A6
OPINION
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
The ‘haves’
and ‘have-nots’
in government
n occasion, we are
reminded that the
budget process used
by the Oregon Legislature and
state agencies is a bit curious.
According to the Oregon
Blue Book, the state’s revenue
budget for the current bien-
nium is $85.8 billion. Of that,
26.1% is the general fund,
which comes mainly from the
state corporate and personal
income taxes, the cigarette tax
and the estate tax.
About 44% of the state’s
revenue comes from money
state agencies take in as fines
and fees in return for services.
Some of that money is dedi-
cated under law or constitu-
tional amendment to specific
agencies or purposes.
About 1.5% of the revenue
comes from the state lottery.
Instead of having all of the
state’s revenue from taxes,
fees and the lottery flow into
the general fund, much of it
flows into cubbyholes within
various state agencies instead.
As a result, when legisla-
tors write the budget, they are
debating the highest and best
use of their lunch money. Most
of the rest of the state budget
is already spoken for.
This results in haves and
have-nots among state agen-
cies and a sort of legisla-
tive panhandling exercise as
agency heads try to make ends
meet.
An example: Oregon Water
Resources Department Admin-
istrator Tom Byler recently
paid a visit to a legislative
committee asking permission
to raise fees for water transac-
O
tions and dam inspections by
17% just to keep those divi-
sions functioning. Even with
the increase, several people
will be laid off.
The implication is the Leg-
islature doesn’t have the
money for OWRD and some
other “have-not” agencies
to do their job. The reality
is the money is tucked away
elsewhere.
The Oregon Department
of Parks and Recreation is an
example of a “have” agency.
Under a couple of constitu-
tional amendments, 7.5% of
state lottery proceeds are ear-
marked for the department. In
the current biennial budget,
that’s $107.3 million — more
than twice the OWRD’s entire
budget. Much of the rest of
the Parks and Recreation bud-
get, $98.7 million, comes from
user fees, and stays within the
department.
Assuming that transferring
water rights and inspecting
dams in a timely manner are
important, it should be up to
legislators to assure the agency
is adequately funded. That is
not currently the case, because
of the cubbyholes.
We cannot tell legislators
how to put together a state
budget, but we do know that
the current system leaves some
“have-not” agencies depen-
dent on squeezing every penny
out of farmers and ranchers
and others who need water,
inspections or other state-man-
dated services.
The time is long overdue to
discuss this shortcoming that
leaves some agencies chron-
ically underfunded.
EDUCATION CORNER
Learning to write isn’t easy
W
riting is a lifelong skill.
Children are able to start
developing skills used
in writing as early as kindergar-
ten and even preschool. Developing
the skill of writing starts with lan-
guage development and learning to
share information orally with oth-
ers. It can begin with show and tell,
where children share a special thing
and simply say, “This is my truck.”
Or the parent asking the child to tell
them about their day.
Writing is at the highest level
of processing our brains are able to
perform. It is also not a natural skill
that comes with body development.
It has to be learned according to our
geographic region we live in. Eat-
ing, walking, talking and observing
are all natural things that most all of
us grow equipped to do, but writing
is a whole set of complex skills that
must be developed.
To be able to write there must be
a strong foundation built of other
skills such as language develop-
ment, analyzing and understanding
the elements of reading. If a child
struggles with one of these three,
they are apt to struggle when it
comes to writing.
Language development is the
ability to talk and share information.
Prior to the use of any form of writ-
ten texts, heritage was passed down
through stories, songs or chants, and
taught by elders of the group. They
often used pictures to jog their mem-
ories, which would be considered the
first form of written texts.
Being able to understand infor-
mation and apply it to one’s own life
is also key in being able to express
orally to others.
This is a skill that
needs nurturing
prior to being able
to put ideas into
writing. Talking and
discussing informa-
Dr. Scott
tion with children
Smith
helps them develop
those skills. Ask-
ing questions such as: “What do you
think? Where do you think that water
goes?” or “How would you fix that?”
will build their ability to understand
and apply information that will then
be more likely to transfer to their
writing.
The third is understanding what
reading is within our language com-
munication. Understanding that sym-
bols represent letters and sounds and
are placed together to create words
is important. Words are formed into
sentences that communicate a writ-
er’s thoughts and information.
If a child or student is unable to
express information orally, they will
not be able to complete their writing
task because on the developmental
scale they have not learned enough
oral language to apply it in writing.
Once children are able to talk
openly about a subject or object,
they are ready to begin their writ-
ing journey. If a child or student is
struggling with writing, step back
and allow them to process using
their oral language skills. They still
might not be ready to do their own
writing and additional scaffolding
may be needed for them to be suc-
cessful, but processing orally first
will help students get their thoughts
in order, which is critical. Hav-
ing them dictate the information
is also a great scaffold especially
if you guide them with the proper
phrasing.
Writing is also something that
often isn’t once and done, which
is sometimes difficult for children
to learn and understand. When first
learning to edit their own work, they
might not be able to identify how it
needs to be changed. When we read
our own writing back, our brains
often do an auto-correct so the child
may struggle to recognize their mis-
takes. Assisting and having children
read both their sentences and the
edited sentences will help them build
the ability to recognize changes they
might need to make when they are
editing their own work.
Most children love to make lit-
tle folded books. The idea is to take
paper and fold it to create pages,
allowing the child to place the com-
ponents of a book on each page such
as a cover, title, beginning, mid-
dle and end. Having them create
these books can be a first step toward
learning the writing process just as
they did centuries ago with hiero-
glyphics. Writing is a process, and
not an easy one, but with support and
guidance, we can all learn to commu-
nicate through writing.
Dr. Scott Smith is a Umatilla
County educator with 40-plus years
of experience. He taught at McNary
Heights Elementary School and then
for Eastern Oregon University in
their teacher education program at
Blue Mountain Community College.
He serves on the Decoding Dyslexia
— OR board as their parent-teacher
liaison.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
‘Jan. 6, 2021, A
Lament: 13 Folds
For Sicknick’
Blue Mountain
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Old Glory did some duty, I have
never seen before
Old Glory did some duty, my
heart and soul deplore
I have seen her waving half-mast,
to honor those that died
But, not banner for betrayal,
while our nation watched and cried
Old Glory did some duty, in the
hands of hostile few
Old Glory did some duty, in the
grasp of hands that coup
I have seen her tucked and
folded, and clutched by widowed
hands
But, not in wretched servitude, to
insurgent hostile bands
Old Glory did some duty, far
beyond the pale
She was corrupted and con-
scripted, and democracy assailed
I have seen our beloved banner,
guard and praise our border
But, I have never seen Old Glory,
bludgeon law and order
Old Glory did some duty, which
disgraced our nation’s mall
She shared this field of conflict,
with banners held as tall
I have seen her gladly flapping,
with the answers in the wind
But, not endorse despotic swag-
ger, to redoubt what Dixie sinned!
Old Glory did some duty, within
historic halls
She flouted fidelities’ virtue, to
submit to proud-boy brawls
I have seen her drape the coffins,
of heroic hearts now still
But, not breach a cowered Con-
gress, to kidnap or to kill
Old Glory did some duty, for
which she was not to blame
She will fold 13 times for Sick-
nick, and renounce the hands of
shame
I have seen her raised for valor,
in the grasp of Ira Hayes
But, as this forsaken Pima
Indian, PROTECT … or count her
days!
•••
The Raven-ous Rebellion
Once upon a midday dreary,
while they counted votes yet wary
Over many a fierce and furious
volume of forgotten horror…
While we watched no longer
napping, suddenly there came a
rapping,
As of someone loudly rapping,
rapping at Our Chamber’s door
Tis some vanquisher we muttered,
rapping at Our Chamber’s door—
ONLY THIS, BUT
NEVERMORE!
Submitted at the request of a
reader in the Ritter area. In honor of
Officer Sicknick, his flag folded 13
times.
Wayne Spletstoser
Shedd
‘U.S. bears a special
responsibility to take
action to address the
climate crisis’
To the Editor:
In response to the Eagle’s
thoughtful editorial, “U.S. can’t take
on climate change by itself,” I want
to draw attention to a remarkable
document on climate change and
national security.
“A Climate Security Plan for
America: A Presidential Plan for
Combating the Security Risks of
Climate Change” is endorsed by
more than 20 admirals and gener-
als, including Rear Admiral David
Titley, former oceanographer and
navigator of the Navy, and General
Gordon Sullivan, former chief of
staff of the Army. This 2019 report
states:
“The U.S. is contending with an
international environment colored
by the announcement of the intent of
the U.S. to withdraw from the Paris
Agreement, a loss of American pres-
tige and international leadership as
a result, a lack of trust between the
U.S. and its partners and allies, and
significant moves by other nations,
such as China, to fill that global
leadership vacuum. China, for exam-
ple, is positioning itself as a regional
and global leader in investments in
climate resilience and clean energy
transitions. This challenge to U.S.
leadership on climate change, partic-
ularly from near-peer competitors,
can have significant implications for
U.S. national security well beyond
this issue.”
About half of the carbon diox-
ide we emit stays in the atmosphere
for centuries or more. As a result,
global temperature increases are a
direct function of cumulative emis-
sions. Notably, the United States is
the greatest cumulative emitter, with
twice the historical emissions of sec-
ond-place China. And as the world’s
most significant emitter, the U.S.
bears a special responsibility to take
action to address the climate crisis.
The pandemic has taught us the
importance of hedging against cata-
strophic risk. President Biden should
be congratulated for embracing U.S.
leadership on this crucial issue.
Terry Hansen
Hales Corners, Wisconsin