUEURNHUV 7LPHIRUDFKDQJH7LPHWRRUJDQL]H 7LPH WR VHFHGH RU VXFFXPE7KLUW\RQH counties need to put an initiative on their ballots: “Should (my) county secede from the state of Oregon and seek a more per- IHFWXQLRQHOVHZKHUH´ ,PDJLQH ,GDKR¶V ZHVWHUQ ERUGHU VWUHWFKLQJ WR WKH 3DFL¿F DQG WKH VWDWH of Oregon shrinking to less than 4,000 square miles of landlocked riverview SURSHUW\ Grant Darrow Elgin W HERE TO WRITE Washington, D.C. The White House, 1600 3HQQV\OYDQLD $YH 1: :DVKLQJWRQ '& Phone-comments: 202-456- 1111; Switchboard: 202- 86 6HQ 5RQ :\GHQ D — 516 Hart Senate Of- ¿FH %XLOGLQJ :DVKLQJWRQ '& 3KRQH (PDLO ZD\QHB NLQQH\#Z\GHQVHQDWH JRY :HEVLWH KWWSZ\GHQ VHQDWHJRY )D[ 86 6HQ -HII 0HUNOH\ D — 313 Hart Senate Of- ¿FH %XLOGLQJ :DVKLQJWRQ '& " 3KRQH L (PDLO VHQDWRU# PHUNOH\VHQDWHJRY )D[ 2UHJRQRI¿F- es include One World Trade &HQWHU 6: 6DOPRQ 6W6XLWH3RUWODQG25 DQG6(6HFRQG 6W 6XLWH 3HQGOHWRQ 253KRQH )D[ 86 5HS *UHJ:DOGHQ R — (Second District) 1404 Longworth Building, Wash- LQJWRQ '& 3KRQH 1R GLUHFW HPDLO EHFDXVH RI VSDP :HEVLWH ZZZZDOGHQ KRXVHJRY )D[ 0HGIRUG RI¿FH North Central, Suite 112, 0HGIRUG253KRQH )D[ Pending Bills: For infor- mation on bills in Congress, 3KRQH Salem *RY.DWH%URZQ'² 254 State Capitol, Salem 3KRQH )D[ :HEVLWH ZZZJRYHUQRU VWDWHRUXVJRYHUQRUKWPO Oregon Legislature — 6WDWH&DSLWRO6DOHP 3KRQH :HEVLWH ZZZ OHJVWDWH RUXVLQFOXGHV2UHJRQ&RQ- stitution and Oregon Re- YLVHG6WDWXWHV 6WDWH 5HS &OLII %HQW] R-Ontario (District: 60), Room H-475, State Capitol, &RXUW 6W 1( 6DOHP 25 3KRQH (PDLO UHSFOLII- EHQW]#VWDWHRUXV :HEVLWH ZZZOHJVWDWHRUXVEHQW] KRPHKWP 6WDWH 6HQ 7HG )HUULROL R — (District 30) Room S-223, State Capitol, Salem 3KRQH (PDLO VHQWHGIHU- ULROL#VWDWHRUXV (PDLO 7)(5#DROFRP 3KRQH :HEVLWH ZZZOHJVWDWHRUXVIHUULROL etters policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for Blue Mountain Eagle readers to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but longer letters will be asked to be contained to 350 words. No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person. No thank-you letters. Submissions to this page become property of the Eagle. The Eagle reserves the right to edit letters for length and for content. Letters must be original and signed by the writer. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include a telephone number so they can be reached for questions. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. Send letters to editor@bmeagle.com, or Blue Mountain Eagle, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845; or fax to 541-575-1244.