A4
Opinion
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Election results
widen urban-
rural divide
W
e have spoken often
in this space about
the “urban-rural
divide,” the differences, real
and imagined, that separate
people who live in cities and
people who don’t.
Nothing illustrates this
divide better, perhaps, than the
recent election. Throughout
the country, the Northwest
included, rural areas generally
voted for Donald Trump while
urban areas generally voted for
Hillary Clinton.
Trump has won, and urban
voters are distraught. They
have taken to the streets in
Portland, Seattle and San
Francisco. Why would rural
voters in their own states
reject their candidate?
They lack the perspective to
understand.
The federal government
holds more than half the land
in the West. The economic
and civic fabric of rural
communities depends on trees
cut from the forest, livestock
grazed on the range and
minerals gleaned from the
mining claims.
The government once
encouraged these activities in
the service of the country’s
growing population and in
fulfi llment of its manifest
destiny. Now, policies have
changed and that same
government seems to be
draining the lifeblood of the
rural West.
Many in the rural West
don’t think their government
listens to them and that their
concerns are given short shrift.
They believe their livelihood,
their very way of life, is in
the hands of bureaucrats
controlled by interests outside
their communities.
Displaced workers in
the Rust Belt and in the
coal fi elds have similar
grievances. Life as they knew
it changed for the worse,
and they hold the federal
government unresponsive, if
not responsible.
Trump supporters, both
rural and urban, voted their
self interest, as they saw it.
They do not fi t the archetypes
ascribed by pundits. They are
in the main no more racist,
misogynist, xenophobic or
homophobic than the average
Clinton voter. They want their
families and communities to
thrive, just as Clinton voters
do.
For their part, rural
voters understand urban
disappointment with the
election’s outcome, but not
the continuing demonstrations
against Trump’s election.
They have accepted without
protest the results of elections
that broke against them.
The division is stark and
deep.
As is often the case, we fi nd
the words of Abraham Lincoln
speak as powerfully to our
present circumstances as they
did 150 years ago.
Lincoln was the winner
of the contentious 1860
election. He wasn’t even on
the ballot in 10 states, and
failed to win the majority
of the popular vote. The
country was on a path to a
civil war that killed 500,000
Americans, certainly a
greater division than created
by our most recent contest.
He closed his fi rst inaugural
address with a plea for
reconciliation that stands
today.
“We are not enemies,
but friends. We must not be
enemies. Though passion
may have strained, it must not
break our bonds of affection.
The mystic chords of memory
will swell when again touched,
as surely they will be, by the
better angels of our nature.”
We are more alike than we
are different.
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
Thanksgiving: Have an
attitude of gratitude
By Bryan Golden
To the Blue Mountain Eagle
T
hanksgiving is much more
than a big meal with family
and friends. It’s a time to re-
fl ect on, and be thankful for, all of
the good things you have. It’s im-
portant to be grateful, not just on
Thanksgiving, but each and every
day. Rather than lamenting what
you feel is lacking in your life, be-
gin each new day by developing
an attitude of gratitude. Take in-
ventory of your blessings, and you
will be surprised at just how much
you have to be thankful for.
If you have enough to eat, a
place to live, a way to get around,
people who care about you or peo-
ple you care about, then you are
wealthy. If you lack any of these
elements, you must still be grate-
ful for what you do have, while
striving to obtain whatever is ab-
sent.
Focus on all positive aspects of
your life. Take nothing for grant-
ed. Every morning, recharge your
appreciation. Be happy for every-
thing there is, not upset over what
you feel is missing.
Dreams of the future shouldn’t
diminish appreciation for the pres-
ent. If all you do is concentrate on
what you want, you won’t enjoy
today. Don’t be jealous of others;
what they do or have has no bear-
ing on you.
You can feel bitter or resentful
for a variety of reasons. Perhaps
you feel something is missing from
your life, things aren’t going your
way or you have been treated un-
fairly. You may wonder, “Why do
these things always happen to me?”
Life’s problems tend to dominate
your thoughts, turning your focus to
what you feel is wrong. You may
start to resent those who appear to
be better off. You’re apt to dwell on
things you think would make your
life better if you had them. If only
you had more money, more time,
a bigger house, a different car, a
different job, a different boss, had
picked a different career, etc.
Once your attitude becomes one of
defi ciency instead of abundance and
appreciation, you can become over-
whelmed by feelings of frustration and
feel like a victim. As this happens, a
consuming vicious cycle starts.
Being bitter or resentful blows situ-
ations out of proportion. People who
are bitter frequently fi nd that their
situations deteriorate, and their
mental and physical health decays.
It’s diffi cult, if not impossible,
to achieve your goals while you are
bitter or resentful. Regardless of
what challenges might befall you,
bitterness makes fi nding solutions
much more elusive.
There is no point to feeling bit-
ter since it accomplishes nothing,
harms you and makes things worse.
Filling yourself with gratitude on
a daily basis makes you feel good,
while driving out negative feelings.
Begin your practice of gratitude
each morning as soon as you wake.
Every day is a great day. If you have
any doubts, try missing one. Take
inventory of everything, no matter
how small or seemingly insignifi -
cant, that is good in your life.
If it helps, make a written list of
all things you are grateful for. Read
your list every day. As you do this,
you will build and reinforce your at-
titude of gratitude. Don’t waste any
time with what you feel you don’t
have.
Keep things in perspective. Con-
sider all the people who have over-
come diffi culties far worse than
yours. Don’t be consumed by your
problems; there is always a solution.
Maintaining an attitude of gratitude
allows your mind to devise a resolu-
tion for your circumstances.
Make everyday a day of Thanks-
giving and you will be amazed how
much better your life will become.
Golden is the author of “Dare
to Live Without Limits.” Contact
Golden at Bryan@columnist.com
or visit www.DareToLiveWithout-
Limits.com. Copyright 2016 Bryan
Golden.
L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR
Forest Service a
service for the people
To the Editor:
This letter concerns the Public
Forest Commission and its nullifi -
cation. It should not be disbanded
— but expanded! The Forest Ser-
vice is just what it implies: a service
for the people. There are no Forest
Service lands.
From the U.S. Department of
Agriculture 1907 publication “The
Use of National Forests” by forester
Gifford Pinchot:
“...Management by the people.
“National Forests are made for
and owned by the people. They
should also be managed by the peo-
ple. They are made, not to give the
offi cers in charge of them a chance
to work out theories, but to give the
people who use them, and those
who are affected by their use, a
chance to work out their own best
profi t. This means that if National
Forests are going to accomplish
anything worth while the peo-
ple must know all about them and
must take a very active part in their
management. The offi cers are paid
by the people to act as their agents
and to see that all the resources of
the Forests are used in the best in-
terest of everyone concerned. What
the people as a whole want will be
done. To do it it is necessary that the
people carefully consider and plain-
ly state just what they want and then
take a very active part in seeing that
they get it.
“There are many great interests
on the National Forests which some-
times confl ict a little. They must all
be made to fi t into one another so
that the machine runs smoothly as a
whole. It is often necessary for one
man to give way a little here, anoth-
er a little there. But by giving way a
little at present they both profi t by it
a great deal in the end. There must
be hearty cooperation from every-
one. National Forests are new in the
United States, and the management
of their vast resources is a very dif-
fi cult task. Mistakes are bound to be
made at fi rst, and have been made.
It is the users themselves who can
be of chief assistance in doing away
with bad methods. ...”
Michael R. Christensen
John Day
Leaving dog
‘not cool’
To the Editor:
To the owners of an old, obese
and arthritic female dog with a black
body, gray nose and blue points, I
say not cool! To leave her on the
highway — even if she fell off a rig
— or got lost, not cool. To ignore
the radio, Facebook, signs, etc., not
cool. After food, water and a warm
straw-lined doghouse, I spent some
time asking around town, but no
one knew anything. I’m sorry if her
age and condition was too much for
you to handle. It can be hard to care
for the “elderly” (people, horses or
dogs), but we are all held account-
able. Last I knew, she would go to a
no-kill shelter (safe at last).
Mya Ennis
Mt. Vernon
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 and signed by the writer. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include a telephone number so they can be reached for
questions. We 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.
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