OPINION READER’S FORUM
Founded in 1906
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 2021
A4
EDITOR’S DESK
Good pet owners make our community a better place
ears ago, when my brother
was a young Cub Scout,
members of his troop each
came home from an activity with
their very own goldfi sh, to the sur-
prise of their parents.
None of the fi sh lived
long. One fell victim to a
cat. Another jumped out
of its bowl, likely try-
ing to escape water that
had become too warm
Jade
McDowell
from sitting next to the
NEWS EDITOR
radiator. A third was poi-
soned by pencil shavings
that were accidentally dropped in its
bowl.
I’m not sure if the exercise taught
exactly the lesson that was intended,
but it was a lesson nonetheless:
responsible pet ownership goes far
beyond simply remembering to feed
your pet.
Pet ownership is a serious respon-
sibility and yearslong commitment.
But over the years, I have met far too
many dogs here whose owners fre-
quently let them roam the streets,
untrained and unneutered, dodging
cars and nipping at neighbors.
If you’re considering pet owner-
ship, please don’t do it impulsively.
Research each animal’s and breed’s
needs and temperament and con-
sider how they might fi t into your
home and whether you feel confi -
dent you can continue to meet those
needs during your pet’s entire lifes-
pan. How much space does the ani-
Y
Hermiston Herald, File
A pit bull terrier, confi scated from a home near Hermiston, sits in a local animal shelter in
2017.
mal need? How much mental stimu-
lation? Exercise? Food? Specialized
grooming or veterinary care? And
how much will all of that cost?
Once you have your pet, be pre-
pared to do the responsible thing by
providing them vaccines and other
needed preventive care. If you’re get-
ting a dog or cat, make sure they’re
spayed or neutered so you’re not con-
tributing to the overpopulation that
results in about 3 million cats and
dogs being euthanized in shelters
each year, according to the Humane
Society.
In that vein, I would also urge you
to strongly consider adopting from a
shelter. Adopting from a shelter has
a lot of advantages beyond the altru-
istic ones — it’s cheaper, the ani-
mals can be more unique, you have
a better idea of their personality and
often someone else has already gone
through all the work of house train-
ing them. I loved the shelter dogs I
grew up with.
Once you bring your pet home, be
prepared to give them a safe envi-
ronment that fi ts their needs. If you
get a rabbit, for example, you should
know that they love chewing wires
and can electrocute themselves if you
leave them unattended with cords.
If you get a dog, it’s your responsi-
bility to make sure they can’t easily
escape your yard and run into traffi c
if you’re leaving them to run around
unsupervised. If they’re a “frequent
COLUMN
COLUMN
Teaching United States history
ver the last several months, we have
witnessed history happening in our
country that has not happened since
the Civil War. It is United States history in
the making.
Now is a good time to refl ect on our U.S.
history from when we were in school. Do
you remember your U.S. History classes? In
Oregon, U.S. History is usually taught in 5th
grade and again in high school. How well do
you know the Constitution and
its amendments and what they
stand for?
Yes, there are people who
do understand really well and
people who think they know
them, and people who really
don’t know. What does the First
Scott
Amendment really mean?
Smith
In many schools dealing
with remote learning, especially
at the elementary ages, the teaching of Social
Studies has sadly taken a back seat. Under-
standing the schools are doing their best in
these unprecedented times, now is a great
time to review for all of us what our found-
ers felt would make us a leading country. The
United States is a network of people and cul-
tures working together for the betterment
of the world and was designed 246 years
ago knowing the country would grow and
change. Have we taken it for granted?
This is a great time for us as adults to
refresh ourselves and bring our children
into the discussion of what it means to be a
United States citizen. Below are some gen-
eral questions along with general resources
you might consider when locating and
fact-checking yourself. There are many ways
of using the internet to search and locate
information. Engaging with your children
on this quest will help them have a stron-
ger understanding of just how to locate and
discuss information about questions that
O
develop during their life.
Our government is built on three areas;
the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the
amendments. Understanding them and dis-
cussing why they were written might pro-
vide for a better understanding of just why
our government operates the way that it does
along with what our responsibilities are as
United States citizens.
The Constitution: When was it written?
Who were the authors? Where was it writ-
ten? How many parts are there in the consti-
tution? See kids.britannica.com/kids/article/
constitution/352996.
The Bill of Rights: What is the “Bill of
Rights?” Who were the authors and why? Do
they still apply today? How? See ducksters.
com/history/us_bill_of_rights.php.
Amendments: What are constitutional
amendments? Who and how can you make
an amendment? How many amendments are
there? You hear people say, “It’s my First
Amendment right.” What does that mean?
See ducksters.com/history/us_constitution_
amendments.php
How do the U.S. Constitution, the Bill
of Rights, and the amendments impact our
daily lives? Do they really mean what you
assumed they did? What are some ways you
might be able to support our government?
We are a diverse country made of multi-
ple cultures each having its own perspec-
tive and understanding. Over the last cou-
ple of months has our government been in
jeopardy?
These are all questions we should refl ect
on as Americans, United States citizens,
and how these issues could be peacefully
addressed.
———
Scott Smith has been an educator in Uma-
tilla County for more than 40 years and is
on the Decoding Dyslexia-OR board as their
parent/teacher liaison.
Solutions for child care recovery
ural Oregon is facing a diffi cult
post-COVID economic recovery.
The $1.9 trillion federal coro-
navirus relief package will undoubt-
edly help, but without addressing some
long-standing barriers to economic
development, we will not grow and
thrive.
The lack of child care is one of those
barriers. We live in a child care desert,
where the number of available slots is a
fraction of the need.
Without adequate and aff ordable
child care options for children younger
than age 5, a laundry list of problems
arises. Parents may need to drop out
of the workforce or college, employ-
ers face diffi culties recruiting, profes-
sionals leave rural Oregon, school dis-
tricts suff er diminishing enrollment and
many 5 year olds are not prepared for
kindergarten.
A strong child care system is needed
to solve these problems.
The Ford Family Foundation’s
recent report, “Child Care in Rural Ore-
gon,” charts a path to improve the quan-
tity and quality of child care. Their fi ve
recommendations should be quickly
enacted.
Their fi rst recommendation is for the
Oregon Department of Human Services
to use data from surveys of child care
providers across the state to accurately
model the actual costs of providing
child care, to calculate reimbursement
rates that are fair across the state and
don’t put rural areas at a disadvantage.
Second, do away with the state’s cur-
rent system of paying more for child
care in urban areas than is paid in rural
areas, and permanently waive or sig-
nifi cantly lower the co-payments for
R
CORRECTIONS
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VOLUME 114 • NUMBER 11
Andrew Cutler | Publisher • acutler@eomediagroup.com • 541-278-2673
Jade McDowell | News Editor • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536
Kelly Schwirse | Multi-Media consultant • kschwirse@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531
Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
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The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN
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Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838,
(541) 567-6457.
fl yer” at the local shelter, that’s on
you. Dogs also need proper training
and socialization. That doesn’t neces-
sarily mean a full repertoire of show
tricks, but basic manners and house-
training are important.
Also, defi nitely don’t be like the
guy who once got angry at a pho-
tographer and I for showing up to
a house fi re and asked, “Do I need
to bring my pit bull out? She bites.”
Owners like that are why certain
breeds have a bad reputation.
It’s also up to you to recognize that
not everyone loves your pet as much
as you do. I personally love dogs,
and am delighted when I get to inter-
act with my friends’ pets, but it’s also
important to respect that some peo-
ple have allergies or phobias or sim-
ply don’t enjoy unfamiliar, unleashed
dogs bounding up to them unexpect-
edly at the park.
Asking, “Is it alright if I bring my
dog/cat/snake?” and respecting a
“no” is important.
Lastly, clean up after your pets.
Don’t be that entitled person who lets
their dog do its business in other peo-
ples’ yards and walks away, or makes
everyone have to watch their step at
the park.
Owning a pet is a truly wonder-
ful thing. But our community will be
a better place if everyone makes sure
their pet ownership is as enjoyable
for their pets and their neighbors as it
is for them.
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Letters Policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for the
Hermiston Herald readers to express themselves on local,
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low-income families who receive child
care assistance.
Third, recognize that both home-
based child care providers and child
care centers need consistent and reliable
funding. They need to receive payments
based on a child’s enrollment rather
than their daily attendance.
Fourth, launch a statewide system
to link child care provider networks
so that administrative services, such as
bookkeeping and payroll, can be shared
by home-based child care and child care
centers across the state, lowering costs
for all.
Fifth, make changes in Oregon’s
child care regulations to allow small
child care centers to be located in non-
residential settings, so they can be
licensed as “Certifi ed Family Child
Care.” This would allow for mixed-
age groups of up to 16 children in
“micro-centers” located in schools and
other existing buildings.
These steps don’t solve the under-
lying problem causing the shortage of
child care: This care is expensive to
provide because of the high caregiv-
er-to-child ratios needed for the safety
of very young children, and is not sub-
sidized by the government except for
very low-income families.
Ultimately, we as a nation need to
face the fact that a child’s education
does not start in kindergarten. It starts at
birth, so the more tax dollars we spend
on high-quality child care and educa-
tion, the less we will spend on remedial
services and social welfare systems, and
the better off we will be in the long run.
———
This editorial was published by the
East Oregonian editorial board.
Letters must be original and signed by the writer or writers.
Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include
a telephone number so they can be reached for questions.
Only the letter writer’s name and city of residence will be
published.
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