Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2020)
OPINION Blue Mountain Eagle A4 Wednesday, July 1, 2020 Oregon taxpayers deserved better T he COVID-19 virus outbreak put unex- pected pressure on an array of state and federal agencies, and in at least one case, the compression created leaks that sprouted into wide fissures. Take the Oregon Employ- ment Department’s fail- ure regarding the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program as an example. The federal program — rolled out in March — was just one of a series of relief packages created to help plug the unprecedented gaps cre- ated by the COVID-19 virus epidemic. Essentially, the pro- gram was an expansion of employee insurance that cov- ered self-employed individu- als and contract workers. Oregon, though, didn’t even begin accepting Pan- demic Unemployment Assis- tance applications until late April. The Oregon Employ- ment Department did not have a phone number for those seeking the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance until this month, and while it added more phone lines, call- ers were still expected to wait more than an hour and a half for assistance. That isn’t the most trou- bling piece of the whole equa- tion, though. That’s because instead of processing the claims in a rapid manner — or even in a slow, but method- ical fashion — the OED admitted recently it had a backlog of more than 70,000 unprocessed claims. That, in turn, means that thousands of Oregonians who qualified for help didn’t get it. The Oregon Employment Department also proclaimed it would roll out a new pro- gram, dubbed FOCUS PUA, to better focus resources and staff to clear out the backlog of unprocessed claims. The state estimates it can admin- ister 5,000 claims in the first week of the program and that its weekly processing num- bers will grow by 2,500 per week thereafter, enabling the state to overcome the current backlog of PUA claims within six or seven weeks. The state is also apparently cooperating with Google to build a web-based PUA appli- cation system. That system is expected to roll out in early July. All of that, of course, is good news. What remains troubling, however, is the failure of a critical state agency to handle this specific program in a pro- fessional manner. Some lat- itude can be given when the problem is framed against the abrupt disarray created by the COVID-19 virus and the governor’s subsequent order to close the state to stop its spread. Tried and true meth- ods, after all, were disrupted when the state’s civil ser- vants were ordered to work from home. That type of sud- den disorder created new challenges for civil servants everywhere. Yet, the state began to open in mid-May. While the wheels of bureaucracy were always slow, for the employment department to have dropped the ball — creating a massive backlog — on this specific problem is shocking. Oregon taxpayers deserved a better accounting on this issue. They didn’t get it. Law- makers — including locally elected state senators and rep- resentatives — should be ask- ing why. GUEST COMMENT Elbow grease goes a long way C urbside appeal does not just apply to houses. It’s the first impression customers have of your business, and especially during this tough economic time, anything a business owner can do to attract and keep customers is more important than ever. The first step in making sure your business is inviting is to step outside and, using your critical eye, scan the entire area. Often a business owner or manager uses a side or back entrance and neglects to pay atten- tion to the front of the store. Do you have cracks in your side- walk with grass growing up in between? If you don’t want to use chemicals, give your local exten- sion agent or nursery a call and find out what natural options there are. Is your sidewalk swept and regu- larly hosed off? Check to see if your entry is free of cobwebs and that your front door and knob are clean — maybe even consider repainting your door an eye-catching color. Look at your signage. It is faded or worn, and can it can be easily seen while driving or walking by? Check to see if there are too many flyers in your window and whether they are outdated. Hav- ing a designated spot inside will give organizations a place to adver- tise their event or other informa- tion and will leave your windows clear so customers can see what you have to offer or enjoy your display. Communities must work together F EAGLE USPS 226-340 Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper Email: www.MyEagleNews.com Phone: 541-575-0710 John Day, Oregon MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION E DITOR & G ENERAL M ANAGER R EPORTER R EPORTER S PORTS M ARKETING R EP O FFICE A SSISTANT Sean Hart, editor@bmeagle.com Rudy Diaz, rudy@bmeagle.com Steven Mitchell, steven@bmeagle.com sports@bmeagle.com Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com Alixandra Hand, office@bmeagle.com PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY BY EO Media Group Periodicals Postage Paid at John Day and additional mailing offices. 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Grant County .....................................$45 Everywhere else in U.S. .....................$57 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery POSTMASTER — send address changes to Blue Mountain Eagle 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845-1187 Copyright © 2020 Blue Mountain Eagle All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the copyright hereon may be repro- duced or copied in any form or by any means — graphic, electronic or mechanical, including pho- tocopying, taping or information storage and retrieval systems — without written permission of the publisher. www.facebook.com/ @MyEagleNews cleaner? Are objects in your window dis- play covered with dust or faded by the sun? When was the last time you changed it? Shoppers are looking for what’s new and different and are not going to be drawn in by the same old stuff. Have you planted, weeded and watered your flowers? Is your flag faded and tattered or properly lit? Make certain your days and hours of operation are clearly posted and that you adhere to them. It doesn’t make customers very happy to find a note saying, “I’ll be back in 10 minutes or closed for vacation.” As shoppers venture out, feel- ing safe is of utmost importance to them. Post your COVID-19 pol- icy on your front door so customers know what to expect and what your efforts are to keep them safe. Many businesses are providing hand sani- tizer near the front door and request- ing customers use it when enter- ing and exiting. Some are providing masks. Be certain you are following the mandatory safety guidelines for your type of business. Clean often, paying special attention to door- knobs, the counter and pin pads on debit card machines — doing this in front of customers so they can see you are paying attention to cleanli- ness is not a bad idea. Finally, you may want to con- sider joining a downtown associa- tion or banding together with other business owners in coming up with a plan inviting other shops in the area to participate in keeping their store fronts spiffed up. Everyone will benefit, and customers will have a reason to come in and spend their money. In closing, please note: Eastern Oregon University Small Business Development Center will be hiring a limited-duration, part-time business adviser for Grant County. It will be for 20 hours per week at a little over $30 per hour, and the position will last until March 31, 2021. If you are interested in applying, submit a resume, cover letter and three pro- fessional references. The success- ful candidate will have a minimum of five years business and/or lend- ing experience. Please send applica- tion materials to the email address listed below. Greg Smith is the director of the Eastern Oregon University Small Business Development Cen- ter, which provides free, confidential business advising. For more infor- mation, call 541-962-1532 or email eousbdc@gmail.com. GUEST COMMENT By Quint Studer Blue Mountain Greg Smith This may lessen the chances of them reading the flyer and walking on by. Speaking of seeing through your win- dows, can you? Or is it time to break out the window reedom, independence, self-suf- ficiency: These are great and glorious concepts. We cele- brate them this time of year, whether we process it that way or not, because they’re so deeply ingrained in our image of America. We see ourselves as a nation of rugged individualists: seizing the bull by the horns, charting our own course, walking alone into the forest with an ax slung over our shoulder. Yes, it’s a romantic notion. But it’s not an accurate one. America is a nation of small, tight-knit communi- ties and always has been. The more we cooperate, share, defer to others and work together, the more success- ful we are. Today, as citizens, busi- nesses and civic leaders seek to come back from a public health and eco- nomic crisis, that spirit of community is more important than ever. It holds the key to our survival. I’ve spent much of my career trav- eling from one American community to another. Some are bustling larger cities. Others are quiet small towns. What they all have in common is the burning desire to revitalize them- selves: to become more vibrant, pros- perous, livable and loveable than they are right now. And as I’ve worked with these diverse groups of Ameri- cans, I’ve seen a theme emerge: Those communities that work together, win together. When citizens and leaders come together, put their self-interest on the back burner and work as a team, things get done. When they don’t, nothing gets done. The more you think about the myth of the self-reliant early Amer- ican, the less likely it seems. Our ancestors must have huddled together in small groups and worked to protect each other from a harsh and unfor- giving environment. They must have joined forces, shared what they had and leaned on each other when times were tough. And on the larger stage, our nation’s founders had to work together in a similar fashion to bring America into being. They were working toward independence as a new nation, but they had to rely on interdependence to get there. And as leaders of communi- ties of all shapes and sizes and demo- graphics and political persuasions, we can all learn a lot from them. Here are four big “history les- sons” we should all heed as we seek to reopen, recover, rebuild and continue making our way on journey toward vibrancy: Set aside your self-interest and cre- ate something that works for every- one. Lots of different professions, industries and interests were present at the birth of America. Cabinet mak- ers weren’t fixated only on the wood industry, nor silver smiths on the silver trade. Everyone was fired up to con- tribute to something bigger than them- selves. They bought into the overar- ching mission, and weren’t bogged down by endless debate over the short-term costs of their plan. In other words, don’t be overly concerned with your own wellbeing. Setting aside your own short-term best interests may accomplish far more for everyone in the long run. Because a rising tide lifts all boats, this includes you. Don’t let ideological differences stop you from achieving something tangible. Despite bitter disputes and differences of opinion, a group of peo- ple with little in common other than their shared determination that change was needed were able to get mobi- lized and get something done. While there was much to be decided about the way things would function in the new nation, they all recognized that there wouldn’t even be a new nation if they didn’t set aside their disagree- ments and move the ball down the court. It’s important to know what mat- ters. Don’t let petty disputes about how things should get done sabotage the greater task at hand. Don’t be constantly trying to steal the spotlight from each other. It’s OK to let someone else be “the one in charge.” No one complained that John Hancock’s signature was bigger than theirs, or that so-and-so got to sign the Declaration before they did. (OK, it’s possible, but we can see by the doc- ument that resides in the National Archives that it got done anyway!) The founders kept their focus on the ambitious mission of standing up to one of the most powerful authorities in the world: the king of England. When we try to make it about our- selves, we can get off track and let our self-absorption derail the project or initiative. Keep the greater goal in mind and stay focused on that. Don’t wait on the government to “fix it.” Instead, join together and take bold action at the local level. The changes desired by American colo- nists weren’t coming from Great Brit- ain. And so, in the summer of 1776 delegates from each of the Thirteen Colonies took it upon themselves to challenge British authorities and make change happen — their way. Citizen-powered change is the most powerful change. If it’s to be, it’s up to you and me, not government agencies. (Local governments tend not to have the budget to drive fundamen- tal change, and due to election cycles, officials come and go. Many won’t be around to see long term projects through.) Yes, early communities needed each other, and that drove a lot of their interactions. We went through a period of time where we started to believe we didn’t need each other, and that clearly isn’t true. We now realize that working together is the only way we can make our cities and towns thrive. No one is saying America’s found- ers were perfect. They were far from it, as we are. But one thing they got right was the knowledge that they needed to work together for a com- mon cause. Teamwork is a powerful force. We couldn’t have built a nation without it, and we can’t build a better community without it either. Quint Studer is the author of “Building a Vibrant Community: How Citizen-Powered Change Is Reshap- ing America” and founder of Pensac- ola’s Studer Community Institute. For more information, visit vibrantcom- munityblueprint.com and studeri.org.
