A4
Opinion
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Hard to get
the measure
of 97
A
side from electing
the next leader of the
free world, Measure
97 is the most important
decision Oregonians
will have to make on the
November ballot.
And it will be a hard one.
The measure, if passed,
would bring in nearly
$3 billion a year to state
coffers. Depending on
your outlook, it will either
solve many of Oregon’s
chronic problems or be a
crippling weight thrown
over residents and the state
economy.
And that’s really at the
heart of the disagreement:
If you trust government and
the legislature’s ability to
spend that money wisely
— to revamp Oregon’s
flagging education system,
to improve health care in our
state, to solve a serious crisis
in funding state employee
retirements — then Measure
97 is a no-brainer.
But if you’re more
suspicious, this looks like
the largest tax increase
in Oregon history, a
bureaucratic cash grab with
no defined plan for how to
spend the windfall.
The measure itself is
quite simple, which is part
of the design and also part
of the problem. It would
impose a 2.5-percent tax
on all corporate sales in the
state above $25 million,
regardless of actual profits.
That means the big out-
of-state corporations that
make billions in profits
and sell expensive things
in Oregon would pay
more taxes — companies
like Intel and John Deere,
for example. But so too
will Safeway and Pacific
Power, Wal-Mart and
Walgreen’s and Powell’s
Books. Increasing taxes on
those companies is likely
to get passed along to the
consumer in some form or
in full, increasing the cost
of living for everyone and
costing middle-class private
sector jobs too.
We are reluctantly
standing against the
measure.
We know schools are not
adequately funded, and our
students are suffering for it.
And we know that without
a major overhaul, the state
will never have the steady
revenue stream required
to continue improving,
instead of constantly being
mired in a cycle of cuts and
temporary hires.
We know health care costs
will continue ad infinitum,
and we know that the state
signed a contract — an
unaffordable one, perhaps,
but still a contract — with
state employees.
The state needs to find
ways to increase and
stabilize revenue streams,
but a big no-strings-
attached money dump is not
the answer.
Tax policy is terribly
complex. The bluntness
of Measure 97 will
hurt Oregon, and the
corresponding help is not
quantifiably better. What
Oregon should do is defeat
this measure, then hold
legislators and the governor
accountable for getting
business and labor together.
Once at the same table,
they shouldn’t get up until
we have a plan for stable
funding for Oregon schools
and health care programs.
Measure 97 isn’t it.
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.
G UEST C OMMENT
Being prepared is not just for scouts
By Susan Johnson
To the Blue Mountain Eagle
No matter where you live, a nat-
ural disaster can strike at any time.
Here in the Northwest, we’re
told to expect the next big earth-
quake at any time. Many of our
majestic mountains are dormant
volcanoes. The natural beauty of
our forests can turn into horri-
ble forest fires from a carelessly
thrown cigarette butt. Extreme
winter storms are a serious risk.
Floods are common throughout
our region, and we also get the
occasional tornado. While some-
times instantly fatal, survival of-
ten depends on whether you are
prepared.
The Oregon Health Authority
maintains a preparedness website
with information on current haz-
ards, how to prepare and the ability
to sign up for text or email updates.
Are you and your family ready
for a disaster? The Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention offers
three simple steps to be prepared:
Get a kit, make a plan and be in-
formed.
Your kit will include items like
food and water, health supplies,
personal care items, safety supplies,
electronics, important documents,
extra cash and your emergency
plan.
Your emergency plan will in-
clude a family communication plan
and a family disaster plan. Your
disaster plan should include safe
spots in your home for disasters like
earthquakes, multiple meeting plac-
es and the best escape routes from
your home. You should practice
your contingencies as a family.
If a family member is very
young, older or has special medical
needs, your planning will need to
be more extensive. You’ll also need
supplies for your four-legged fami-
ly members.
You can stay informed by sign-
ing up for alerts from your emer-
gency management agency. A
NOAA weather radio (battery-pow-
ered, solar or hand-crank) can pro-
vide updates. Oregon Offi ce of
Emergency Management provides
information, and Emergency Pre-
paredness Essentials provides a list
of local emergency management
contacts.
Preparedness will differ depend-
ing on where you live, including
whether you live in an urban or ru-
ral area. However, no matter where
you live and what potential disas-
ters you face, you should always be
ready. Be prepared — it’s not just
for scouts!
Susan Johnson is the region-
al director for U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services Region
10.
L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR
McKinley has
McKinley a thorough,
‘selfl essness, sense of professional expert
duty and great values’ To the Editor:
To the Editor:
On Memorial Day week-
end 2014, my family and I were
spending time at our property
when I started not feeling well.
We decided to head towards town
and medical care. I went into
cardiac arrest on the side of the
highway between Mt. Vernon and
John Day.
My wife started CPR and
was thankfully able to get ahold
of emergency services. Todd
McKinley, Undersheriff, was
off duty and working on his
truck after the Mt. Vernon Me-
morial Day parade earlier in the
day.
He heard the call and, even
though off duty, came to my
wife’s aide in my rescue, along
with EMT Kara Kohfield, who
was also off duty.
Thanks to their quick re-
sponse, I am alive today. We sent
a letter expressing our apprecia-
tion to Sheriff Palmer at the time,
and we never received a response,
nor did they ever hear of our
appreciation.
We are now happy to call both
of them friends today and believe
that Todd McKinley would bring
his selflessness, sense of duty
and great values to the office of
sheriff of Grant County.
It is about time that he receives
the recognition he deserves, and I
think the county deserves a sher-
iff that recognizes and appreci-
ates the talented, hard-working
folks that are in the county.
Laura and Tim Feighery
Newberg
A few years ago, I served on the
jury of a rather high-profi le trial.
Todd McKinley was undersheriff
at that time, and his testimony com-
prised the major part of the prose-
cution.
The defense attorney tried his
best to undermine Mr. McKin-
ley’s credibility, but the deeper he
probed, the more apparent it be-
came that Mr. McKinley was in
absolute command of the facts and
thoroughly knowledgeable about
proper investigative procedure.
Throughout a very lengthy, an-
tagonistic cross-examination, Mr.
McKinley remained calm, profes-
sional and unfailingly polite, and
his testimony proved to be above
reproach. After sitting through two
days of testimony, it took us, the
jury, just over an hour to render a
guilty verdict on six counts.
It is this thoroughness, profes-
sionalism and expertise, conduct-
ed with the utmost courtesy and
respect, that I so appreciate about
Todd McKinley. Any interaction I
have had with him since that time
has only served to reinforce my
good impression of his forthright-
ness, professionalism and integrity.
Lynn Larssen
Seneca
McKinley ‘best
choice’ for sheriff
To the Editor:
Over the past few months and
weeks, I have approached many
people about showing their support
for Todd McKinley by posting a
sign somewhere on their property. It
was amazing how many folks told
me that “We are defi nitely voting
for Todd, but we just can’t put up
a sign. We are afraid of retaliation.”
Unfortunately, given the climate
that our current sheriff has fostered
in this county, I understand com-
pletely.
Remember this. When you re-
ceive your ballots in late October,
no one will be forcing your hand. I
believe if you fi ll in the oval next
to Todd McKinley’s name, and
enough of us do just that, we will
have a sheriff that will return the
sheriff’s offi ce to the public. Oth-
er law enforcement agencies and
people who have been forbidden
to enter the Grant County Sheriff’s
Offi ce will be able to conduct busi-
ness and interact with the sheriff as
it should be. When there are events
such as mass casualty trainings, the
sheriff’s offi ce will be represented.
If a crime is committed, the facts
will be scrutinized, rather than per-
sonal opinion and emotion dictating
who or who doesn’t get arrested.
When the call for help comes in
the middle of the night from one of
our outlying communities or rural
areas, every effort will be made to
respond in a timely fashion.
One of the most important mea-
sures of a man (or woman) is how
the people who have to work most
closely with them over a long period
of time feel about that individual. If
you know someone or are someone
who has worked with Todd McKin-
ley in the past, then you know his
boundless energy, his levelheaded
judgment and his solid decent char-
acter. There is no doubt this man is
the best choice for our next sheriff
of Grant County.
Dan Maynard
John Day
L
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
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must limit all contributors to one letter per person per month. 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.
Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper
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