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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (July 17, 2019)
A4 OPINION Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, July 17, 2019 Democracy only works through participation D emocracy shouldn’t be a spectator sport. Sad to say, but that is often what our form of gov- ernment becomes. Collec- tively, we bemoan perceived injustices or complain about a policy or law but do little to change it. Our form of government, though, is built around the idea that voters should — and must — participate. Thomas Jefferson — a founding member of our government — felt the peo- ple were the best protection against tyrannical forms of government. Jefferson pro- moted an “enlightened” nation of voters who serve as a check against govern- ment overreach. Yet it is a two-way street, and that means voters need to participate in their gov- ernment. Exercising the right to vote is the single most obvious method to be involved, but it isn’t a silver bullet. Many of us, in one way or another, enjoy the fruits of our great nation. Thou- sands of men and women have served our nation over 200-plus years and made a down payment on our ability to live inside a democracy. Those sacrifices stand as an example and should be moti- vation for the rest of us to participate in our democracy. Granted, that is often not an easy task. Especially now in a digital age where events move at light speed, going to a city council or county court meeting after a long day of work can seem to be a daunting task. We all have lives, we are all busy, so taking a couple hours on a Monday or Tuesday night to listen to what appears to be boring discussion between elected leaders can seem senseless. The public trust, though, makes it imperative that all voters, when they can, go to such meetings to listen and evaluate how elected leaders are doing and what they are making decisions on. Often there is a refrain of “I didn’t know they were doing that” when a spe- cific policy or ordinance is suddenly enforced. Yet we should know. Voters should never be caught by surprise by a new ordinance or law. Our elected leaders work for us. It is that simple. They are elected by the people and serve the people and are accountable to the peo- ple. Not to their staffs, not to their friends and not to their political cronies. They serve the people. Yet voters must take responsibility as well to ensure democracy works. That means going to the occasional council meeting. That means — at least from time to time — taking a gan- der at a city or county meet- ing agenda. Democracy only works through participation. So, don’t get caught by surprise. Get involved. GUEST COMMENT Why we walked I n a democracy, the major- ity rules. But when the Dem- ocratic majority decided to trade Oregon’s economic free-market system for one of cen- tral government control — while ignoring our constitution and making a shambles of Oregon’s rural and low-income economies — we walked. These parts of House Bill 2020, which would have imposed greenhouse gas-emissions lim- its on businesses and forced them to buy allowances whose cost, set by the state, would get passed on to consumers, were particularly egregious. The bill’s regulatory cart is way out in front of the technology horse. The bill forces drivers to pay ever higher fuel prices years before the development of electric trucks and before installation of the infra- structure needed to allow mean- ingful use of electric or hydro- gen-powered vehicles. Likewise, there’s a constitutional problem. The billions that Oregonians would be forced to pay in carbon taxes couldn’t be used to construct such infrastructure because that money is constitutionally restricted. HB 2020 would increase the cost of fuel by 22 cents a gallon on Jan. 1, 2021, without regard to significant increases in the cost of fuel already in the pipeline. Those include Oregon’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (now five cents a gallon and on its way to Oregon Sen. 25 cents over the Cliff Bentz next few years); the 10-cent-per- gallon gas tax authorized by HB 2017; the international ban on bunker fuel for sea transport, esti- mated to increase the cost of die- sel by 20 to 30 percent effective January 2020; and the recently enacted Corporate Activities Tax, which exempts fuel sales but does not exempt other costs of fuel such as freight. HB 2020 callously stacks its 22 cents per gallon on top of these increases. Democrats tried to design HB 2020 so that its 22-cent-per-gal- lon cost would not be considered a tax, even though you have no choice but to pay and the govern- ment gets to spend it. This uncon- stitutional approach kept the ver- boten word “tax” out of the bill, side-stepped the three-fifths leg- islative vote requirement and flouted the prohibition against use of an “emergency clause” in a tax bill. (Emergency clauses are often used to prevent referral of legisla- tion to the people.) Finally, the Democrats silently changed how to measure Ore- gon’s carbon reduction. Instead of factoring in the amount of car- bon sequestered by Oregon’s for- ests and sea, the bill tallies only emissions reductions. This seems innocuous, but the result sky- rockets the cost of the scheme and ignores Oregon’s natural car- bon sinks, which, if used appro- priately, could help Oregon become a major global player in the sequestration of carbon. Yes, Oregon’s Republi- can senators walked, and yes, HB 2020 is dead. But it will be back. Maybe the demonstra- tions against the bill, the three brave Democratic senators who also opposed the bill, the Senate walkouts and the thousands upon thousands of emails supporting the death of 2020 will prompt the majority to actually address the many and damaging short- comings of cap and trade. And maybe this time they will have the courage to let Oregonians vote on it. Cliff Bentz represents Ore- gon’s Senate District 30, which covers Grant, Baker, Harney, Jef- ferson, Malheur and Wheeler counties and parts of Clackamas, Deschutes, Lake Marion and Wasco counties. GUEST COMMENT Rural business investment vital I WHERE TO WRITE 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@ centurylink.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@ cityoflongcreek.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: governor.state.or.us/governor.html. • Oregon Legislature — State Capitol, Salem, 97310. Phone: (503) 986-1180. Website: leg.state.or.us (includes Oregon Constitution and Oregon Revised Statutes). • Oregon Legislative Information — (For updates on bills, services, capitol or messages for legislators) — 800- 332-2313. Blue Mountain EAGLE Published every Wednesday by t’s a story I’ve heard too many times in my own life and in the lives of the many small business owners I meet: Person grows up in a small town. Person moves to a city or urban area for college or work. Person yearns to return to the small-town life they love or return to raise their children in the same environment they grew up. However, a lack of job oppor- tunities makes this American Dream unattainable. While it’s heartening to see many of our region’s major met- ropolitan areas flourish in this unprecedented booming econ- omy, we need to include invest- ment in rural communities as well. Forty-six million people live in rural America. And according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 69% of counties in Oregon are defined as rural — a substantial segment. Rural small businesses make a huge and critical impact on our state’s economy, the U.S. econ- omy and even the global economy. For instance, many of the top 10 exports from Oregon are manufac- turing products, a mainstay indus- try of rural communities. While traditional rural sectors such as agriculture, mining and through entrepreneurship and small business support. That is why the SBA teamed up with the USDA to empower rural America through our Rural Strong initiative. We are putting special emphasis on supporting rural economies with additional outreach to educate rural communities about access to tech- nical assistance, capital, exporting resources, Historically Underuti- lized Business Zones and Opportu- nity Zones. The SBA is also offer- ing fee relief on SBA-guaranteed 7(a) loans up to $150,000 in rural counties as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. Like most things in life, we can’t do it alone. It takes all of us to invest in the communities that define our nation and many of our shared values. By investing in rural small busi- nesses, we invest in growing our local and national economy. We invest in strengthening our con- tribution to the global economy. And, most important, we invest in our neighbors living the American Dream. Jeremy Field is the regional administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration Pacific Northwest Region, which serves Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. 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. Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper Publisher............ ......................................Chris Rush, crush@eomediagroup.com Editor & General Manager ...............Sean Hart, editor@bmeagle.com Reporter ...................................................Richard Hanners, rick@bmeagle.com Community News .................................Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Sports ........................................................Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Marketing Rep .......................................Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com Administrative Assistant ..................Makenna Adair, office@bmeagle.com Office Assistant .....................................Alixandra Hand, office@bmeagle.com MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION manufacturing employ a smaller percentage of the population than before, they con- tinue to anchor the economies of more Jeremy Field than half of the nation’s counties, including right here in our own backyard. Our strength depends on our rural communities’ ability to thrive in the new global economy, build and attract an educated work- force, expand its population base and use its diverse and abundant natural resources to provide food, fiber, forest products, energy and recreation. Rural communities face eco- nomic challenges different from those in urban areas. Access to public transportation, housing, higher education and job training may limit rural areas’ abilities to thrive economically. Resourcefulness, innovation, common-sense problem-solv- ing and a reverence for hard work are familiar attributes of people in rural areas. They’re also the attri- butes of successful entrepreneurs. At the U.S. Small Business Administration, we see an oppor- tunity to elevate rural economies Online: MyEagleNews.com 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Grant County .........................................$45 Everywhere else in U.S. .......................$57 Outside Continental U.S. ....................$60 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery Periodicals Postage Paid at John Day and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER send address changes to: Blue Mountain Eagle 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845-1187 USPS 226-340 Phone: 541-575-0710 Copyright © 2019 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. facebook.com/MyEagleNews @MyEagleNews
