TEN - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 28, 1993
Oregon Trail programs to take us ‘back in time’
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MWyn Botwi«on
The cost of doing business at the national level is mind boggling.
The system is also out of balance at state and county government
levels.
Oregon, once called a rich state, struggles with funding programs
as private sector taxpayers hope to be able to stay in business.
State employees’ average age of retirement is about 58 years of
age compared to 64 in the private sector. According to Dave Moss,
director of AOI-PAC, if the taxpayer contribution to the pension
system were lowered from 16 to six percent of the payroll, as pro
posed by HB 2717, the government pension system would still be
richer than the average 4.6 percent contribution from those private
employers who can even afford a pension plan.
If the public retirement system were reformed for all employees
hired after July 1, 1993, during the next biennium the state general
fund could save nearly $12 million. Combined with budget savings
from schools and local government, the 1993-95 savings would be
nearly $100 million without adversely affecting the soundness of the
retirement system.
The Oregon PERS system employer-paid pension contributions are
three times higher for state employees than for private employers.
And that excludes many private employers who cannot afford to pro
vide any pension benefits.
Change In Average
Full-Time Employee Pay*
1 8 0 0 ’s Historical Consultant Ricia and others model historical clothes
The dust swirls around in
smothering clouds, clinging to
swishing skirts and shuffling feet.
It stings the eyes and coats the
skin. Life goes on the Oregon
Trail isn’t easy, but the thought
of a better life urges the emigrants
on.
These are the thoughts that
Ricia, living history specialist,
will evoke in her two programs
offered in Morrow County this
week. “ A Glimpse of Life on the
Oregon Trail in 1843” is a free
program that will be offered at
Riverside High School, Board-
man on Friday, April 30 at 7:30
p.m. and “ Looking the Part,” a
historic clothing workshop, will
be given at Heppner Elementary
School on Saturday, May 1, from
11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Carpol Michael-Bennett. Mor
row County Extension agent
comments that the educational
programs will be wonderful op
portunities for families to develop
interests and hobbies that build
family strengths. “ Researching
our history gives us a feeling of
self-worth and pride.”
“ Preparing for historical
celebrations is a great way to get
children involved in history,”
M ichael-Bennett continues.
“ When families are active in
1980
historical pageants and re
enactments, such as Orgon Trail
activities, the whole family can
spend time together.”
At “ A Glimpse of the Past,”
on Friday evening, Ricia will ex
hibit clothing from hoops worn
during the civil war era to the
bonnets and dresses that so clear
ly marked trail travel. She will
also make suggestions for ap
propriate costuming for Ses-
quicentennial activities.
Students that enroll in "Look
ing the Part” workshop on Satur
day May 1. will receive specific
information about planning a
costume. They will learn short
cuts such as how to restyle pat
terns they already have, and
creative “ make-do’s.”
Participants are encouraged to
bring accessories, fabric or
costume parts they already have
for questions and “ trouble
shooting” . The cost for the
workshop is $10 for registrations
received by April 28. Registra
tion forms are available at the
Morrow County Extension Of
fice, 420 Linden Way, Heppner
676-9642 and at the Morrow
County Museum, Main Street,
Heppner 676-5524.
Day care kids hop to fight MD
m
MILLER & SONS EXCAVATING
Licensed and bonded
septic systems installed or repaired
diversion ditches and terraces built
gravel or rock hauled and spread
large and small crawler tractors
building sight development
large and small backhoes
ponds built and cleaned
stream bank restoration
for your guarantee of a job well done
phone 676-9613
HEPPNER
Construction contractors Board #72395
Children at the Heppner Day
Care Center earned $500 to help
in the fight against muscular
distrophy.
Fifteen day care children hop
ped as much as they could dur
ing a two-minute period on April
17 and received either pledges for
the number of hops or a donation.
Proceeds went to the Muscular
Distrophy Association.
Organizers of the event were
Sue Norton and Teresa Baker.
Heppner Garden Club to meet
1-800-452-7396
Lexington, Oregon
350 Main
989-8221
“I t ’s nice to have you aboard!
All of us here at Alloway would like to welcome your
dealership to our ever-growing National Dealer Network.
When we think about the progress and growth we've ex
perienced over the years, we realize it is because we have
such good friends and quality dealers who are so very
important to the continuing success of our company.
Since we began as a small, family-owned shortline
ag equipment manufacturer back in the mid-50's, our
company has grown to include this complete line of
agricultural implements:
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Also on May 1, from 9 a.m. to
4 p.m. the club will be sponsor
ing a gardening clinic for the
public and a town plant exchange
in the senior center dining room.
Anyone having plants to share,
wanting new plants, or with
gardening questions, is invited to
attend.
The Heppner Garden Club will
meet Monday, May 3 at 7:30
p.m. at the St. Patrick's Senior
Center. Each member is to bring
a flower arrangement from the
design book “ Visions of Beauty”
or one of her choice. The pro
gram will be critiquing these
floral designs.
FR
A lloway *
Corporate Headquarters
(701) 282-7014
1990
$6,000
$ 5,000
$ 4,000
$ 3,000
$ 2,000
$1,000
$0
State 6
Local Govt
Private
Sector
*AJjusteJ For Inflation
Government
Education
Government
Non-Education
Source: American Legislative Exchange Council
Rising federal and state regulations add to production costs for
agriculture and other private businesses that are the heart of our
economy. Voters have the right to choose the level of service, but
it shouldn’t handicap private business.
A local homeowner might pay around $500 in property taxes for
police and fire protection, streets and sidewalks. In addition, that
person must pay for utilities. Compare that to the owner of 5,000
acres with innumerable buildings that can add up to $5,000 or more
in property taxes. That rural owner expects to have a navigable road
to his holdings and he may be located in a rural fire district. In case
of theft, the sheriff s office can be called. But if that thief were to
be injured on the owner’s property, the owner could be sued, which
leads to liability and other insurance costs, also a major expense.
Fair share should mean that rural residents also pick up costs of
a library district or a bond issue to build a new swimming pool. But
that’s a mere drop in the bucket compared to financing school
buildings and improvements in the district.
Unions were designed to protect wage earner's rights, not dictate
management terms. The Oregon Education Association was aware
that measure five would severely impact school financing and lead
to cutting back on programs and even the numbers of teachers.
However during the recent county teacher negotiations, the union
lobbied for higher salaries and benefits. At the threat of a teacher
strike, the school board was coerced into granting those demands.
Starting teachers aren’t overpaid, but according to the salary
schedule, those with tenure are receiving salaries and benefits in the
$50,000 bracket during nine months of employment. And the district
projects that it will take another quarter of a million just to cover
those salaries and benefits at about the same level next year.
As voters ponder on the county operating levy vote in May, it’s
time to consider the inequity of salary benefits between county
employees, that are paid by taxpayers, and the real world of the private
employer. There’s no guarantee that a private business will make
enough to cover a cost-of-living raise or provide any profit margin,
let alone retirement benefits. It’s up to that employer to pay his own
benefits or that of his employees, if he can afford them.
It's said that without adequate compensation the quality of govern
ment workers would decline. In our area especially, the trade-off
is job security, the local quality of life and lower standard of living
costs.
As suggested by the budget committee, the first cuts would have
to be taken in non-mandated programs that represent a small portion
of the total budget. As higher energy costs impact everyone, it’s time
we faced that concern. Wage and benefit freezes are not out of line
at the federal, state and county levels.
Remember . ..
Mother's Day
Sunday, May 9th!!
Many new arrivals in our
fragrance dept, including:
Phantom o f the Opera • Red • Bill Blass
Wild Heart • White Linen - Estee Lauder
Muguet des Bois • White Diamonds - Liz Taylor
Bridal Tables
Kristine Fishburn & David Dye
Grain handling equipment
Precision Row Crop Cultivators
Sugarbeet equipment
Seedbed preparation tools
Sprayers and Band Incorporators
Snowblowers
Shredders
We're proud of our company, our people, and the
superior products that have made Alloway a leader in the
industry.
Welcome to the family! It’s nice to have you aboard!
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Wedding - May 1, 1993____________
Lisanne Kaye Crowley & Stephen James Curriti
Wedding_- May 1, 1993____________
Janet Plocharsky & Dennis Stefani
by Classic Portraits
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All Ages-lnfants
to Adults
Families A Couples
Welcome
This tree portrait is given to you with the com plim ents of this store and is
limited to one tree portrait per family Additional portraits may be pur
chased at reasonable prices M inors must be accom panied by parents
Central Red Apple
Sunday, May 2
10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Wedding - June 19
Kristi O ’Brien & Richard Casey
Reception May 1, 1993____
Melanie Gates & Kevin Troxell
May 15, 1993
M umuj ’ j D/tug
217 North Main
Heppner
676-91 5B