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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 16, 2003)
Page 2 The INDEPENDENT, January 16, 2003 The INDEPENDENT Serving the upper Nehalem River valley. Published twice monthly, on the first and third Thursdays of each month, by Public Opinion Laboratory Ltd., 725 Bridge Street, Ver nonia, OR 97064, as a free newspaper. Editors and Pub lishers, Dirk & Noni Andersen. Phone/Fax: 503-429- 9410, e-mail: noni@vernonia.com — — .— w BflHB . f-. ■ I I 1 ' I ' • ’ ■ Why should we vote yes on Measure 28? 1. Because it costs more to house mentally ill people in prison than in a safe group home. 2. Because it costs more to keep an elderly person in a care facility than in their own home. 3. Because our state police have already gone from over 600 officers to less than 400. 4. Because the Oregon Health Plan costs less than taxpayer provided emergency medical care. 5. Because a good education is absolutely vital to our children’s future. 6. Because we don’t like being number one in the U.S. in the number of hungry people per capita. 7. Because we don’t want tuition so high that most of us can’t afford to send our kids to college. 8. Because we don’t like closing juvenile facilities. Under President Bush,we have been 9. Because we know that Head Start is important. 10. Because we know our children are better off in watching a federal government that throws people in prison without charges, after school programs than watching TV at home. 11. Because we don’t like being number one in hav that makes public policy but doesn’t want the public to know who is involved ing the shortest school year in the nation. in developing the policy, that tosses out 12. Because we know schools are important. treaties without revealing any reason 13. Because we want adequate public safety. supporting that action, and that fre 14. Because we care about out neighbors. 15. Because we want a school nurse funded by pub quently doesn’t even want the people to know where our elected officials are. lic health. That behavior shows contempt for the 16. Because we don’t want to lose the drug/alcohol electorate and makes many people won counselor at school. 17. Because we don’t think public employees are our der whether Bush’s presidency has be come a dictatorship. enemies. Though on a smaller scale, the City of 18. Because we have the highest unemployment in Vernonia has recently been given rea the nation. 19. Because people in need should not be harmed son to wonder about that same tenden cy on the part of the Oregon Department even more. 20. Because our gutless legislature needs to be re of Forestry. An article on page one tells of the minded that good citizenship requires behavior based city’s surprise on learning that the Ore on good principles. 21. Because most of us can afford to pay $50.00 to gon Department of Forestry has been $100.00 per year for three years and if our taxable in- working for three years on the develop gome, not gross income, is $20,000 to $50,000 per ment of a large property exchange with a private timber company, and that some year, that is all we will pay. 22. Because we want a healthy future and do not of the property includes a vital part of the want to further diminish the quality of life in our com Rock Creek watershed, which provides the city’s drinking water. After three munities and in our state. years, the city was informed shortly be 23. Because it is the right thing to do. fore the end of the comment period. ven worse, was ODF’s failure to in form the city when they sold the timber in the watershed and developed a clearcut harvest plan on headwaters with steep slopes. A meeting with the ODF forester re vealed that he didn’t know who would do the logging, who would provide over sight, or even whether there would be any oversight. It is obvious that ODF failed to consid er the potential health and economic im pact on Vernonia. In addition to the need for a safe drinking water source, any thing that contaminates the water in any way must be decontaminated by the city -and steep slopes that have been clear cut are known to slide. When ODF’s activities impact people, they must inform those people. Failure to do so - especially over a period of several years - shows not simply an in adequate process, but contempt for the taxpayers who pay their salaries. It is in excusably dictatorial. "Secrecy ana a free, democratic government don't mix." -President Harry S. Truman
