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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
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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