Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 2011)
Walden says debt is unsustainable and it’s time to face fiscal reality I l l l " l ' " l ' l n l l l .......| | 1| 111|| Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Librarv University of Oregon ary Eugene, OR 97403 Congressman makes swing through Heppner By David Sykes 50 < VOL. 130 NO. 32 8 Pages Wednesday, August 17, 2011 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon It’s Fair & Rodeo time * • 1 ’ ; \ î " 4 1 \ % f e * tï k fc ç .J - 1 ■ kL. &2T - Ih * r - » » n d r M f r f it- C.J. Johnson gets an entry ready for display in the 2011 Morrow County Fair. Johnson is the superintendent for Super Kids. The Fair & Rodeo runs this Wednesday through Sunday at the fairgrounds in Heppner. Look for a schedule of events around town or visit the Fair web site at: morrowcountyoregon.com/ fair, photo t^- David Sykes Local man works to bolster pheasant population By David Sykes Awhile back Sam Hornbeck got an idea. And for those who know Sam, when he gets an idea, things generally start to happen. Hornbeck, who lives in Heppner, noticed there seemed to be fewer pheasants around South Morrow County than there used to be. So he set out to do something about it. With $300 in seed money from the Willow Creek Economic Develop ment Group (WCVEDG) and a matching amount from county tippage funds he constructed, with volunteer help from the Boy Scouts, three protective pheasant shelters to be placed on lo cal farms around the area. “We want to try and build the population back up and maybe get some more pheasant hunters coming back into this area. It would be good for our economy,” Hornbeck had told WC VEDG when requesting the money. The shelters would be used to place young pheasants chicks and protect them from predators while growing up. Along the way Hornbeck enlisted the help of local Fish and Wildlife man Steve Cherry, who one day last week placed the final 100 birds in a shelter in the middle of some CRP The unsustainable borrowing and spending by the United States government is “unacceptable and immoral,” US Congressman Greg Walden told a gathered crowd of about 30 at a town hall meeting in Heppner last week. “And this cannot go on,” he said of the country's economic situation. Walden said the recent legislation to raise the debt limit, which was also tied to spending cuts, was a start to get our fiscal house in order. “We didn’t get into it overnight, and we can’t get out of it overnight,” the congressman, who voted in favor of the debt limit increase/spending cut package, added. Walden was encouraged by the debt limit debate and legislation, saying that although there have been many, many votes over the years to increase the debt limit, “never has it been tied to a cut in spending. If you did what we just did (passing the legislation) you could cut the deficit in 10 years,” he said. Walden also said he voted on a budget (commonly known as cut, cap and balance) that would have paid off the national debt by 2040, however it died in the Democrat-controlled Senate when they refused to vote on it. “The Senate for over 180 days has failed to pass the budget,” he said, adding that it received 46 Democrat votes in the house but 0 votes in the Senate or from the President. In explaining how far the United States has gone into debt, Walden pointed out that currently foreign countries, mostly Russia, China and Japan, own 47 percent of our debt, or about $8.4 trillion. In 1990, only 11 years ago, that figure was $2.4 trillion or 19 percent. “Russia is apparently in better shape Congressman Greg Walden uses a chart to point out how the nation's borrowing is unrealistic and cannot be sustained for the future. He was in Heppner for a town hall meeting last Thursday. Photo by David Sykes Walden visits with Heppner resident Shirley Rugg at a town hall meeting last week. that the United State,” he said. “That is unacceptable and immoral and we cannot let it go on,” Walden emphasized. Walden also pointed to the 2010 election which changed the house from Democrat to Republican control, commenting that the people had spoken. “This is the checks and balances working in Washington. And some people don’t like it,” he said. When asked about the proposed balanced budget amendment which require the federal government to only spend what it takes in, and if it wanted more money it would have to raise taxes, Walden said he voted for it last time and would vote for it again. He added that if either house passes a balanced budget amendment, the other house has to consider it. When asked what See WALDEN PAGE THREE MCGG, BEO donate rodeo saddles Kay Rene Qualls, Amber Fritz, Sandra Van Liew, Debbie Young, Cindy Kennedy, Lynne Uitto, Bev Crum and Tricia Rollins Jamie Helfrecht Steve Cherry (left) of the local Fish and Wildlife office, along with Jake Belineau.also of Fish A Game, Troy Dunsmier, in tern with F&W, and Sam Hornbeckof Heppner place birds into protective structures on property near Heppner. is going to happen when government spending is cut back, Walden said it would be time to make necessary choices. “What are we as a people going to do without, because the government does not have the money to give us?” he asked. He said everything is on the table, however, they would not be going after Medicare or Social Security, and that everyone over 55 would see no change in these programs. There would, however, be “structural changes” in these two programs going forward, he said. In response to a question about foreign companies and governments buying natural resources from the United States, Walden said Morrow County Grain Growers is donating the Morrow County Rodeo Amateur Calf Roping sad dle and the Bank of Eastern Oregon is donating the Or egon Trail Pro Rodeo All Around saddle this year. The Morrow County Rodeo will begin at 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, August 21, at the rodeo arena at the Morrow Coun ty Fairgrounds in Heppner. Oregon NPRA set for August August arena. Trail Pro Rodeo performances are 7 p.m. on Friday, 19, and Saturday, 20, at the rodeo & SEER IN HEPPNER: EVERYTHING Buy 2 pieces of Wrangler apparel and get a $10 rebate GREEN FEED A total of 300 six-week old pheasant chicks have now been released into protective structures around South Morrow County in the past several weeks. The project is part of an effort to increase pheasants for hunting initiated by Hep pner resident Sam Hornbeck. Photos by David Sykes ground on a farm near Hep pner. A crew of Cherry, Belineau, also o f F&W and NRCS, a young intern, Troy Dunsmier, and Horn- beck took the cages out and placed the birds into and around the protective See PHEASANT POPU LATION PAGE SEVEN Buy 2 pieces of any Wrangler Jeans or shirts (minimum purchase of $14 95 per piece) and get a $10 rebate by mail ALL MONTANA SILVER 20% OFF Morrow County Grain Growers Green Feed & Seed 242 W. Lind»n Way. Heppnar « 676-9422 ♦ M9-R221 (MCOO main office) SEE MORROW COUNTY FAIR SCHEDULE - PAGE SEVEN I
