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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 2012)
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon PROBLEM WITH PERS -Continuedfrom PAGE ONE whole process.” As an example, he says most of the Senate, 22 out of 30 Oregon senators, will be in the PERS. He says, in addition, PERS laws are passed with an emergency clause which prevents them from being referred to the people for approval. “What is the emergency of a PERS law?” he asked rhetorically. After legislators were included in PERS, the leg islators more than doubled PERS benefits from 1971 to 1981, says Re. Then, in 1984, the legislators forced Oregon's judges to become PERS members. Thereafter, he says, PERS members in the legislature had 100 percent control over the making of all PERS laws, and they used that control to make PERS funding Oregon’s highest financial priority, thus starving other programs of funding. When PERS laws are challenged in court, guess what, says Re; the judges are all PERS recipients. “ We should have the right of independent judges who do not have a direct financial interest.” He says VOTE Cody O f HIGH ------1 County that if any other lawsuit were to come before a court where the judge had a finan cial stake in the outcome, the case would be thrown out, or an independent judge would be found. Re broke the PERS recip ien ts into three catego ries, or tiers: -T ier one re cipients have the best benefits, with PERS many o f them re Daniel tiring in their 50s at 100 percent o f their salary. Twenty-seven percent of the people are tier one. -Tier two recipients have slightly lower benefits, and 27 percent are at this level. -Tier three has the low est benefit, with 43 percent of government employees on this level. Re said there are pres ently 350,000 employees in the system. Re said to begin to cor rect the system, all PERS laws enacted since 1970 should be invalidated. “ Law s passed after 1970 should be voided,” says Re, “because of con flict o f interest.” He says the eight percent o f the population that is on PERS “might have some pain but look what they have done to the other 92 percent. Look at the pain they have inflicted.” Under the current legis lative priority, PERS always gets paid first, says Re. “ W hen there is not enough money to fully fund PERS and maintain ser vices to the people o f Oregon, PERS gets fully funded and services get cut. That is why expert PERS em p lo y er Re rates are increas ing by $900 million for the 2013-15 biennium and that is why government services will be cut back during that same period to pay for the $900 million increase in PERS funding,” he said. Re said he has a lawsuit addressing issues of conflict o f interest but, once again, all before judges who have a conflict. “ We should have the right of independent judges who do not have a direct financial interest,” he said. Re said there was a possi bility of a federal lawsuit if he could show Oregonians have been denied due pro cess. The town hall meeting, held Sunday, Sept. 30, was sponsored by the Willow Creek Tea Party Patriots, and was attended by about 40 people. Driver safety class COMMISSIONER scheduled ATTENTION! Medicare O p e n Enrollment E v e ry T u e s d a y 3 -5 p m Hermiston Public Library Trained SHIBA volunteers will answer your medicare questions & assist you with open enrollment strategies & explain Medicare benefits m ed ica re Open Enrollment ends Dec. 7th, so use this opportunity to review the Medicare plan that is right for you. For more information, 541-667-3502 If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available and that help Is FREE of charge. If Y O U h a v e a fa m ily m e m b e r w h o suffers fro m g a m b lin g ad d ic tio n , Y O U c a n a ls o re c e iv e F R E E tre a t m e n t e v e n if th e g a m b le r is not re c e iv in g tre a tm e n t. If yo u a re a re s id e n t o f M o rro w C o u n ty a n d you w ish to ta k e a d v a n ta g e o f th e s e rv ic e s a b o v e or d e s ire m o re n fo rm a tio n . P le a s e call a n y o f th e fo llo w in g n u m b e rs :o s e t up a L O C A L a p p o in tm e n t o r ju s t to talk B o b b y H a rris @ 5 4 1 - 6 7 6 - 9 9 2 5 or 5 4 1 - 2 5 6 - 0 1 7 5 Community Counseling Solutions (C C S ) @ 541-676-9161 O R 1 - 8 7 7 - 6 9 5 - 4 6 4 8 ( 1 -8 8 8 - M Y L IM IT ) An AARP driver’s safe ty class has been scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 7, at the Morrow County Center of Blue Mountain Commu nity College, located at 300 NE Front Street in Board- man. The class is set4o run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break. The AARP D riv er’s Safety Program is the na tion’s first course for driv er’s age 50 and over. Those who take the course will learn defensive driving skills, plus get a refresher on the rules o f the road. Topics include safe driving tips, coping with health is sues, vehicle maintenance and updates on driving laws. P articip an ts who complete the course may also qualify fof a discount on their personal vehicle insurance. Cost is $12 for AARP m em bers, $14 for non members. A special Vet eran ’s Day offer allows current or past m ilitary personnel and their spouses to take the class at no charge during the month o f No vember. Proof of status will be required on the day of the class. Pre-registration is re quired, as the instructors are traveling from out-of-town and must have minimum enrollment to hold the class. Pre-register by contacting Anne Morter of BMCC at 541 -481 -2099 or amorter@ bluecc.edu, or by stopping by BMCC Boardman on M onday or W ednesday from 1-5 p.m. Youth group plans bake sale Heppner’s ecumenical youth group will hold a bake sale this Friday, Oct. 12, from 8-11 a.m. in front of Heppner Family Foods. The proceeds will go toward an outreach proj ect to purchase a new air conditioner for Ron and -F IV E Obituaries Judges and legislators who decide Oregon s retirement system all belong , says Re lion for the 2013-2015 bien nium. Meeting this obliga tion will cause all other government services to be cut back, he says. “That means that Or egon’s 900+ PERS partici pating employers will have no choice but to make addi tional reductions in servic es. For schools, class sizes will increase and teaching days will decrease, result ing in lower-quality educa tion for Oregon’s children,” he said. How this huge liability evolved can be traced back to 1971, when legislators were allowed to join the PERS system , Re says. After legislators were al lowed to join PERS, the rest of us not on PERS had no meaningful representation, says Re. “Now we have a system where the people of Oregon who have to pay, have no independent representation on PERS,” he told a crowd of about 40 at the Sept. 30 town hall meeting in Hepp ner. “The people of Oregon have no authority to change the PERS system because the members control the Wednesday, October 10,2012 Beverly How« for Howe’s About Pizza. Anyone interested in donating baked goods or m aking a m onetary do nation can contact Shelli Britt at 676-5478, Robanai Disque at 989-8535 or Vicki Rayburn at 541-240-1427. Heppner Les Schwab congratulates Heppner Elementary School's Students of the Month. The character trait for September was self-concept Loren Elmer • Woodside Loren Elm er Wood- black pony, which was the- side, 82, passed away on beginning o f the family’s September 29, 2012 as a adventures with horses. result of an auto accident While living on the following a day of farm , he alw ays hunting. A memori had a bird dog. The al service was held first hunting dog on Saturday, Octo killed off most of ber 6, at 11 a.m. at the chickens, but Memories at Sunset Loren wanted the Event Center, 915 dog far more than Bypass Highway, chickens, so that Loren Elmer Richland, WA. was the end of their Loren was bom Woodside experience raising in Spokane, WA on chickens. August 19, 1930 to Lyda He was the principle and Frank Woodside. Frank breakfast cook for his fam- managed a crew o f line ily while his kids were man for the Washington growing up. He did not Water Power Co., and they believe in cold cereal; real moved several times. As a men ate pancakes. He even result, Loren attended grade tually experimented with school in Lind, m iddle sourdough, and his sour school in Davenport, and dough pancakes became a high school in Ritzville, all favorite, even at hunting in Washington. He gradu camp. He also freely gave ated from Ritzville High advice on nutrition that School in 1949. usually included eating raw Since his dad worked garlic. for Washington Water Pow Loren married Sher- er, as a kid he had summer ron Bunch in 1978. They jobs that included hoeing retired from the farm and weeds around power poles. moved to Lexington in the This gave him lots of expe early 1980s. Their marriage rience killing rattlesnakes. ended in 2004. The presence of hobos dur His true passions in ing the depression era was life were hunting and trap a significant memory from shooting. He took part in Loren’s childhood. trapshoots all across the While in high school, N orthw est, and hunting he delivered groceries for expeditions as far away as the local grocery store. As Alaska and Canada. His a result, he knew everyone grandchildren knew him as in town. He also attended Grandpa Grizz due to his most of the dances in the bear-hunting interests and county. stories. He was in the Seabees He loved to play Santa branch of the Navy during at Christmastime for his the Korean Conflict from children and grandchildren, 1950 to 1954, as part of and even continued that role the supply chain. He was in later years for local com stationed at Subic Bay in munity events. the Philippines. He was a mentor to fam While in the Navy, he ily and friends, and a source received electrical training of positive encouragement. and, after being discharged, He enjoyed researching the worked for the Rural Elec family history and was a tric Association in Othello, great storyteller. WA. In 1954, he married He is survived by: his Pat Cline. In 1957, he real three children, Kathryn ized his life-long dream to Woodside, Scott Woodside become a farmer, and began and Lori Woodside; the love farming in the Lind area, of his life, Sherry Sager; where he and Pat raised four grandchildren and their family. They were three great-grandchildren. married for 23 years. He was preceded in For a few years, Loren death by: his parents and his raised pigs. His children sister, Barbara Teske. have memories of chasing Loren was a member the pigs back into the pen of the Masonic Lodge all during a dust storm. As a his adult years. In lieu of child he often asked for a flowers, it is suggested that horse, and his father would donations be sent to the tell him no. because they Shriners Hospital for Chil had no place to keep one. dren or a charity of choice. Loren would respond say Sign the online condo ing that they could keep it lence book at www.bums- in the garage. His own kids mortuary.com. Bums Mor were delighted when one tuary of Pendleton was in day he showed up riding a charge of arrangements. NEWS & A D V E R T IS IN G D EA DLINE: M o n d a y a t 5 p .m . Top (L-R): Jordan Sweeney, Kenneth Troxell, Brock Hitler, Hunter Nichols, Madelyn Nichols, Jaiden Mahoney and Jacee Currin. Bottom (L-R): Irelynn Kollman, Aubriana Rodriguez, Paul Lindsay, Jack Mathews, Hallee Hisler, Landon Mitchell and McKenna Bray. 124 NORTH M A IN STR E E T • HEPPNER OR 97836 541- 676-9481 _______________ J i i
