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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 2003)
The INDEPENDENT, November 20, 2003 Page 3 Letters People at fault were those who didn’t vote To the Editor: In the November 6th issue of The Independent, your Editorial Opinion piece claimed that Oregon voters were responsi- ble for throwing away their right to vote for or against issues without interference. You were only partially correct! Your scorn however should have been aimed at the needed 322* votes (*roughly 1.71% of regis- tered voters) who doomed the 9-1-1 measure by not voting at all. That was all that was need- ed Countywide to ensure pas- sage. Some years ago, Oregon voters did vote in the require- ment that a minimum of 50% of registered voters must actually cast their vote regarding issues authorizing approval for tax in- creases or levies. During the campaign prior to that election, one of the measure’s oppo- nents prophesied that if needed monies were needed to contin- ue on-going operational ex- penses, that a lack of voters could crush such a measure as forcibly as an overwhelming “No” vote. That prophecy has occurred, yet I STILL favor the 50% rule. Why? Because of the too often used tactic used by tax-gob- bling agencies and districts to schedule such tax-and-bond in- crease measures during off- peak voting campaigns. Voter turnout is typically smaller dur- ing such elections, and wildly unpopular tax and bond obliga- tion increases were nearly ‘au- tomatically’ approved by vari- ous special interests ‘flooding’ the voting booths to pass such levies. Only by a special initia- tive petition did the voters themselves decide that enough was enough. I feel that a lack of voters during a election should not be used as a means to pass tax and bond measures. Instead, such measures should be placed in front of the voters dur- ing traditional ‘Prime’ voting Between the Bookends By Nancy Burch, Librarian Vernonia Public Library Most of the activities that take place in the library and many of the materials that have been and contin- ue to be added to the li- brary’s collection are possi- ble only through the efforts and generosity of commu- nity members. The Friends of the Library have become invaluable, with some individuals and organizations having made substantial donations to support the library through this group. One lady continues to add books to the library’s collection in recognition of her family. She makes a list of her favorite reads each year, and if these books do not yet exist in the collection, she buys them and gives them to the library. This collection entitled “The Sally, Jane and Arthur Connolly Collection,” contains a wide range of books—both fiction and non-fic- tion. When this information is entered as a search topic, the Athena Program will list all of the titles in this collection. There are currently 44 books in this very eclectic collection which in- cludes such titles as The House of Gentle Men, The Coming Plague, Old Books, Rare Friends, and Max Perkins-Editor of Genius. I love this col- lection because it consists of “Judy’s odd books”—books which are not written by trendy authors or are not usually the bestsellers, but books which are sorely needed to give library patrons more variety in their reading selections. Judy recently donated again and recommend- ed American Pie: Slices of Life (and Pie) from America’s Back Roads, which I’m currently read- ing and enjoying immensely. Written by Pascale Le Dreaoulec, this book is full of great recipes and notable people that she and a friend en- counter as they travel the backroads of America from San Francisco to New York with two rules— stay off the big freeways and look for great pie. This is a delightful book for people who love to eat pie, bake pie or to reminisce over pies from the past. Included in the book are 25 recipes for such delights as Mildred Snook’s Sour Cream Raisin Pie, Mamma Millsap’s Open-Faced Apple Pie, and Fike’s Lemon Pecan Pie. The Council on American Islamic Relations has recently donated a valuable collection of materials to the library. Consisting of books, Au- diocassettes, Videos and DVDs, some of the ti- tles are Ramadan, Gender Equity in Islam, Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People, and Islam: A Closer Look. Yet another set of donated materials has re- cently been received—from the Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The focus of these ma- terials is making parents aware of questions re- lating to vaccine-preventable diseases. Recent purchases also reflect a variety of top- ics. A Measure of Endurance is the heartwarm- ing story of Steven Sharp, of Crane, Oregon, who, after being gravely injured while using a farm machine, takes on its powerful manufactur- er and wins. Three Weeks in October follows for- mer Portland Police Chief Charles Moose through the investigation of the notorious serial sniper near Washington, D.C. Ann Rule’s latest true crime, Heart Full of Lies, tells of murder in Oregon’s Wallowa County. New fiction includes The Known World by Edward Jones, Cry No More by Linda Howard, Safe Harbour by Danielle Steel, and The Keeper’s Son by Homer Hickman. Once again, through the cooperation of the St. Helens Bookshop, a selection of books will be available in early December for individuals to adopt (purchase) as gifts for the library. These materials will be at the 20% discounted price, which will be displayed by each item. Those of us associated with the library are so glad to hear that Joel Glass is once again back home and recuperating well. Joann (his mother) has become so valuable to the library by filling in for me and to the Friends of the Library in so many ways. Not only is she involved in helping with the library and its functions, but she has got- ten the rest of her family involved, too, and we wish them all well as Joel recovers. Vernonia Public Library: 701 Weed Ave. Hours: Mon., Wed., Fri. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Tues., Thur. 2 p.m. - 7 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Preschool Story Time: Mondays, 10:00 a.m., when school is in session. Phone: (503 ) 429-1818 times (i.e.: presidential and state elections.) Yes, we would have more issues to decide at one time, but it would be less expensive than the excessive number of elections we current- ly have, and yes, from time to time, issues that we feel will benefit our community’s will not pass. But as a voter, a citizen and as a taxpayer, I would rather suffer the occasional loss through the ballot box, than to once again have special interests “Play the Ballot Box Game” to worm their way into my pocketbook. Sincerely, Roger Grimsrud Vernonia *Numbers derived from the Colum- bia County website Nov. 4 voting results. the Christmas food boxes. Questions? Come and see me at the food bank (The Amer- ican Legion Hall at 627 Adams Avenue) or give us a call (503- 429-1414). We’re open Tues- day and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sometimes I feel a bit guilty asking for food for Vernonia Cares. When you’re providing food for 325 people a month, and add a Christmas meal to that project, you learn to swal- low your pride, smile, and just ask for help! Vernonians, whether Cub Scouts or senior citizens, always are willing to come forward with that help. You’re a great bunch of people who show that Vernonia Cares! Thankfully, Sandy Welch, Director Vernonia Cares Food Bank Thanks, to Scouts and all who donated Holiday open house at Vernonia Museum To the Editor: I knew it— Vernonia is full or caring and sharing people! Dur- ing the city-wide canned food drive on Nov. 8, this local food bank received 1479 lb. of food. Thanks to Cub Scout Pack 201 (who sponsored the event), to all the other Scouts who helped, to Angie Taylor who co- ordinated it, to each person who helped pick up the food around the city, and to those volunteers who sorted the food here at the food bank. Of course none of this would have happened unless you Vernoni- ans set the food on your front porch for pick up. Thanks, each one of you. It’s so wonderful to walk in Care’s pantry and see full shelves! The timing of this food drive is especially appreciated as we gear up at Vernonia Cares for the Christmas meal food box- es. Because the Christmas box is in addition to the regular food boxes, we distribute twice as much food in December. You may still notice the Vernon- ia Cares food reception barrels at Sentry Market, Vernonia Hardware, True Value Hard- ware, Creatures Pet Store, Ver- nonia 76 gas station, and the Bridge Street Mini Mart. These businesses agreed to continue to receive donated food for us until Dec. 15. Also, we will also gladly receive your donated turkeys or hams at our drop site in the Providence Family Medi- cine Parking lot on Nov 15, 22, and December 6 and 13 from 9 am to 3 pm. These turkeys and hams will become the meat in To the Editor: Vernonia Pioneer Museum is having a Christmas open house on Saturday, December 6, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Please stop by on your way to the Booster Bazaar or your way back. We have a lot of nice Ver- nonia memorabilia. Come learn about the history of Vernonia. It can be really fascinating and fun. The museum now has a printer/scanner and has the ability to make copies of some of our old photos, etc. We charge $5.00 per copy. We are looking for someone to volunteer their time to build some boxes for the old flags that we have on display. If you are interested, please call Enid Parrow at 503-429-8134. Thank you, Donna Webb VPMA Scout Cabin thrives while serving youth To the Editor: The Scout Cabin continues to serve the community. In the last three years since it was re- built it has averaged about forty-seven rentals a year. So far, Vernonia has been able to support it financially. The rent we receive pays for utilities, in- surance and maintenance. We receive no other funding for this building. The most frequent uses have been weddings, an- niversaries, family and class re- unions, birthdays, etc. Please see page 20
