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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 23, 2002)
rWQ - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, October 23, 2002 Letters to the Editor The Official Newspaper of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow Editor's note: Letters to the Editor must be signed The Gazette-Times w ill not publish unsigned letters. Please include your address and phone number on all letters for use by theG-Toffice. The CrT reserves the right to edit. The G-T is not responsible for accuracy of statem ents made in letters (Any letters expressing thanks w ill be placed in the classifieds under 'C ard o f Thanks 'a t a cost o f $ 7.) H ep p n e r GAZETTE-TIMES U S P S. 240-420 Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper Published weekly and entered as periodical matter at the Post Office at Heppner, Oregon under the Act of March 3, 1879 Periodical postage paid at Heppner, Oregon. Office at 147 W Willow Street. Telephone (541) 676-9228 Fax (541) 676-9211. E- mail: gt@heppner.net or gt@rapidserve.net. Web site: www.heppner.net. Postmaster send address changes to the Heppner Gazette-Times, P.O. Box 337, Heppner, Oregon 97836. Subscriptions: $24 in Morrow County ; $18 senior rate (in Morrow County only; 62 years or older); $30 elsewhere. David Sykes...................................................................................................... Publisher Katie Wall............................................................................................................. Editor News deadline is M onday at S p.m. For Advertising: advertising deadline is Monday at 5 p.m Cost for a display ad is $4 75 per column inch Cost for classified ad is 5 0 t per word. Cost for Card of Thanks is $7 up to 100 words Cost for a classified display ad is $5.35 per column inch. For PuNic/Legal Notices public/legal notices deadline is Monday at 5 p.m Dates for publication must be specified Affidavits must be required at the time of submission Affidavits require three weeks to process after last date of publication (a sooner return date must be specified if required) On the HEPPNER WEBSITE: www.heppner.net • Start or Change a Subscription • Place a C lassified A d • Subm it a N e w s Story • View Real Estate for Sale • City Council & Planning Minutes • Local Businesses • County Park • Willow Creek Park Reservations • Free Digital Postcards • Senior Housing • and more! A perspective on Measure 23 S cheeler for D istric t 57 Representative. 1 became acquainted with Elizabeth and her family when they first began attending our church nine years ago. They became members o f the church and have served faithfully filling leadership roles. Elizabeth volunteered to serve in her d a u g h te r’s classrooms and seven years later is still serving. Elizabeth has served on the Pendleton School District Budget Committee and is currently a school board member. Elizabeth understands the correlation between good schools and a thriving economy. She knows that our schools and Colleges must turn out qualified candidates to fill the positions in Oregon’s job market or those jobs will go elsewhere. A vote for Elizabeth Scheeler is a vote for dedication to see our state’s children receive a quality education. It is also a vote for the courage to reject special interests and make tough decisions to provide adequate funding for all state services. And lastly it is a vote for integrity which appears to be sadly lacking in Salem today. I urge your support for Elizabeth Scheeler on Nov. 5. (s) Val Bates Pendleton was long time Democrats when the party was the party o f co n serv ativ e farm ers and To the Editor: working men. My father taught Measure 23 worries me. me something way back in 1946 Rather than helping Oregon’s when 1 asked him how he was health care problems, Measure going to support the democratic 23 could very well make them candidate for governor. To my worse. In addition, it would cost amazement he said that he was billions of dollars in new taxes, going to vote for Doug McKay, seriously damaging the state’s the Republican. He said, "I know stru g g lin g econom y and them both and McKay is an threatening the funding needed to honest man who will do his best keep our schools from even for Oregon, So and so is just an deeper budget cuts. old Democratic hack. I’m a nurse manager for Those words came back a group o f long-term care to me w hen I was visiting an old facilities. I’m also the mother of democrat friend a couple o f a school age child. I know health weeks ago. Some years ago he care costs are squeezing had been a K ulo n g o sk i Oregonians - including many supporter. He told me that he had seniors. I’m also painfully aw are visited with the candidate last of just how damaging the current sum m er and w as very Some view state budget crisis has been to our disappointed. “H e’s now just Scheeler as a schools. What we need are another old tired political hack balanced, affordable solutions, and I ’m going to support bright spot in not unworkable, over-priced Mannix” I was rather surprised politics ideas like Measure 23. but was coming to the same To the Editor: M easure 23 w ould conclusion. Mr. Kulongoski create a board o f 15 elected and Every once in a while we would just be a replay o f the are privileged to feel the warmth a p p o in te d o fficia ls w ith disasters we’ve had in office with of a bright spot on an otherwise unprecedented authority to raise Roberts and Kitzhauber. On the sober and som ber horizon. taxes, borrow money and ration other hand Mr. Mannix knows health care - all without voter that there is more to Oregon than Elizabeth Scheeler, candidate for approval. It could nearly double the 15 corridors. The only representative of District 57, is Oregon’s top personal income objections that 1 can find for Mr. one of those political bright spots. tax rate, from 9 percent to 17 She is a w ife, a m other, a Mannix is that he does not p e rc en t, and individual committed community leader believe in abortions or murder by Oregonians’ income tax bills in clu d in g serv ice on the doctors. In the former none of the could rise as much as $25,000 proponents seem to want to say Pendleton School District Board per year. of Directors, and a very talented w hen life begins while the eminent On top of that, the board professor from Princeton seems and knowledgeable lady. would have the power to hit She committed to running to feel that killing should be legal employers with a huge payroll tax for office in order to try to help until the age o f five. Some have up to 11.5 percent o f employee said until birth but would defend stop the downward slide o f wages per year! That kind o f plunging a scissors into the brains Oregon’s education system. She multi-billion-dollartax increase of a baby leaving the birth canal. know s first hand how will result in huge job losses as underfunded our schools are and I think that it is logical to believe sm all businesses like ours, that it is wrong to kill any one that how our quality education system burdened with the added costs, is sinking into the morass of has legal rights. As for doctors are forced to leave the state or mediocrity. Elizabeth also knows probably enough patients are close their doors. That’s the last that Eastern Oregon has needs killed by accident. thing Oregon’s economy needs and priorities that are very That brings us down to right now. different from the western side of the Senate race. I don’t agree Rather than taking a with everything he has done, the state. When Elizabeth goes re a so n a b le approach and to Salem, she will not be voting notably ANWAR, but in general targeting scarce taxpayer funds the party line just because it is the he has voted for the rights o f all to m eet the needs o f the Oregonians. He has fought for the “party line.” She will be looking uninsured, Measure 23 promises at the issues and deciding to vote Klamath farmers and voted for wide open “free healthcare” to the new forest plan that will allow in a way that best serves her all. It covers everything - and district. How refreshing that us to get the woods cleaned up everyone, including people from would be if our other legislators and allow salvage of timber from other states who move here to would put their constituents first the millions o f burned acres. I get free health care services. can't believe that any one who and contributors and political I t ’s costly and loyalty second. We might not be has seen the depressed condition complicated, and I don’t like the in this mess. Please vote for o f our Oregon small towns that idea o f 15 sta te -sa la rie d depend on farming and timber Elizabeth Scheeler if you want a bureaucrats having the power to refresh in g and co m m itted will vote for his opponent. raise my taxes and ration my representative for District 57. Now Larry I’ve said I’m health care. sorry so please don’t tease me The simple fact is, about ‘my friend, S enator (s) Rusty Fisher Oregon can't afford Measure Pendleton Daschle’ any more. 23. As a mother and a nurse, I (s) Don McElligott urge you to join me in voting lone Scheeler running NO on 23. for District 57 (s) Deana Altman-Nelson Church friend Registered Nurse encourages vote representative Salem To the Editor: for Scheeler Elizabeth Scheeler is running for Changing support, To the Editor: D istrict 57 H ouse o f Are you as disgusted as Representatives position. I have changing parties I am with the inability of our state had the opportunity to interact legislators to provide adequate To the editor: with Elizabeth on numerous This is a very hard letter funding for our schools and other occasions during the course of to write but after all the political vital state services? Are you her campaign. I have been very events o f the last ten years and concerned that special interest impressed by her grassroots listening to the current crop o f groups can influence and kill approach to running for office. Democratic politicians I want to sound legislation which would She has been very proactive and apologize to all my friends in benefit Oregon’s children? If so, spent many hours meeting with M orrow C ounty for ever there is a bright burst of hope in teach ers and com m unity supporting the Democratic party. the candidacy o f Elizabeth members to hear what they have My only excuse is that my family i to say about a variety o f issues. E lizab eth is an ex cellen t com m unicator and a good listener. Currently Oregon is 45th in overall per capita taxes in the n atio n . H ow ever, O regon depends more on one tax source than any other, that being the income tax. This is where the rub comes in! In Oregon, 74 percent o f state tax collections are from (you guessed it) income taxes. Currently, our Oregon economy is in the dumpster and state revenues are in a free fall due to a huge shortfall in anticipated income taxes. After five special sessio n s o f the O regon Legislature, the central problem remains. Funding streams tied to the income tax will always be and always have been cyclical with highs and lows. In contrast, schools, state police and services to the eld erly req u ire a dependable source o f state revenue. For example, twenty- five children in a first grade classroom need one teacher to teach them and this does not change because the economy is bad. Elizabeth Scheeler is beholden to no special interest groups. She is a member o f the Pendleton School Board and a volunteer in the schools. She has a history of public service for the sake of community improvement and not self-promotion. Elizabeth is honest, sincere and genuinely interested in solving the financial dilemma that besets our great state. Elizabeth is precisely the kind o f p erson eastern Oregonians need in the Oregon House of Representatives. (s) Larry Glaze LaGrande Scheeler is a woman who gets things done To the Editor: The first time I worked with Elizabeth Scheeler, one thing struck me: This woman gets things done. I met Elizabeth during a long, intense 5-day community volunteer project. By the time day-two rolled around, it was easy to tell the talkers from the doers. Elizabeth Scheeler is definitely a doer. Since that time, I have had the opportunity to not only work with Elizabeth, but to watch her work. She is a good listener, intelligent, well spoken and th o u g h tfu l. She does her homework before making a decision. H er o p p onent sometimes characterizes her as a w ell-m ean in g , o n e-issu e candidate. Though I can’t argue against the fact that her concern about inadequate school funding probably pushed her into entering this race. I can tell you that she is also w ell-versed on issues ranging form O re g o n ’s environment to its economy. Oregonians have placed education at the top o f their p rio rity list. E lizab eth is committed to providing a quality education for Oregon’s children. Elizabeth is a member o f the Pendleton School Board. She is well aware of the painful cuts that rural O regon schools have suffered and the even deeper cuts that will result if a solution to the funding crisis is not found soon. Her opponent had a 67 percent voting record on school issues during the regular session. His record was closer to 0 percent during the special sessions. He says he cares about rural schools. Talking has led the state o f O regon to five special sessions. Talking has led this state to the doorstep of financial crisis. Talking has gotten us nowhere. Supporters call Nelson a man who says what he means To the Editor: Jim Nelson has shown his willingness to invest in the Town o f L exington as a businessman and as a citizen. His efforts to clean up and beautify his property, the adjoining property, and town property is representative of his “let’s do and not just talk about it” mentality. Jim has paid out o f his own pocket to improve the Town of Lexington’s property and his neighbors’ property because he felt it was what was best. He purchased equipment so that the town could use it during its water project period. When others in town were complaining about items lying around after the water project, Jim was the one who took actio n instead o f complaining. Jim Nelson is a man who is straightforward with the facts and does not use deception. With Mr. Nelson you will get a man who says what he means and means what he says. Being a person of action Jim picked up the ball and continued the fundraisers that had been started in the past. He helped form the Lexington Fire Fund w hen the A u x iliary disbanded. An accountant is being used to track the use of the money for financial integrity. You can be assured that the money that is raised and donated will be used for the Lexington Fire Department. The wishes of the fire fund committee will be followed, as will the articles of incorporation. Mr. Nelson has shown o v er the years that he is concerned about the Town of Lexington and he continues to attend council meetings so he can stay current with issues and actions affecting the town. 1 have watched and worked with both candidates, but I must conclude that a vote for Mr. Jim Nelson is a positive vote for the Town of Lexington. (s) Glenn Anderson Lexington Former representative backs Smith To the Editor: We are p leased to support Representative Greg Smith in his effort to seek re- election to the Oregon House of R ep resen tativ es. M orrow County has been well served by this tireless advocate of Eastern Oregon. Let us share with you just a few things Greg did for us: D uring the 2001 Legislative Session, Greg took legislative leadership to task on reductions to the M edicaid Upper Limit Reimbursement Rate, which was vital to our local pharmacy in its ability to serve Morrow County’s most needy citizens. This was also important legislation for our new assisted living facility. Senior citizens greatly depended upon this rate to be maintained. G reg stab ilized our county fairs with reliable, long term funding. The Oregon Fairs Association named him their Grand Champion Legislator for his hard work. G reg brought home $40,000 to the Oregon Trail Library District to enhance literacy in our county. Greg fought hard to insure $1.2 million to rural Oregon safety net clinics, o f which Morrow County has three. For his leadership on this issue, the Oregon Rural Health Care Association named him their Outstanding Freshman Legislator of the Year. G reg was one o f a handful o f p ro -ed u catio n legislators that voted “yes” for $5.2 billion for our children's education. That was over $500 million more than the previous biennium. Greg led the charge in keeping the State Accident Insurance Fund (SAIF) intact so that our Main Street businesses w ould co n tin u e to have a ffo rd a b le w o rk e r’s compensation insurance. For our farmers, Greg was a strong “yes” vote on eliminating Oregon’s inheritance tax, thereby allowing the family farm to pass from generation to generation without having to w orry about the over- burdensome tax placed on their family. We need Representative Greg Smith back in Salem to fight for what matters most to Morrow County. Please join us in sending a strong voice back to Salem. (s) Representative Raymond French (retired) (s) Norma French Heppner True rights are balanced with equal responsibility To the Editor: C hildren are by definition precious. They need responsible adults to help them gain maturity. I read in the Heppner Gazette-Times that our court system has denied our State Senator Greg Smith the right to guide his own son away from criminal behavior. Is this right? A more serious question might be “what kind of mindset will form when all of the other 10 -14 year olds read that not even a powerful politician is allowed to dispense discipline?” Children of that age have not yet worked out a social conscience, or fully discovered cause and effect. Are they equipped to evaluate that it was the divorced wife, someone for whom consuming love had turned to consuming hate that had accused the Senator? Could it be obvious, at that age, why this career damaging accusation was made and the adjudication was done w ithin w eeks o f an important election? These impressionable children are already suffering from the disadvantage of being repeatedly told that they have rights, and probably are without sufficient maturity to realize that true rights are balanced with equal responsibilities. Might they begin to think that they can do any damn thing that they want, and that nobody can say nay? Perhaps not, at least not all o f them. However, there is a test. Question; how will they act when they believe that the fig u re o f au th o rity is so p reo ccu p ied that any misbehaving will go unnoticed? In order to find out the tru th , let th o se p aren ts, educators, and politicians, who so freely proclaim the rights of children, to those children, be active in the testing. Let those prosecutors and judges who so freely charge abuse to those who wish only to have their children learn to act in a civilized way, help to conduct the test. Let them drive a school bus for just one year. Drivers are needed. It does not require much time, only a couple or three hours per day, four days per week. Would any o f the more liberal among us who have the power to pursue their agenda, test their theories and risk placing the back o f their head into the prev ailing atmosphere which they have created? (s) F. Green White Heppner American Legion and Auxiliary to meet The American Legion and Auxiliary is scheduled to hold a m eeting, Oct. 28, at the Methodist Church basement. There will be a potluck beginning at 6:30 p.m. Reports will be given on the State Convention and other events. All members and family welcome. , ^
