A4
OPINION
Blue Mountain Eagle
SPRING
FORWARD
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Daylight saving time
starts on Sunday at 2 a.m.
when clocks are turned to
3 a.m. Sunrise and sunset
will be about one hour
later than the day before,
which means there will be
more light in the evening.
Richardson’s
courage
still needed
in politics
D
ennis Richardson
was a courageous
man.
It may seem an easy
eulogy for a former U.S.
Army helicopter pilot who
fl ew missions during the
Vietnam War, hauling caches
of ammunition into the bat-
tlefi eld and injured soldiers
out.
But Richardson’s courage,
while surely forged during
wartime, didn’t solely man-
ifest itself in battle. The late
secretary of state, who died
last week of brain cancer,
showed a resolve in his life
of elected public service not
often seen in politics.
Richardson was a man
willing to stand on personal
principles while serving the
greater good of his state.
And he showed that those
objectives aren’t mutually
exclusive, even in a state
that didn’t often align with
his own values.
He has been remembered
as a budget hawk, demand-
ing that government be held
to account for spending tax-
payer dollars. It was that
credibility, based in his polit-
ical philosophy, that sealed
his win as a Republican sec-
retary of state, Oregon’s sec-
ond-highest ranking pub-
lic offi ce. And he lived up to
the promise, leading audits
that shined a bright light on
problems and malfunctions
in government programs.
That work will carry on after
his death.
He was particularly effec-
tive, even while undergoing
cancer treatments, because
the job wasn’t a stepping
stone to a higher offi ce. His
unsuccessful bid for gov-
ernor in 2014 nearly ended
his political career, and he
showed no intention of try-
ing again.
As a state representative,
Richardson was an advocate
for his southern Oregon dis-
trict’s values. He spoke in
strong terms against abor-
tion and same-sex marriage,
counting them as affronts to
God and his faith.
But as a secretary of state,
Richardson used his posi-
tion to benefi t the state as a
whole, not just his conserva-
tive constituents.
He even changed course
on his approach to voter reg-
istration, supporting as sec-
retary of state the growing
number of registered voters
where he once advocated in
the House for stricter rules.
But in matters of personal
faith and values, he was
clear-eyed while remaining
contemplative.
In an interview with Ore-
gon Public Broadcast-
ing’s “All Things Consid-
ered” in September 2017, he
was asked directly whether
he believed homosexual-
ity was immoral. He said
he did, and the act of voters
didn’t change the perspec-
tive of God. But he also said
the matter was legally set-
tled and that he was willing
to accept both the human-
ity and personal choices of
others.
Voters didn’t change
his beliefs, either, though
he knew the responsibil-
ity of being elected to state-
wide offi ce meant represent-
ing a much wider and more
diverse electorate.
We need more of these
kinds of people in govern-
ment leadership, willing to
state their beliefs clearly
while understanding that
their job is not to enforce
them on others.
In Dennis Richardson we
had a true and decent pub-
lic servant, and that takes all
kinds of courage.
GUEST COMMENT
You’re more than a customer
By Andrew Cutler
To the Blue Mountain Eagle
Author Anthony J. D’Angelo
noted that, “Without a sense of
caring, there can be no sense of
community.”
To a large degree, this refl ects
Oregon Trail Electric Coopera-
tive’s philosophy toward our mem-
ber-owners and the broader service
territory that we serve. As a coop-
erative, we have a different “bot-
tom line.” While our priority is
always to provide reliable and safe
energy, there is another equally
important part of this equation.
Your well-being and that of the
larger community that we serve
are of paramount concern.
To us, you are not just a cus-
tomer; you are a member of our
co-op, and without you, we would
not exist.
In 1989, Oregon Trail Electric
Cooperative was founded to ful-
fi ll a vital need in our community
that would not have otherwise
been met. Concerned local lead-
ers came together to build this
co-op and bring electricity where
there was none.
At that time, members of the
community understood we were
different because they likely
knew someone who helped to
create OTEC. For most peo-
ple, our founding and its circum-
stances have been long forgotten.
Over time, folks in the commu-
nity may have come to think of
When you support these efforts,
you are supporting the commu-
nity and making it a better place
for everyone.
Another role for OTEC is
engaging the membership. One of
the ways the cooperative strives
to accomplish this goal is through
the OTEC website, which is
undergoing a major overhaul,
both in look and in name. For-
merly otecc.com, the new website
will be found at otec.coop. While
changing names, its mission
remains the same: provide use-
ful information and tools to help
our member-owners. More than
ever before we want to differen-
tiate the work and achievements
of your electric cooperative from
others in the social media world.
The relationship you have with
your cooperative is special and one
no other electric utility can offer.
As a member of an electric coop-
erative, you are far more than just
a customer. You are a member and
an owner. You belong. You are part
of making a difference.
While the times may have
changed, our mission and outlook
have not. We view our role as a
catalyst for sustaining and grow-
ing our communities. Working
together, we can accomplish great
things for our community now and
in the future.
Andrew Cutler is the manager
of communications and public
relations for Oregon Trail
Electric Cooperative.
us as simply another energy pro-
vider. However, OTEC strives to
be more than that. We are a co-op
that is constantly evolving to meet
the needs of our members and the
communities we serve. We are
able to do this because of mem-
bers like you.
Since our inception, we have
sought feedback and engagement
from you and that of the larger
community to guide our long-term
decisions. This is why we hold
annual meetings and other events,
such as town meetings, and attend
local chamber and other business
meetings in each of our communi-
ties throughout the year. We host
events like this to engage with you
and obtain your feedback.
We are always looking to fi nd
new ways to help you use energy
more effi ciently, whether that’s
home or business energy audits,
or offering you rebates to pur-
chase energy effi cient appliances
and do so locally or fl exible pay-
ment options like levelized bill-
ing. In short, we are always seek-
ing to keep pace with the changing
energy environment, evolving
technology and shifting consumer
expectations.
As a local business, we have
a stake in the community. That’s
why we support local charita-
ble organizations such as United
Way of Eastern Oregon, Sorop-
timists, Lions Club and Rotary,
and through our donation pro-
grams like Member to Member.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
I truly believe the bill is about
where smog is prevalent, then we
Cap and trade bad
a tax and is not directed at a prob-
have a problem. But to tax Amer-
for industry
lem, which there is none. Back
icans because other countries pol-
To the Editor:
Baker County and the sur-
rounding rural areas will be greatly
impacted by HB 2020, the cap and
trade bill. This is not just a one
time tax. It is a forever tax that
will impact and devastate indus-
try, ranch and farm jobs in Eastern
Oregon and Baker County.
I wish to thank the state Legisla-
ture for the outreach hearings held
here in Baker City. There were a
great many people that wanted to
speak against the cap and trade HB
2020 bill, but with the time limit
and over-crowding by over 300
people, only a few got to vent their
frustrations.
when Oregon was part of the
inland sea, volcanoes vented into
the sea, spewing tons upon tons of
carbon dioxide into the air and sea,
saturating the landlocked retreating
seas with the carbon dioxide com-
bined with calcium-rich sea beds,
creating thousands of feet of lime-
stone here in Baker County and
surrounding areas. The three major
volcanic eruptions in recent history
put more CO2 into the atmosphere
than man has since the industrial
revolution.
All of the carbon restrictions
on motor vehicles taxing the fuel
is just about tax and control. If
we had pollution problems like in
the Far East, like China and India
lute is ridiculous and is all abut the
tax money and control.
Oregon’s counties have been
engulfed in forest fi res ravag-
ing the national forests burn-
ing thousands of acres. Each tree
that burns gives up all of the car-
bon dioxide gasses that it has
absorbed in its lifetime, pouring
millions of tons of CO2 into the
air. If you want to tax someone,
tax the Forest Service for mas-
sive CO2 and carbon ash pollu-
tion and mismanagement of our
national forest.
All of these are facts and can
be verifi ed.
Chuck Chase
Baker City
L
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