Page 2
The INDEPENDENT, March 15, 2007
The
INDEPENDENT
Published on the first and third Thursdays of each month by
The Independent, LLC, 725 Bridge St., Vernonia, OR 97064.
Phone/Fax: 503-429-9410.
Publisher Clark McGaugh, clark@the-independent.net
Editor Rebecca McGaugh, rebecca@the-independent.net
Assoc. Editor Noni Andersen, noni@the-independent.net
Opinion
Committees are needed,
and need do’s and don’t
Like most small towns, the City of Vernonia has
many advisory committees and, because they were
started at different times, they lack a uniform ap-
proach.
While the city is trying to develop uniformity in how
its various committees operate, this may also be a
good time to consider how committees work. This ap-
plies not only to the city, but to all local agencies.
Like members of city councils, fire district boards
and school district boards, members of the various ad-
visory committees are also volunteers. Their time and
effort deserve respect, but they need to understand
that effective work requires coordination by many peo-
ple.
The primary governing board – city council or board
of directors – should have written regulations for how
committees are to operate. No committee can be ef-
fective if its work uses one direction today and anoth-
er direction tomorrow.
Committee members should expect staff support to
include recording meetings, preparing minutes and
any other information needed. They should be provid-
ed with everything they need for the next meeting – in
advance. That time line will vary; it may be five days or
two days, depending on the complexity of the informa-
tion needed by committee members. Staff cannot run
the meetings, or vote.
Committee members also have responsibilities.
They should be on time for all meetings, and be pre-
pared for the meeting by studying all of the information
in advance. They also need to be courteous to other
committee members, staff and the public.
Within the regulations set for their operation, com-
mittees should be allowed to elect their own chairman
and vice-chairman. It would be inappropriate for either
staff or governing board to make that determination ex-
cept in situations where a committee’s responsibility is
specifically targeted to a limited technical objective.
NOTICE
The INDEPENDENT publishes on the first and third Thursday
of each month. Because there are five Thursdays in March, the
next issue will not be published until April 5, 2007.
The deadline for articles and ads for the April 5 issue will be Fri-
day, March 30, 2007.
Out of My Mind…
By Noni Andersen
During and after the Vietnam war, many
Americans were rightfully accused of not sup-
porting our troops. Active military and veterans
were derided and/or ignored by many, both in
and out of government. Although the Iraq war is
opposed by even more citizens, all profess sup-
port for the troops.
The definition of “support” has almost as
many variations as there are opinions. Some
feel, notably Vice-President Cheney, that even
verbal opposition to the war shows a lack of sup-
port for the troops. Others insist that true support
would be to bring the troops home as soon as
possible. Even though these polar opposites will
never agree, they both pale when compared to
the gross lack of support for both active military
and veterans by our government, particularly the
Pentagon and the Veterans Administration.
A recent Congressional study noted that Na-
tional Guard units returning after overseas duty,
became “not ready” for combat because of
equipment shortages. Oregon National Guard
units, alone, are short more than $100 million
worth of equipment, largely because five years
of deployments have depleted weapons and ve-
hicle stocks. According to Brig. Gen. Mike Cald-
well, 5,000 of Oregon’s 8,000 citizen soldiers
have been called to active duty since Sept. 11,
2001. When they go, they take their equipment
with them; much of it is damaged or destroyed;
and some is left for other troops to use. They
now lack much of the equipment needed for ei-
ther training or to respond to natural disasters.
Deplorable conditions in outpatient facilities at
the Army’s Walter Reed Medical Center have re-
sulted in a number of high-profile resignations
and firings, but many questions remain. Records
reveal that, when the Pentagon first considered
privatizing support services at Walter Reed, a
cost analysis showed that privatization would
cost more than the existing program. For rea-
sons never publicly explained, the analysis was
revised and a five-year, $120-million contract
was awarded to IAP Worldwide Services (run by
Al Neffgen, a former senior Halliburton official).
More than 300 federal employees providing facil-
ities management services at Walter Reed
dropped to fewer than 60. IAP replaced them
with 50 private workers.
Cockroaches and mold are a small part of the
overall problem. Just before the Iraq invasion,
rules were changed to reduce the number of vet-
erans entitled to use the veterans’ health care
system. Then, two years ago, an electronic infor-
mation system that would have allowed a quick
transfer of military medical records to the VA was
canceled.
While we spend billions in Iraq, much of it un-
traceable, veterans with traumatic brain injuries
and serious mental health issues are not being
adequately evaluated or treated.
Complaints are coming from people who
rarely complain – soldiers, veterans and military
families. They made a deal with the government
to risk everything in defense of their country, in
return for being taken care of if they were hurt.
They kept their side of the bargain.