Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 2019)
A4 OPINION Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, November 6, 2019 Walden brings methodical purpose to political work O regon may not know it yet, but in 2021, it is going to lose a tremendous amount of influence in Washington, D.C. That’s because long- time federal lawmaker Greg Walden will step down that year from his slot in the U.S. House of Representatives. Walden, 62, announced ear- lier this week that he will not run for reelection in the huge 2nd Congressional Dis- trict. That district includes large chunks of Eastern and Southern Oregon — includ- ing Grant County. First elected in 1998, Walden’s coveted position will be up for grabs in the next election. It also means that, when Walden departs, 20 years worth of experience and political know-how will go with him. That isn’t a good thing for Oregon, and it is especially bad news for the constituents of his district. As the only Republican in Oregon’s congressional delegation, Walden, for the most part, delivered a type of moderate center-right bal- ance to a field dominated by Democrats. While Walden met criticism from the polit- ical fanatics on both sides of the political fence, over- all his track record shows he looked out for Eastern Ore- gon on a consistent basis. Whomever replaces Walden will face a long road to achieving the kind of influence the Hood River native built over two decades of work in Congress. Walden also strived to raise the voice of the rural areas of the state in the fed- eral arena. His successes during his tenure are many and the state — especially the moderate GOP — is going to miss his leadership. Political voices of reason — the adults in the room, if you will — are sadly miss- ing on the American political stage as of late. The coun- try is bitterly divided along political fault lines where there is a constant grind- ing of rhetoric and dogma that ignites sparks that burn bright. Politicians who, for the most part, stick to party alignment yet seek always to find compromise to help the nation and their state seem like a vanishing spe- cies. As Walden has pointed out before, that perception is quite correct. Lots of good work is done in the hallowed halls of Con- gress by both Democrats and Republicans on a regu- lar basis. But it is the smol- dering fire of fanatical doc- trine that gets headlines and seems to snake throughout the political collective con- sciousness like a main cir- cuit cable. Walden brings a sense of methodical purpose to his political work, and he did a lot for Oregon. Once he leaves the American politi- cal stage, he will be sorely missed. SHOOTING THE BREEZE The story of the princess nce upon a time, there was a little princess who lived with her queen mum, the court jester and a couple of sta- ble boys. The lit- tle princess loved all things girl, from frilly pink Rod clothes to Ameri- Carpenter can Girl dolls. The court jester tried many times to corrupt the poor little princess. He did manage to get her to go fishing, and she loved it. They had many happy fishing trips together. Sadly, he could never convince her to try hunting, try as he might. As the years passed, the jester began to give up hope. Then the miracle happened. The queen mum drew a deer tag, and the prepara- tions for the hunt began. Trips to the rifle range, gathering neces- sary clothes and discussing hunt strategy. As the princess listened and watched, she was caught up in the excitement and declared that maybe, just maybe, she would like to try this hunting thing. The pos- sibility of letting the princess actu- ally hunt using the mentor program was briefly discussed and then dis- carded because she had never fired a gun. It was decided she would O Contributed photo The queen mum and princess pose for a photo while hunting. tag along and watch. The season finally arrived, and it was agreed that the prin- cess could miss one day of charm school to tag along. After the stable boys were sent on their way, the jester, queen and princess were on their way. The princess was resplendent in her pink sweatshirt and cowgirl boots. As they headed to the hunt area, they jumped some does and a lit- tle forked horn buck. They had fun looking the deer over, but the buck needed a couple of years to grow up, so they continued on their way. At the hunting area, they came up with a game plan and set off on their hike. The princess was a trooper and kept up no problem. She was quiet and attentive. Unfor- tunately, no more deer were seen that day. Despite that, the prin- cess announced that she had a great time and would like to try hunting for herself. Music to the ears of the lowly court jester. Plans are already in the works to make that happen. On a day the little princess couldn’t go along, the queen mum managed to take the buck of a life- time, but that is a story for another day. Have a great hunting story? Drop us a line at shootingthebree- zebme@gmail.com. Rod Carpenter is a husband, father and hunting fool. OTHER VIEWS Democrats must work with GOP on climate bill regon Republicans most likely under- stood at the end of the last session that the controversial carbon emis- sion issue wasn’t going to go away. Already, one of the archi- tects of the carbon emis- sion reduction bill that failed during the last session is hard at work crafting a new proposal. Readers probably remem- ber that Senate Republicans walked out of the 2019 ses- sion, a decision that destroyed hopes by Democrats to push their favored carbon emission blueprint into law. The bill was designed to slash the state’s greenhouse gas emissions and generate funds to use on a host of envi- ronmental programs. There is also, apparently, a push by an environmental group to put a carbon emis- sion reduction measure before voters. Sen. Michael Dembrow, O 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 Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper Publisher............ ......................................Chris Rush, crush@eomediagroup.com Editor & General Manager ...............Sean Hart, editor@bmeagle.com Reporter ...................................................Rudy Diaz, rudy@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 Online: MyEagleNews.com D-Portland, the lawmaker who led the effort for the carbon emission reduction legislation, is working to simplify a new bill and that should be good news for everyone, especially voters. That’s because the origi- nal piece of legislation was a confusing tome that created a host of questions from critics. A more narrowly tailored piece of legislation is needed because there isn’t any doubt — or shouldn’t be — that cli- mate change is real and we all need to discover a way to address it. But we can’t develop a solution on the backs of the rural residents of Oregon. Nor barge ahead with a solu- tion that ignores the valid concerns of those of us who live and work and play in the great rural areas of Oregon. Dembrow and his Dem- ocratic supporters on a new carbon emission bill must find a middle ground with Repub- licans on this issue, and that is going to be a pretty tall order. 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 The well between the two parties on this issue has, indeed, been poisoned. But that shouldn’t mean lawmak- ers throw up their hands and walk away. This is an import- ant issue, and just because it was bungled in the last ses- sion doesn’t mean it should be discarded. What must be avoided is another long, drawn-out political battle that ends with the minority party walking away from the capital. No one is going to say finding a solution will be easy. It won’t be. Democracy is a messy business some- times, and the last session’s battles over the carbon reduc- tion initiative clearly reinforce that scenario. The Democrats staked their legislation success last session on a bill that was essentially a prototype on political over- reach. They must work with their political brethren in both the House and Senate to find a viable solution. —East Oregonian 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
