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.
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Mountain Eagle, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845; or fax to 541-575-1244.
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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
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