Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 6, 2022 -- THREE
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Beware job seekers
To the editor;
It’s a sad fact of life that
some people would rather
get their money by cheating
others than by providing
something useful. The best
way to avoid becoming a
victim is by knowing what’s
out there, so I’ll pass on
the latest scam I’ve heard
about.
It’s a job scam. The
scammers pretend to repre-
sent a real company, do an
interview, say you’ve got
the job and will send you an
offer letter and a W-4.
What I say now may
leave you wondering how
anyone could fall for this,
but remember, it doesn’t
happen all at once like I tell
it here. It happens one thing
at a time, to a person who
may be desperate for a job.
The interview is electron-
ic. The offer letter is sent
electronically and returned
electronically. The “meet-
ings” you “attend” are done
electronically.
Yo u a r e t o l d y o u
will have money (maybe
$5,000) sent to you to buy
a computer and supplies.
You may have to wait a
few days after depositing
the check (a usual waiting
period for that much money
to be sure it gets to your ac-
count) before you can spend
it. It’s there, and you order
your supplies. The supplies
never come. Two weeks
later, the check bounces, the
money is no longer in your
account, and the things you
bought put you in overdraft.
At least that is how I
understand that now. But
how it plays out is less im-
portant than knowing that
even jobs can be scammed,
and to be careful. Talk to
HR by phone or in person to
make sure they really have
a job like that open. (Don’t
use their phone number if
they give you one; look
up the company online to
be [more] sure that you’re
getting the real number.)
If you’ve given out
your bank account number
and/or social security num-
ber before you realize you
might be being scammed,
get help. Work with the
police and maybe your
bank to get to the bottom
of this. Social Security, too.
Maintain positive contact
with the scammers (without
giving them any more infor-
mation) in case the police
can use your contact to
trace them. Don’t be embar-
rassed. They are the crooks.
They’re good at what they
do. You just trusted some-
one you shouldn’t have.
Sandra Johnson
Heppner
Representative Greg
Smith (R-Heppner) joined
local pharmacists Ann and
John Murray in a discus-
sion with the Secretary of
State’s Audits Division
regarding their upcoming
performance audit of Phar-
macy Benefit Managers in
the Medicaid program.
“Constitutionally the
Secretary of State has the
authority to review con-
tracts that may not be in
the best interest of the State
of Oregon. Legislatively, I
have the responsibility to
ensure taxpayer dollars are
being used correctly and
getting the greatest benefit
for all of Oregon,” said
Representative Smith.
“We welcome the Or-
egon Secretary of State’s
audit of the Pharmacy
Benefit Managers (PBM’s)
activities within the state
Medicaid program. Many
states in the nation have
recently found astonishing
savings in these audits. By
increasing transparency and
scrutinizing how PBM’s are
operating, we predict this
audit will uncover funds
that can be used to help
Oregon’s Medicaid pro-
gram protect and benefit
vulnerable Oregonians and
maintain our fragile rural
health care system and ac-
cess to pharmacy services,”
said John and Ann Murray
who operate Murray’s Drug
with locations in Heppner,
Condon and Boardman.
It is anticipated this
extensive audit could take
upwards of 18 months to
complete.
“At the end of the day, I
would hope there would be
transparency in the auditing
process and identification
of waste and inefficiency,”
said Representative Smith.
Representative Smith
serves as a co-chair of the
Joint Ways and Means Sub-
committee on General Gov-
ernment that works directly
with the Secretary of State
on the agency’s budget, in-
cluding the Audits Division.
Moreover, Representative
Smith is the ranking mem-
ber on the Joint Legislative
Audits Committee.
According to prelim-
inary data received by
NOAA’s National Weather
Service in Pendleton, tem-
peratures at Heppner aver-
aged slightly warmer than
normal during the month of
March 2022.
The average tempera-
ture was 45.5 degrees which
was 1.3 degrees warmer
than the normal average
temperature for this month.
High temperatures aver-
aged 55.7 degrees with the
high of 67 degrees being
recorded on the 13 th . Low
temperatures averaged 35.2
degrees with the low of 19
degrees being recorded on
Rep. Greg Smith
supports audit of
pharmacy benefit
managers
Cast your vote for
Lindsay
When I cast my vote in
May, I will be voting Me-
lissa Lindsay for Morrow
County Commissioner.
Melissa’s Grandfather,
Gar Swanson, was one
of the founding members
and a visionary for the
Port of Morrow and the
Bank of Eastern Oregon.
He was committed to Mor-
row County agriculture and
economic development.
Her father, Ken Turner, a
descendant of Irish Immi-
grants, expanded the farm
that she and her husband
have been on for 28 years.
Her son will be the fifth
generation to run the busi-
ness. The Turner family
have been farming as well
as promoting growth in
Morrow County for over
135 years.
Melissa is a graduate of
Mt Hood Community Col-
lege and San Diego State
University with degrees in
social science and business
administration. Melissa was
instrumental in initiating
the formation phase of the
Bank of Eastern Oregon’s
mortgage lending depart-
ment and headed up the
profitable mortgage divi-
sion as a vice president for
15 years.
Her roots run deep and
have instilled the desire to
serve Morrow County and
its residents. Over the past
six years, while serving
as county judge and com-
missioner, she has learned
about government business
and serves on boards and
committees to the great
benefit of the residents of
Morrow County.
The example her fore-
fathers set, generations
before her, have instilled
a desire to work diligently
representing all of Morrow
County, and with our sup-
port, Melissa will continue
doing so.
Please join me in sup-
port of Melissa Lindsay as
Morrow County Commis-
sioner.
Donna Rietmann
Reelect Melissa
Lindsay Morrow Co.
Commissioner
To the editor;
Melissa Lindsay is a
candidate who actually pos-
sesses what others claim to:
an innate ability to listen,
ask questions, and to take
the time to learn before she
makes a decision.
Dealing with the com-
plexities of a county and
its functions in a concise,
straightforward, and above
all honest manner is crucial.
The core of a good public
servant must be a sense of
decency, and the ability to
treat all with equal respect.
It is critical that the person
is a trust builder. Also nec-
essary, and often missing, is
a clear-eyed, non- judgmen-
tal grasp and understanding
of the county being served.
The long-range plan is
what is crucial; Melissa sees
everyone and everything as
a meaningful part of the big
picture, she is naturally able
to incorporate the whole,
and not just individual
pieces, into her decisions.
Melissa is uniquely her-
self, and strongly appeals
to young and old, farmer
and businessperson, and a
wide range of opinions and
views, under all conditions.
Melissa’s approach is
simple, direct and concise.
I firmly believe her abiding
sense of humanity (and
humor) makes her the ideal
candidate for re-election.
And by the way, Melissa
has spent her entire life in
Morrow County.
Kelly Kilkenny Hale
Portland, OR
Vote to reelect Lindsay
To the editor:
Please join us in voting
to reelect Melissa Lindsay
for county commissioner.
Melissa has worked tire-
lessly the last four years
to make Morrow County a
better place to live.
We have contacted Me-
lissa numerous times on
road, planning and other
issues and she has been
responsive with informed
answers that are detailed
and have made sense. Mor-
row County has had rapid
growth in the north end for
quite some time and keep-
ing things on track in ev-
eryone’s best interest is not
an easy job. We think it is
important to reelect a com-
missioner that is already up
to speed and has a proven
record to do the right thing
for the whole county.
Melissa has proven she
will spend the time and
go to the numerous other
agency meetings that it
takes to get the job done.
Please vote for Melissa, she
will continue to do what is
right for our communities
and county.
Gary and Casey
Frederickson
Boardman
March averages slightly warmer
the 10 .
There were 10 days
when the low temperature
was below 32 degrees
Precipitation was
slightly below normal
during March, totaling
1.26 inches, which was
0.10 inches below normal.
Precipitation of at least .01
th
inch was reported on four
days. The heaviest amount
of precipitation was 0.43
inches, which was reported
on the 9 th .
Woke is everywhere
To the editor:
We are entering the
“woke” final onslaught on
American liberty. Woke is
insidious. It has penetrated
every fiber of life in Amer-
ica and the western world
(Canada, Great Britain, Eu-
rope, New Zealand, Austra-
lia). Woke is more virulent
than Covid, more malignant
than cancer, more enslaving
than Communism, more vi-
olent than the Taliban, more
cunning than liberalism,
more disingenuous than
Black Lives Matter.
Woke is everywhere
influencing deeds, actions,
mindsets, relationships and
most destructively out-
comes. Woke can be de-
fined as how it acts: “alert to
injustice, especially racism,
we need to stay angry and
stay woke.” (Oxford Dic-
tionary) The best way to
define woke is what is does
to people.
Will Smith slapping
Chris Rock was woke.
In early times in Morrow
County the Irish never car-
ried guns because they
settled their disputes with
their fists. To slap a man
was effeminate, to shoot a
man was akin to being a
coward. Woke encourages
male effeminacy and plants
the seeds for violence. Will
Smith was provoked and
inflamed to carry out an
effeminate but violent woke
attack on Chris Rock.
Our American military
is now woke. Woke mili-
tary training under Biden
has “rid the ranks of racists
and extremists.” (Sec. of
Defense Lloyd Austin).
Instead of preparing our
military to fight, our troops
are now trained to battle
extremism and train pri-
marily to promote Diversi-
ty, Equality and Inclusion
(DEI).
Would be Supreme
Court lifetime justice Ken-
taji Jackson is the epitome
of woke. Woman does not
exist in woke theology,
that is why Jackson has
no answer in how to de-
fine a woman. According
to woke “science cannot
define woman.” (USA TO-
DAY) There is no gender
in woke, you are what you
think you are. God that
made male and female does
not exist in woke.
Woke indoctrination,
applied through the six
companies that own the
news media, Hollywood,
drug companies that control
our government, has turned
America from the home of
the brave to the land of the
fearful. America’s youth
stormed Normandy to set
the world free. Twenty
years later America’s cou-
rageous shed their blood
in Vietnam in a woke war
our leaders had no intent
to win. Desert Storm and
Afghanistan defined woke
defeatist activism with their
outcome.
America now cowers
at every perceived threat,
from Covid to racism to
biological genders of male
and female. Our college
youth now have cry closets,
a designated safe place for
stressed out students. Our
local school district had to
add nearly a dozen counsel-
ors for stressed out students.
Why? Woke induces fear.
Fearful citizens are easier to
control so start them young.
Fearful citizens are willing
to yield liberty and freedom
for peace and security.
In the seventies “I am
woman, hear me roar” was
feminism but at least wom-
anhood was empowered.
Today womanhood does
not exist in woke gender
ideology. Walt Disney de-
fined and championed fam-
ily values and the joy of
childhood. Now Disney
is a woke world after all.
Disney no longer recog-
nizes boys and girls and
has opposed a Florida bill
that bans instruction for
children K-3 from choosing
their sexual orientation or
gender identity behind the
backs of parents.
Even The New World
Order is now woke and no
longer a right wing con-
spiracy.
Communism produces
corruption, ineptitude and
slavery. Islamic terrorism
produces pathological mass
murders. Socialism produc-
es government-controlled
robots Woke is worse.
Americans and citizens
of the western world will
never acquiesce to Commu-
nism or Islamic extremism
and inherently understand
Socialism will ultimately
fail. Woke is much more
dangerous. Woke will sure-
ly destroy America and pro-
duce future generations of
masked, marked and mis-
erable citizens if good men
(and women) do nothing.
Is there hope against
woke? Fear not. Fear not
those that espouse woke.
They live in fear and are
inept at heart. Faith in Jesus
Christ produces warriors.
Honoring and obeying God
was the answer for our
Godly forefathers. Yield to
God, through His son Jesus
Christ and fear not and He
will raise you up.
Stuart Dick, Irrigon
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