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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 2022)
A4 OPINION Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, August 17, 2022 OUR VIEW Everyday Oregonians left out of talks on carbon policy T he push to give cities in Oregon more leverage to decar- bonize buildings got defanged in the Legislature this year. The bill got a do-over. It created a task force to look at ways to decarbonize buildings. If opponents of Senate Bill 1518 thought they won a vic- tory, it seems they won a delay. The task force has a list of policy options it is getting ready for the 2023 Legislature that are even more wide-ranging. Maybe legislators won’t take action on all of them. But watching the options the task force is considering could be like looking into a crystal ball to see Oregon’s energy future. That’s especially true if Democrats continue to control the Legis- lature and the governor’s offi ce after November. Electrify. Electrify. Electrify. That’s a consistent theme. Natural gas for heat, for cooking? Yes, there are voices on the task force who keep bringing up how natural gas should continue to play a role. Maybe we are wrong, but those voices sure don’t seem to refl ect the majority view. The task force wants renewable electricity to be king. We could hear it recently in the discussion about a possible new mission for the Energy Trust of Oregon. The discussion was to change its mission. The Energy Trust gets its money from cus- tomers of the big utilities and uses it to stoke energy effi ciency. It is now fuel-neutral. Electricity and natural gas are both OK. The proposal is to change its purpose to greenhouse gas reduction and equity. Oregon’s natural gas companies may not appreciate that. We could hear the call for the electricity focus in the discus- sion of electric heat pumps. Heat pumps can heat and cool. They do what they do very effi ciently. Task force members talked about ways to encourage more people to install them — incentives on top of any new federal incentives or existing incentives. There was even a discussion about the state bypassing the choices consumers or builders make for appliances in new homes and going to manufacturers and distributors. The thinking is incentives or rules could guide manufacturers and distributors to off er only options powered by electricity and that are high-effi - ciency. Then no “wrong” choices would be made. Another topic that came up is to follow California’s lead on requiring appliances to be “smart.” Smart in this context is that appliances can schedule their use when there is less electricity demand. So maybe your car charger or dishwasher kicks itself on at 1 a.m. That could help spread out the energy demand over the day and reduce the need for peak electric capacity. Oregonians might like it, if they could control it. They might not like it if someone else was switching their appliances on and off . What’s missing in these discussions is the input of Orego- nians. Yes, there are many fi ne people on the task force and they represent diff erent perspectives and interests. You should take a look at the ideas on the table and tell them what you want. You can see the concepts under consideration here, tinyurl.com/Ore- gon081022. And you can tell the task force what you think by email here, JTFREB.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov. FARMER’S FATE Look what the cat dragged in ommon as cornbread, old as dirt, funny as all get-out — homespun expressions that link to our rural and agricul- tural past, conveying the spirit and plainspoken humor of our ances- tors and pioneers. Many of these are in my regu- lar vocabulary as my parents and grandparents oft quoted them. Oth- ers showcase wisdom descended from “Poor Richard’s Almanac” and others are just funny. Here are some of my favorite axioms and adages — a collection of sayings “as big as all hell and half of Texas.” Acceptable: It’s better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. That’s close enough for govern- ment work. Might as well — can’t dance, never could sing, and it’s too wet to plow. Dishonest: He’s on a fi rst-name basis with the bottom of the deck. So crooked that if he swallowed a nail he’d spit up a corkscrew. Honest: You can take that to the bank. He’s so honest you could shoot craps with him over the phone. You can hang your hat on that. Angry: She could start a fi ght in an empty house. Mad as a mule chewing bumblebees Timid: He’s yellow as mustard but without the bite. Busy: He’s so busy you’d think he was twins. She’s jumping like hot grease on a skillet. Busy as a one-legged cat in a sandbox. Unsophisticated: He’s so coun- try he thinks a seven-course meal is a possum and a six-pack. Capable, Experienced: She’s got some snap in her garters. There’s no slack in his rope. General Advice: Never sign nothing by neon light. Keep your saddle oiled and your gun greased. C If you cut your own fi rewood, it’ll warm you twice. Don’t hang your wash on someone else’s line. Bet- ter to keep your Brianna mouth shut and Walker seem a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. Cheap: Tight as a tick. He’ll squeeze a nickel till the buff alo screams. She has short arms and deep pockets. Crazy: She’s one bubble off plumb. Missing a few buttons off his shirt. Rich: She’s got more than she can say grace over. Rich enough to eat her laying hens. Poor: Hasn’t got a pot to pee in or a window to throw it out of. So poor their Sunday supper is fried water. Too poor to paint, too proud to whitewash. Hot: Hot as the hubs of hell. So hot the hens are laying hard-boiled eggs. Sad: Sad enough to bring a tear to a glass eye. Small, Thin: About as big as the little end of nothing. Thin as a rake and twice as sexy. Tired: Looks like she’s been chewed up, spit out, and stepped on. One wheel down and the axle dragging. Sick: He’s got a hitch in his gitalong. You’d have to get better to die. Talkative: He could talk the gate off its hinges. He shoots off his mouth so much he must eat bullets for breakfast. She speaks 10 words a second, with gusts to 50. Put-downs: Even a blind hog can fi nd an acorn once in a while. Anytime you happen to pass my house, I’d sure appreciate it. Vain: He broke his arm patting himself on the back. I’d like to buy him for what he’s worth and sell him for what he thinks he’ll bring. She’s so spoiled salt couldn’t save her. Dead: He gave up his guitar for a harp. Unwelcome: As welcome as an outhouse breeze. As welcome as a porcupine at a nudist colony. Dumb: If a duck had his brain, it would fl y north for the winter. If brains were leather, he couldn’t saddle a fl ea. If his brains were dynamite, he couldn’t blow his nose. He don’t know a widget from a whangdoodle. Confused: Confused as a goat on AstroTurf. I can explain it to you, but I can’t understand it for you. Immoral, Wild: Loose as ashes in the wind. She’s found a new dasher for her churn. They ate sup- per before they said grace. They planted their crop before they built their fence. They’ve got a cot- ton-patch license. Inept, Worthless: Couldn’t ride a nightmare without falling out of bed. Worthless as teats on a bull. Like pushing a wheelbarrow with rope handles. About as useful as a trapdoor on a canoe Distance: I won’t say it’s far, but I had to grease the wagon twice before I hit the main road. They lived so far out in the country that the sun set between their house and town. Two hoots and a holler away. Lazy: He hangs out more often than Mama’s washing. He’s like a blister — he doesn’t show up till the work’s all done. That about puts the rag on the bush — it’s time to swap spit and hit the road. Brianna Walker occasionally writes about the Farmer’s fate for the Blue Mountain Eagle. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR City housing plan doesn’t add up 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@cityofl ongcreek.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. Blue Mountain EAGLE Published every Wednesday by 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, oregonlegislature.gov. • Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale — 900 Court St. NE, S-301, Salem 97301. Phone: 503-986- 1730. Website: oregonlegislature.gov/fi ndley. Email: sen.lynnfi ndley@oregonlegislature. gov. • Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane — 900 Court St. NE, H-475, Salem 97301. Phone: 503-986-1460. District address: 258 S. Oregon St., Ontario OR 97914. District phone: 541-889-8866. Website: oregonlegislature.gov/fi ndley. Email: rep. markowens@oregonlegislature.gov. To the Editor: Regarding the city’s plans to help pay for development costs for new home construction using a Business Oregon loan from the state (Blue Mountain Eagle, Aug. 10), according to my calculations, a $1,851,797 loan at 2.41% inter- est over 20 years costs $9,731 per month or $116,772 per year. Will the money set aside in the tax-in- crement fi nancing program be suffi - cient to make those payments, espe- cially in the initial years when new homes only exist on paper? Would anything be left over from the TIF revenue for other purposes? Here’s another question — if most or all of the TIF revenue over the next 20 years goes to paying off this state loan, then the city will not gain much or any property tax rev- enue from this increase in hous- ing over the next 20 years. Finally, after this $1.8 million state loan is paid off , the city, county, school and other taxing jurisdictions would see the benefi ts of increased property taxes from these new homes, which was the point. Just as important, is there a deadline for new home con- struction by the developers using these funds to ensure the city can pay off this state loan? What hap- pens if they don’t build what has been planned? That happens a lot in the real world. Furthermore, the city paying nearly 80 percent of Russ Young’s $940,000 development costs has the appearance of a sweetheart 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 two letters per person per month. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. Send letters by email to editor@bmeagle.com; by mail to Blue Mountain Eagle, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845; or by fax to 541-575-1244. Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Editor ........................................................Bennett Hall, bhall@bmeagle.com One year ..................................................$51 Monthly autopay .............................. $4.25 Outside Continental U.S. ....................$60 Reporters .................................................... Steven Mitchell, steven@bmeagle.com Justin Davis, jdavis@bluemountaineagle.com Sports ........................................................sports@bmeagle.com Page Designer ...................................................... Randy Wrighthouse, rwrighthouse@eomediagroup.com Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery Marketing Rep .......................................Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com Online: MyEagleNews.com Periodicals Postage Paid at John Day and additional mailing offi ces. POSTMASTER send address changes to: Blue Mountain Eagle 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845-1187 USPS 226-340 Offi ce Assistant .....................................Alixandra Hand, offi ce@bmeagle.com MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION deal. There’s only 17 single-family homes lined up immediately, with hopes for 56 more in the future. Paying 53 percent of Mahog- any Ridge Properties’ $1.4 mil- lion development costs also has the appearance of a sweetheart deal, with only 12 single- or multi-fam- ily units planned for the fi rst phase. Lastly, the city will pay $300,000 of the development costs for Holm- strom Heights, which will be used for four new homes, working out to $75,000 per home. Is that also a sweetheart deal? In the real busi- ness world, the city would claim some type of return from the devel- opers for its investment, not just give away money — even if it came from the state. Richard Hanners John Day Phone: 541-575-0710 Copyright © 2022 Blue Mountain Eagle All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means — graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping or information storage and retrieval systems — without written permission of the publisher. facebook.com/MyEagleNews @MyEagleNews
