OPINION
Blue Mountain Eagle
A4
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Walkout
may succeed
in changing
quorum rules
D
o you think Gov. Kate
Brown should do
more to get schools
to reopen? Do you think more
should be done to vaccinate
seniors sooner?
Do you think the state should
look to speed up reopening of
businesses?
Those are reasons why Ore-
gon Senate Republicans walked
out on Thursday. They say their
efforts to get Brown’s attention
to these issues have gone unac-
knowledged. So they walked
out to get her attention.
Yes, they got her attention.
But Republicans didn’t com-
pel her to make any changes.
And we can’t imagine she
will fundamentally change her
approach.
Perhaps Senate Republi-
cans did succeed in a few ways.
Just getting people’s atten-
tion these days takes more than
making a speech. The walkout
got the Oregon public’s atten-
tion for at least a news cycle.
And in that moment Republi-
cans highlighted what the dif-
ference might be if they were
governing.
They also reminded their fel-
low legislators that they still
have the power to shut down the
making of new laws.
Oregon is one of only a
handful of states that requires by
its constitution that two-thirds of
lawmakers must be on the Sen-
ate floor and the House floor
for work to be done. The nar-
row Democratic margin in the
Senate means the Democratic
majority is not walkout-proof. A
walkout is some of the only raw
power Republicans in Oregon
really have.
For how long? Will voters
tire of this tactic? It seems inev-
itable that through a bill or an
initiative a measure will be put
on the ballot for a constitutional
amendment to change Ore-
gon’s quorum rules to a simple
majority.
That might not be some-
thing to celebrate. Yes, it would
work in the favor of Democrats
now. It is, though, one of the
few tools to prevent a tyranny
of a simple majority. Oregon
voters are roughly evenly split
between Democrats, unaffili-
ated voters and Republicans —
in that order. There is probably
far more that unites Oregonians
than divides them. On some
issues at least, majority opinion
is slim or hard to find.
Democrats hold power now.
They may not always. Demo-
crats have used the power of the
walkout before, in 1971, 1995
and 2001.
In these unsettled times, Ore-
gonians need legislators and
a governor who find ways to
work together, not write new
exclusionary rules.
Federal stimulus checks
should not increase state taxes
T
he federal stimulus
checks helped a lot of
Oregonians out when
they needed it. And it is also
going to help out Oregon gov-
ernment — about $100 million
in federal stimulus payments
is going to wind up in the state
treasury.
The federal government is
not taxing the stimulus pay-
ments. In Oregon, they are not
taxed as income, either. But
the payments can impact the
federal tax calculations used
on your Oregon income tax.
And so the stimulus payment
may mean you owe state tax
on more of your income and
wind up paying more taxes or
get a reduced refund.
Does that sound right to
you? The stimulus checks sure
seemed to be aimed at helping
individuals, not helping state
government.
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio,
a Democrat, wants state law-
makers to pass a bill to elim-
inate the state tax liability
owed by Oregonians on fed-
eral stimulus payments. State
Sen. Dick Anderson, R-Lin-
coln City, is already working
on such a bill. The idea has at
least half a nod from Oregon
House Speaker Tina Kotek,
a Democrat. A spokesper-
son said Kotek “supports the
House Revenue Chair evaluat-
ing this issue.”
Tell your legislator what
you think.
Blue Mountain
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GUEST COMMENT
COVID-19, one year later
I
t’s been one year since the first case
of COVID-19 was diagnosed in
Oregon. Twelve grim months later,
nothing is the same. The pandemic has
claimed more than half a million lives
in the United States. More than 2,200
Oregonians have died with the coro-
navirus. All of us have felt their loss.
All of us have seen our lives altered:
a beloved grandparent’s lonely wave
through the glass of a nursing home
window. The empty storefront of a bed-
rock local business. Birthdays, grad-
uations and anniversaries awkwardly
celebrated on a screen instead of in-per-
son. Frustration as parents struggle to
help kids in school while trying to meet
work demands.
But there’s another number Orego-
nians should bear in mind, especially as
we confront the coming months of the
pandemic: 4,000. That’s approximately
the number of lives you’ve saved
by wearing a mask, limiting in-per-
son gatherings and maintaining social
distance.
Oregon was one of the first states in
the nation to report a case of COVID-
19, but a year later our state has the
fourth lowest coronavirus case rate in
the nation, the fourth lowest death rate
and the fourth lowest COVID-19 death
rate among seniors. If Oregon’s death
rate matched the nation’s, three times
as many Oregonians would have lost
their lives.
You made the difference. Month
after month, deep into the pandemic,
about 8 in 10 Oregonians continue
to observe lifesaving pandemic pre-
cautions. While we know who’s died
from COVID-19, we’ll never know
for sure whom you’ve saved. Maybe
it’s an esteemed elder who’s alive to
lead a virtual devotional group for his
faith community. A middle-age mother
who’s here to help her daughter apply
for college. A thir-
tysomething who
agrees to be best man
at his friend’s wed-
ding, once the pan-
demic is over. Maybe
it’s someone reading
Pat Allen
this message. Maybe
it’s you.
State and local public health actions
saved lives too. Gov. Kate Brown
issued early stay-at-home orders. Our
state was the first in the nation to pro-
tect the most vulnerable nursing home
residents by limiting visitation. Ore-
gon put limits on bars, restaurants,
gyms and other types of businesses that
could fuel the virus’ spread. Those lim-
its figured as vital factors in Oregon’s
life-saving calculus — but they came
with undeniable costs to workers and
business owner. Still, and unlike other
states, Oregon kept manufacturing
and construction going, blunting the
worst-case economic fallout on work-
ing families.
Here’s another number: 973,022.
That’s the number of COVID-19 vac-
cine first and second doses Oregon
nurses and other vaccinators have
administered so far. It’s true Oregon’s
vaccine rollout has been no less bumpy
than it has been elsewhere. Yet Ore-
gon has fully vaccinated about 1 in 12
adults, putting us ahead of most other
states (Oregon ranks 16th in the percent
of people fully vaccinated).
But the pandemic isn’t over. More
contagious and more dangerous vari-
ants of the virus are taking hold. We are
in a race to vaccinate as many people
as possible, as soon as we can.
It’s been a hard year. On top of
the pandemic, we’ve endured historic
wildfires that also claimed lives, dis-
placed thousands and obliterated the
homes and businesses that comprised
entire communities. We’ve awakened
to an overdue reckoning with racial
injustice — including unacceptable
health inequities. Winter storms com-
pounded our discomfort and disruption.
We’re tired. But we can’t give up.
With gratitude, and respect for all
the lifesaving sacrifices you’ve made
so far, I ask Oregonians to:
• Keep wearing masks, limiting
your social get-togethers and main-
taining your physical distance. Until
we know more, we need to keep our
guard up.
• Choose to get vaccinated when
you are eligible, as soon as an appoint-
ment is available to you.
On Friday, Gov. Brown told Orego-
nians we are speeding up our timelines
to vaccinate Oregonians. Over the next
month we expect to vaccinate more
than 3 in 4 seniors. People with under-
lying health conditions will be eligible
on March 29. Frontline workers will be
eligible no later than May 1. And we’ll
open vaccinations to the first healthy
members of the general public no later
than June 1.
I know many people have questions
about COVID-19 vaccines. I know
the experience of racism and mem-
ories of historical trauma and medi-
cal experimentation are alive in many
communities. Other people are wary of
government.
Yet, once again, we depend on each
other to save lives. The COVID-19
vaccine is the safest and most effective
way to protect yourself and your loved
ones and return to more of our normal
life. We need enough Oregonians to get
immunized, so all of us are protected.
Thank you for the lives you’ve
saved so far and the lives we can all
save in the months to come.
Allen is the director of the Oregon
Health Authority.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Masks and
COVID-19
To the Editor:
Please wear proper masks in
the appropriate manner to reduce
the spread of COVID-19. It is such
an easy thing to do. I thank all the
Grant County individuals and busi-
nesses who are following CDC and
state of Oregon guidelines. You are
keeping cases, hospitalizations and
deaths down in our county. Oregon
has one of lowest per capita cases
and death rates for the COVID pan-
demic in the nation. Your actions
and behaviors are keeping us safe,
healthy and alive.
I am dismayed, saddened and
angered that some John Day and
Canyon City residents, businesses
and public institutions are choosing
not to adhere to such simple, public
health requirements. This resistance
means I am traveling to other coun-
ties and areas where state and CDC
guidelines protocol are followed in
order to do business. Grant County
is losing a much-needed customer
base when choices made here do not
protect us.
We each have the ability to save
lives and get back to normal quicker.
Absorb all that has been learned
about COVID-19 during this past
year, and follow the science.
Please consider your actions
and your power to make a positive,
life-saving decision every day.
Nancy Collins
Canyon City
‘The pot calling the
kettle black’
To the Editor:
The tirade about Republicans
in last week’s letter to the editor
reminded me of “the pot calling the
kettle black.” It is just childish fin-
ger pointing to direct attention away
from one’s misbehavior to make
someone else look worse.
Ron Ballard
John Day
vague answers. With the possi-
bility of another drought year, I
believe it’s time for the mayor
and council to give residents an
expected date of completion.
Carole Garrison
Prairie City
‘Give residents an
expected date of
completion’
Provide updates on
Prairie City water
To the Editor:
On Aug. 22, 2018, the Prairie
City Council held a town hall meet-
ing to inform citizens about the
water supply emergency, caused by
drought, and plans to improve the
city water system. The mayor and
city staff had been working to find a
solution.
The mayor, with representatives
from Business Oregon, explained
that the city could receive a grant
and loan to complete a water proj-
ect using wells, drilled by the city
in 2005, on private property out-
side of the city limits. Doing so
would require an increase of $8
per month in water utility bills. In
a show-of-hands vote the many
residents in attendance indicated
that the council should go ahead
with the project. Since January
2019, utility customers have been
paying that additional $8 each
month.
Plans, paperwork and permits
satisfying state and federal regu-
lations have been completed. But
it appears that this project has
reached a standstill. When will
actual work start? It has been about
two and a half years, and residents
still have not seen one gallon of
that water.
For months, questions to city
hall about progress have received
To the Editor:
I want to know what is going to
happen to the city of Prairie City.
The city leaders act like they don’t
have to move on getting the city a
steady water supply. We have been
paying $8 more a month for the past
2-plus years for them to get more
water. That adds up to $70,000 to
$80,000 and nothing to show for it.
They are suppose to have been
working on this since August 2018,
according to the last public meet-
ing. We need answers, not just “we
are working on it,” or “the attorney
has it.” We don’t need platitudes we
need action.
We are running out of time. The
money that we have for this project
is on a time frame. If we don’t get
the water soon, we won’t have the
money to pay for it. The city lead-
ers know this but still they are not
doing anything. What will happen
to us if we don’t get water.
This summer looks really dry
and no water in site. As citizens of
Prairie City we need to press our
leaders to act now before we don’t
have any water and nowhere to get
any either. Our neighbors may not
be so generous the next time.
Georgia Patterson
Prairie City
Editor’s note: Prairie City
Mayor Jim Hamsher said there
are no deadlines for the funds he
is aware of.