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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 1998)
/ • Page 2 The INDEPENDENT, October 21, 1998 3 n. INDEPENDENT VltìAT YOU 6ATU££ ja /6 up Serving the upper Nehalem River valley. Published twice monthly, on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, by Public Opinion Laboratory Ltd., 725 Bridge Street, Vernonia, OR 97064, as a free newspaper. Edi tors and Publishers, Dirk & Noni Andersen. Sports Edi tor, Caren McGaugh. Phone/Fax: (503) 429-9410. \d c u .,l J i V0T££> A#«> a / ow T tfA T TWeRe AiiJT -Tou.er PaPeA AA/y/HdUe |'/*i £ oue < t i */6 A tt / CA/\i <serz Go l«J M Y BATHROOM S o I State Measure 57 Prison construction is already a growth industry in Oregon, though school construction is on the decline. So, why would we want to make criminals of people who possess less than an ounce of marijuana? Arguments in favor of recriminalization tend to emphasize protection of children, but there is something miss ing from those arguments: It is already illegal for children to have marijuana; it is illegal to provide marijuana to minors; it is illegal to drive under the influence of marijuana. Proponents also fail to mention the impact of recriminalization on people who aren’t users: More jail space will be needed and more police will be needed...that will increase taxes while de creasing resources for other services such as prevention and treatment. This sends the wrong message to youth. It says we are willing to spend money on prisons, but we’re not willing to spend money on education, prevention and treatment. Do we really want to cre ate 6,000 more criminals this year by passing an expensive, puni tive and unworkable measure? Vote No on Measure 57. c a » j W ipe At/fi V0T£A's Measure 62 Measure 59 Measure 63 Measure 60 Measure 64 02 R*A1> AAa STts&Y Y«vA Ytu IS07~£ ! This constitutional amendment would require more frequent disclosure of political campaign Should adoptees be able to obtain a true copy of their birth cer contributions, would allow the legislature to pro tificate, instead of a phony one that was substituted when they hibit paying people to gather signatures on peti were adopted? There is possible invasion of privacy of the birth tions and controls how individuals may make po mother (or father), who may have very good reasons for not re litical contributions. Since constitutional amend vealing themselves. There is also a legitimate need to know one’s ments are supposed to cover only one subject, genetic heritage, especially in case of certain medical conditions. it’s anybody’s guess how this would fare in state court. If it goes to the U.S. Supreme Court, it’s It’s a balancing act, but a Yes vote is recommended. unlikely to be allowed, if recent rulings are any measure. No matter how much we may want campaign Here we go again. Measure 59 is so badly written that it would finance reform, when in doubt about the legality have unintended results. It intends to prohibit public employee of any measure, it is probably a good idea to unions from being able to use payroll deductions because the vote No. unions also have political action committees. Unintentionally, it would also prohibit “using public funds (public employees, etc.) to collect political funds” thereby eliminating the Voters’ Pamphlet When the measure requiring a “super majori that so many people find indispensable. ty” passed a couple of years ago, it was ap This lacks intelligence; vote No on 59. proved by a simple majority of the voters casting a ballot. This is the measure that defeated the 9- 1-1 election in September, because it voids elec The only question to answer about this measure is: Do you or tion results on money measures unless more don’t you want to vote by mail in all elections? At this time, all than 50 percent of registered voters cast ballots. elections in Oregon are by mail except the Primary and General Measure 63 offers a “quid pro quo" for this Elections, when people have the option of going to the polls. This tactic by requiring that any future ballot mea hybrid system has resulted in a lot of confusion, with some peo sures trying to impose a super majority can be ple waiting for a mail ballot when there isn’t going to be one. approved only if they receive the same super Even if you prefer going to the polling place, there are some majority being required in the measure. compelling reasons for unifying behind voting by mail. One rea The only opposition to this comes from Ore son is that more people vote when they can do so by mail than if gon Taxpayers United, the same people who they have to go to the polls. Another important reason has to do think that the efforts of active voters should be with fiscal conservatism: Voting by mail is cheaper than using cancelled by people who don’t vote. polling places. More than 50 percent of Oregon voters already Vote Yes on Measure 63. use absentee ballots so polling places are used by fewer than 50 percent of voters. Let’s expand vote by mail. Vote Yes on Measure 60. Measure 64 would ban ciearcutting, which many people think that is an excellent idea. The measure also calls for banning the use of pesti At this time, it appears that votes either for or against Measure cides and herbicides on forestlands in order to 61 won’t be counted because, according to the court, it lacked prevent contamination of water, soil and air; cer enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. If that holds, the tainly a legitimate concern. Other elements questin is moot. In case that decision changes, let’s look at it any would prohibit cutting any tree over 30 inches in way. diameter and would allow any citizen of the Unit This is another attempt to reduce crime by increasing punish ed States to sue in state court to enforce the re ment, which is how we got on the prison-building track in the first quirements of this measure. place. The people it would punish, however, are the taxpayers. It Those last two elements are, in many ways, is estimated that passage of this measure would require an addi more distressing than banning ciearcutting. tional 4,300 prison beds by the year 2006. In addition to that cost, Trees that have grown to 30 inches in diame up to $470 million, there would be additional court costs in the ter, or greater, are found not just on federal tens of thousands. lands. Many responsible small tree farmers have Why don’t we spend tax money intelligently. Crime prevention nurtured their stands over long periods of time, costs that punishment. Vote No on 59, just in case it’s counted. cutting selectively and letting some trees grow very large. Those trees are their retirement, or their grandchildren’s college tuition, or money to Please vote on November 3rd W ith J State Measure 58 Measure 61 all blow. Should they be prohibited from using them? Why should any U.S. citizen be able to sue Oregon tree growers to enforce Oregon law? If it is state law, enforcement should follow the same requirements as enforcement of any state law. There are already too many people who think “I’ll sue,” when they are upset about something. The ban on herbicides and pesticides is an excellent idea in many ways, but it doesn’t go far enough. Any such ban must also apply to farm ers, landscapers, gardeners, etc., in order to be effective. The way trees are grown on industrial lands has developed from the best forestry of the time and is always undergoing modification. As more people inhabit the earth, more are going to question the process and some will be extreme. This measure should not pass, but it should serve as a wake up call to industrial forestry. A better job can be done, but vote No on 64. Measure 65 This measure is a great way to make the state legislature just as ineffective as Congress. Any time any one is upset about an administra tive rule, just petition your legislature. They can then spend their time looking over the shoulders of state employees to find what the petitioner is objecting to. Sorry, folks, this is just plain stupid, could take up far too much of the legislature’s time and re sources, and bring operations to a halt. Vote No on 65. Measure 66 Oregonians love salmon and parks, sort of, just not enough to pay for them. But if they’re paid for out of lottery funds, it doesn’t cost any thing, does it? Yes, it does. We are becoming more addicted to gambling every day and think that all funding problems can be solved by more gambling. We need to fund parks and save salmon, but not this way. Vote No on 66. Measure 67 The medical use of marijuana isn’t a hare brained idea. Marijuana works well for certain medical conditions and in some cases is a good substitute for heavy opiates. The reason there has been so little research on marijuana is the refusal of the federal government to provide it to legitimate researchers. This is one way to put pressure on so research can be done. Vote Yes on Measure 67. 1 i J r. 4 » ? t.» il
