WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2018
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A7
OPINION
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Use wild horse meat
Notice to hundreds of people, your
jobs are gone. Headline: “Processing
plant closures on the rise.” Little warning
— two days? Tight cattle supply.
Headline: “BLM forecasting million
dollar tax supporting more wild horses in
storage than are out in the “wild.” Plans
for horse slaughter plant delayed another
year — losses in financing — more
studies and permits required (they gave
up trying).
Am I the only one who sees the
obvious solutions to both of these
problems?
It can’t be that hard to train workers in
already-built and running plants to switch
to horses from cattle. It can’t be that
hard to find buyers for canned, frozen or
freeze-dried and produced-in-the-USA
pet food, fine leather, or organic plant
food.
It evidently is easy to ignore the higher
profits per pound sending horse meat
overseas. But please, it has to be done.
It evidently is easy to ignore having no
legal, easy, sensible way to proactively
cull physically, mentally or purely excess
animals that people expect, if not to eat,
to trust their safety and lives to for work
and pleasure.
Evidently it is hard to face emotion-
driven arguments from unrealistic,
uninformed animal-lovers.
JACKIE KALBERER
UMATILLA
Support Larry Givens
I am writing to support Larry
Given’s re-election as Umatilla County
Commissioner. Larry has worked
tirelessly on behalf of the citizens of
this county, and deserves our continued
support. He has also worked well with
his fellow commissioners to improve
communication with the public, and to
reduce expenses while maintaining vital
public services.
I have known Larry for many years,
in his capacity as an educator, small
business owner and, for the past 12 years,
as our county commissioner. He has
played an important leadership role at
many levels, as a past Chairman of the
County Board of Commissioners, on the
state level as a former President of the
Oregon Association of Counties. He has
worked effectively with all of our state
elected officials and Tribal leaders to
bring economic development and growth
to the area. If an issue is important to
Umatilla County, Larry is there.
Umatilla County is blessed with a
well-functioning county leadership team
which works effectively together. Larry
is an integral part of that team. Please
join me in electing him to another term as
your county commissioner.
JEFF WALLACE
THE DALLES
BMCC benefits region
April is National Community Col-
lege Awareness Month, and as a proud
member of the Blue Mountain Commu-
nity College Board of Education, I would
like to take a moment to remind the com-
munity of the impact BMCC has on our
region.
If you’ve ever been treated by a nurse
at Good Shepherd Medical Center, you
were most likely seen by a BMCC grad-
uate. BMCC’s nursing students not only
had a 100 percent pass rate this past
year on their national board exams, but
most earned jobs right away. That’s one
of the great benefits of an education at
BMCC – many of the educational pro-
grams feed directly into jobs in our local
communities.
BMCC also strives to make educa-
tion attainable by anyone in our region.
Students can earn an associate’s degree
online or in one of our convenient
regional centers. The new Precision Irri-
gated Agriculture Center on OSU’s
Hermiston Agriculture Research and
Education Center is another way BMCC
is creating accessibility to training needed
in our region.
BMCC and its students also con-
tribute significantly to our local econ-
omy. For every $1 a student invests on a
BMCC education, they receive a $3.70
return in career earnings. Our students
also add back approximately $3.7 mil-
lion back into our local economy through
living expenses. That’s in addition to the
approximately $23 million net impact of
college payroll and expenses our employ-
ees contribute annually back into our ser-
vice district economy.
I hope you’ll stop by a BMCC loca-
tion to see what Blue can do for you.
DON RICE
HERMISTON
Collins for judge
This letter is in reference to the race
for Circuit Court Judge and my support
of Rob Collins for that position.
I have known Rob Collins since
he started to practice law throughout
Umatilla and Morrow counties since
1981. He is a product of our local
public school system. His background
and experience includes all aspects of
estate planning, real estate, business,
personal injury, family and appeals.
Rob has donated much of his personal
time and energy to a number of boards
and committees. I personally served
with Rob on one board for several years
and he always demonstrated leadership
in a way that provided quality results
and lead the way in strengthening lines
of communications among the board
members. He is an extremely hard
worker, knowledgeable, fair and would
serve the public very well on the Circuit
Court.
Please support Rob Collins for Circuit
Court Judge for Umatilla and Morrow
County.
PHILLIP HOUK
PENDLETON
Miller willing to listen
I attended the candidates’ forum last
week. I listened to all the candidates for
county commissioners and especially for
the new people running for the Hermiston
City Council. Two guys impressed me.
Kyran Miller was one of them, running
for Ward 3.
Kyran Miller told it like it is. The city
should build its tax base, not raise our
taxes. He was right that economic growth
can build up the tax base to meet the city
needs, without new taxes.
We are all taxed enough. He said he
is willing to listen to the people and vote
for their concerns. He even volunteered
to put up a tent in his front yard to meet
with voters if he is elected. He will set up
an email address and a phone number so
that he can stay in touch. He wants more
openness to the public. He wants the city
to be accountable. His 50 years of busi-
ness experience could help the city coun-
cil. He was so positive about Hermis-
ton, its people and its future. It was like a
breath of fresh air. Change is happening.
It’s time change happens in the Hermis-
ton City Council.
He volunteers Tuesdays at the Agape
House, on Friday mornings he is at the
Catholic Church’s soup kitchen, and on
Saturdays he is at Two Rivers Correc-
tional facility with a Bible study group.
He serves our community through the
Lions Club and other organizations. He is
a man to know.
I believe that Kyran Miller should be
elected to the Hermiston City Council.
Vote for Kyran Miller. Make a change for
the better.
Offer expires 04/30/18. See dealer for details.
JACK MCWHINNIE
UMATILLA
Traffic ...
driving me crazy
I
don’t exhibit road rage — my response to
driving frustrations is more like traffic-in-
duced Tourette Syndrome.
I wasn’t really aware of this until a recent
trip to the coast with Carol and Cassie
Greene. Cassie, who was behind the wheel
during the sketchy part of the trip through the
Portland metro area, didn’t seem to appreci-
ate my backseat driving.
It was more like back-
seat blurting out. It’s not like I
spewed obscenities — just short
phrases that aren’t fit for print.
I certainly should have bud-
geted more for the swear jar in
the car.
Tammy
In my defense, cars were
Malgesini
darting in and out of traffic,
INSIDE MY
SHOES
passing on the right, merging
inappropriately, not maintaining
a safe following distance and generally not
following the laws as outlined in the Oregon
Driver Manual.
I’m not saying I’m the best driver in the
world. However, I don’t weave in and out
of traffic, I always use my turn signal when
merging, I utilize the 3-second rule to pro-
vide appropriate distance and I make sure I
can see pavement between my rig and the car
in front of me when stopped.
More about turn signals — when used
properly, they offer a clue to other drivers
regarding where you intend to go. Use them!
Really, it doesn’t take that much effort. Oh,
and after they have served their purpose —
turn it off.
While I’m not as crazy as my bestie Carol
“Andretti” Greene, I do admit to some ques-
tionable driving habits. With traffic re-routed
due to Hermiston’s festival street construc-
tion project, I experienced a bit of Olympics
fever. Driving to and from work each day,
I felt like a skier on a slalom course. Whip-
ping around the cones, I would get as close
to them as possible. And, I’m proud to say I
never ran over a single one.
Also, pedestrians have laws, too. If I
wrote an Oregon Pedestrian Manual, rules
would address appropriate attire for night-
time strolls and the use of crosswalks, includ-
ing a clear definition of what constitutes an
unmarked crosswalk. They are NOT merely
anywhere you decide to cross the street.
I totally respect that pedestrians have the
right of way — just don’t make me plunk
quarters in the swear jar on my way home
from work.
———
Tammy Malgesini is the community editor.
Her column, Inside my Shoes, includes gen-
eral musings about life. Contact her at tmal-
gesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539