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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (May 4, 2016)
A4 Opinion Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, May 4, 2016 G UEST C OMMENT BOLI overstepping authority on minimum wage rules where an employee normally reports to work, not where To the Blue Mountain Eagle they happen to do a day of ne of the lesser known landscaping or a half day on a steps in government road service call. Employers “sausage making” and employees alike need happens after the Legislature stability and predictability. passes new laws, when Requiring GPS-like tracking state agencies responsible of an employee’s location to for working out the details determine how much they get step in to determine how to paid is costly for small business implement and enforce them. owners and unpredictable for Right now, Oregon’s Bureau of Oregon workers. Labor and Industries (BOLI), This is also consistent with our state agency in charge of supporters’ expressly stated employment laws, is grinding policy goals of simplicity the sausage of the new three- and predictability, both for tiered minimum wage set to go employers and employees. into effect on July 1. But BOLI doesn’t seem to Unfortunately, BOLI — led care. Commissioner Avakian by elected Commissioner Brad is going in a direction that Avakian — is pulling a bait- was put off limits by sponsors and-switch on Oregonians as and proponents of the bill, they fi gure out exactly how demonstrating he has no respect to track and enforce three for the rule of law, only the different minimum wages “Rule of Avakian.” across the state. When the This is just one more Legislature passed SB 1532, example of BOLI’s excessive setting the minimum wage at and harmful reach into $14.75 for Portland, $13.50 policymaking. BOLI’s for suburbs and $12.50 for proposed minimum wage rural communities, we made rules must be fi xed, and I have it clear that wages would be asked Commissioner Avakian determined by the location of to do so immediately. If this the employer, not the employee. is another episode of BOLI We decided on “employer is overstepping its authority to located” because otherwise pay back special interests and businesses would be required to campaign donors, Oregon track their employees hour by small businesses and workers hour, costing small businesses will be the true casualty. It’s even more money and possibly time our state government violating employee privacy. did everything possible to I opposed setting three help small businesses and the different minimum wages for thousands of Oregonians they Oregon workers, but I trusted employ succeed, starting with that BOLI would carry out fi xing BOLI’s new rules for the the Legislature’s very specifi c minimum wage. Oregonians instructions to determine an should reject any politician employees’ hourly rate based that refuses to acknowledge on where their employer the “checks and balances” of a is based. The defi nition of Democracy. “employer is located” is State Sen. Ted Ferrioli, John Day, common sense: It’s the place is the Senate Republican leader. By Ted Ferrioli O W HERE TO W RITE GRANT COUNTY • Grant County Courthouse — 201 S. Humbolt St., Suite 280, Canyon City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0059. Fax: 541- 575-2248. • Canyon City — P.O. Box 276, Canyon City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0509. Fax: 541-575-0515. Email: tocc1862@centu- rylink.net. • Dayville — P.O. Box 321, Dayville 97825. Phone: 541-987-2188. Fax: 541- 987-2187. Email:dville@ortelco.net • John Day — 450 E. Main St, John Day, 97845. Phone: 541-575-0028. Fax: 541- 575-1721. Email: cityjd@centurytel.net. • Long Creek — P.O. Box 489, Long Creek 97856. Phone: 541-421-3601. Fax: 541-421-3075. Email: info@cityofl ong- creek.com. • Monument — P.O. Box 426, Monument 97864. Phone and fax: 541-934-2025. Email: cityofmonument@centurytel.net. • Mt. Vernon — P.O. Box 647, Mt. Vernon 97865. Phone: 541-932-4688. Fax: 541-932-4222. Email: cmtv@ortelco.net. • Prairie City — P.O. Box 370, Prairie City 97869. Phone: 541-820-3605. Fax: 820-3566. Email: pchall@ortelco.net. • Seneca — P.O. Box 208, Seneca 97873. Phone and fax: 541-542-2161. Email: senecaoregon@gmail.com. SALEM • Gov. Kate Brown, D — 254 State Capitol, Salem 97310. Phone: 503-378- 3111. Fax: 503-378-6827. Website: www. governor.state.or.us/governor.html. • Oregon Legislature — State Capitol, Salem, 97310. Phone: (503) 986-1180. Website: www. leg.state.or.us (includes Oregon Constitution and Oregon Revised Statutes). Blue Mountain EAGLE P UBLISHED EVERY W EDNESDAY BY • State Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario (Dis- trict: 60), Room H-475, State Capitol, 900 Court St. N.E., Salem OR 97301. Phone: 503-986-1460. Email: rep.cliffbentz@state. or.us. Website: www.leg.state.or.us/bentz/ home.htm. • State Sen. Ted Ferrioli, R — (District 30) Room S-223, State Capitol, Salem 97310. Phone: 503-986-1950. Email: sen. tedferrioli@state.or.us. Email: TFER2@aol. com. Phone: 541-490-6528. Website: www. leg.state.or.us/ferrioli. • Oregon Legislative Information — (For updates on bills, services, capitol or messages for legislators) — 800-332-2313. WASHINGTON, D.C. • The White House, 1600 Pennsylva- nia Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20500; Phone-comments: 202-456-1111; Switch- board: 202-456-1414. • U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D — 516 Hart Senate Offi ce Building, Washington D.C. 20510. Phone: 202-224-5244. Email: wayne_kinney@wyden.senate.gov Website: http://wyden.senate.gov Fax: 202-228-2717. • U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D — 313 Hart Senate Offi ce Building, Washington D.C. 20510?. Phone: 202-224-3753. Email: senator@merkley.senate.gov. Fax: 202- 228-3997. Oregon offi ces include One World Trade Center, 121 S.W. Salmon St., Suite 1250, Portland, OR 97204; and 310 S.E. Second St., Suite 105, Pendleton, OR 97801. Phone: 503-326-3386; 541-278- 1129. Fax: 503-326-2990. • U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R — (Second District) 1404 Longworth Building, Wash- ington D.C. 20515. Phone: 202-225-6730. No direct email because of spam. Website: www.walden.house.gov Fax: 202-225-5774. Medford offi ce: 14 North Central, Suite 112, Medford, OR 97501. Phone: 541-776-4646. Fax: 541-779-0204. L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR Employees support Russ Young, Iron Triangle To the Editor: Some people in the community have been questioning the charac- ter and motives of Russ Young and Iron Triangle concerning his work on projects within the Malheur National Forest in Grant County. We work for or with Iron Triangle and know that Russ does what he says and provides jobs to us and many others within Eastern Oregon. Iron Triangle pro- vides us with the ability to continue to live and work in Grant County now and into the future through the 10-year stewardship contract with the Malheur forest, providing for our families without having to work out of town for extended periods of time. Russ not only looks out for our well-being but provides contributions to many projects and causes through- out Grant County, which help others who don’t work at Iron Triangle to benefi t from his work. Those who try and berate Russ and Iron Triangle don’t seem to un- derstand the level of commitment Russ has shown to our community. In the years when things in the tim- ber industry and our community were real tough, Russ kept us working and continued to provide assistance to local causes and activities. We ap- preciate the commitment to a healthy Grant County, a healthy forest and our local schools, which Russ Young has demonstrated over the past 25 years, and encourage our fellow cit- izens to support Russ as well. Signed by 82 Iron Triangle employees and their families Editor’s note: The full list of names is available on the online version of this letter at myeaglenews.com. Young people facing economic diffi culty To the Editor: Oddly enough, a think tank fund- ed by the Koch brothers offers an excellent description of why our eco- nomically discouraged young people are supporting Bernie Sanders’ pres- idential bid. Generation Opportunity reports that more people aged 18-29 are making less than $25,000 annual- ly than there were during the 1990s. One-fourth of these young people are still living with their parents, and only 36 percent of people under 35 own their own homes, the lowest level on record since home ownership fi gures were fi rst tabulated by age. The generation report asserts that young Americans are increasingly impoverished because the U.S. gov- ernment over-regulates American en- trepreneurs, but it seems more likely that strangling student loan debt, low entry level wages and American busi- ness’ increasing reliance on part-time, temporary labor are the real culprits. If American youths are to catch up eco- nomically with their parents, they need the higher minimum wage, job creation and publicly funded higher education which Bernie Sanders is fi ghting for. Clinton Grubbs Bangor, Maine Experience and dedication To the Editor: We support Chris Labhart for re-election as county commission- Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper P UBLISHER ............................... M ARISSA W ILLIAMS , MARISSA @ BMEAGLE . COM E DITOR .................................... S EAN H ART , EDITOR @ BMEAGLE . COM A DMINISTRATIVE A SSISTANT ........ K RISTINA K REGER , KRISTINA @ BMEAGLE . COM E DITORIAL A SSISTANT ................ C HERYL H OEFLER , CHERYL @ BMEAGLE . COM C OMMUNITY N EWS .................... A NGEL C ARPENTER , ANGEL @ BMEAGLE . COM S PORTS ................................... A NGEL C ARPENTER , ANGEL @ BMEAGLE . COM M ARKETING R EP ....................... K IM K ELL , ADS @ BMEAGLE . COM O FFICE M ANAGER ..................... L INDSAY B ULLOCK , OFFICE @ BMEAGLE . COM er. He has invested years of service and hard work into promoting Grant County’s economy and quality of life, as county commissioner, and previously served on both John Day and Canyon City councils as council- or and mayor. At county court meet- ings, we have been impressed with his willingness to listen to different viewpoints and to add to the discus- sion constructively. Commissioner Labhart takes the time to attend city council and school board meetings as well as visit senior centers throughout the county to hear from his constitu- ents about their needs and concerns. His experience and background on local issues is tremendously helpful on the various local and state com- mittees that he serves on as our rep- resentative, such as the Association of Oregon Counties Veterans steering committee, GC Local Community Advisory Council and the Eastern Or- egon Coordinated Care. We appreci- ate his involvement in the community and the knowledge and expertise with which he represents his constituency. Experience and dedication makes a positive difference for our county! Mark and Adele Cerny Bear Valley ‘What are you doing to make this a better community?’ To the Editor: Since the occupation of the Mal- heur Wildlife Refuge occurred, the community began to become divided around many different issues (forest access, government overreach, the sheriff’s deputies’ natural resource plan, “stewardship,” the elections, the Canyon Creek Complex fi re). This “us” vs. “them” mentality in this community came to a head last week for me with John D. George’s letter to the editor. What kind of community do we want to have when all the smoke clears from all this division? Speak- ing only for myself, I want: • a community that sticks together regardless of whether or not we dis- agree about policies or laws or even who we want for county commission- er or sheriff; • a community that thrives eco- nomically, where our property values increase, as do our student numbers in schools; and • decreased unemployment, more job creation in the private sector. Unfortunately for some, that mod- el includes the government, both state and federal. We can all agree there are things we would change if we made the rules, but guess what, we don’t. Our community is in a better position economically due to collab- oration, the stewardship contract and increased forest restoration overall. Is “coordination” good? Maybe, but one thing I know for sure is that we are making progress with “col- laboration,” and for my family and I, we want to live in a community that picks each other up instead of tearing each other down, and that includes working with people that may not al- ways agree. Gordon Larson’s comments at the community meeting Jan. 26 keep ringing in my head about who is tear- ing us down and who is building us up. He was saying our community is made of both government workers and private workers, working togeth- er to better our county. Whether government employee or private employee, what are you doing to make this a better community? As for John D. George and the other folks that have been attacking people like my dad, King Williams, Russ Young, Dave Hannibal and Mark Webb, you should choose your character battles more carefully. Zach Williams Canyon City Clinton has experience, knowledge and integrity To the Editor: It has been a wild and woolly po- litical season the past year, and the time has fi nally arrived to pick our candidates for president. Democrats have the choice between a proven leader in Hillary Clinton and an ide- alist with big ideas in Bernie Sanders. The two candidates aren’t all that far apart on the issues of health care, minimum wage, climate change, even job creation. But they are pretty far apart on who has the political skills to accomplish these goals. Hillary Clin- ton brings the experience, knowledge and integrity to accomplish what needs to be done to move our country forward in the next decade. The ballots are out now, and as a longtime supporter of Hillary Clinton and a former delegate for her at the 2008 Democratic Convention, I urge you to vote to make Hillary Clinton our next president. Jack Lorts Former mayor Fossil Check facts before believing accusations To the Editor: In response to a letter (published in the April 27 Blue Mountain Eagle) by John D. George, who is a federal employee living in Montana: He has made false statements about me and others whom I respect. My family and I are lifelong residents of Grant County who care for our county, our way of life and our forests. John stated that: 1. I and others (Russ Young, Dave Hannibal and Mark Webb) “have a fi - nancial stake in seeing projects com- pleted ... at the expense of decommis- sioning roads.” 2. “Mark, King, Russ and Dave ... represent their own personal interest ... at the expense of all of our open ac- cess to the forest.” Both of these statements are false! Iron Triangle, Grayback and King Inc. directly employ many workers supporting many families not just their “personal interest” and have all challenged and objected to road clo- sures and decommissioning of roads and limitations to access on the Mal- heur National Forest, never advocat- ing to trade away access. 3. “... Mark makes his paycheck by ‘facilitating’ the ‘collaborative’ ... to help King, Russ and Dave get their work and money ...”. This too is false! Mark is hired by the BMFP col- laborative to facilitate the develop- ment of the projects that have: • increased the annual harvest on the MNF to 75 MMBF/year with no litigation; • increased jobs and school enroll- ment after a 15-year decline; • kept the 100+ employees work- ing at Malheur Lumber and the 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Periodicals Postage Paid at John Day and additional mailing offi ces. Grant County .....................................$40 Everywhere else in U.S. .....................$51 POSTMASTER send address changes to: Blue Mountain Eagle 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845-1187 Outside Continental U.S. ....................$60 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION Email: www.MyEagleNews.com Phone: 541-575-0710 USPS 226-340 See LETTERS, Page A5 Copyright © 2016 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. www.facebook.com/MyEagleNews @MyEagleNews