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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2003)
Page 2 The INDEPENDENT, May 1, 2003 The INDEPENDENT A^Z 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, Vernonia, OR 97064, as a free newspaper. Publishers, Dirk & Noni An dersen. Editor, Noni Andersen. Phone/Fax: 503-429-9410, e-mail: noni@vernonia.com Display Advertising, Clark Mc- Gaugh, 503-429-9410, e-mail: clark@vernonia.com ' 1 W / W FArtlty AÔÉ ttMbÉfr Tt> 1/Vtb £>p it - y i . -------------------- ---------------------- '— " ’’ illlO ll ■■mu.... SWISS'S: —.......... ....... .... ...... . ...... . ...................................... County priorities do injustice to citizens Columbia Pacific Food Bank, which is the umbrella organiza tion for Vernonia Cares and other local emergency food pantries in Columbia County is in desperate need. The county’s unem ployment rate is now over 12 percent; local emergency food out lets have seen the need for food assistance increase by 45 per cent; 16.6 percent of our county’s population needs emergency food. Three years ago, Columbia County’s budget included $2,000 for the food bank; the last two years, the amount was $1800. This year, with a dramatic increase in need combined with a 65 percent decrease in USDA commodities, the food bank requested $2500. The answer: $300. There are five senior citizens centers in the county. Three of .................. them...Vernonia, Clatskanie and Rainier...have a lot of low-in come seniors who need the services offered through the County Says ■M M . ____ Council of Seniors and the Agency on Aging. In addition to pro viding low-cost meals three days a week, funds from these By Dale E. Webb, member Nehalem Valley Chapter, Izaak Walton League sources can arrange for home delivered meals to seniors and dis With the legislature in abled who are unable to get to the centers. Other funds go to Col- session, there are some co Transportation, which is particularly needed in Vernonia. A sen interesting twists in the ior advocate in each center helps seniors with housing /renter/en- plots regarding the out ergy assistance, helps them get to appropriate offices for food doors and the people who stamps and Medicaid assistance; can help with appropriate in- use it. I mentioned, in a home assistance. previous article, a proposal Three years ago, the county helped Colco with $40,000, then to try an experimental pro $36,000. This year, their help is $5,000...while they keep saying gram in regard to naviga they are concerned about transportation for seniors and disabled. ble streams. The measure The County Council of Seniors is also down to $5,000, from was going to set up five $55,500 three years ago and $49,500 two years ago. Incidentally, those bus drivers, cooks and senior advocates are mostly paid test streams that are currently not deemed navi gable, but most likely are. The idea was to ease minimum wage and have no benefits. The Board of Commissioners has claimed the high road by the conflict between the landowners along the taking no cost of living raise this year. That isn’t quite as impres streams and the public that uses the streams. sive as they might wish since they gave themselves a 7.6 percent The bill had a subcommittee hearing and ap increase last year. Taxpayers now reward this caring trio with peared to die, with many objections on both sides of the issue. But, like in many legislative nearly $63,000 each, plus benefits. But they are still buying "Facilitated Goal Setting” for $4,000. sessions, some bills seem to develop a life of How many hours of minimum wage assistance could that $4,000 their own. With the help of Senator Ted Ferrioli (R-John buy for senior citizens? Costs are up for the county as they are for everything and Day), the bill has now been twisted into a private everyone else. PERS and health insurance are huge increases landowners’ land grab. Senate Bill 293 would, basically, give up the state’s interest in owner they cannot control. This county budget raises more questions than it answers, ship of the streambed in return for public usage even to those accustomed to reading government budgets. There of the waterway. The key is that the public would appears to be little effort to actually reduce costs in any way ex not have an automatic right of usage; they would cept by eliminating support for outside agencies such as County be required to pay access fees as yet to be de Council of Seniors, Colco Transportation and Columbia Pacific termined. The fee amounts could potentially Food Bank. These are all agencies that actually help people when price the public off the rivers, which is what a lot they need help, a recognition that has almost totally disappeared of river users believe is the plan. There is also a from consideration under the auspices of Columbia County Com provision in the bill to allow private clubs to claim missioners Rita Bernhard, Tony Hyde and Joe Corsiglia. They sections of rivers and exclude the public; this is pure commercialization of a public resource. It is haven’t stopped spending, they’ve just stopped helping. amazing in a state like Oregon, a state that cre- f* ûfcXûOA) ? ovt mm - m - . of /z ir c -M c /c î fa \1> the . v.P. i — i >V-. - < Z ated the beach bill to allow public use of our beaches, that such rancor has erupted over pub lic ownership of streambeds. Federal law is clearly on the side of public usage of all naviga ble streams, yet our legislators could very well give away our rights. It is time to ascertain if they truly represent us...before they turn around and give away our beaches also. I also recently wrote about a fee increase pro posal by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The ODF&W budget has fallen behind again and needs a boost of about $9,000,000. Of course they are asking for $10,000,000, but what the extra million is for was not explained. Well, it seems that Governor Kulongski also has a proposal for ODF&W’s budget; it is for an in crease of $15,000,000, five million of which would go to the state General Fund. What? Yes, the money would go to the state General Fund, to replace the $5 million dollars that ODF&W currently receives from the Gener al Fund to operate fish hatcheries. When I first heard of this issue, I saw red, but in reconsider ation, I think it is fair to ask the question, “should we be subsidizing public fishing while schools and other public agencies go wanting?” Many sportsmen will consider the Governor’s proposal a direct attack against their pastime; I must give him credit for proposing an honest question in a dire time. Sportspeople in Oregon subsidize a lot of programs that benefit the general public, so the answer to this question is not an easy one, but I would propose that, if sportspeople need to step up and pay their full way, it should be re membered when the times are good again. On another topic, in 1884, J.L. Bernard set . -K f« -Vs Please see page 22
