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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 2020)
A4 OPINION Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, October 28, 2020 Bentz will represent us well in Congress G reg Walden is retiring, creating a race for an open seat for Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District. Cliff Bentz, a Republican, is the best person to fill it. Bentz, 68, is an attorney and former state legislator — 10 years in the House and two years in the Senate. His oppo- nent, Democrat Alex Spenser, 55, has worked many differ- ent jobs, including as a writer. There are sharp differences between them on a host of issues. Spenser wants to require gun owners to be regularly tested on every gun they own for safety and proficiency. Bentz does not want new gun laws. He wants the ones in place to be enforced. That is not to say, though, that he would not support changes if laws are not working as they should. Spenser supports expand- ing something like the Oregon Health Plan to every Amer- ican. Bentz does not want a single-payer system. He wants people to have health care. He doesn’t want the government to control it all. On climate, Spenser backs the “Green New Deal.” We agree the nation needs a bold climate action plan. The Green New Deal is not the one. The federal government should not guarantee everyone a job, as nice as that might sound. The federal government should not be taking total or partial control of energy, transpor- tation and more. It puts too much faith and control in the hands of government planners. Bentz’s concept is more cir- cumspect, realistic and decen- tralized. He believes climate change is real. He wants inno- vation, sequestration and adap- tation. He wants solutions that save people money and not more top-down fees. Spenser’s vow to work toward ending the divisive- ness in Congress is appeal- ing. But Bentz has real experi- ence in the Oregon Legislature working across party lines. He never spent one day in the majority while in office. He managed to get things done. Two examples: Oregonians finally get an opportunity to pump some of their own gas and they can drive a little faster on rural roads because of Bentz. He also helped lead the compromise between Democrats and Republi- cans to deliver the $5 billion state transportation package in 2017. That package does everything from helping tran- sit to repairing and improving roads. With Walden’s retirement, Oregon’s 2nd Congressio- nal District loses a powerful, effective voice in Washing- ton. Bentz’s record of politi- cal accomplishment is a much better starting point than Spenser’s. 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 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Oppose oligarchy this election To the Editor: OK, folks, it is crunch time. This election cycle, the citizens of the U.S. will make their choice to either: A. Give us at least a fighting chance to prove that voting mat- ters, or B. Send the grand American exercise in democracy into the dust- bin of history. Option B will prove Robert Michels’ theory that democracies have a tendency to turn into oligar- chies. Oligarchy is a term meaning rule by the rich, relying on oppres- sion to exist. Voting is meaningless. The approved candidate faces token opposition. Results are predeter- mined. 2020 would become the last time a citizen’s vote in this country mattered. My father died in the gore of Omaha Beach fighting for option A. This option requires hard work, requiring citizens to study each can- didate carefully before they vote. Democracy is hard, but our forefa- thers considered it valuable enough to die for. I can only hope that our gen- eration will not be remembered as the ones who sold a free coun- try down the river for empty prom- ises, no matter how “beautiful” they sounded. If you choose B, it will likely be the last hard voting choice you will have to make. Oligarchs, directing whatever puppet they have installed, will relieve you of having to think. Your vote will be precounted before ballots are printed. So please make the difficult choice to be remembered by the gen- erations to come as my father is, among those willing to do the right thing, standing up to be counted as opposing oligarchy. John Wolter John Day ‘Lamborn has the experience and characteristics necessary’ To the Editor: John Lamborn and Rob Raschio have the educational experience to be a circuit court judge. Both have represented individuals before the Grant and Harney Circuit Court. As retired director of juvenile and adult parole and probation, I have personally been involved with them in juvenile and adult matters in Grant County. I feel that John Lam- born has the experience and char- acteristics necessary to be our next judge. Ken Boethin John Day ‘We encourage you to vote for Julie’ To the Editor: Julie Ellison came to work for Jackson Oil in 1984 at the gas sta- tion in Canyon City, Oregon. Julie was a great gasoline attendant, but I realized that her talents were being under-utilized. Naturally when we computerized Jackson Oil, Julie automatically moved into a book- keeper’s position. Julie worked with Melody, my wife, and I for 26 years and then for Ed Staub and Sons as well. Julie did an exceptional job for us and treated our customers like they were her customers, which they actually were in the grand scope of things. My wife and I are voting for Julie Ellison for treasurer, and we encourage you to vote for Julie as well. Greg and Melody Jackson John Day ODF did a great job this fire season To the Editor: I would like to say that the men and women of our Oregon Depart- ment of Forestry have done a great job this fire season. I run a small ranch that shares several miles of boundary with national forest and Bureau of Land Management. The fire danger here is the worst that I have experienced. When I first moved here, all of the opinions that I heard concerning ODF were nega- tive. Instead of listening to the neg- ativity, I started reaching out, asking for advice on how to improve our situation and to work with ODF. In this process, I have been extremely impressed with all the ODF employees that I have had interaction with. Our area is extremely prone to dry lightning strikes. So far, between the efforts of ODF and myself, we have been able to hold the damages to a bare minimum, with the exception of the Sunflower Flats Fire. That one was a total fiasco, compliments of the feds. I am not saying that all fed- eral employees are the same. Since that experience on Sunflower Flats, I have worked with some of the feds on the Gilman Flats Fire. They had a completely different philosophy than what I saw on the Sunflower Flats Fire. I also want to take a minute to speak to our fellow citizens, who ‘Support Rob in his run for judge’ To the Editor: I was born and raised in Grant County and am proud to be a descendant of some of the coun- ty’s first pioneers. My husband and I moved back to Mt. Vernon in 2018 after being gone for 30 years. It was August of that year when I went to work for Rob as a legal assistant at his law firm Strawberry Mountain Law. I’ve worked as a legal assistant for 18 years, most recently at the law firm of Hart Wagner in Redmond, Oregon. Prior to Hart Wagner, I spent 10 years with the Deschutes County Circuit Court (OJD) work- ing as a judicial assistant. I’ve had the opportunity to work with circuit court judges from different coun- ties in Oregon and many attorneys practicing in various types of law — criminal, civil litigation, family law, probate and more. I established working relationships with judges and attorneys who differ in person- alities. Out of all of these relation- ships, I’ve found Rob to be an hon- est, intelligent, experienced attorney who fiercely advocates for his cli- ents. I’ve personally witnessed Rob help the people of our community in different capacities — providing pro bono advice, cooking and delivering food during the shut-down, donat- ing to youth programs in Harney and Grant and buying 4-H animals in Harney and Grant. It’s been such a pleasure working with Rob in an office that feels more like family than work. I fully support Rob in his run for judge and hope you’ll join me in voting for him this November for circuit court judge. Heidi Brooks Mt. Vernon 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 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Editor & General Manager ...............Sean Hart, editor@bmeagle.com Grant County .........................................$45 Everywhere else in U.S. .......................$57 Outside Continental U.S. ....................$60 Reporter ...................................................Rudy Diaz, rudy@bmeagle.com Reporter ...................................................... Steven Mitchell, steven@bmeagle.com Sports ........................................................sports@bmeagle.com Marketing Rep .......................................Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery 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 expect everyone else to protect their lives and property. They do none of the work for themselves. It doesn’t take long, when you are riding through our beautiful area, to look around and see the prop- erty owners that do not clean up any of the excess fire fuels, even to the point that they don’t have a defen- sible perimeter around their homes. If you can’t get off of your butt to improve your own situation, why do you expect someone else to risk their lives in the middle of a fire? I just personally feel like our area would be much better off if every- one would take ownership of their situation and do their part. Bill Newman Monument Phone: 541-575-0710 Copyright © 2020 Blue Mountain Eagle All rights reserved. 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