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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 10, 2020)
A4 OPINION Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, June 10, 2020 Governor, legislators are meeting in secret G ov. Kate Brown and Oregon legislators are meeting behind your back. They are more interested in expediency than the public’s right to know. Brown has held more than 50 daily meetings by phone for all the legislators. They have been holding the meet- ings without allowing the pub- lic to listen. We only know about the meetings thanks to the reporting of The Orego- nian newspaper. The meetings have featured updates on the latest news about the pandemic. Shouldn’t the public be able to hear that discussion among its elected leaders? There have been weekly updates from the head of Ore- gon’s Department of Human Services. He apparently spoke about what a cut of 17% in funding would mean for the department. Orego- nians have heard far too many heart-wrenching stories of how the state has failed some of its most vulnerable chil- dren — those in the foster care system. Fariborz Pakseresht, the department’s director, said he had to freeze hiring for the child welfare program. Why not let the public listen in? The struggling state Employment Department has also given presentations. It has some 38,000 unpro- cessed claims. And there’s another staggering figure: 200,000 claims have not been paid during the pandemic. Shouldn’t Oregonians be able to hear what the department is saying to legislators and what legislators are asking? Appar- ently Gov. Brown and legisla- tors don’t think so. And this is where things get really inter- esting. The intent of Oregon’s open meetings law is that the public is allowed to know what the government is doing. And it’s not only that the deci- sions are made in public. Deliberations are import- ant, too. That enables the public to know the choices that must be made and the information on which those choices are based. “Officials in the governor’s office and the Legislature’s top lawyer argue” that these meet- ings that the governor is hav- ing with legislators don’t trig- ger the state’s open meetings law, The Oregonian wrote. They are getting informa- tion, the argument goes, not making decisions. Baloney. The information legislators get in these meetings helps them make decisions. Legisla- tors will meet in a special ses- sion to make choices about how state budgets will be cut. Gov. Brown and legislators say they believe in transparent and accountable government. But that’s not what they do. BUILDING BLOCKS Spring into action L ooking at nature show signs of spring arriving with trees budding, crocuses spouting, birds chirping, calves arriving, new births and temperature fluctuating. What do we do to prepare? Trees and shrubs get pruned, ranchers watch and assist their cattle and livestock, farmers prepare their fields, car own- ers wash the inside of their muddy wet car, windows get washed and opened, decks get a fresh coat of stain and contractors transition from inside projects to outside projects. We pack away the winter clothing, tools and toys, but not too soon. The stock market is similar to the transition of seasons. Watching for signs, preparing for your future, making unforeseen predictions and deciding whether to invest, hold steady or pull out is how we prepare for retirement, college funds, wed- ding funds or the unexpected events. Many decisions are based on com- mon sense, professional advice, knowledge of stock market swings and emotions. If you plant too soon the frost kills your crops, but if you wait too long to plant, the hot sum- mer sun burns some crops or your growing season is too short. This widely to recessions in our country as stockholders hastily and emotionally sold their stocks. Banks almost went under again, when the media and emotions drove people to not keep money in the bank, but to store it under their mattress or personal safe (not making any interest and chanc- ing theft). It is all a risk. Let’s not for- get the international market finance options to purchase foreign coins because “one day they will be worth more than the America dollar.” In 2008, the Bitcoin was invented and started in 2009. A Bitcoin is a decen- tralized digital currency, cryptocur- rency that can be sent from user to user on the peer-to-peer bitcoin net- work without the need for interme- diaries. It too is affected by variable markets, another risk. If you want a “bottom line,” listen to wisdom not social media, don’t panic or let your emotions drive your decisions and spread your seeds so they don’t choke each other out — have a diver- sified portfolio. When the broccoli doesn’t produce, at least you have the kale and cabbage to eat. Dorothy Nestlerode is a Grant County resident, mother and local author. supports the strat- egy of variety, ver- satility and timing. Wisdom says, “The more you make, the more you spend.” Wise peo- Dorothy ple pay themselves Nestlerode first and budget the rest. This is called savings and managing your money, not letting your money manage you. If you don’t have it, don’t spend it; instead save for it and then make the decision to purchase or not. Build your savings by paying off debt. Don’t put all of your beans in the same pot. Stocks and real estate have levels of unpredictable risk, but you can be sure the market will swing up and down and stabilize for peri- ods of time. When emotions drive your spending and investments, they are driving you. Be wise, learn, seek wise council, watch market trends and manage your money, don’t let it manage you. When the American people pan- icked and “ran on the banks” with- drawing all their money because of fear, this contributed to the Great Depression. Panic also contributed LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ‘Walk a mile or two in their shoes’ 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. • Sen. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario – 900 Court St. NE, S-301, Salem 97301. Phone: 503-986-1730. Website: oregonlegislature.gov/Bentz. Email: Sen.CliffBentz@oregonlegislature.gov. • Rep. Lynn Findley, R-Vale – 900 Court St. NE, H-475, Salem 97301. Phone: 503- 986-1460. Website: oregonlegislature. gov/findley. Email: Rep.LynnFindley@ oregonlegislature.gov. WASHINGTON, D.C. • The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20500; Phone-comments: 202- 456-1111; Switchboard: 202-456- 1414. Blue Mountain EAGLE Published every Wednesday by To the Editor: With all due respect I must take issue with Mr. Colbeth’s criticism of the various store clerks in John Day and sur- rounding communities in a pre- vious letter to the editor. Per- haps if I were to buy a gallon of milk should I expect the clerk to suggest I purchase a glass to pour it in? I would like to point out what many of the folks who wait on us at cash registers, gas pumps and restaurant tables are really dealing with. I, for one, don’t want to have to wear a mask and stand behind a plexigass screen all day waiting on an oftentimes impatient public. More times than not I have had a polite exchange with clerks, administrative personnel and waiters or waitresses asking me “Is there anything else I can get for you or help you with?” I find this especially true in our small community. Perhaps in these days of social stress and impersonal mass media venues, we should take a moment to pause and reflect on what the person who is tirelessly waiting on the rest of us in a public business envi- ronment deals with on a daily basis. Walk a mile or two in their shoes. Give them the respect a fellow citizen is due. Dan Maynard John Day Call ahead before dropping off food To the Editor: Some people are leaving food at the Grant County Food Bank office without calling 541-575- 0299 to tell us that food is being left at the Food Bank office. We do not man the Food Bank office on any regular schedule. Any food that is dropped off without calling may go to waste. The food may be in the sun for a long period of time and exceed the temperature for storing food. If that happens, we have to dis- pose of the food. The phone number for the Food Bank is on the door of the office. We are happy to accept food from people who want to donate food. We like to have the name, address and phone number of the people so the Food Bank can Budget bungling To the Editor: EOC coordinating officer overspends and then runs — leaving the county on the hook. What a surprise! Since this was non-communi- cative, non-transparent Sheriff Palmer’s great idea (and his dep- uty), let’s let his department take care of the overrun. What did county citizens get out of this boondoggle? Where is purchased equip- ment going now? How did the sheriff”s “mas- ter plan” differ from the plan already in place by the previous emergency coordinator? Did the sheriff’s plan accom- plish so much more? If it did, let’s hear what it was. Sandy and Mark Murray Prairie City 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 ...................................................Rudy Diaz, rudy@bmeagle.com Reporter ...................................................... Steven Mitchell, steven@bmeagle.com Sports ........................................................sports@bmeagle.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 Marketing Rep .......................................Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com Online: MyEagleNews.com 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 Office Assistant .....................................Alixandra Hand, office@bmeagle.com MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION send a thank you letter/receipt, but anonymous donations are OK. Just let us know you are dropping food off. We ask people to call 541-575-0299 before they drop food off. Food costs so much. We do not want any of it to go to waste. Tom Sutton, chairman Grant County Food Bank Phone: 541-575-0710 Copyright © 2020 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
