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